It is wise, as a Christian, to prepare yourself to be misunderstood even by those whom you love. When people have strong beliefs they sometimes do not have all the facts. If it is possible practice patience and use reticence when discussing the wonder and the mystery of your faith. Being Christian does not mean insulting another person’s faith or viewpoints. It is sometimes better to simply listen, and respond with a Bible verse or one of the parables of Jesus Christ.
As you become known in the community because of the church you attend or as a living faithful Catholic please be prepared to be confronted by many people with all types of grievances with the church, the clergy of the parish, the diocese priorities, Papal letters, and many other ancient grudges. Be prepared to pleasantly greet ignorance, intolerance, and rudeness. Faith is often accompanied with suffering.
Do not interpret my meaning as a suggestion to be cowardly. You must engage everyone as you see necessary. But you must engage them with the patience and love of God. As you listen to comments and observe actions, you will learn what to say and how to say. When discussing Faith and/or religion do not treat it as a win/lose opportunity.
In a funny irony that communication sometimes involves suffering. We suffer to listen to half-truths, ignorant statement, fallacies, lies, personal opinions masquerading as universal truth. We are members of the church universal will be singled out and ridiculed because of our beliefs. But do not be troubled by this. Respond as you deem necessary with respect. Be prepared for malicious jokes and all types of anecdotes against the Church, the faithful, the faith. Suffer these with dignity and respect. Do not respond in anger.
Old people used to say that we were put on this world to suffer before gaining admittance to the kingdom of heaven. Suffering is not always visible, it often is subtle. Understand and believe that all men suffer, all men have fear, all men have pain. No one is immune to them. Understand and believe the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Modernity likes to expose the bitterness of life. Do not let this change you or your faith. Your faith is based upon something true, tangible, and real. Your faith is there to provide love, comfort, and hope.
Remember God and his love for you as you confront your day to day life. Be prepared for melancholy laughter; modern humor is often the cruelest trial by audience; let your devotion to God help you when you hear or see unpleasant things.
To be misunderstood is avoidable in this frenetic chaotic time of instant justification, instant rationalization. Be prepared to greet all misunderstandings calmly, with love and hope.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Approaching Moral Thought
And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception (Philippians 1:9)
Recently I have allowed myself an inward examination and assurance of morality. How and why I made decisions became important to me. I wondered whether my presentiment was for honor, humility, and God’s service. I have seen myself in the shimmering world of my imagination ready to sacrifice everything with God grace and in the name of God. I have also imagined an important diplomat. And I have imagined myself as a complicated hero with an impossible decision to make. I have been an imaginary husband, father, government official, priest. The events always occurred a couple of hours, a couple of days in the future. Someone’s life or world peace was in danger. A sacrifice was always requested and given. This luxuriant approach to the future, this absolute trust and faith in a formula over time began to amuse then bemuse me. My daydreams were vague mini Hollywood productions and my reactions over time were indefinite. It is easy to create a scene in our minds; it is easy to ask questions about faith; giving our hearts, minds, and souls time to discover solutions is very difficult, sometimes it is almost impossible. So influential is our civilized, technological currently de facto instantaneity rule.
Asking moral questions is easy. Applying moral thought is difficult. Each thought that we have can help to produce a legacy of sensations and images. Traditional Catholic teaching explains that the moral value of a human act depends on its object, end, and circumstances. What do we think as we make decisions in our lives. How do we make decisions? Why do we make the decisions that we make?
Being a Christian means more than stating that you love everybody. It means sacrifice. It means struggle. It means suffering. Being Christian implies a courage to bring God into your life, your whole life and allowing yourself to become a living temple of God’s grace and love. Allow the Holy Spirit into your heart and your imagination. Encourage both good thoughts and good works in yourself. Use goodness to encourage happiness and betterment in the lives of others.
Purity of thought, purity of consolation can exist within a mind that maintains a rigorous discourse with itself and which believes and follows the teaching of the Church. It is the fellowship and the community developed there which will help to guide each person toward the kingdom of God.
Recently I have allowed myself an inward examination and assurance of morality. How and why I made decisions became important to me. I wondered whether my presentiment was for honor, humility, and God’s service. I have seen myself in the shimmering world of my imagination ready to sacrifice everything with God grace and in the name of God. I have also imagined an important diplomat. And I have imagined myself as a complicated hero with an impossible decision to make. I have been an imaginary husband, father, government official, priest. The events always occurred a couple of hours, a couple of days in the future. Someone’s life or world peace was in danger. A sacrifice was always requested and given. This luxuriant approach to the future, this absolute trust and faith in a formula over time began to amuse then bemuse me. My daydreams were vague mini Hollywood productions and my reactions over time were indefinite. It is easy to create a scene in our minds; it is easy to ask questions about faith; giving our hearts, minds, and souls time to discover solutions is very difficult, sometimes it is almost impossible. So influential is our civilized, technological currently de facto instantaneity rule.
Asking moral questions is easy. Applying moral thought is difficult. Each thought that we have can help to produce a legacy of sensations and images. Traditional Catholic teaching explains that the moral value of a human act depends on its object, end, and circumstances. What do we think as we make decisions in our lives. How do we make decisions? Why do we make the decisions that we make?
Being a Christian means more than stating that you love everybody. It means sacrifice. It means struggle. It means suffering. Being Christian implies a courage to bring God into your life, your whole life and allowing yourself to become a living temple of God’s grace and love. Allow the Holy Spirit into your heart and your imagination. Encourage both good thoughts and good works in yourself. Use goodness to encourage happiness and betterment in the lives of others.
Purity of thought, purity of consolation can exist within a mind that maintains a rigorous discourse with itself and which believes and follows the teaching of the Church. It is the fellowship and the community developed there which will help to guide each person toward the kingdom of God.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Impression of A Birthday Party
“Lord, let our eyes be opened.” (Matthew 20:33
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.
(Wisdom 3:1)
We did calmly discuss the Vatican.
The twilight sky did turn gold and crimson.
The clouds remained between heaven and us
And two teenagers did a Monty Python laugh in unison.
Did the New Yorker decorate our minds
with towel-snapping historians waving bye, bye?
Vietnam still conflicts. he likes pork rinds. she finds
My face, your heart, remnants of a juvenile sigh.
Thundering moments are sometimes lurking
for some youngsters. The measure of youth’s madness
is the ratio of the probable and possible working
to create a mood of upbeat general gladness
of life in an era. of words in error
the Hall of Dilemmas is multiplying
me and you and you and I must somehow open the door
between our hoping, our praying, our trying
ideals and Faith and making first-person goodness
be a priority, immediate, urgent
Sharing prayers and hope, and tales of Loch Ness
falling into memories, daydreams spent.
Autobiography invites spiritual awakenings
and the obviously routine birthday party ritual
of candles, frosting, singing voice happenings
a moment tender, loving, a time for all
Someone did yell surprise, surprise
then there was joyous chaos then applause
followed by glances quick, pleased and wise
With enthusiasm for a prayer we did pause
Life’s hierarchy begins with love
caressing and protecting us. Love is our teacher
directing our gaze toward heaven above
Faith is our guiding preacher
gently complicit to the cameras flash
you deserve this moment of converging
Love, hope, faith, good cheer, with a dash
for all the prayers said, loved shared, Faith merging
For the spirit of the LORD fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says.
(Wisdom 1:7)
I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ (Matthew 23:39)
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.
(Wisdom 3:1)
We did calmly discuss the Vatican.
The twilight sky did turn gold and crimson.
The clouds remained between heaven and us
And two teenagers did a Monty Python laugh in unison.
Did the New Yorker decorate our minds
with towel-snapping historians waving bye, bye?
Vietnam still conflicts. he likes pork rinds. she finds
My face, your heart, remnants of a juvenile sigh.
Thundering moments are sometimes lurking
for some youngsters. The measure of youth’s madness
is the ratio of the probable and possible working
to create a mood of upbeat general gladness
of life in an era. of words in error
the Hall of Dilemmas is multiplying
me and you and you and I must somehow open the door
between our hoping, our praying, our trying
ideals and Faith and making first-person goodness
be a priority, immediate, urgent
Sharing prayers and hope, and tales of Loch Ness
falling into memories, daydreams spent.
Autobiography invites spiritual awakenings
and the obviously routine birthday party ritual
of candles, frosting, singing voice happenings
a moment tender, loving, a time for all
Someone did yell surprise, surprise
then there was joyous chaos then applause
followed by glances quick, pleased and wise
With enthusiasm for a prayer we did pause
Life’s hierarchy begins with love
caressing and protecting us. Love is our teacher
directing our gaze toward heaven above
Faith is our guiding preacher
gently complicit to the cameras flash
you deserve this moment of converging
Love, hope, faith, good cheer, with a dash
for all the prayers said, loved shared, Faith merging
For the spirit of the LORD fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says.
(Wisdom 1:7)
I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ (Matthew 23:39)
Tuesday, October 20 - Impressions
October is almost finished. Eleven days remain. The leaves are orange, gold. The temperatures are sliding down. Yesterday I took a late afternoon walk to see the fall colors. I remembered other October afternoons, other moments spent thinking about absolutely nothing and then every great topic.
There are moments which create natural footnotes in our lives when events inspire us to action or inspire us to remember some detail. Life is a series of preceding prayers, promises, prefaces, and problems.
Whether we vacationed in Paris or Berlin, whether we have a MBA or MFA, whether we prefer the city or the country, our lives present us with a unanswered questions. There are times of indecision in all of our lives. A little indecision is good. Especially, if it leads to prayer and God.
My life is endless journeys, impressions, observations, thoughts, anecdotes, memories, and photographs. Life is formless, random. I say prayers for those who have died before me and those who are alive and occasionally annoyed by me.
The last two years are important too me as prayer becomes more important to me. I am such a neophyte, my intelligence exists to ask questions and to wonder. My initiation continues as I learn more about the Church and my interpretations about the Church and I feel like a new Christian being.
Three rainy days, three rainy nights. I went to the grocery store and decided to remain indoors to keep dry. What a difference a cold October rain makes when you’re trying to balance four or five plastic bags, a black umbrella, and walk across a busy street and up a slight hill, almost steep. The faces of some of the other pedestrians is blank, lifeless. All I can do is say little prayers and smile.
October somehow reminds me of the many compromises and considerations which strongly lead me toward goodness, toward God. There is something meritorious about the days becoming shorter and the doubts about football playoff prospects. All that matters is deciding what matters. Being a humble, loving servant for God looks appealing in the October afternoon sunshine. October creates great justifications for prayer and meditation and self examination and confession.
October is a great time to wonder about putting things in context, putting God first. It is a great time to read a verse or two or a chapter in the Bible. We can find new meanings and directions for our lives if we allow ourselves the time to think.
Prayer offers us hope and new beginnings.
There are moments which create natural footnotes in our lives when events inspire us to action or inspire us to remember some detail. Life is a series of preceding prayers, promises, prefaces, and problems.
Whether we vacationed in Paris or Berlin, whether we have a MBA or MFA, whether we prefer the city or the country, our lives present us with a unanswered questions. There are times of indecision in all of our lives. A little indecision is good. Especially, if it leads to prayer and God.
My life is endless journeys, impressions, observations, thoughts, anecdotes, memories, and photographs. Life is formless, random. I say prayers for those who have died before me and those who are alive and occasionally annoyed by me.
The last two years are important too me as prayer becomes more important to me. I am such a neophyte, my intelligence exists to ask questions and to wonder. My initiation continues as I learn more about the Church and my interpretations about the Church and I feel like a new Christian being.
Three rainy days, three rainy nights. I went to the grocery store and decided to remain indoors to keep dry. What a difference a cold October rain makes when you’re trying to balance four or five plastic bags, a black umbrella, and walk across a busy street and up a slight hill, almost steep. The faces of some of the other pedestrians is blank, lifeless. All I can do is say little prayers and smile.
October somehow reminds me of the many compromises and considerations which strongly lead me toward goodness, toward God. There is something meritorious about the days becoming shorter and the doubts about football playoff prospects. All that matters is deciding what matters. Being a humble, loving servant for God looks appealing in the October afternoon sunshine. October creates great justifications for prayer and meditation and self examination and confession.
October is a great time to wonder about putting things in context, putting God first. It is a great time to read a verse or two or a chapter in the Bible. We can find new meanings and directions for our lives if we allow ourselves the time to think.
Prayer offers us hope and new beginnings.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Our Christian Lives
Faith provides liberty and breadth to our Christian lives, encourages us to discover ideas from beyond the current epoch to allow our point of view of life to be equitable and universal. We must learn to question our lives and our world. We must learn to examine our actions, beliefs, and thoughts. We must judge our behavior and make adjustments to be more Christian, to be more charitable. Our point of view should be directed toward heaven and eternal life; our focus should be on fairness and justice. If all our lives were reviewed and rated like new novels and movies by critics, every word and gesture analyzed, would anyone be able to learn about our belief in God, about our faith.
Faith is salutary. It provides answers about our existence and prescience. Lucent is our honest and true faith. Our lives our brief and vincible. Faith is infinite, encourages us to survey, imagine life beyond ourselves. Faith prepares and leads us to eternal life.
Goodness follows those whose lives are filled with lenity. Our goal should always be to serve, to help. Our goal should be to offer aide and love unconditionally to all of our neighbors. And we might hope for eternal life. And we do imagine how eternal life will be and what heaven will look like.
But it is a noteworthy fact that ideas about eternal life may inspire altruism and social justice. Knowledge requires focus and study; our mental abilities will use our experience and observation to form questions and solutions. Ideas about eternal life are beyond our physiological views, are more sacred and spiritual.
Our spiritual lives influence and help to form our individual characters. We have different tendencies and idiosyncrasies which help to create and to promote our images of our eternal life. The Bible provides suggestions, our mind designs and builds gardens and palaces.
Our Christian lives remind us about other considerations that help define us as the faithful. We are prepared for eternal life by our personal humility, compassion, and adherence to God’s laws and teachings.Our Christian lives depend upon something intrinsic to nurture our faith.
My life balances hope and love; I learn about saints and miracles. My mind looks for goodness, struggles to be good, fair, and just. I am human. I have moments of being alone, moments of feeling alone. At the end of the conversation, I have danced around all types of social formulas, observed social mythologies develop and then be abandoned, recorded different social metamorphoses and name and address changes. At the end it is what can’t be seen, the spiritual developments that are important.
Faith helps us communicate with God.
Faith is salutary. It provides answers about our existence and prescience. Lucent is our honest and true faith. Our lives our brief and vincible. Faith is infinite, encourages us to survey, imagine life beyond ourselves. Faith prepares and leads us to eternal life.
Goodness follows those whose lives are filled with lenity. Our goal should always be to serve, to help. Our goal should be to offer aide and love unconditionally to all of our neighbors. And we might hope for eternal life. And we do imagine how eternal life will be and what heaven will look like.
But it is a noteworthy fact that ideas about eternal life may inspire altruism and social justice. Knowledge requires focus and study; our mental abilities will use our experience and observation to form questions and solutions. Ideas about eternal life are beyond our physiological views, are more sacred and spiritual.
Our spiritual lives influence and help to form our individual characters. We have different tendencies and idiosyncrasies which help to create and to promote our images of our eternal life. The Bible provides suggestions, our mind designs and builds gardens and palaces.
Our Christian lives remind us about other considerations that help define us as the faithful. We are prepared for eternal life by our personal humility, compassion, and adherence to God’s laws and teachings.Our Christian lives depend upon something intrinsic to nurture our faith.
My life balances hope and love; I learn about saints and miracles. My mind looks for goodness, struggles to be good, fair, and just. I am human. I have moments of being alone, moments of feeling alone. At the end of the conversation, I have danced around all types of social formulas, observed social mythologies develop and then be abandoned, recorded different social metamorphoses and name and address changes. At the end it is what can’t be seen, the spiritual developments that are important.
Faith helps us communicate with God.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Necessities of Existence
For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips; Because God is the witness of his inmost self and the sure observer of his heart and the listener to his tongue. (Wisdom 1:6)
The only true necessities in life is to know, love, and serve God. Our entire beings, our entire talents and capabilities are designed to help us discover divinity. We have all types of ways of sensing and adoring God. We must learn to avoid temporal excesses and temptations, our faith, hope, and love must be directed toward goodness, humility, and compassion and in the service of what is eternal, absolute, unconditional--God’s love. Reality and actuality are abstract words which can inspire great thoughts or confuse unsuspecting minds. Our existence provides evidence of a supreme order, evidence of thought and free will, evidence of beauty, innocence, love, evidence of darkness, corruption, hate. Our existence is not a random occurrence. We are alive to question our day to day existence. We are alive to wonder about the beauty and majesty of having eternal life with Gid. We are alive to plan our eternal existence. To pray, to worship, to share, to give, to receive, to contemplate, to speak of God’s love, mercy, and goodness is the duty and obligation of all those who call themselves Christian. Modernity and materialism can make this difficult as different thoughts take root in our imaginations and hearts and we allow ourselves to be seduced and deceived by all types of kind looking sweet smelling gentle speaking cleverly concealed evils.
I often try to detach myself from the world, to have a moment or two of solitude. This is time to think about and to remember God. It is easy to say that my life is in his hands, but I am sometimes a little anxious, a little restless. I don’t want to wait for him to respond.
As a rambunctious child I was told to be good, to obey God’s law. I was told to say my prayers. I was told good people go to heaven. As an rambunctious adult I must believe in goodness, in God and his love. I must have faith.
There is no need to fear death when honest and true love for and faith in God exists.
In my existence my love for God is my happiness; each of us can do truly wonderful things which can express and strengthen our humanity. Living a Christian life can lead us to heroism, moral fairness, as we follow God’s examples. Our lives are enriched when we consciously strive try to dwell with God.
The only true necessities in life is to know, love, and serve God. Our entire beings, our entire talents and capabilities are designed to help us discover divinity. We have all types of ways of sensing and adoring God. We must learn to avoid temporal excesses and temptations, our faith, hope, and love must be directed toward goodness, humility, and compassion and in the service of what is eternal, absolute, unconditional--God’s love. Reality and actuality are abstract words which can inspire great thoughts or confuse unsuspecting minds. Our existence provides evidence of a supreme order, evidence of thought and free will, evidence of beauty, innocence, love, evidence of darkness, corruption, hate. Our existence is not a random occurrence. We are alive to question our day to day existence. We are alive to wonder about the beauty and majesty of having eternal life with Gid. We are alive to plan our eternal existence. To pray, to worship, to share, to give, to receive, to contemplate, to speak of God’s love, mercy, and goodness is the duty and obligation of all those who call themselves Christian. Modernity and materialism can make this difficult as different thoughts take root in our imaginations and hearts and we allow ourselves to be seduced and deceived by all types of kind looking sweet smelling gentle speaking cleverly concealed evils.
I often try to detach myself from the world, to have a moment or two of solitude. This is time to think about and to remember God. It is easy to say that my life is in his hands, but I am sometimes a little anxious, a little restless. I don’t want to wait for him to respond.
As a rambunctious child I was told to be good, to obey God’s law. I was told to say my prayers. I was told good people go to heaven. As an rambunctious adult I must believe in goodness, in God and his love. I must have faith.
There is no need to fear death when honest and true love for and faith in God exists.
In my existence my love for God is my happiness; each of us can do truly wonderful things which can express and strengthen our humanity. Living a Christian life can lead us to heroism, moral fairness, as we follow God’s examples. Our lives are enriched when we consciously strive try to dwell with God.
Introduction
My faith is heuristic. It provides both the questions and the patience necessary to find wisdom. Our daily lives are often improved when we allow ourselves to believe in faith. Each of us describe faith in a different personal terminology; however, the gnosis of faith can help us discover interior peace which can be confidently expressed in a hostile exterior world. All love that is true and honest springs from faith. Hope is aided by gentleness and innocence of faith. The journey through human life toward eternal life with depends upon the goodness and the strength of faith.
My mind encourages me to expatiate on faith frequently because faith is so beautifully intertwined with believing in and loving God. It is impossible for me to think of God without thinking of faith.
It was in the last days of December, 2006, that my personal faith was restored to a place of honor and influence within the confines of my imagination. Several memories of attending Mass were replayed. Several intimate thoughts of prayers and promises made to God during times of the illness of beloved family members were also remembered. My faith had begun reconnecting events, opening the curtains of ego and conceit, preparing a place within my heart for the appearance of God. When I was able to acknowledge his presence and understand his presence and the truth that I was never alone, never beyond his love, I was then able to see that my life has been a long and remarkable introduction to God, his love, and the journey to eternal life.
Faith is now my most valued friend. It prefaces my thoughts and interactions. It encourages me to care for more than just my immediate private insulated circle. Faith leads me out. Faith allows me to be observer, editor, and critic of my life as I make mistakes and slowly, sometimes painstakingly slow, try to improve, try to be more Christ like.
Faith entrusts different ideas and mysteries within each of us. Currently, I have some odd idea that faith is leading me on a literary endeavor. Different thoughts and incidents, related to God and my attempt to live a life worthy to be God’s heir are to written and preserved here.
This is neither a psychological nor journalistic enterprise. This is more ethical, philosophical. It is concerned with the impressionism of living a humble Christian life.
Faith is my confidant. I am looking to examine my soul and to explore the uncharted territory of my conscious as it relates to questions of faith and loving God.
My faith is heuristic. I am heuristic.
“Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29-30)
My mind encourages me to expatiate on faith frequently because faith is so beautifully intertwined with believing in and loving God. It is impossible for me to think of God without thinking of faith.
It was in the last days of December, 2006, that my personal faith was restored to a place of honor and influence within the confines of my imagination. Several memories of attending Mass were replayed. Several intimate thoughts of prayers and promises made to God during times of the illness of beloved family members were also remembered. My faith had begun reconnecting events, opening the curtains of ego and conceit, preparing a place within my heart for the appearance of God. When I was able to acknowledge his presence and understand his presence and the truth that I was never alone, never beyond his love, I was then able to see that my life has been a long and remarkable introduction to God, his love, and the journey to eternal life.
Faith is now my most valued friend. It prefaces my thoughts and interactions. It encourages me to care for more than just my immediate private insulated circle. Faith leads me out. Faith allows me to be observer, editor, and critic of my life as I make mistakes and slowly, sometimes painstakingly slow, try to improve, try to be more Christ like.
Faith entrusts different ideas and mysteries within each of us. Currently, I have some odd idea that faith is leading me on a literary endeavor. Different thoughts and incidents, related to God and my attempt to live a life worthy to be God’s heir are to written and preserved here.
This is neither a psychological nor journalistic enterprise. This is more ethical, philosophical. It is concerned with the impressionism of living a humble Christian life.
Faith is my confidant. I am looking to examine my soul and to explore the uncharted territory of my conscious as it relates to questions of faith and loving God.
My faith is heuristic. I am heuristic.
“Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29-30)
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