What it means to be man fully alive... This question have gone beyond this past semester but even into first semester and I have spent a lot of time putting this together and cutting things out and this is what I believe man fully alive is..
Man fully alive is Christ, most people say that it is impossible to be Christ and they would be right but God doesn't want us to be Christ, he wants us to be like him. God wants us to get in the morning "God I love you and live to spread your name'' and after eating a healthy breakfast, he would want us to go out, wherever it may be, and spread the word of God. God doesn't expect us to all become Pope, he just wants us to love him the same way he loves us. I believe a great example of this is Mr. Cole.
Mr. Cole is and has been a married man for quite a while now and he recently just had a kid. Him being a father now has not affected his faith in any negative way in fact I believe that his faith has grown. Mr. Cole has always taught theology in a encouraging manner and what I mean By that is everyday we talk about theology, it is as if it is not even his job to do so, I can really tell that he loves teaching theology and teaches it as if Jesus was in the class with us. Although his voice can put a crying baby to sleep, he never falls short of enthusiasm. Ever since he found out he was going to have a child, he has been trying new things for us to learn about Catholicism. He takes us in the computer lab now for religious debates, we write blogs now, and we use a system now that gives us little in class award points when we do something good. This is why I see Mr. Cole as man fully alive, he goes beyond a teaches expectations and tries a variety of different ways on us so that we can learn about God.
In conclusion, I know that we would all mess around with this question but I would like to say that Mr. Cole is the best representation I can think of what man fully alive should be.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Great Question
What Does it mean to be Man Fully Alive?
I won't go to the internet for this one. Nor a book or any other person but myself. Because I don't believe that I will find my answer there. I think its already inside of me. Bear with me as I try to dig it out.
First, what does it mean to be alive. To be breathing? To have a heartbeat? I suppose. But wouldn't that make being fully alive just be fully breathing? that doesn't sound like much of a higher purpose. So no there has to be more to it than that. Something beyond the physical, something spiritual.
So what does it meant to be alive in a spiritual sense? I suppose that would mean that one's soul would have to be alive. But what makes a soul live? Can a soul even die? Even if a soul goes too hell, will it not still exist and therefore still be alive? By that definition, I suppose that a man in hell could technically be man fully alive. That can't be right.
There must be more to it for a soul to be "alive" than simply existing. It must be thriving. A man fully alive will have a thriving soul. So what makes a soul thrive? money? power? the highest things the material world has to offer? Plenty of horrible people have died with both of those things, but I would not consider their souls to be thriving. Many of them were not even happy. So I doubt that having a thriving soul has anything to do with material wealth.
So if not material wealth, what is it? I have to think back to people I consider to have been men fully alive. I think about the saints, the apostles, Mr. Cole, and I wonder what they all have in common. First of all they all loved God. They love God. I think there is more to it than that though, they all love God to the point where they want to do something about it. Some gave up their possessions, others their time, many gave up their old ways of life. I believe that these people are men fully alive. I believe that their soulds are thrivingg wiht joy. I believe that that joy comes from God, who is overjoyed by those who do his will.
So that's my answer. A man fully alive is someone who loves God, but also does everything in his power to prove it. He will not always be happy, but he will always be at peace knowing that one day he will enter into eternal satisfaction with God in heaven. That, is a man who is most fully alive.
Good stuff...
I won't go to the internet for this one. Nor a book or any other person but myself. Because I don't believe that I will find my answer there. I think its already inside of me. Bear with me as I try to dig it out.
First, what does it mean to be alive. To be breathing? To have a heartbeat? I suppose. But wouldn't that make being fully alive just be fully breathing? that doesn't sound like much of a higher purpose. So no there has to be more to it than that. Something beyond the physical, something spiritual.
So what does it meant to be alive in a spiritual sense? I suppose that would mean that one's soul would have to be alive. But what makes a soul live? Can a soul even die? Even if a soul goes too hell, will it not still exist and therefore still be alive? By that definition, I suppose that a man in hell could technically be man fully alive. That can't be right.
There must be more to it for a soul to be "alive" than simply existing. It must be thriving. A man fully alive will have a thriving soul. So what makes a soul thrive? money? power? the highest things the material world has to offer? Plenty of horrible people have died with both of those things, but I would not consider their souls to be thriving. Many of them were not even happy. So I doubt that having a thriving soul has anything to do with material wealth.
So if not material wealth, what is it? I have to think back to people I consider to have been men fully alive. I think about the saints, the apostles, Mr. Cole, and I wonder what they all have in common. First of all they all loved God. They love God. I think there is more to it than that though, they all love God to the point where they want to do something about it. Some gave up their possessions, others their time, many gave up their old ways of life. I believe that these people are men fully alive. I believe that their soulds are thrivingg wiht joy. I believe that that joy comes from God, who is overjoyed by those who do his will.
So that's my answer. A man fully alive is someone who loves God, but also does everything in his power to prove it. He will not always be happy, but he will always be at peace knowing that one day he will enter into eternal satisfaction with God in heaven. That, is a man who is most fully alive.
Good stuff...
My Mistake.
So... Why was I irresponsible in Theology Friday?
No excuses. Never before has such an abominable violation of the most sacred classroom rules ever been committed. I dared to joke around instead of appreciating and diligently recording the wonderful amounts of knowledge being presented to me. Furthermore, I disrespected Mr. Cole and wasted precious and irreplaceable class time. I nearly caused one of my dear classmates to fall into the temptation of distractingg by making him laugh in class, forcing him into disunion with Mr. Cole All because I felt the need to use the restroom. I will never know truly what I have lost both in the form of knowledge and time through the deed that I have so very much done.
I must never do it again. I shall stay very focused during class and avoid those things and persons which might lead me to do otherwise. I would like to offer the highest apologies to my teacher, who so generously allowed me to take the punishment, which I so truly deserved, away from my peer, who was an innocent bystander. I hope that, in time, I may be forgiven not only for my sin, but remission from the temporal punishment as well.
No excuses. Never before has such an abominable violation of the most sacred classroom rules ever been committed. I dared to joke around instead of appreciating and diligently recording the wonderful amounts of knowledge being presented to me. Furthermore, I disrespected Mr. Cole and wasted precious and irreplaceable class time. I nearly caused one of my dear classmates to fall into the temptation of distractingg by making him laugh in class, forcing him into disunion with Mr. Cole All because I felt the need to use the restroom. I will never know truly what I have lost both in the form of knowledge and time through the deed that I have so very much done.
I must never do it again. I shall stay very focused during class and avoid those things and persons which might lead me to do otherwise. I would like to offer the highest apologies to my teacher, who so generously allowed me to take the punishment, which I so truly deserved, away from my peer, who was an innocent bystander. I hope that, in time, I may be forgiven not only for my sin, but remission from the temporal punishment as well.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Penance
Penance is the
consequence to our sin that we must serve. Although Baptism washes away our
sins, it doesn’t make us perfect, only God can be perfect. We still and always
will commit sin even after Baptism because it is our human nature, which, due
to the efforts of Original Sins, still suffers from an inclination to sin, we
call this concupiscence. How we serve this penance is first by going to
confession. We receive confession through the sacrament of reconciliation. What
takes place here is that we would go to the Church during the designated time
for confession. We would then go the confession room and confession our sins to
the priest. All priest are different and I say that because lets say you ate being mean to a sibling, one priest may say '' okay
for these sins I want you to say the Lord's prayer for your penance." Another priest my say, " for these sins, I want you compliment your brother everyday for 6 years and pray 5 our fathers daily during this time period." This penance is a little harsh for something like this, you could then go to another priest for a reasonable penance.
The mass in the early Church
We have:
- The Gathering on Sunday
- On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.
- Reading of the Scriptures
- Here, the memoirs of the Apostles and the writings of the prophets are read. Memoirs meaning the Gospels.
- The Homily
- When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonished and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things, normally the priest.
- Prayers of the Faithful
- Then we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves and for others, wherever they may be.
- An Offertory
- Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren.
- Eucharistic Prayer
- He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks, in Greek we would call this Eucharistian, that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.
- Reception of the Eucharist
- Last but not least, we have the Reception of the Eucharist. This is when he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give those present the 'eucharisted' bread and wine and water
The Catechumenate
This is a process
that a person must take part in if they wish to become a part of the Church.
They are instructed in the teachings of the Faith and prepared for the
Sacraments of Initiation. These new member would customary be initiated at the
Easter Vigil, the night before the commemoration of Christ's Resurrection. This
isn't a Sacrament but it is essential if one wishes to take part on the
Sacraments.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Sacraments
The sacraments were
given to us for 3 reasons:
- To sanctify man
- To build up the Body of Christ
- To worship God
Through these
Sacraments helps us to grow in our faith and to grow closer to God. Why
sacraments though? God instituted Sacraments because this is his way of
dispensing his Grace to us. I will be talking about one sacrament in particular which is the sacrament of Baptism.
I want to talk about Baptism because our teacher just had a baby and went or will be reviving this Sacrament. We see Jesus get baptized by St. John at the beginning of his public ministry, this wasn't an efficacious or a sacramental Baptism. This merely symbolized the recipient's desire to live more variously. Sacramental Baptism is a voluntary act of a person indicating his or her repentance from sin. Baptism normally takes place at birth. A priest will take holy water and pour it over the head of the baby. The water symbolizes the Holy water washing away our sins.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Wealth of the Church
Does the Church miss-use its money?
Its good question, and in many ways it can appear that the answer is yes. It is easy to find evidence to support the gluttony of the Church. Simply speak of its massive buildings and the "lavish' lifestyle of the pope and bishops. Simply speak of the Church's "refusal" to spend money on the poor but rather to build bigger cathedrals and renovate the current ones.
There are countless arguments for the Church's misuse of money, however, I only have time to counter the ones mentioned above.
To answer these questions I did some research on the argument.
First, lets talk about the "lavish" lifestyle of the pope. Lets make it clear, the pope himself does not live in a mansion, but in an apartment no larger than ten rooms. The rooms of this apartment are dedicated to the necessities of being a religious man. He has a bedroom, a library, bathrooms, a study, and living rooms. There are no media rooms or indoor pools in this building. The white house on the other hand has all sorts of unnecessary additives including a pool. So why doesn't the president ever come under the same accusations? It is because, just like the pope, the president is elected into office and is allowed to use the public property which comes along with the position, most of it being a necessity for performing the position itself (excluding the pool of course).
Second lets talk about the Church spending "too much money" on Cathedrals and too little on the poor. First of all, let it be said that a Cathedral is a statement of our love for God and a home for his real body and blood. It is really acceptable for a wealthy community to have a small shack of a church where they worship? Doesn't that say something about where they prioritize God in their lives if they go home to a wealthy lifestyle? It there therefore necessary to spend a reasonable amount of money on our churches. But there is more to it than that. Many of the Churches that come under fire are the ancient ones like St. Peter's and Notre Dame. However, the truth is, that when these churches where built, a Cathedral was one of the best investments a medieval town could make. Along with the spiritual aspects, the build site of a cathedral would provide much needed jobs for up to a century. In addition, they became beacons of learning and knowledge in the dark age and would attract pilgrims that would in turn need food and lodging, therefore sustaining the towns income.
Take the Vatican for instance, St. Peter's is nearly a thousand years old. The Church does not nearly have enough funds to build a new one, and even if it did It would not allow the funds. The Vatican merely maintains what it has, which it does on a budget less than that of Harvard University. Furthermore, those that claim the Church does not help the poor should know that the Catholic Church is, among many things, the largest charity organization in the world.
Its good question, and in many ways it can appear that the answer is yes. It is easy to find evidence to support the gluttony of the Church. Simply speak of its massive buildings and the "lavish' lifestyle of the pope and bishops. Simply speak of the Church's "refusal" to spend money on the poor but rather to build bigger cathedrals and renovate the current ones.
There are countless arguments for the Church's misuse of money, however, I only have time to counter the ones mentioned above.
To answer these questions I did some research on the argument.
First, lets talk about the "lavish" lifestyle of the pope. Lets make it clear, the pope himself does not live in a mansion, but in an apartment no larger than ten rooms. The rooms of this apartment are dedicated to the necessities of being a religious man. He has a bedroom, a library, bathrooms, a study, and living rooms. There are no media rooms or indoor pools in this building. The white house on the other hand has all sorts of unnecessary additives including a pool. So why doesn't the president ever come under the same accusations? It is because, just like the pope, the president is elected into office and is allowed to use the public property which comes along with the position, most of it being a necessity for performing the position itself (excluding the pool of course).
Second lets talk about the Church spending "too much money" on Cathedrals and too little on the poor. First of all, let it be said that a Cathedral is a statement of our love for God and a home for his real body and blood. It is really acceptable for a wealthy community to have a small shack of a church where they worship? Doesn't that say something about where they prioritize God in their lives if they go home to a wealthy lifestyle? It there therefore necessary to spend a reasonable amount of money on our churches. But there is more to it than that. Many of the Churches that come under fire are the ancient ones like St. Peter's and Notre Dame. However, the truth is, that when these churches where built, a Cathedral was one of the best investments a medieval town could make. Along with the spiritual aspects, the build site of a cathedral would provide much needed jobs for up to a century. In addition, they became beacons of learning and knowledge in the dark age and would attract pilgrims that would in turn need food and lodging, therefore sustaining the towns income.
Take the Vatican for instance, St. Peter's is nearly a thousand years old. The Church does not nearly have enough funds to build a new one, and even if it did It would not allow the funds. The Vatican merely maintains what it has, which it does on a budget less than that of Harvard University. Furthermore, those that claim the Church does not help the poor should know that the Catholic Church is, among many things, the largest charity organization in the world.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Homeless Man
What should we take out of this interview?
Mr. Cole had a us watch a video (http://youtu.be/AusCA28efa0) today that contained an interview of a homeless person. This man was obviously distraught, he had been searching for a very long time to find a job with little success. He could never leave any way for a company to contact him because he had no phone number. He was forced to rely solely on the generosity of others to survive. This man was humiliated by his way of life. He disliked the disrespect that comes with begging and the label of being called a bum. He began to tear up when he talked about his inability to escape his situation
We can interpret this any way we like, but the fact is that this man is misunderstood. So many people walk by him accusing him of being lazy when in reality he is desperately searching for a job. He even says that he would take any kind of work offered to him, the only problem is that he never gets a job offer. A common stereotype would have us believe that men like him take all the money that they are given and go out and waste it on alcohol and drugs. In this case, we would be very wrong because this man uses his money for food and shelter, not much else.
Furthermore, something that I have come to realize is that there is no excuse for not helping people like that. Even if we worry that our charity will be poorly spent, there are ways around that. Giving out fast food and hotel gift cards are a great way to ensure that the money goes to a productive cause. Donating to the local shelters achieves the same end. But our assumptions should never be an excuse to let someone starve.
Mr. Cole had a us watch a video (http://youtu.be/AusCA28efa0) today that contained an interview of a homeless person. This man was obviously distraught, he had been searching for a very long time to find a job with little success. He could never leave any way for a company to contact him because he had no phone number. He was forced to rely solely on the generosity of others to survive. This man was humiliated by his way of life. He disliked the disrespect that comes with begging and the label of being called a bum. He began to tear up when he talked about his inability to escape his situation
We can interpret this any way we like, but the fact is that this man is misunderstood. So many people walk by him accusing him of being lazy when in reality he is desperately searching for a job. He even says that he would take any kind of work offered to him, the only problem is that he never gets a job offer. A common stereotype would have us believe that men like him take all the money that they are given and go out and waste it on alcohol and drugs. In this case, we would be very wrong because this man uses his money for food and shelter, not much else.
Furthermore, something that I have come to realize is that there is no excuse for not helping people like that. Even if we worry that our charity will be poorly spent, there are ways around that. Giving out fast food and hotel gift cards are a great way to ensure that the money goes to a productive cause. Donating to the local shelters achieves the same end. But our assumptions should never be an excuse to let someone starve.
All Are Welcome
What did I get out of Cardinal Dolan's article
Well, a lot. It was very well written and offered a point of very that is very applicable to the modern world. who does the Church accept? If the answer is everyone, than doesn't that mean the church accepts sin?
What follows was this article's answer to the above questions.
The Church accepts everyone. It loves and respects every single human being. HOWEVER, that does not mean that the church will accept and approve of the actions of every one of its members. Its not much more complicated than that. The church will and is made to love every human being. But Christ's Church, the very church of God, cannot condone sin without losing its very identity. Cardinal Dolan compared story from his childhood with this concept. He spoke of one of his friends who was allowed to have dinner with his family under the condition that he wash his hands, Just as any person is a friend of the church who may be a true productive part of it only if they conform to certain expectations set by the church. This does not mean that sinners are kicked out of the Church. If that were true, we would have an empty church. Rather, it means that if one is to truly take part in the Church in a meaningful way, this person must do everything in his or her power to abide to its rules and expectations, which are in turn, ultimately set by God.
Well, a lot. It was very well written and offered a point of very that is very applicable to the modern world. who does the Church accept? If the answer is everyone, than doesn't that mean the church accepts sin?
What follows was this article's answer to the above questions.
The Church accepts everyone. It loves and respects every single human being. HOWEVER, that does not mean that the church will accept and approve of the actions of every one of its members. Its not much more complicated than that. The church will and is made to love every human being. But Christ's Church, the very church of God, cannot condone sin without losing its very identity. Cardinal Dolan compared story from his childhood with this concept. He spoke of one of his friends who was allowed to have dinner with his family under the condition that he wash his hands, Just as any person is a friend of the church who may be a true productive part of it only if they conform to certain expectations set by the church. This does not mean that sinners are kicked out of the Church. If that were true, we would have an empty church. Rather, it means that if one is to truly take part in the Church in a meaningful way, this person must do everything in his or her power to abide to its rules and expectations, which are in turn, ultimately set by God.
Hardship
Why do Catholics face hardship?
Why are bad things a part of a good Christian's life? First, lets make something absolutely clear: Jesus never promised us easy lives in return for following him. Original sin has corrupted our world. Pain and strife are a part of our everyday lives, no one is exempt from it. It is a common misconception for people to believe that, because they are good Catholics, they therefore should have easy life's. That is only fair after all, isn't it? Doesn't that make sense? Shouldn't the good people have good lives? Not really. Besides, how can someone truly be a good Catholic without hardship. Our faith must be tested if it is to be proven. We must face every challenge with confidence in the lord and the belief that he will see us through it. Hardship builds faith.
That explanation can also answer questions like; "If God loves us so much, why doesn't he just will away our problems when we ask him to?" The answer is confusing, but very true. Sometimes God helps us by not helping us. God sees our problems and are hardships and he pities us with all his heart, but he also sees a greater good. God, in many cases, will see that a problem that we face will only make us stronger, more faithful, and a better person in the long run.
So he allows us to suffer.
Out of his infinite love for us, he allows us to suffer. He allows us to suffer so that one day our suffering will pay off upon entrance into his Kingdom of Heaven.
But is that God is? A bystander who simply realizes that our pain is for the best and is content to let it continue until will die? in my experience, absolutely not. Life is wonderful, it is made more wonderful by the overcoming of challenges and the hard work of the soul. More often than not, God will reward us for our faith long before we enter heaven. I cannot think of a time where I asked God for help with something and one way or another, whether I expected the solution or not, or no matter how long it took, he came through. These are the times that I stuck it out. times I realized that I was being tested and kept on going. Times I did not give up. I also know that I am not the only one, people all over the world have experienced the answer to all our problems: God. These instances are solidifiers of the faith. Events and memories that remind us that God is real and present throughout or lives, and reminders of his infinite love for us.
Why are bad things a part of a good Christian's life? First, lets make something absolutely clear: Jesus never promised us easy lives in return for following him. Original sin has corrupted our world. Pain and strife are a part of our everyday lives, no one is exempt from it. It is a common misconception for people to believe that, because they are good Catholics, they therefore should have easy life's. That is only fair after all, isn't it? Doesn't that make sense? Shouldn't the good people have good lives? Not really. Besides, how can someone truly be a good Catholic without hardship. Our faith must be tested if it is to be proven. We must face every challenge with confidence in the lord and the belief that he will see us through it. Hardship builds faith.
That explanation can also answer questions like; "If God loves us so much, why doesn't he just will away our problems when we ask him to?" The answer is confusing, but very true. Sometimes God helps us by not helping us. God sees our problems and are hardships and he pities us with all his heart, but he also sees a greater good. God, in many cases, will see that a problem that we face will only make us stronger, more faithful, and a better person in the long run.
So he allows us to suffer.
Out of his infinite love for us, he allows us to suffer. He allows us to suffer so that one day our suffering will pay off upon entrance into his Kingdom of Heaven.
But is that God is? A bystander who simply realizes that our pain is for the best and is content to let it continue until will die? in my experience, absolutely not. Life is wonderful, it is made more wonderful by the overcoming of challenges and the hard work of the soul. More often than not, God will reward us for our faith long before we enter heaven. I cannot think of a time where I asked God for help with something and one way or another, whether I expected the solution or not, or no matter how long it took, he came through. These are the times that I stuck it out. times I realized that I was being tested and kept on going. Times I did not give up. I also know that I am not the only one, people all over the world have experienced the answer to all our problems: God. These instances are solidifiers of the faith. Events and memories that remind us that God is real and present throughout or lives, and reminders of his infinite love for us.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Blood Drive
Yesterday, I participated in a donation of blood which was quite a long process. There was a lot of questions and standard procedure. Only about 1/12 of our school donated this year. Last year about 1/5 or 1/4 donated. We don't know why there was a shortage but there was. I had many people ask me " Why are you donating blood?" And I would look up at them and tell them "Because there is someone out there that needs it more than I do." They would get silent after me telling them this either for feeling guilty for not doing the same or just simply not knowing how to respond to it. After saying this to about 10 different people and seeing the same reaction, I realized how this related to My Catholic faith.
At the Time of Jesus, Jesus was sent to earth to give us salvation because without it, we would all be bound for hell. God realized this and sacrificed his own son. God did this because he saw that we needed his love and grace more than he did, even if it meant sacrificing his own son. God is forever giving, He will do anything for us but it is up to us to recognize it.
At the Time of Jesus, Jesus was sent to earth to give us salvation because without it, we would all be bound for hell. God realized this and sacrificed his own son. God did this because he saw that we needed his love and grace more than he did, even if it meant sacrificing his own son. God is forever giving, He will do anything for us but it is up to us to recognize it.
Ex Opere Operato
Through this, we get a deeper understanding of The Sacraments.
- A Sacrament is a sign because it points to a deeper and invisible reality. In Baptism, for example, The Primary sign is the water being poured on the one being baptized. We use water because it's a sign of cleanliness and our sins being washed away.
- A Sacrament is a sign of grace because through divine life is dispensed to us. By participating in the sign of the Sacrament, the participant receives grace, a share in the life of God. To the extent that we are properly disposed to receive the Sacrament, this grace draws us closer to Christ, strengthens us to seek God's will in our lives, and helps us to live according to the example of Christ.
- A Sacrament is an efficacious sign of grace because it dispenses the grace it signifies. The truth of the sacrament does not rely on holiness of the minister nor on the holiness of the person receiving the sacrament.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
I Gave Blood Today
Why did I do that?
Well, first off all, it allowed me to get away with eating Ms. Riojas' class afterwards, which is a win, but mostly because I felt like I should. People need blood, that's why we have blood drives. For a blood drive to work, people need to sign up. The whole thing can exist because people are willing to give up their time and organic property for the good of another. How do we relate this to God in our everyday lives? Simple. God calls us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of each other. I wrote an entire post about the same concept a week ago, but here is an example of following through with it. Giving Blood. Its not hard, and I'm not exactly sacrificing my life, but I might be saving someone else's. I sacrificed a small part of me for the whole of another. I might be drifting away from modesty here a little bit but I don't mean to brag, I mean to make a point: Its not hard to make all the difference in the world for another person. And who knows, maybe you'll need a blood transfusion yourself one day.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Time Mangament
What does our religon tell us about how to spend our time?
Today has been a busy day for me. I got up at 7:00 and didnt get home until about an hour ago. I did all sorts of thing like taking a Chemistry test at University of Houston and building flowerbeds as part of a friend's Eagle Project. In reflection of all this I started to wonder. Does God approve? Does The Catholic Church approve of hard work? Does it cloud our priorities or speed us too them faster? This is what I have come to.
It depends on what you are working towards. hard work goes in one of two directions, for better or for worse. Mother Teresa spend her whole life working hard to help the poor. Hitler, on the other hand, worked tirelessly for the extermination of an entire people. Needless to say, hard work is not inherently and always good because it depends on what a person is working for. Granted that as long as ones goals are focused towards the greater glory of God in one way or another, any work done towards that goal should be good as well.
Today has been a busy day for me. I got up at 7:00 and didnt get home until about an hour ago. I did all sorts of thing like taking a Chemistry test at University of Houston and building flowerbeds as part of a friend's Eagle Project. In reflection of all this I started to wonder. Does God approve? Does The Catholic Church approve of hard work? Does it cloud our priorities or speed us too them faster? This is what I have come to.
It depends on what you are working towards. hard work goes in one of two directions, for better or for worse. Mother Teresa spend her whole life working hard to help the poor. Hitler, on the other hand, worked tirelessly for the extermination of an entire people. Needless to say, hard work is not inherently and always good because it depends on what a person is working for. Granted that as long as ones goals are focused towards the greater glory of God in one way or another, any work done towards that goal should be good as well.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Self-Sacrifice
Are we called to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others?
As a child, My mother taught me to love three things in order. First, to love God above all things, then to love yourself, then to love others. This was a great way for me to justify doing things for myself over doing things for others, but that is because I was misreading what I was being taught. While God does expect us to love ourselves, he also expects us to hold others above ourselves when it comes to giving. Jesus' greatest command was to "love others as I have loved you", so we are expected to give ourselves up for the good of others. Today in Theology I read about a women who who decided to face her own death rather than abort her own baby. She was willing to give up everything for someone she loved, which is exactly what Jesus did. Only Jesus did not die for one person, he died for all of us and he would do it again. Now remember what Jesus said, we have to love like he loved, and he loved enough to die for it. SO HOW SCARY IS THAT? Are we all expected to give our lives for each other? Well, sometimes I think the answer is yes, but I don't think we are all exactly called too it.
I am lying down here with my brother realizing all of this. realizing that I may be called to give my life for another person, but at the same time, I already am. Granted all I am doing right now is lying down next to him to scare the "monsters" away, I am sacrificing myself. I'm giving up my own interests for his, and its not so bad. I'm actually kinda happy here. This is what God is calling me to do right now. So no, we don't all have to go get ourselves killed for each other in order to love like Jesus did. Some of us might, but the reality is many of us will fulfill our sacrifices through the little things, through those little wonders we do every day if we just choose to do so.
Its not all that hard to love like Christ did.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Going to Chruch with a friend
Bringing a friend with you to Church, does it hurt you or help you?
I've often wondered about this and tonight I am going to come up with both sides of the arguement and let you decide for yourself.
Going to Church with friends is bad. It distracts a person from being able to truly focus on what is going on and it prevents the person from fully engaging in what is going on during the Mass. Although the intentionns are good, bringing a friend to Church distracts you from what is really important. This is because the act mixes two parts of your life that are, for a teenager, mostly incompatable; the social and the religious life. How can one truly focus on God when their good friend is sitting their next to them. How can you truly be alone with God in company? You can not. Go to Church alone or with your family.
Going to Church with friend is good. I mean, isn't that what basically what we are supposed to do anyway. The Church is, after all, the PEOPLE of God, not the person of God. We are supposed to consider every single person in the Church with you a friend anyway. That being said, what could be wrong with bringing a close friend along with you. Isn't this only better? Furthermore, how much easier is it to feel God's love when we are feeling it with a friend? When we connect with eachother we connect with God. Jesus' greatest command was to treat eachother as we wish to be treated. By doing this in Church, do we not become closer to Christ? Our friends support us in our faith, bringing us closer to God. This does come with certain conditions however. Make sure that all contact you have with your friend is directed towards the furtherment of eachothers faith: make certain that all other matters wait until after Mass. As long as you do this, you should be fine! So take a friend, an aquaintance, a girlfriend, whoever you want, as long as you feel that it will help.
Personally, I think going with friends to mass is definantly a positive.
I've often wondered about this and tonight I am going to come up with both sides of the arguement and let you decide for yourself.
Going to Church with friends is bad. It distracts a person from being able to truly focus on what is going on and it prevents the person from fully engaging in what is going on during the Mass. Although the intentionns are good, bringing a friend to Church distracts you from what is really important. This is because the act mixes two parts of your life that are, for a teenager, mostly incompatable; the social and the religious life. How can one truly focus on God when their good friend is sitting their next to them. How can you truly be alone with God in company? You can not. Go to Church alone or with your family.
Going to Church with friend is good. I mean, isn't that what basically what we are supposed to do anyway. The Church is, after all, the PEOPLE of God, not the person of God. We are supposed to consider every single person in the Church with you a friend anyway. That being said, what could be wrong with bringing a close friend along with you. Isn't this only better? Furthermore, how much easier is it to feel God's love when we are feeling it with a friend? When we connect with eachother we connect with God. Jesus' greatest command was to treat eachother as we wish to be treated. By doing this in Church, do we not become closer to Christ? Our friends support us in our faith, bringing us closer to God. This does come with certain conditions however. Make sure that all contact you have with your friend is directed towards the furtherment of eachothers faith: make certain that all other matters wait until after Mass. As long as you do this, you should be fine! So take a friend, an aquaintance, a girlfriend, whoever you want, as long as you feel that it will help.
Personally, I think going with friends to mass is definantly a positive.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Catholic Church
The church established by Christ on the foundation of the apostles, possessing the fullness of the meaning of salvation which he has willed; The pilgrim Church on earth ,in which the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church subsist. Literally, "Universal," in the sense of "according to the whole." The Church is Catholic in the dual since that it (1) possesses the fullness of the means of salvation and (2) has been sent by Christ to the whole human race.
Apostolic
The fourth mark of the Church, indicating that the Church was founded by Christ and given to the Apostles. The Church is Apostolic in three ways:
- Apostolic foundation- Have been built and remaining on the foundation of the Apostles.
- Apostolic Faith- this faith guards and transmits the teachings of the Apostles with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her.
- Apostolic Succession- through this, the Church continues to be taught, sanctified, and directed by the Apostles in the persons of their successors in the pastoral ministry: the College of Bishops, presided over by St. Peter’s successor, the Pope.
The Church in Our daily lives
What can the Chruch do for us?
On a day to day basis, what does the church do for us? Well, for starters, it offers us salvations and a connection with God that would otherwise be unattainable. but lets look beyond the obvious, what can the Chruch, in all its vastness, do for us?
For starters the Church is more than just a certain kind of building. It is a living and breathing community that makes up the body of Christ. Each one of us is called to be a certain part of the Church and to work together to be one with the rest of its members. The Chruch works to fulfill the physical and material needs of many of its members as well. The Church is known for feeding and clothing its poor. Finding homes for the homeless, and support for the overwhelmed. The Church is a friend and a helper to all its members.
The Church can also offer moral support. Feeling lost? Go talk to a priest. Find out what God wants you to do with your life. Go to confession when you have done wrong. Take in the mercy that God offers to all of us and feel better about it. There are few problems that cannot be solved or made insignificant by the awesome power of the Holy Spirit througtddh the Church.
On a day to day basis, what does the church do for us? Well, for starters, it offers us salvations and a connection with God that would otherwise be unattainable. but lets look beyond the obvious, what can the Chruch, in all its vastness, do for us?
For starters the Church is more than just a certain kind of building. It is a living and breathing community that makes up the body of Christ. Each one of us is called to be a certain part of the Church and to work together to be one with the rest of its members. The Chruch works to fulfill the physical and material needs of many of its members as well. The Church is known for feeding and clothing its poor. Finding homes for the homeless, and support for the overwhelmed. The Church is a friend and a helper to all its members.
The Church can also offer moral support. Feeling lost? Go talk to a priest. Find out what God wants you to do with your life. Go to confession when you have done wrong. Take in the mercy that God offers to all of us and feel better about it. There are few problems that cannot be solved or made insignificant by the awesome power of the Holy Spirit througtddh the Church.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)