What do you believe in? Do you believe that the sun will rise in the morning? Do you believe that the stars will shine at night? Things that we see and can observe reacting with our lives are easy to believe, but what about God?
We start the Year of Faith today with a close look at why we have faith. What is it that turns our gaze to the visible and invisible to make our heart skip a beat and wonder how things came to be? It is that natural curiosity of mankind. That inner longing for knowledge. The desire to know something other than ourselves. That longing, that desire, inevitably leads to God.
The Catechism addresses this from the very beginning:
27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:
Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed.) (13). Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference.
The secular world today will tell us there is no God. The secular world wants us to embrace its idea of a humancentric existence, that we are but a blob of protoplasm and have evolved from the muck of our own accord. The atheistic movement is gaining much ground and we are buffeted by the ill winds of a rebellious world.
Some people will despair and withdraw, some will turn their eyes and pretend nothing is happening, and some will give in and lose hope. Hope........ where does that come from? Hope and faith go hand in hand.
to be continued.....
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
And So It Begins.....
The Year of Faith begins tomorrow with the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th Anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
As a Deacon in the Catholic Church, I often pray for an increase in faith, not only in myself, but for the whole world. Sometimes the question is, what is faith? Where does it come from and how do I get it?
What is faith? Looking up faith in the dictionary gives you all sorts of definitions. From allegiance to someone or something, as in loyalty, to belief in someone or something that cannot be proved. Some of the alternate definitions will mention God, but the wording is obscure to say the least. So how can a person come to understand faith if definitions fall short.
Maybe we should re-ask the question from a Catholic standpoint? In other words, what is Catholic faith? What makes us Catholic? Is our Catholic identity based on the parish we attend or the building in which we go to mass? Is our Catholic identity tied up in forms or certificates?
To truly discover our catholic identity, we should really look to our Creed. It seemed that centuries after Christ died and rose, the identity of Christians was being questioned. There was faith there, but some variations in what was believed began to crop up in all corners. In 325AD, the Council of Nicea put those beliefs in words and they remain steadfast til today.
I would like to examine the Creed in parts over several blogposts and welcome any comments and suggestions as we go along.
So, next post will begin as the Creed begins "I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and Earth, of all things visible and invisible."
Until then, God bless and pray well!
Deacon Jimmy
As a Deacon in the Catholic Church, I often pray for an increase in faith, not only in myself, but for the whole world. Sometimes the question is, what is faith? Where does it come from and how do I get it?
What is faith? Looking up faith in the dictionary gives you all sorts of definitions. From allegiance to someone or something, as in loyalty, to belief in someone or something that cannot be proved. Some of the alternate definitions will mention God, but the wording is obscure to say the least. So how can a person come to understand faith if definitions fall short.
Maybe we should re-ask the question from a Catholic standpoint? In other words, what is Catholic faith? What makes us Catholic? Is our Catholic identity based on the parish we attend or the building in which we go to mass? Is our Catholic identity tied up in forms or certificates?
To truly discover our catholic identity, we should really look to our Creed. It seemed that centuries after Christ died and rose, the identity of Christians was being questioned. There was faith there, but some variations in what was believed began to crop up in all corners. In 325AD, the Council of Nicea put those beliefs in words and they remain steadfast til today.
I would like to examine the Creed in parts over several blogposts and welcome any comments and suggestions as we go along.
So, next post will begin as the Creed begins "I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and Earth, of all things visible and invisible."
Until then, God bless and pray well!
Deacon Jimmy
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
October 2nd - Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
We all have Guardian Angels, but how often do we think of them and pray for their intercession? Is it because we have let slip from our minds the existence of spiritual beings? Do we doubt that our infinite God can place a spiritual companion for each and every one of us?
The secular world has been doing a great job at trying to distance us from God by trivializing the spiritual. They deny His existence, demean the works of His Son Jesus Christ and work to thwart the good that is in each one us by twisting truths and inventing the 'new normal'. No wonder we forget what our Guardian Angels can do for us, because the 'world' has pressed us into forgetfulness and apathy.
The reality is - ANGELS DO EXIST!
We only have to read the bible to see the inspired Word of God comment on their existence and interaction with mankind. We see them appearing to Mary, announcing the birth of Jesus and ministering to Jesus in the desert just to name a few. Just type Angels in the bible in your favorite search engine and you will see the many scenes which show us angels in their mission.
St. Thomas Aquinas, great philosopher and also known as the Angelic Doctor, studied and wrote on the existence of angels and their nature extensively in his Summa Theologica. He begins in Prima Pars Question 50 http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1050.htm .
Reading the Summa can be a little daunting until you understand what St. Thomas was trying to achieve. It is based in a Q&A format and he addresses objections to the faith and proceeds to answer them with great depth. I tend to treat it as I would the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Not as a book to be read from beginning to end as a novel, but rather as a reference book to look up certain topics from time to time.
Sure, you can read it in its entirety, but pondering a topic and reading then reflecting, for me, tends to help it sink in. Angels were one such subject that I couldn't grasp, but was aided by St. Thomas tremendously. I encourage you to read what St. Thomas has to say about angels today.
So, on this Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, let us rekindle the relationship with our Guardian Angel. Allow your Angel to help you pray, ask your Angel for assistance in becoming holy knowing that the hosts of angels are always before God and see His face.
Enjoy this Memorial Day!
God Bless,
Deacon Jimmy
The secular world has been doing a great job at trying to distance us from God by trivializing the spiritual. They deny His existence, demean the works of His Son Jesus Christ and work to thwart the good that is in each one us by twisting truths and inventing the 'new normal'. No wonder we forget what our Guardian Angels can do for us, because the 'world' has pressed us into forgetfulness and apathy.
The reality is - ANGELS DO EXIST!
We only have to read the bible to see the inspired Word of God comment on their existence and interaction with mankind. We see them appearing to Mary, announcing the birth of Jesus and ministering to Jesus in the desert just to name a few. Just type Angels in the bible in your favorite search engine and you will see the many scenes which show us angels in their mission.
St. Thomas Aquinas, great philosopher and also known as the Angelic Doctor, studied and wrote on the existence of angels and their nature extensively in his Summa Theologica. He begins in Prima Pars Question 50 http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1050.htm .
Reading the Summa can be a little daunting until you understand what St. Thomas was trying to achieve. It is based in a Q&A format and he addresses objections to the faith and proceeds to answer them with great depth. I tend to treat it as I would the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Not as a book to be read from beginning to end as a novel, but rather as a reference book to look up certain topics from time to time.
Sure, you can read it in its entirety, but pondering a topic and reading then reflecting, for me, tends to help it sink in. Angels were one such subject that I couldn't grasp, but was aided by St. Thomas tremendously. I encourage you to read what St. Thomas has to say about angels today.
So, on this Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, let us rekindle the relationship with our Guardian Angel. Allow your Angel to help you pray, ask your Angel for assistance in becoming holy knowing that the hosts of angels are always before God and see His face.
Enjoy this Memorial Day!
God Bless,
Deacon Jimmy
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