Friday, August 31, 2018
...and another 3 years have gone by...
Poking my head up for air. Very quiet on this blog. I feel like I should tell a joke or do a dance or something.
Monday, December 21, 2015
6... almost 7 years later....
The world of Will is a much different place now. I started down a path in 2009 I never did finish. Today I am almost totally engrossed in my work and haven't had much time for serious reading or most of my spiritual endeavors.
Not a bad time things are going well... just busy.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Waking after a long sleep...
I was left a comment on my last post, which I note, was almost three years ago. Another blog user, EddieL invited me, as a comment to my previous posting, to exercise my discernment and analytical ability on what he's written on his Google site, Scripture and the Law. I have not had enough time to read all the information posted there, but I do intend to post either here or anywhere else desired, as my understanding grows.
On first glance, the site seems antagonistic... or better put, the Catholic Church becomes the antagonist towards Christianity, the document's protagonist. I was prepared for an assault on the typical grounds; papal infallibility, Catholics' general lack of Scriptural training/knowledge, idolization of the Saints as lesser gods, corruption of the priesthood, and/or general disposition or rank odor of particular Catholics encountered on any given Sunday provided as proof of the "evil-ness" of the Catholic Church...
However, the approach taken by the author is very different than I anticipated. The writer makes his case, in the most part through a series of Catechetical references contrasted with Scriptural passages, in a very detailed and well-thought out manner. It appears, from my inadequate and rapid first scan, to be a very methodical and rational discourse, as opposed to the all too typical controversial phrase firing and intent to "make people angry so I can ramp up the hits to my site" approach...
Part of my own hesitation at posting or participating in on-line "Scriptural groups" or "Religious discussions", over the last few years, is the tendency to rely on heresay and emotional rhetoric rather than intelligent discourse... Forums where the speaker is attacked and torn shreds instead of stated idea, belief or philosophy...
I am very excited to find an individual who has concern, writes well and has obviously done his homework in regards to the topic. Wheter I agree or disagree, it will be a pleasure to read and respond to the author's work... and I hope he will feel the same.
I must forewarn though, I am not gentle nor kind in analysis, though I always try to be fair. If I ever seem to be insulting or condescending in this post or any other it is my poor writing skill and not my intent. I am only seeking knowledge, and will often test my own convictions against others it is not out of pride or my own need to be right... it's simply the way I think... ask my long suffering wife and family members for detail which they will be happy to provide at length.
On first glance, the site seems antagonistic... or better put, the Catholic Church becomes the antagonist towards Christianity, the document's protagonist. I was prepared for an assault on the typical grounds; papal infallibility, Catholics' general lack of Scriptural training/knowledge, idolization of the Saints as lesser gods, corruption of the priesthood, and/or general disposition or rank odor of particular Catholics encountered on any given Sunday provided as proof of the "evil-ness" of the Catholic Church...
However, the approach taken by the author is very different than I anticipated. The writer makes his case, in the most part through a series of Catechetical references contrasted with Scriptural passages, in a very detailed and well-thought out manner. It appears, from my inadequate and rapid first scan, to be a very methodical and rational discourse, as opposed to the all too typical controversial phrase firing and intent to "make people angry so I can ramp up the hits to my site" approach...
Part of my own hesitation at posting or participating in on-line "Scriptural groups" or "Religious discussions", over the last few years, is the tendency to rely on heresay and emotional rhetoric rather than intelligent discourse... Forums where the speaker is attacked and torn shreds instead of stated idea, belief or philosophy...
I am very excited to find an individual who has concern, writes well and has obviously done his homework in regards to the topic. Wheter I agree or disagree, it will be a pleasure to read and respond to the author's work... and I hope he will feel the same.
I must forewarn though, I am not gentle nor kind in analysis, though I always try to be fair. If I ever seem to be insulting or condescending in this post or any other it is my poor writing skill and not my intent. I am only seeking knowledge, and will often test my own convictions against others it is not out of pride or my own need to be right... it's simply the way I think... ask my long suffering wife and family members for detail which they will be happy to provide at length.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
The Way of Discernment: Link and Unlike
One of the simplest, and most vital of the spiritual activities is Discernment... It is also the most misunderstood and over mystified. Discernment, simply put is learning what is like or unlike between two things.
If I was to Discern whether or not my vocation was like that of a priests, in or outside of an order, I must first learn about myself, and second about that vocation. I must then way the parts of that vocation that are like myself and unlike myself, and finally to decide whether or not the two are similar enough to be compatible.
Many people object to this understanding because they are looking for a pseudo-mystical experience out of the lives of the Saints. They want God to come down from heaven and tell them what to do. So they sit with their mind blank and wait for revelation. God, however, only reveals Himself since He, Himself, is Truth and not I, then one will most likely not receive answers from divine revelation about which way their own path should go. Further only a true contemplative can sit in real quiet, contemplate and move closer to God... It is a practiced thing and not an easy one for humans to even understand, much less master. All the contemplative monks and friars that we read about will all state that they only have the briefest hint of a glimpse at this state where the soul meets God, and all work for lifetimes to attain it... Even if only for a few seconds.
There are some saints whom God has seen fit to intervene with directly like St. Faustina and Blessed Mother Theresa. All the saints know, though how to discern. They know how to look into themselves, find the self that God created, take it out examine it and compare it to areas of the world... Not to hold that self on high as better then the world, but to find their place in it. Does the square peg think it's better then the round hole because it does not fit the mold? Or can it only truly be happy in a square hole?
Discernment is simple, but not easy because, one has to learn at great cost about the self which God has created. Through prayer, scripture, reading and study of holy men, women and their writings we find out more about ourselves and how we have been made, then the loving, but completely incomprehensible God. We only understand what we do about God because as His creation He is reflected in us. Once we know the self that God has made, in His image, we are more ready and able to find him in the world.
Being able to discern not only helps us find the spots where we fit but also helps us to find spiritual gifts in others that enable us to work together in God's kingdom. Who is greater St. Francis or St. Dominic? Blessed Mother Theresa or Pope John Paul? St. Peter or St. Paul? Foolish debates each and everyone because as history proves those Saints work better together! Each has his or her own vocation. Knowing and understanding how to discern gives us great freedom from jealousy and envy. I, having great analytical ability only envy the athlete because I have been taught to do so by a system that prides itself on athletes. In the kingdom of God the athlete and the analytic stand together in God's glory.
If I was to Discern whether or not my vocation was like that of a priests, in or outside of an order, I must first learn about myself, and second about that vocation. I must then way the parts of that vocation that are like myself and unlike myself, and finally to decide whether or not the two are similar enough to be compatible.
Many people object to this understanding because they are looking for a pseudo-mystical experience out of the lives of the Saints. They want God to come down from heaven and tell them what to do. So they sit with their mind blank and wait for revelation. God, however, only reveals Himself since He, Himself, is Truth and not I, then one will most likely not receive answers from divine revelation about which way their own path should go. Further only a true contemplative can sit in real quiet, contemplate and move closer to God... It is a practiced thing and not an easy one for humans to even understand, much less master. All the contemplative monks and friars that we read about will all state that they only have the briefest hint of a glimpse at this state where the soul meets God, and all work for lifetimes to attain it... Even if only for a few seconds.
There are some saints whom God has seen fit to intervene with directly like St. Faustina and Blessed Mother Theresa. All the saints know, though how to discern. They know how to look into themselves, find the self that God created, take it out examine it and compare it to areas of the world... Not to hold that self on high as better then the world, but to find their place in it. Does the square peg think it's better then the round hole because it does not fit the mold? Or can it only truly be happy in a square hole?
Discernment is simple, but not easy because, one has to learn at great cost about the self which God has created. Through prayer, scripture, reading and study of holy men, women and their writings we find out more about ourselves and how we have been made, then the loving, but completely incomprehensible God. We only understand what we do about God because as His creation He is reflected in us. Once we know the self that God has made, in His image, we are more ready and able to find him in the world.
Being able to discern not only helps us find the spots where we fit but also helps us to find spiritual gifts in others that enable us to work together in God's kingdom. Who is greater St. Francis or St. Dominic? Blessed Mother Theresa or Pope John Paul? St. Peter or St. Paul? Foolish debates each and everyone because as history proves those Saints work better together! Each has his or her own vocation. Knowing and understanding how to discern gives us great freedom from jealousy and envy. I, having great analytical ability only envy the athlete because I have been taught to do so by a system that prides itself on athletes. In the kingdom of God the athlete and the analytic stand together in God's glory.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Favor vs. Retribution
Take any single event, let's start with a car's engine.
The engine may or may not start each time I try to start it. If it starts then God is merciful and I am in his favor, if it doesn't then the Devil is attacking me. Let's say the engine doesn't start and it causes me to miss some event I think of as important. If I see positive results come out of that missed meeting that I feel most certainly that I am under attack by the devil... Conversely if something bad happens at the meeting then I take that as evidence that God spared me. Finally there are those that, belief in God or no belief in God, say that it is just the way of the world and that these things happen...
So I contemplate all these things around this single instance... And this is what I feel.
God does not affect physical things, except by moving the hearts of man kind. Maybe God calls me to order and maintain my car, maybe he hardens my heart against it... Who is to say? But the opposing side desires us to attribute supernatural powers to everything so that anything can be believed as a sign of his power. For the reasoning follows that if there was a bad event that God saved me from then the badness must have been of the devil and God saw fit to save me from the evil terrible force. As if God is like the French underground in an World War II movie. Powerful but working in secret to thwart the mega powerful villain. This is not so.
God calls my heart to accept with patience and charity and event that occurs from losing a shoe to being martyred. It is my choice to conform to His will, and thus change the course of my life. He calls but we must hear and follow... God cares little, I feel about business meetings, timeliness, car engines, and so much more about how we behave and act as a result. He will give us strength and patience to overcome obstacles and the wisdom to see which hurdles we set for ourselves were unsafe or dangerous.
The opposing side wishes us to believe that God has so little faith and love for us that God, himself must directly interact with physical things to keep us from following what the opposing side wants us to believe is unyielding and unavoidable temptation. Partly because he wants us to defend against the physical things that we *judge* to be sinful so that we spend all our time effort and energy defending against physical things and spending no time placing barriers on the actual place of conflict and that is the spirit. The opposing side is so good at his job of twisting and bending truth that while a man on the exterior may be feeding the poor and conforming to chastity, but on the interior might be a slave to his own pride and vanity about the good works he is doing. He might be so much a slave to these things that he believes with every jesture and movement he is earning ( and sometimes already earned ) a place at the side of Christ.
Christ has told us that he has already prepared a place for us... We just have to go there. He laid out the roadmap, and leaves us to our own to follow that roadmap. He cheers on our every spiritual growth no matter how small, and jumps for joy when that growth flows into the physical and mental world... But our physical success or failure means little. We will always sometimes succeed and sometimes fail and through every chance Christ is standing with us and will help us learn and grow from either outcome. The opposing side however is there too telling us that Christ has already spoken to us in the outcome of the situation and there is no need for further consultation because the evidence is plainly visible in the material world.
The engine may or may not start each time I try to start it. If it starts then God is merciful and I am in his favor, if it doesn't then the Devil is attacking me. Let's say the engine doesn't start and it causes me to miss some event I think of as important. If I see positive results come out of that missed meeting that I feel most certainly that I am under attack by the devil... Conversely if something bad happens at the meeting then I take that as evidence that God spared me. Finally there are those that, belief in God or no belief in God, say that it is just the way of the world and that these things happen...
So I contemplate all these things around this single instance... And this is what I feel.
God does not affect physical things, except by moving the hearts of man kind. Maybe God calls me to order and maintain my car, maybe he hardens my heart against it... Who is to say? But the opposing side desires us to attribute supernatural powers to everything so that anything can be believed as a sign of his power. For the reasoning follows that if there was a bad event that God saved me from then the badness must have been of the devil and God saw fit to save me from the evil terrible force. As if God is like the French underground in an World War II movie. Powerful but working in secret to thwart the mega powerful villain. This is not so.
God calls my heart to accept with patience and charity and event that occurs from losing a shoe to being martyred. It is my choice to conform to His will, and thus change the course of my life. He calls but we must hear and follow... God cares little, I feel about business meetings, timeliness, car engines, and so much more about how we behave and act as a result. He will give us strength and patience to overcome obstacles and the wisdom to see which hurdles we set for ourselves were unsafe or dangerous.
The opposing side wishes us to believe that God has so little faith and love for us that God, himself must directly interact with physical things to keep us from following what the opposing side wants us to believe is unyielding and unavoidable temptation. Partly because he wants us to defend against the physical things that we *judge* to be sinful so that we spend all our time effort and energy defending against physical things and spending no time placing barriers on the actual place of conflict and that is the spirit. The opposing side is so good at his job of twisting and bending truth that while a man on the exterior may be feeding the poor and conforming to chastity, but on the interior might be a slave to his own pride and vanity about the good works he is doing. He might be so much a slave to these things that he believes with every jesture and movement he is earning ( and sometimes already earned ) a place at the side of Christ.
Christ has told us that he has already prepared a place for us... We just have to go there. He laid out the roadmap, and leaves us to our own to follow that roadmap. He cheers on our every spiritual growth no matter how small, and jumps for joy when that growth flows into the physical and mental world... But our physical success or failure means little. We will always sometimes succeed and sometimes fail and through every chance Christ is standing with us and will help us learn and grow from either outcome. The opposing side however is there too telling us that Christ has already spoken to us in the outcome of the situation and there is no need for further consultation because the evidence is plainly visible in the material world.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Absolutes, Devotion, and the Eucharist...
I am a Catholic and I am devoted to God;
If I press that devotion to an absolute, then the very first thing I must do is love God above all. If I love God with all my heart then I am already doing what, I as a Catholic believe to be the greatest commandment. I believe it from two sources, in the first case Christ, whom I believe to be God and Man in a union we *best* describe as this Son of God, states it is first. I believe it also rationally, if I believe in a God and that God is the source and creator of all then my love with a thankful heart should flow back to him.
The second thing that I must do is love my neighbor as myself. There is a lot of semantic games people play with this basic concept but we all know what is meant here. We all desire to be loved and accepted so that is what we must do... Even a nonconformist such as myself wants to be accepted and not persecuted because I do things differently. Christ states this law as second to that first and again it is rationally verifiable.
If we do not do these things first and do *both* of these things first, how can we approach the Eucharist? It is meaningless to try to approach Christ as a brother unseen if we cannot love those brothers we see. God's mercy is infinite as well as his love, but if we cannot find him in the obvious places of this earth ( namely each other ) then what hope have we of finding him once we become separated from this life and existence.
Further if there is a religion, any religion, like mine, that has a concept of God ( for how can the mind of a man contain the total infinite God ) and that God is the creator of *all* then how can anyone justify damaging or hating *any* part of what that God has created. God may destroy anything that he has created, this is not in dispute, but he does not hate any of it.
How can he? If God "hated" anything would it not simply cease to be? How can the will of God form anything imperfectly? So if anything God "hates" never existed, then one must logically deduce that everything left is loved by him... Because we have free will we can choose away from him and he can become displeased... But every parent is disappointed and hurt by a child from time to time but an one say that a loving parent can ever hate their child?
So then how can anyone justify hate? How can someone hate in the name of God?
If I press that devotion to an absolute, then the very first thing I must do is love God above all. If I love God with all my heart then I am already doing what, I as a Catholic believe to be the greatest commandment. I believe it from two sources, in the first case Christ, whom I believe to be God and Man in a union we *best* describe as this Son of God, states it is first. I believe it also rationally, if I believe in a God and that God is the source and creator of all then my love with a thankful heart should flow back to him.
The second thing that I must do is love my neighbor as myself. There is a lot of semantic games people play with this basic concept but we all know what is meant here. We all desire to be loved and accepted so that is what we must do... Even a nonconformist such as myself wants to be accepted and not persecuted because I do things differently. Christ states this law as second to that first and again it is rationally verifiable.
If we do not do these things first and do *both* of these things first, how can we approach the Eucharist? It is meaningless to try to approach Christ as a brother unseen if we cannot love those brothers we see. God's mercy is infinite as well as his love, but if we cannot find him in the obvious places of this earth ( namely each other ) then what hope have we of finding him once we become separated from this life and existence.
Further if there is a religion, any religion, like mine, that has a concept of God ( for how can the mind of a man contain the total infinite God ) and that God is the creator of *all* then how can anyone justify damaging or hating *any* part of what that God has created. God may destroy anything that he has created, this is not in dispute, but he does not hate any of it.
How can he? If God "hated" anything would it not simply cease to be? How can the will of God form anything imperfectly? So if anything God "hates" never existed, then one must logically deduce that everything left is loved by him... Because we have free will we can choose away from him and he can become displeased... But every parent is disappointed and hurt by a child from time to time but an one say that a loving parent can ever hate their child?
So then how can anyone justify hate? How can someone hate in the name of God?
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Focus and Fear
Do we make it to God and Heaven because of the things we do?
Or might we make it there in spite of all that we do because God is merciful?
What can one do in this world that will win heaven?
What finite act or finite number of finite acts can win an infinite Heaven?
The good book reads all is vainity, and it is true.
What can one man do, accept what he allows God to do through him?
If it is God working through him then how can anyone boast of a good work that he has done?
How can any man set himself up as better then another or more holy then another?
We are not dispicable, or filthy... we were made by God.
We are not without value... we were made by God.
We simply lack any comprehensive ability of Him...
...we believe in our secret hearts that we are really in control
...and if we believe in God in any degree...
...we believe that we control God...
...like a TV with a remote control...
...but He bears it and still loves us...
...not as a lofty king on high but as the artist loves his art...
...His art is a part of Him, and He a part of it...
When you look around you see both how far away we are from Him...
...but also how far we have come.
We are good and imperfect at the same time...
So the trick is not to focus on a glorious task that will "win" us heavenly reward... The vocation is to focus on the "heart" He gave us and do what is asked with out reward... To respond as the paintbrush, paint and canvas respond... quiet simple compliance.
Help me be paint to the painter.
Or might we make it there in spite of all that we do because God is merciful?
What can one do in this world that will win heaven?
What finite act or finite number of finite acts can win an infinite Heaven?
The good book reads all is vainity, and it is true.
What can one man do, accept what he allows God to do through him?
If it is God working through him then how can anyone boast of a good work that he has done?
How can any man set himself up as better then another or more holy then another?
We are not dispicable, or filthy... we were made by God.
We are not without value... we were made by God.
We simply lack any comprehensive ability of Him...
...we believe in our secret hearts that we are really in control
...and if we believe in God in any degree...
...we believe that we control God...
...like a TV with a remote control...
...but He bears it and still loves us...
...not as a lofty king on high but as the artist loves his art...
...His art is a part of Him, and He a part of it...
When you look around you see both how far away we are from Him...
...but also how far we have come.
We are good and imperfect at the same time...
So the trick is not to focus on a glorious task that will "win" us heavenly reward... The vocation is to focus on the "heart" He gave us and do what is asked with out reward... To respond as the paintbrush, paint and canvas respond... quiet simple compliance.
Help me be paint to the painter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)