Summary
This is a blog of my experiences and random thoughts at seminary.
|
|
|
|
Catholic Thoughts Blog
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
Monday, January 31, 2005, 11:06 PM
Yesterday's CCD was great. The kids started asking questions for the first time and each led right into the next. "If God is everywhere, am I punching God when I punch the air? Is God present in Hell? If someone goes to confession right before they die, will they go to Heaven? If I pray to God for a bicycle, will I get it? How long are people in Purgatory? Can I bless my religious medal?" I think I answered them pretty well. It was quite a hoot.
This month saw a eight month high in total page views of this blog, averaging a little more than 10 hits per day. I will continue trying to post something new and original each day for your pleasure and edification.
#35 - Luke 7:49
Monday, January 31, 2005
"Who is this who even forgives sins?" - The table guests of Simon the Pharisee
Shoo!
Sunday, January 30, 2005, 2:15 PM
The Pope battles the dove of peace.
Hat tip: Any Welborn's Open Book
I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
Sunday, January 30, 2005, 2:06 PM
The A Team (the Papal Bulls) were playing at 9:00 this morning, so I set my alarm for 8:40, figuring that should give me time to shower and head over. However, the way you value your options changes when you're tired in the morning. I decided to sleep through the first half and show up for the second. That's when the game is really decided anyway. I reawoke about twenty minutes after it was all over. I learned from my doorway that we had beaten St. Louis by three to retake the title. Oh, what a feeling of vicarious achievement!
Today I'm reviewing the chapter for my Sunday school kids. The good news is that it's all about points that I have been sharing with them all year. ("See, I wasn't making this stuff up.") For example, what idols are in our modern lives and the importance of prayer and keeping the Sabbath day special. The bad news is that I really don't have much new to tell them about on material. I think I might teach these fourth graders about how to read the scriptures on their own.
#36 - John 9:38
Sunday, January 30, 2005
"I do believe, Lord." - A man healed who was born blind
It's Hard to Read at a Basketball Game
Saturday, January 29, 2005, 2:08 PM
This weekend the seminary is hosting its annual basketball tournament. There are eight teams playing, five from other seminaries and three from ours. Our A Team lost this morning to the returning champions from St. Louis by three points. However, there is hope that we will face them again (and beat them) tomorrow morning in the finals. The day is dwindling away, but I hope to catch up on the readings I now have backed up in each of my classes.
[2:25 pm PS: Before going back up stairs I decided to check in on what George Will was saying. It occurs to me that I like him so much because he is one of the few people in the media from whom you can learn something. His most recent article not only makes good points about the important philosophy that humans have a nature, but also quite funny. I got a kick out of his "victorian vapors" observation, anyway.]
#37 - Mark 15:39
Saturday, January 29, 2005
"Truly this man was the Son of God." - Roman centurian
C.S. Lewis on "Chronological Snobbery"
Friday, January 28, 2004, 4:08 PM
I recalled this quote from Lewis' autobiography Surprised by Joy to employed it in an upcoming philosophy paper critique on John Dewey. It's a reality check for those who imagine we live in the end of history, the plateau of all civilization.
In the first place he made short work of what I have called my "chronological snobbery," the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to your own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited. You must find why it went out of date. Was it ever refuted (and if so by whom, where, and how conclusively) or did it merely die away as fashions do? if the latter, this tells us nothing about its truth or falsehood. From seeing this, one passes to the realization that our own age is also "a period," and certainly has, like all periods, its own characteristic illusions. They are likeliest to lurk in those widespread assumptions which are so ingrained in the age that no one dares to attack to feels it necessary to defend them.
#38 - Luke 23:42
Friday, January 28, 2005
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." - Crucified man
Caught in the Act
Thursday, January 27, 2004, 8:58 AM
Yesterday, in our Introduction to Catholic Morality class, Father informed us that he had used cocaine in his nostrils that morning. Now that I have your attention allow me to outline, as he did, the three components to human moral actions: Object, Intention, and Circumstances. The Object is the action chosen by the will. The Intention is the purpose (or end) pursued by the act. Each of these are good or evil in as much as they agree with right reason. Circumstances intensify or diminish the degree of goodness in a good act or evil in an bad act and determine the person's degree of responsibility for the action. A good Intention can never make an intrinsically disordered Object good. A morally good act requires that its Object, Intention, and Circumstances all be good. There in six sentences is a summary of Catholic moral theory. Now back to my priest, the drug user.
That morning he had gone to his ear, nose, and throat doctor who applied trace amounts of cocaine to deaden sensation in his nose. Tubes were then inserted up his nostrils to explore the caverns of his head by video camera. The Object, the legal use of trace amounts of cocaine, was good. The Intention, health, was good. And the Circumstances, the appropriate drug being administered by a trained physician, was also good. These three combine to make Father's drug use morally commendable, even though we'll kid him about being a cokehead for awhile.
#39 - Matthew 27:25
Thursday, January 27, 2005
"His blood be upon us and upon our children." - The crowd
Oscar's in the Garbage Can
Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 1:31 PM
The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday without any major nominations for The Passion of the Christ. Not best director, not best actor (you try playing Jesus sometime), not best picture. What is worse is the sort of stories they gave the top honors to in its place. An Christian executive director wrote a great post about this Tuesday.
Hollywood is out of touch with the rest of the country. Even the statement itself is now as cliche as the bad guy not dying the first time you kill him, or a character repeating the last part of a phrase for dramatic emphasis. Will storytellers step up to give our country new, compelling stories of goodness and truth? I don't know, I just don't know.
#40 - John 19:15
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
"We have no king but Caesar." - The crowd
Gilded Leavings
Tuesday, January 25, 2004, 2:35 PM
Once when the Hebrews were wandering in the desert they made a statue of a calf out of their gold and worshiped it as their god. "As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. With that, Moses' wrath flared up, so that he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain. Taking the calf they had made, the fused it in the fire and then ground it down to powder, which he scattered on the water and made the Israelites drink." (Exodus 32:19-20)
I had always wondered why Moses had them drink the powdered gold. Recently the obvious occured to me: you can't digest gold. In a day or two the people saw what they had worshiped among their basest productions. Gilded leavings for which they had left God. Let us be self-examining that we do not do likewise.
#41 - Matthew 21:27
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
"We do not know." - The chief priests and elders
76° and Humid
Monday, January 24, 2004, 8:07 PM
Near the door of our floor's bathroom is a wonderful shelf. When my three weekly gift-subscription magazines come in I field dress them clean of inserts and place them there among the other periodicals left for community use. I am grateful for the thought behind these gift-subscriptions, but my brief visits are the only time I have to read them.
"Free stuff" also gets placed on this shelf, free for the taking. Tonight, in my room at my right side sits my recent acquistion: a humidifier. Not only does it moisten the air, which prevents my dry-weather nose bleeds, it also heats up the room. Before I was cold and bleeding, but now I am warm and reading (Kant and the Catholic Catechism, that is).
#42 - Matthew 22:36
Monday, January 24, 2005
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" - A Pharisee scholar of the law
Sunday School
Sunday, January 23, 2005, 6:39 PM
This is my final exam for Liturgy, Sacraments, and Prayer last semester. My answers are brief because each question was only allowed a one-third page response. I prefer to writing a little precisely than a lot inexactly.
1.) Please list the matter, form, and minister of these sacraments:
(Sacrament: Matter, Form, Minister)
Baptism: Immersion in or pouring on of water, Baptismal formula, Anyone with the proper intention.
Confirmation: Laying of hands & sacred chrism anointing, Confirmation prayer, Bishop or priest.
Holy Eucharist: Wheat bread & grape wine, Words of consecration, Bishop or priest.
Penance: Acts of the penitent, Formula of absolution, Bishop or priest.
Anointing: Anointing of parts the body with plant oil, Prayer of anointing, Bishop or priest.
Holy Orders: Laying of hands, Consecratory prayer, Bishop.
Holy Matrimony: Consent to vows, Saying of vows, Couple for each other.
2.) Please list which sacraments confer an indelible character upon the soul. Can God "undo" a sacrament that confers an indelible character?
Three sacraments confer an indelible spiritual character or "seal": Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. God cannot, or would not, undo these sacraments because it would violate His own promises, which is contrary to His good nature. "This configuration to Christ and to the Church, brought about by the Spirit, is indelible, it remains for ever in the Christian as a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as a vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church." (CCC #1121)
3.) Is there a difference between the universal priesthood and the ministerial priesthood? Please explain.
The catechism teaches that, "Baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers." (CCC #1268) By their spiritual offerings, in and through Christ, all the baptized celebrate their role in the universal priesthood. The ministerial priesthood differs in kind and degree. Ministerial priests serve the universal priesthood. Through the sacrament of holy orders, these are empowered to celebrate sacraments in the person of Christ.
4.) Why is it the case that Holy Orders is reserved to men only? Aren't we denying women their rights?
As it says in the Catechism, "The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. ... The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible." (CCC #1577) Someone who argues that the Church denies women their rights would seem obliged to lay the same charge against Christ himself. In addition to the lack of precedent, there are profound underlying issues concerning the meaning of our being sexual creatures and how solely men are conformable to acting as priest in the person of Christ.
5.) Are there any circumstances under which a priest may reveal what he has heard within the Sacrament of Penance? If so, what are these circumstances? If not, may a priest at least act on the information he has heard without revealing who said it?
The answer is "no" to both questions. The Catechism teaches clearly, "Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons, the Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him. He can make no use of knowledge that confession gives him about penitents' lives. This secret, which admits of no exceptions, is called the 'sacramental seal,' because what the penitent has made known to the priest remains 'sealed' by the sacrament." (CCC #1467)
6.) Under what conditions may a priest anoint someone? How could you determine whether or not someone should be anointed?
The 1983 Code of Canon Law speaks to whom should be anointed: "The anointing of the sick can be administered to a member of the faithful who, after having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age. This sacrament can be repeated whenever the sick person again falls into a serious sickness after convalescence or whenever a more serious crisis develops during the same sickness. This sacrament is to be administered when there is a doubt whether the sick person has attained the use of reason, whether the person is dangerously ill, or whether the person is dead. This sacrament is to be conferred upon sick persons who requested it at least implicitly when they were in control of their faculties. The anointing of the sick is not to be conferred upon those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin." (Cannons 1004-1007)
#43 - Matthew 3:11c
Sunday, January 23, 2005
"He will baptise you with the holy Spirit and fire." - John the Baptist
Advancing the Institution
Saturday, January 22, 2004, 4:49 PM
This year my house job has been working an hour each Wednesday in our seminary's department of Institutional Advancement. It's their job to encourage people to send money to keep our seminary open and running. They also help advertise our establishment to bishops to encourage them to send seminarians here.
On most work days they give me a stack of diocean newspapers from across the country. My job is to go through these looking for mentionings of alumni in the news. You would be surprised how little print shows up about the priests in these publications. It is quite rare to find a newsworthy story worth reporting to the alumni.
Incidently, this task occasionally brings interesting articles to my attention. Recently I set one of these aside for later reading. The headline out of the Diocese of Trenton (New Jersey) Monitor read "No nation has perfect religious freedom, Vatican official says". The article contains several interesting insights but the best was featured in the caption: "Attempts to ban religiously motivated positions from public policy debates are also infringements on religious freedom."
I had not heard or seen the transcript to President Bush's inaugural address, but this article dovetails well with it focus on freedom abroad.
#44 - John 3:4
Saturday, January 22, 2005
"How can a person once grown old be born again?" - Nicodemus
Snowed In
Saturday, January 22, 2005, 12:54 AM
Blizzards forecast for the east coast forced us to cancel our trip to Washington DC. We pretty much saw this coming so we were not too surprised. We'll be there next year, or (even better) we won't have to. My congressman was out of town this weekend anyway.
#45 - Matthew 27:65
Friday, January 21, 2005
"The guard is yours; go secure [the tomb] as best you can." - Pilate to the chief priests and Pharisees
The Story of a Rich Young Man
Thursday, January 20, 2005, 6:01 PM
Now someone approached [Jesus] and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter eternal life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22)
When I first read this as an adolesent I very much recognised myself in that young fellow. I asked myself what I would choose; God or money? I thought about my own situation and considered what possessions of value I had. My baseball card collection came to mind. (Subsequently, this asset did not quite keep pace with the S&P 500 Index, or even my checking account for that matter, but I thought it as a good investment at the time.) I was seriously considering selling it off and donating the proceeds to the church, but I was very reluctant to do so. Under significant emotional stress I told my parents about the plan I was considering, but Mom said, "God doesn't want your baseball cards." I thought to myself, "You don't get it, Mom." [Mom says she does not remember this event, but it's how I recall it.] I went on to do nothing about those baseball cards which still sit on my closet shelf to this day. I always wondered whether I would be willing to offer such a gift someday.
Bridging the Gap between Faith and Everyday Life
Thursday, January 20, 2005, 6:19 PM
I'm not much of an evangelist, so I'm glad that there's Relevant Radio, a Catholic radio broadcasting network. It's solidly presents the Faith in a culture where mass media has hold of our eyes and (in the case of radio) ears. It has 14 stations and 12 affiliate stations that air its syndicated programming and able to reach an estimated 26 million people across 14 states. Tune it in if there's a station near you or listen to it on the web.
Marching on Washington
Thursday, January 20, 2005, 12:28 AM
This weekend the majority of the theologate will be traveling to Washington DC for the March for Life and while we are there we will have a free day on the town. I've seen the historic sights and I an tell already that if I just do the tourist thing it is going to be unfulfilling. I feel drawn to do something more. So this evening I have been researching a possible visit to my congressman. As you may recall, I consider this an issue of great importance. I don't know if he will even be in town, but I will make some calls tomorrow and see if I can have 5 to 10 minutes with my representative. Your prayer of assistance are welcome.
#46 - Mark 9:5
Thursday, January 20, 2005
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!" - Peter
The Lord is Near
Wednesday, January 19, 2005, 12:25 PM
Last Wednesday, in the middle of retreat, I went to the clinic for a perscription to clear up pink eye. The Dean of Men recommended me to his local physician. The doctor informed me that it was a case of conjunctivitis, which had spread from my eyes to my nose and throat, but it seemed to be on its way out. I held off on filling the perscription, as he recommended, and I am now back to health.
But I don't mention this trip merely because my head plumbing is so very interesting. There was something the doctor said in conversation. He reported how a number of people in recent weeks have told him that they, like him, are not following the news anymore because it makes them feel so depressed. That lingered in my thoughts on the drive home.
I understand how the news can be so discouraging. It tells us all about horrible things happening in the world that we can feel powerless to do anything about. However, there is always one good thing we can do in the way of help and that good thing is prayer. Later that evening, I came across this passage:
"The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7)
I've committed it to memory. It's a true and a good thing to keep in mind.
#47 - Luke 2:14
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." - A multitude of angels
Dead? We prefer calling it an "under-utilized language"
Tuesday, January 18, 2005, 2:54 PM
Here's a little something to commemorate my first day back in Latin class. If you are ever traveling in a Latin speaking country, the following phrases may prove useful:
Habe differentiam.
"Keep the change."
Abi, non volo tuos angos emere!
"Go away, I don't want to buy your lambs!"
Adjuva, meus currus ignescet!
"Help, my car is on fire!"
Sum ergastulo. Mitte aurum.
"I am in jail. Send money."
Habuitne Packerum victoriae?
"Did the Packers win?"
#48 - Luke 1:48b
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
"From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name." - Mary
My Schedule
Monday, January 17, 2005, 6:15 PM
Philosophy of God
MWF 8:30-9:20
20th and 21st Century Philosophy
MWF 9:30-10:20
Introduction to Catholic Morality
MWF 3:00-3:50
Late Modern Philospohy
MTh 6:30-7:45 pm
Ecclesiastical Latin
TF 1:00-2:15
#49 - Luke 1:46-48a
Monday, January 17, 2005
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant." - Mary
A Choice to Make
Monday, January 17, 2005, 2:56 AM
Once (in the 17th chapter of 1st Kings) there was a severe drought in the land when Elijah came upon a widow gathering sticks. He asked her for a cup of water and as she was leaving to get it he called out after her, "Please bring along a bit of bread (too)." She answered, "I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it we shall die."
He tells her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the Lord, the God of Israel says, 'The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.'" Put yourself in her position. You're on the verge of starvation and this stranger is asks for some of your last provisions. You have a choice to make: whether to trust him or not.
We can imagine her thinking, "What if this man is a liar? I don't want to be cheated. But then again, we are certain die very soon, so what would be the loss? And I don't want us to die wondering whether our salvation was right here before us. Besides, I know what he is asking me to do is good, so while I live I will give the gift."
The truth is, her choice is truly before us now. The prophet is Christ, he is asking for our selves. "What if this man is a liar? I don't want to be cheated. But then again, we are certain die very soon, so what would be the loss? And I don't want us to die wondering whether our salvation was right here before us. Besides, I know what he is asking me to do is good, so while I live I will give the gift."
#50 - Luke 1:68
Sunday, January 16, 2005
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free." - Zechariah
Return from Retreat
Saturday, January 15, 2005, 4:59 PM
I'm back from retreat and, though I have not been on very many, this retrat has been my best. It was held here at the seminary and was a fruitful time of reflection and prayer. Our retreat master gave good conferences focused on our lives as sons of the Father and as brothers of Christ. He said it only takes one thing to be a male; to be a man, however, takes a heart and a backbone. And the best quote of all: "There's never a good time to pray."
He's one story from our week's retreat. Juan, my neighbor across the hall, asked our seminary's spiritual formator if it would be all right for him and some guys to play basketball. Father thought about. If we were collegians he would have said no, but we're theologians and had been good about keeping the silence. Now Father's personality, as someone captured it for me, is like that of a long lost Marx brother. Let's call him Padro. So understand that when he said, "Ok, but if they break retreat tell them I'll kill them, I will personally find them and kill them, tell them that, ok (as he mimics screwing a silencer on a gun)," it is most delightful.
Later, Padro was standing in the hallway when our janitor Carl stopped by wearing a stunned expression. "I just saw the strangest thing. There are seminarians in the gym playing the most silent game of basketball I have ever seen. It was like they were all deaf." We all got a hoot out of that when Father Padro relayed the story this morning. (Incidently, notice how it's not Priest Padro, but Father Padro? The priesthood, like everything, is relational.)
Gospel One-liners
Saturday, January 15, 2005, 4:35 PM
Over retreat I complied a list of the top 50 greatest one-liners said by creatures in the Gospels. This was the one thing I did for leisure last week. Lists of this kind are typically frivilous, like "the 100 most awesomely bad rock songs", but reflecting upon these can bear spiritual fruit.
The quotes were ranked based on profundity, gravity, brevity, and spirituality. Then they were scattered according to my personal whims. But seriously, I favored the shorter quotes, consequential to the Gospel story, which convey deep truths (usually more profound than their speakers realized at the time), and which are the more valuable for spiritual reflection and prayer.
For each of the next 50 days I will be posting these greatest one-liners on this blog. Join me in spending even a minute a day prayerfully reflecting upon the day's quote. Let it sink in, consider its deeper meaning, and its significance to your life. Some people spend eight minutes a week on their abs. Why not spend seven minutes a week on your soul?
War and Peace
Monday, January 10, 2005, 10:44 PM
Since tomorrow marks the beginning of our six day silent retreat, I thought it important to give you a post tonight before I go to bed. This night before the Big Quiet is commonly a social and late night affair. This evening I shot the moon in Hearts with a hand so good even I couldn't flub it up. I also played my first four fun games of Strategy (TM) with a two and two record. In short, its like checkers with the rules like the card game War, where higher ranked pieces kill the lesser ranked. The box introduces the game thusly:
STRATEGY (Pronounced STRA-TEE-GO) is the American version of the game now popular on the Continent. [This, presumably, does not refer to Antarctica] While the pieces have military designs and are maneuvered across the playing board, it is not a war game. [Right. Incidentally, this game was published in 1961.]
Earlier today one of my DB's, Jim W., tarried in his arrival at seminary. We were a bit concerned. I told him he should have called; we were worried that he that he might be unconscious in a ditch, or worse, that he had left the diocese. Speaking of diocesan input-output dynamic, we were recently blessed with the naming of a new bishop. He is said to be at the same time both brilliant and down earth. It sounds like he'll be a good Shepherd.
This evening the deacons went around the house with holy water to bless rooms and their occupants. I received the honor from my next door neighbor Deacon Jeff. Since everything I brought back from my grueling Saturday trip home are in the earliest stages of unpackedness, all of my possessions got blessed as part of the deal.
In the days ahead I will do my best to be focused to the task at hand and get as much out of this time of meditation and reflection as I can. You won't be hearing from me, but I'll be sure to put in some prayers for you. Have a happy week.
Posting
Tuesday, January 4, 2005, 1:29 PM
Sorry about the decline in my posting rate last semester. Yet, a few points may be made in my defense. I imagine you enjoy most reading about me, what I am doing and what I am learning about myself. Well, one's life seems pretty ordinary as one lives it so it is sometime hard to discern the blog-worthy. And, when I have insights into myself, they either fall on to the negative or positive pile. The one kind I perfer not to share with the whole world and the other I like to keep to myself. It also takes a lot of time to write a thoughtful thought. For instance, I began my last post when I was 23 and didn't finish it until I was 24. In any case, I will try to do better next semester.
The Tsunamis and Faith
Tuesday, January 4, 2005, 1:11 PM
Catestophic events, personally experienced or reported concerning others, make us take note of the evil, the deficiencies of goodness, in this life. We sense more distinctly that the world is not the way it should be. When our pain is more pronounced we feel moved to wonder "Why?". These can be times of trial of faith in a loving God.
An excellent conversation about this arose at Any Welborn's excellent blog Open Book and is discussed
here as well. These a few thoughts I feel are worth note:
In "The Problem of Pain", Lewis made a distinction between "love" and "kindness." "Kindness cares not whether its object becomes good or bad, provided only that it escapes suffering", while Love "would rather see [loved ones] suffer much than be happy in contemptible and estranging modes". God deeply loves us and we are deeply flawed.
Do you believe that going to heaven the greatest thing we can hope for while considering death the worst thing that can happen to a person? Pain and death are not the worst that can happen to a person. This convinction must focus how we see.
In Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II was posed the question "Why does God tolerate suffering?" I find one portion of his answer particularly powerful:
"God is always on the side of the suffering. His omnipotence is manifested precisely in the fact that He freely accepted suffering. He could have chosen not to do so. He could have chosen to demonstrate His omnipotence even at the moment of the Crucifixion. In fact, it was proposed to Him: "Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe" (Mk 15:32). But He did not accept that challenge. The fact that He stayed on the Cross until the end, the fact that on the Cross He could say, as do all who suffer: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk 15:34), has remained in human history the strongest argument. If the agony on the Cross had not happened, the truth that God is Love would have been unfounded."
Read Last Month's Posts
|
|
