The questions of life

If you are like me you question things.  When I do I find that it inspires me to think things over, to get more information, and to ask others for their opinion.  And a lot of my inquiring pertains to observing others and wondering about their welfare.  Are you happy?  Do you believe in God?  If not, how are you better off?  These are questions that are so fundamental that they are to some extent taboo.  That's where a blog is handy, to explore in a neutral communication medium, maybe for me to explore angles that I wouldn't in conversation because it could be a turn off for me or the other party.

If you are reading this because it is part of your journey, consider the following questions that Christianity addresses:  What is the meaning of my life?  Why am I here?  How should I treat other people?  Why do some people respond negatively in unpredictable situations?  How much do I know, and how much can I learn?  What I have learned is that I cannot assume I know the answers to these questions.  This is my journey to humility.  I cannot express to you the comfort of being humble - it is great.  What I believe is that Jesus is my strength, my knowledge, and my life.  His love for me props me up.  Yet he was humble and showed greater concern for mankind than for his own human life.  He died and was raised from the dead, to the witness of his disciples and family.  The miracle of this is indeed the answer we all seem to seek.  It is the ultimate.  And the way to live is clearly spelled out in verses of the books of the Bible.  Following the Word doesn't create an army of automatons and zombies.  Truly the world that God created can always amaze me, excite me and challenge me.  Read the word and find out for yourself what God asks of us.  "Will you love me, and your fellow man?"  How will you answer God?

Where is God?

Do you have the kind of relationship with God that you should?  I would answer this question no.  Still it is growing.  I want to talk to God, and more experience His presence and hear His voice.  Maybe I have a hard heart, I am too busy, or do things too often that harm this relationship (sin).  For a relationship to grow I must be an active participant.  God is remote only when we do not seek Him and read His word in scripture.

Why did God set up a world where His presence can be sensed in every living and inanimate thing, every day, at any time.  But in this world He cannot be seen, directly heard, or physically touched?  We can't answer this question since we don't have insight into God's reasons for doing things.  A good assumption would be that this was not an act of capriciousness, and that there was  a very important reason that benefits each of his children in this world.  Maybe the disobedience of Adam and Eve does play a part in this separation.

For me the experience of God's presence comes directly from my interactions with people.  Some of the most simple of interactions can be so significant.  A smile, a friendly gesture or greeting.  These convey love and concern from others.  Although we are born with sin and cannot fail to fall into its diabolical realms, God sent his son, Jesus, to redeem us.  I like to read about Jesus and all of his contrasts and paradoxes.  Mild and bold at the same time.  Casual and stern at times as well.  He was man and was also God.  As a Christian I strive to place Christ in the center of my religious focus.

In my daily life hundreds of people seemingly cross my path each day.  The interactions may be brief or more prolonged.  I pray now that I can more cherish the times that I spend with my coworkers, friends, and family as well as clients and be more observant of the presence of God in these interactions.  I believe that as my faith in God grows, so will my ability to act in concert with the will of God and help represent His presence to others.  I also pray that I may spend more constructively the time I have alone to study the Word of God and learn of His works among the prophets of ancient times, the disciples of Christ, and Godly depictions from more recent Christian authors.  Maybe God chooses to show himself mainly through the face of man, who was made in His own image, so that man would revere his brethren greatly and in showing love, respect, and concern for each other, man would honor God and more closely experience His presence.

Et cum spirtu tuo

illustration from http://annawrites.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/spirit-guides-man.jpg

I was in a renew group meeting and we were talking after completing the didactic material and discussion.  Someone mentioned the "and with your spirit" response that we use at Mass following the priest's statement "The Lord be with you."  I asked the group leader if she knew what the translation in Latin for that would be and she replied with the above quote.  Being 52 yrs old, I still recall that phrase from the old Latin Mass of my childhood and it still sounds as melodic now as it did then (it was often sung anyway).  The alliteration of the "tu tuo" is what makes it distinctive.

In addition to that, it draws attention to that entity known as the spirit.  How often do I recognize that I have a spirit and not just take it for granted?  And that all of God's children are composed of the body, the mind and the spirit?  I think the spirit becomes more evident in the emotional realm when one is experiencing feelings or attraction or love.  Also when one is praying or when one is strongly affected by a conversation, a song or something being observed.

The fact is, the spirit is an essential element in our Christian Faith.  The response that we all say in Mass "and with your spirit" seems less of a nonsequitor when we ponder our own spirit and its status.  Is our spirit clean?  Is it healthy and being nurtured?  Do we foster a strong mind and body to make the dwelling place (during our earthly lives) of the spirit more optimal?

The spirit can prevail in our lives more when we take time to be quiet, to heighten our senses while eliminating offensive stimuli or excessive noise and distractions for a period of time each day.  Reading the literature of Church fathers and various bible passages is another way to foster our spirit and help it grow.  And may the Lord be with you and your spirit today!

John 3
In this chapter Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus and states,

"13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”


This is the chapter of John which proclaims Jesus is the light of the world. John states that Jesus did not come to the world to condemn it, but to save the world.

Jesus presence in my daily life is important to me but requires me to seek Him every day. I often become distracted with work that I have to do, people to talk to, and important family functions to attend. I have time alone for reflection as well which does help provide balance.

Still although Jesus responds to my prayers with many blessings and a divine sense of peace that has been His gift for many years, I must act. I feel that action is the imperative of faith. I cannot receive Jesus' blessings, comfort and companionship without any action on my part. In that way the relationship is elevated in importance. My actions are important in how they affect my man-God relationship. I seek to avoid sin but cannot completely avoid it since I am human. Strength is imparted by keeping the direction of my life spiritual. Because all of my human senses are interacting with the world, I can "forget" the spiritual side of my life.

I pray that I not neglect to nurture the spirit, to enhance my faith in God, and my prayers to His Son so that I can know more of Christ and what his plan for my life is. It is God's love that can make sense of the world. It is my faith that can respond to the love of Jesus. And it is faith that can make necessary the daily action that fosters a better spiritual life and witness to Jesus, especially to those who need this direction.

The ten commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai as laws for the people of Israel. They stand today as major influences not only on Judeo-Christian ethics, but on secular law as well. Take for example, the 8th Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. We have all seen the penalties for lying in cases of cover up schemes by politicians and high level businessmen.

Overall, the 10 commandments serve as one of God's clearest communications to man. Jesus came long after the 10 commandments, which were supplemented by a large body of religious laws instituted by the high priests and elders over the centuries in Israel. Jesus added clarity to the complexity of the legalistic religion that had overgrown due to man's attempt to refine God's laws. Jesus was able to summarize the new law when he spoke his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7):

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

It is not easy to follow the teaching of Jesus. Possibly a specific law that is spelled out and that has loopholes and exceptions would be easier for me to follow. But may Jesus bless me to follow the spirit of the teachings of Jesus, and to learn of them through the scripture and fellowship of other Christians who may influence me. May I be aware that I too have an influence on others and may a light shine from me that proclaims the love of God that has been freely extended to me an all my earthly brethren.

Feast of St. Timothy

So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God. 2Tim:8

Today is feast day, in the Roman Catholic Church, of Sts. Timothy and Titus. I know of no churches in our community named in honor of this early Bishop, protege of St. Paul. Therefore I read with greater interest since I am not familiar with Timothy or knowledgeable of the Epistles to him. The above quote from 2 Timothy is Paul's directive to Timothy, a future bishop, to evangelize freely and spread the good news of salvation of Jesus Christ.

We can all take heed from these words. In our daily lives, we are immersed in the secular world. It is a great world, created by God, but distorted by errors and by, frankly, sin. Thankfully, we do not have to have great sorrow in the word sin. We are all guilty at some time of committing offenses against God and doing or omitting things which result in harm to ourselves or others. We are all guilty of failing, despite our faith and other Christian acts, to worship God with the strength and vigor that such a task demands.

The joy in my life is greatly attributable to the atonement for sin brought by Jesus Christ. When I learned of this gift, freely given, it inspired me to attain a higher level of Christian fellowship and follow the Word of God.

I hope that in reflecting on the words of Paul to Timothy in today's designated lectionary reading, that I will take heed and to not only witness to the love of Christ, but speak of it proudly and openly and help others come to Christ so that they can experience the freedom that our redemption has given us, to love, live, and long for the time we will be with Christ in the Kingdom of God.

A Challenge to Catholic Evangelism

In this post I want to challenge you to consider the call to evangelism. There are a number of steps to start off with. First think about what your talents and gifts are. Do you write well? Are you good with people, with children, elderly, or other specific groups? You will call on your talents in this endeavor because evangelism is all about relationships. I discovered that I have a talent for interacting with the disenfranchised and the downtrodden. I hope that when I have the opportunity to witness to the love of Christ and His salvation, that I will exemplify the qualities that are present in the Gospel.

The second aspect of evangelism is having a cohesive message. Some groups you might encounter can be oppositional. There are people who feel they have been hurt by the Church and therefore have a bias. They may be critical of your efforts and contradict what you say to further their goals. So if your message is coherent and steadfast this will be much more effective. You cannot reach everyone and people need, more than anything, sufficient time to absorb new ideas, repeated exposure to the message and a gentle and respectful approach. Since the Pope is so supportive of this "new" evangelism, you can readily find material from Papal and other church writings, and certainly from the Gospel itself.

The third aspect I would propose was hinted at in the paragraph above, and that is persistence. You will not succeed with a one man show using a one time heavy handed approach. Instead, enlist the help of others and give your project months and years to develop. Sow the seeds of conversion and spiritual enrichment and nurture them to grow. Be flexible and allow people in your sphere of influence to be themselves, but to feel included in the Christian way. Invite, incite, and delight. There are a lot of hungry souls who yearn for something more than our secular culture can provide. God will bless you and your efforts as He does all of us and may His love shine from you like a beacon. In your efforts do not neglect those who are already in the fold, as they need regular encouragement too and reinforcement for the work they do.