Pope Benedict XVI has called for a Year of Faith --
it will run from October 11, 2012 until November 24, 2013. It is meant to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism.
As Pope Benedict XVI expresses faith as: "a personal encounter: it is touching Christ's garment, being touched by Christ, being in touch with Christ, to trust in Christ, to have and to find Christ's LOVE."
(all emphasis's are mine).
It is not just about faith having been given as a grace, but also faith which is being sought for. I think this is what is being expressed when Pope Benedict XVI mentions the touching of Christ's garment. It may take a deep courage to reach out like that, to want to TOUCH, and allow one's self to be IN TOUCH. As mentioned in my previous post, I believe TOUCH and being IN TOUCH is what helps people encounter LOVE and healing. Thomas always comes away as being dis-trustful because Jesus says that blessed are those who believe even when they do not see. I am not sure if Thomas really deserves to be stuck in a "lesser" category because of his request to want to see and touch. In fact, to some extent, perhaps he was pretty courageous to speak up like that and to make such a request. After all, he got to stick his fingers in the holes of Jesus's pierced hands! He was able to get closer to Him than some of the other disciples. I don't think he lacked trust. If anything, he had enough trust to know that Jesus was not going to deny his request. I always considered TRUST to be equivalent to full Faith. In my mind, it is the same thing. TRUST also requires courage.
When thinking about all these things, one thing becomes clear: FEAR will prevent any good.
COURAGE is what is needed nowadays. Courage to be in love. To express that love. To not give up on love, no matter how dismal everything seems.
It's hard. But if you and I don't give up on love, we can show others that it is OKAY to want to love. To want to trust. To have courage. We can encourage each other. We need to remember that we need God, because we need love in our lives. And to love someone means that you are teaching them about God.
True love, which has its roots (or was "instigated") in God, never ends. It is eternal. No matter how far apart and how weird circumstances seem to be.
XP
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
"Taken by the sea...", Love and other thoughts..
...is the title of a song I have heard recently. Let me say I can relate to what is being said or implied in the lyrics...the wish of all sadness being taken by the sea. But also the hope of being embraced by love which appears to be as large and endless as the ocean.
clearly, only God can truly love to such a degree. But how does one feel God's embrace or sense His presence or hear His voice?
We, as human beings in a body of flesh and blood, we are hopelessly sensual beings in need of touch and warmth, so how do we relate to someone who in His human form hasn't showed Himself as such for the last 2000 years? As Catholics, we encounter Him in Holy Communion as a consecrated Host - but even though it is His flesh, body, soul and divinity we encounter, we don't actually see a physical human being who talks back, hugs and touches us...we see by faith, not by sight. This can be problematic though for someone who may still need the comfort of physical touch, etc. I heard there was an experiment made with withdrawing human interaction from newborn human babies - they withered away, and if they didn't die from the lack of care, they developed serious physical, emotional and mental health problems. Personally, I believe the same can happen even when you're an adult.
------->
I started this post OVER A YEAR AGO, and yet I still feel strongly about it. What to do about Love, or a perceived lack of it? I'm not just talking about marriages, or spousal love, and how people communicate or interact, but also friendships, working relationships, as well as our relationship with our Faith or God.
There's a certain line we don't cross out of respect, but also very often out of fear. Sometimes what we think is respect for another person or for God, may in reality be our own fear which is telling us NOT to act upon feeling one way or another. The point is this: You can't help how you feel. You are NOT God.
Yes, we are called to holiness and perfection, and mastery over our passions help us to perhaps act more prudently, but there's a fine line between prudence, respect, and the ability to completely suppress or ignore what your heart is telling you. God knows how you feel. He doesn't need you to necessarily
prove to Him how you love Him, or not. As every spouse, of course, He doesn't mind hearing about it. But God, being who He is, is NOT dependent on us. The opposite is true. WE need HIM.
And I do believe that He will always love us. Human beings are a different story, though. Due to our nature (& no matter how "holy" you think you are or have the intent to be), we need someone to tell us that we are loved. It is what keeps us alive. With no love, there is no hope. No reason to bother trying to be a better person, no reason to do anything.
The fact that Jesus died for our sins, and that that would be reason enough to continue living, seems strangely out of place 2000+ years after His death.
Mainly because we don't recognize Him as one of us or belonging to our "race", but we see Him as something abstract, or in some cases, even as "unreal". We don't know what He looks like, apart from our imagination, or through "blind" faith, if you so will. Anybody who has ever dealt with someone who is struggling with faith and the belief in God, will know what I mean.
We need other human beings to show us how Jesus is still alive in our midst, and how He is still relevant, apart from the moral teachings he passed down to us through scripture and tradition via the Church.
Hence the thought that God needs OUR bodies and extended hands to pick others up from the dust, give them a hug or a kiss, and teach them about intimacy and healing and why life is worth living and that it isn't just all about the rat race of work, being successful, having possessions, having kids, or this or that.
The sad thing is that those we often look to for guidance really need to be taught about love and faith themselves. They have successfully learned to avoid or ignore the way they feel inside out of fear of offending someone, their vocation, or out of convenience. One can't really blame them- they are also human beings after all. They will call this "detachment". That can be a very useful tool to kill or at least suppress oe ignore any emotions that ever crop up, whether it be of a physical or emotional nature. Effectively, they learn how to become almost like a living corpse. Eventually, you are enticed to follow suite, and also become "detached", because they seem happy, and you think that maybe there's something to it. The trouble is, if you are married, the last thing you want to do is become a "corpse", no matter how much you may think it funny when you read or watch the "vampire Diaries". The same goes for anybody who actually wants a REAL relationship, not just a temporarily thing that makes you occassionally feel good about yourself and temporarily relieves your loneliness.
In fact, what is the point of living, if you are doing all you can to not be alive as such?
..If you end up denying that you feel strongly about someone, and nobody apparently truly wants to show you how they truly care about you, but rather would treat you politely, but without affection?
No birthday cards, no Christmas greetings, no phone calls or texts, no emails or letters, no time to meet up with you, and no intent on trying to make that happen, either. No surprise visits or any sign of care, consideration, affection or love. Some people who work with each other, but otherwise are not friends, at times show more respect by at least sending a birthday card, or manage small talk. Does it matter? Yes, and no. Who cares about small talk if you can't go deeper into a subject? But then again, to not pay someone any attention because you are afraid - of what? Is that better?
To tell someone you love them, and then a few years later be completely "stumm" about it - what's up with that? Was it the truth? A lie? A moment of madness? Is is still lingering? Are you still afraid? Do you still know what love is?
And then people wonder what is wrong with the world. What's to fight for, if not love?
PX
clearly, only God can truly love to such a degree. But how does one feel God's embrace or sense His presence or hear His voice?
We, as human beings in a body of flesh and blood, we are hopelessly sensual beings in need of touch and warmth, so how do we relate to someone who in His human form hasn't showed Himself as such for the last 2000 years? As Catholics, we encounter Him in Holy Communion as a consecrated Host - but even though it is His flesh, body, soul and divinity we encounter, we don't actually see a physical human being who talks back, hugs and touches us...we see by faith, not by sight. This can be problematic though for someone who may still need the comfort of physical touch, etc. I heard there was an experiment made with withdrawing human interaction from newborn human babies - they withered away, and if they didn't die from the lack of care, they developed serious physical, emotional and mental health problems. Personally, I believe the same can happen even when you're an adult.
------->
I started this post OVER A YEAR AGO, and yet I still feel strongly about it. What to do about Love, or a perceived lack of it? I'm not just talking about marriages, or spousal love, and how people communicate or interact, but also friendships, working relationships, as well as our relationship with our Faith or God.
There's a certain line we don't cross out of respect, but also very often out of fear. Sometimes what we think is respect for another person or for God, may in reality be our own fear which is telling us NOT to act upon feeling one way or another. The point is this: You can't help how you feel. You are NOT God.
Yes, we are called to holiness and perfection, and mastery over our passions help us to perhaps act more prudently, but there's a fine line between prudence, respect, and the ability to completely suppress or ignore what your heart is telling you. God knows how you feel. He doesn't need you to necessarily
prove to Him how you love Him, or not. As every spouse, of course, He doesn't mind hearing about it. But God, being who He is, is NOT dependent on us. The opposite is true. WE need HIM.
And I do believe that He will always love us. Human beings are a different story, though. Due to our nature (& no matter how "holy" you think you are or have the intent to be), we need someone to tell us that we are loved. It is what keeps us alive. With no love, there is no hope. No reason to bother trying to be a better person, no reason to do anything.
The fact that Jesus died for our sins, and that that would be reason enough to continue living, seems strangely out of place 2000+ years after His death.
Mainly because we don't recognize Him as one of us or belonging to our "race", but we see Him as something abstract, or in some cases, even as "unreal". We don't know what He looks like, apart from our imagination, or through "blind" faith, if you so will. Anybody who has ever dealt with someone who is struggling with faith and the belief in God, will know what I mean.
We need other human beings to show us how Jesus is still alive in our midst, and how He is still relevant, apart from the moral teachings he passed down to us through scripture and tradition via the Church.
Hence the thought that God needs OUR bodies and extended hands to pick others up from the dust, give them a hug or a kiss, and teach them about intimacy and healing and why life is worth living and that it isn't just all about the rat race of work, being successful, having possessions, having kids, or this or that.
The sad thing is that those we often look to for guidance really need to be taught about love and faith themselves. They have successfully learned to avoid or ignore the way they feel inside out of fear of offending someone, their vocation, or out of convenience. One can't really blame them- they are also human beings after all. They will call this "detachment". That can be a very useful tool to kill or at least suppress oe ignore any emotions that ever crop up, whether it be of a physical or emotional nature. Effectively, they learn how to become almost like a living corpse. Eventually, you are enticed to follow suite, and also become "detached", because they seem happy, and you think that maybe there's something to it. The trouble is, if you are married, the last thing you want to do is become a "corpse", no matter how much you may think it funny when you read or watch the "vampire Diaries". The same goes for anybody who actually wants a REAL relationship, not just a temporarily thing that makes you occassionally feel good about yourself and temporarily relieves your loneliness.
In fact, what is the point of living, if you are doing all you can to not be alive as such?
..If you end up denying that you feel strongly about someone, and nobody apparently truly wants to show you how they truly care about you, but rather would treat you politely, but without affection?
No birthday cards, no Christmas greetings, no phone calls or texts, no emails or letters, no time to meet up with you, and no intent on trying to make that happen, either. No surprise visits or any sign of care, consideration, affection or love. Some people who work with each other, but otherwise are not friends, at times show more respect by at least sending a birthday card, or manage small talk. Does it matter? Yes, and no. Who cares about small talk if you can't go deeper into a subject? But then again, to not pay someone any attention because you are afraid - of what? Is that better?
To tell someone you love them, and then a few years later be completely "stumm" about it - what's up with that? Was it the truth? A lie? A moment of madness? Is is still lingering? Are you still afraid? Do you still know what love is?
And then people wonder what is wrong with the world. What's to fight for, if not love?
PX
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