Is God Someone You Understand?

Faith - Flannery O'Connor

Faith is not just a matter of intellectual assent, but also a matter of lived experience.

My faith comes and goes. It rises and falls. It lives and seemingly dies or disappears and vanishes. It encourages me and also leads to despair and depression. My faith often feels like it is faltering. Is it even there or am I just imagining that I have faith?

Preach by the Way You Live

Suffering Produces Angels

7 Deadly Sins

The 7 Deadly Sins is a subject of contemplation and moral reflection for centuries. These sins, aka the capital vices, are behaviors and attitudes particularly destructive to the human soul and society. They are moral pitfalls that we all must be vigilant against.

Pride is surely the deadliest, because self is placed above all else. It is the root of all sin, and it blinds us to our own sins. It breeds arrogance, judgmentalism, and failure to recognize our dependence on God. Indeed, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov 16:18).

Envy resents others' good fortune or possessions. It's a poison that eats away at our happiness and relationships. Instead of celebrating others' success, envy makes us bitter and discontented. In contrast, be grateful for what we have and work on self-improvement rather than comparing ourselves to others.

Wrath or anger, can consume us. It leads to rash words, decisions and actions that we later regret. We must control our anger and seek peaceful resolutions to conflicts. "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" (Eph 4:26).

Sloth is the sin of laziness or apathy. [Acedia comes from Greek, and means “a lack of care.” It sounds a little like today's sloth, and acedia is indeed considered a precursor to today's sin of laziness. To Christian monks in the fourth century, however, acedia was more than just laziness or apathy. Synonyms: idleness, inactivity, indolence, inertia, laxness, lethargy, listlessness, slackness. slothfulness, slowness, sluggishness.] It neglects responsibility and in reaching our potential. Strive to be diligent and purposeful in life, using our time and talents wisely. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Col 3:23). Sloth is defined as a spiritual apathy or lack of concern for oneself and others. It is a failure to do things that one should do, or a lack of motivation to work, though the understanding of the sin in antiquity was that this laziness or lack of work was simply a symptom of the vice of apathy or indifference, particularly an apathy or boredom with God. Sloth can manifest in a number of ways, including:

• Physical inactivity
• Neglecting what God has said
• Wasting resources
• Not helping those in need
• Carelessness about God's commands and priorities
• Lack of love for God

Greed, an insatiable desire for money and possessions, leads to unethical behavior and exploitation. Instead, seek contentment and be generous with what you have. Jesus warned, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions" (Lk 12:15).

Lust, an intense desire for physical pleasure, disregards moral and ethical boundaries. It harms relationships and objectifies others. We must strive for purity and respect of others. Jesus said, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mt 5:28).

Gluttony, the excessive consumption of food, drink, indulgences, leads to physical and spiritual harm. We should practice moderation and self-control in all things. "When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony" (Prov 23:1-2).

The 7 Deadly Sins should help us recognize and overcome destructive behaviors in our lives. We must strive for humility, contentment, self-control and love for our neighbors. This leads to more fulfilling and virtuous lives. It sbuild a better society based on love, compassion, and moral integrity. Reflect on these 7 sins, apply them to ourselves, and seek the path of holiness, righteousness and spiritual growth.

3 Stages of the Converted. 7 Deadly Sins

"There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness;  in the middle the contests of temptation; and  in the end the fullness of perfection."–Pope St. Gregory the Great. The 7 Deadly Sins Lust Gluttony Greed Sloth Wrath Envy Pride

Right Away was not right now, but Stretched out for a Long Time. Augustine.

"I was sure that it was better for me to give myself up to your love than to give in to my own desires. However, although the one way appealed to me and was gaining mastery, the other still afforded me pleasure and kept me victim. I had no answer to give to you when you said to me, 'Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you.' When on all sides you showed me that your words were true, and I was overcome by your truth, I had no answer whatsoever to make, but only those slow and drowsy words, 'Right away. Yes, right away.' 'Let me be for a little while.' But 'Right away—right away' was never right now, and 'Let me be for a little while' stretched out for a long time."—St. Augustine. On delaying repentance more fully/procrastination.

A Mother's Prayer and Tears: "And Thou sent Thine hand from above, and drew my soul out of that profound darkness, my mother, Thy faithful one, weeping to Thee for me, more than mothers weep the bodily deaths of their children. For she, by that faith and spirit which she had from Thee, discerned the death wherein I lay, and Thou heard her, O Lord; Thou heard her, and despised not her tears, when streaming down, they watered the ground under her eyes in every place where she prayed; yea Thou heard her."–St. Augustine in The Confessions.

"O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams."–St. Augustine. “There are two loves, the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over.”—St. Augustine.

 

I Abandon Myself into Your Hands

Charles de Foucauld's Prayer of Abandonment:

Father, I abandon myself into your hands,

do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you;

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,

for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,

and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

There is No Such Thing as New Truth, Frederick Douglas

"There is no such thing as new truth; error might be old or new, but truth is as old as the universe." Frederick Douglas, from his lecture "Popular Error and Unpopular Truth," 1863.

"God reigns in eternity, and that whatever delays, whatever disappointments and discouragements may come, truth, justice, liberty and humanity will ultimately prevail." 

The Vulgar, Profane and Dishonorable

Though I enthusiastically espouse such epithets, how effective am I at embracing and embodying it?

Embrace Silence

When an Armor becomes a Straightjacket

"The culture is put on as though it were armor against self-doubt, but it becomes a mental straitjacket which cleaves to the flesh and can never be removed except through comprehensive faith in the saving work of Christ."  Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of the Spiritual Life.

This means that we often use our cultural identity as a form of protection or defense mechanism, but it can also limit us and restrict our ability to grow and change.

Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people

"Jesus's teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did." Tim Keller, The Prodigal God.

Can You Learn, Unlearn and Relearn from the "Inerrant and Infallible" Bible?

Learn, Unlearn, Relearn. The "conservative" Pharisees believed that Moses, their Torah and the Prophets (the Old Testament) were inerrant and infallible (Ps 18:30; 19:7; 119:89; Prov 30:5; Dt 8:3). It thus formed, framed and fixed their thoughts, consciousness and even their unconscious such that it could never change for any reason, not even upon seeing supernatural miracles (Jn 14:11). In order to learn they needed to unlearn and relearn their very own Scriptures. The problem was that they used their faith in their Scriptures to justify being closed, fixed, rigid, inflexible and not being pliable and open. They couldn't accept the welcoming and forgiveness of "horrible sinners" (Lk 15:1-2). They were "old wine skins" (Mt 9:16-17; Mk 2:22; Lk 5:37-38) stubbornly unwilling to be "born again" (Jn 3:3, 5; 1 Pet 1:23). Thus, they could not learn, unlearn or relearn anything from the Bible they claimed to believe in.

Learning Requires Unlearning

This profound quote by Australian missiologist and theologian Alan Hirsh explains why we Christians might get severely stuck--like the Pharisees. But this quote may be quite uncomfortable, unnerving, disconcerting and disagreeable to some (Disciples are learners and learning requires unleaning):

"In the NT the disciples of Jesus are called "learners" (matheiteis). A disciple can therefore never leave learning behind, and consequently can also never leave unlearning behind. No one can learn, who is not prepared to unlearn. (Learning) is gained only by those who break out of boundaries that have been set, who venture out of fixed paths into the unknown, and who do not let their heart and head be stunted by routine. ...only by what we can unlearn do we show whether and to what extent we are capable of learning."

Theme of Salvation: Acts 1-28

"For my eyes have seen your salvation" (Lk 2:30). "...which you have prepared in the sight of all people: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel" (Lk 2:31-32).

• Salvation is [entirely] what God does for you + [it is expressed by] what you do [i.e. how you live] that reflects your salvation (Phil 2:12-13).
• Salvation is not "going to heaven after you die," but it is your life while you are still alive existentially speaking.
• Salvation in Scripture is communicated not just for the individual but for the entire community/nation (Exo 19:5-6).

AI for Academics: Four Great Tools You Can Use Now

How Inclusive and/or Exclusive Are You?

The Jesus of the Gospels is offensive because of how inclusive He is.

The Jesus of the Gospels is offensive because of how exclusive He is.

The church is offended by His inclusivity, and the world is offended by His exclusivity.

Judging Others Makes Us Blind (Bonhoeffer)

"Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are." Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Trials, Tests, Tribulations

John Bevere

It All Ends in Praise - Psalm 150 Meditation by Tim Keller

Where should God be praised? Everywhere.

Why should we praise God? For everything.

How should we praise Him? In every way.

Who should praise Him? Everyone.

Faith Quotes

1. "Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation." - D. Elton Trueblood
2. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King Jr.
3. "Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods." - C.S. Lewis
4. "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." - Martin Luther
   
5. "Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into." - Mahatma Gandhi
6. "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." - Saint Augustine
7. "Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark." - Rabindranath Tagore
8. "Faith is not a power which you possess to create your own future. Faith is a gift from God." - John Ortberg
9. "Faith is not a feeling, nor a sentiment, but a will act." - J.H. Newman
10. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1 (Bible verse)
11. "Faith is not a belief that God will do what you want. It is a belief that God will do what is right." - Max Lucado
12. "Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right." - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
13. "Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." - Helen Keller
14. "Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof." - Kahlil Gibran
15. 
    

The 12 Principles of AA

1. Honesty.
2. Hope.
3. Surrender.
4. Courage.
5. Integrity.
6. Willingness.
7. Humility.
8. Love.
9. Responsibility.
10. Discipline.
11. Awareness.
12. Service,

Hudson Taylor in his Old Age

In his old age, he lost his health and became very weak. He wrote a letter to a friend that said "I am so weak I can no longer work. I am so weak I can no longer study. I am so weak I can no longer read my Bible. I can't even pray. I can only lie still in the arms of God like a little child in trust."

It's OK when God Withholds and Things Don't Go the Way You Want

God would give you everything you ask for if you knew everything that God knows.

If we have the perspective that God has, if we can see the end at the beginning, if we could see all hearts, if we knew everything that is to know and all the contingencies, then what God gives us is what we would ask for. Thus, God will always answer your prayers if you know everything that God knows.

Existential Expression and Emotional Experiences of the Christian Life (Acts 13)

• What is your life like/experience as a Christian?
• What do you feel daily as a Christ follower?
• What is your mind's/life's utmost preoccupation?
• What consumes and occupies your thoughts and your plans?
• Does what I believe about Christ translate into my daily experience?
  

Outline. Existential Expression and Emotional Experiences of the Christian Life (Paul's 1st Missionary Journey):

1. Set apart and sent out by the Holy Spirit (Ac 13:2-4; Jn 20:21).
2. Synagogue preaching (Ac 13:5, 14; 14:1; etc).
3. Sincere and intelligent proconsul Sergius Paulus (Ac 13:7, 12).
4. Saul, also called Paul (Ac 13:9).
5. Sorcerer Bar-Jesus/Elymas cursed (Ac 13:10-11).
6. Sadness with John leaving the team (Ac 13:13).
7. Survey summary and synopsis of salvation history (Ac 13:16-22).
8. Savior Jesus (Ac 13:23-37). The sermon's focus: "...they asked Pilate to have him executed. But God raised him from the dead" (Ac 13:28, 30).
• If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.
  
• While God may not protect you from every bad thing that might, has, or could happen to you- ultimately, through the resurrection, you are safe.
• Christ's miracles were not the suspension of the natural order but the restoration of the natural order. They were a reminder of what once was prior to the fall and a preview of what will eventually be a universal reality once again--a world of peace and justice.
• Ultimately, the gospel is offensive because the cross stands against all schemes of self-salvation.
• The resurrection of Christ means everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for once being broken and lost.
9. Sins forgiven (Ac 13:38-39). Without a knowledge of our extreme sin, payment of the cross seems trivial and does not electrify or transform.
10. Severe warning (Ac 13:40-41). The sermon's conclusion.
11. Speak further about the gospel (Ac 13:42-44).
12. Speaking against Paul (Ac 13:44-46).
13. Salvation to the ends of the earth (Ac 13:47).
14. Surprised by joy (Ac 13:48-49).
15. Stirring up persecution (Ac 13:50).
16. Shaking the dust off their feet (Ac 13:51).
17. Spiritual joy (Ac 13:52; 5:41).
• "Only a heart filled with overflowing joy will want to share the source of that joy with everyone they meet. If you had the cure for cancer, would you keep it a secret? Worship propels us into the world to serve and love." Tim Keller.
• "Mission begins with an explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot be suppressed. It must be told. Who can be silent about such a fact." Leslie Newbigin.

"When Jesus crucified and risen is not proclaimed, a beige and unthreatening Catholicism emerges, a thought system that is, at best, an echo of the environing culture." Barron.

Agents of Divine Mercy - Bishop Barron Sunday Sermon

The Main Problem and the Only Solution

The Beauty of Hope - Fr. John Riccardo

Pay Attention to the Root of the Tree, not the Fruit (AW Tozer)

"Our fathers looked well to the root of the tree and were willing to wait with patience for the fruit to appear. We demand the fruit immediately even though the root may be weak and knobby or missing altogether. So we'll imitate their fruit without accepting their theology or inconveniencing ourselves too greatly by adopting their all-or-nothing attitude toward religion." A.W. Tozer.

Discovering the Gospel in Joshua – Tim Keller

Discovering the Gospel in Judges – Tim Keller

Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection, Tim Keller, 2021

• Why is it that "my head believes," but "my heart is not moved"?

Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit and is a mixture of reason [truth] and experience, intellect and emotion, the rational and the existential, the theological and the practical, the head and the heart. Thus, faith is not solely a matter of intellectual assent to certain theological propositions, but also involves the experiential and practical aspects of life.

Only in the cross is divinity and humanity reconciled. With the church there will always be attrition and retention.

• What is the difference between relative hope in human agency and infallible hope in God? 210-211.
• Christian hope means that I stop betting my life and happiness on human agency and rest in God alone.
• If you know--and keep remembering--that resurrection happened and is coming, you won't ever be in utter darkness. 215-216. Epilogue (Ps 118:22-23).

Love Jesus Purely without Self-Interest or Self-Love (Thomas Kempis)

"Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few cross-bearers. Many desire His consolation, but few His tribulation. Many will sit down with Him at the table, but few will share His fast. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few will suffer for Him. Many will follow Him to the breaking of the bread, but few will drink the bitter cup of His Passion. Many revere His miracles, but few follow the shame of His cross. Many love Jesus when all goes well with them, and praise Him when He does them a favor; but if Jesus conceals Himself and leaves them for a little while, they fall to complaining or become depressed. They who love Jesus purely for Himself and not for their own sake bless Him in all trouble and anguish as well as in time of consolation. Even if He never sent them consolation, they would still praise Him and give thanks. Oh how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, when not mixed with self-interest or self-love!"—Thomas à Kempis.

All the Way Down (Philippians 2:6-11) Palm Sunday Sermon 4/2/2023