Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/020406.shtml
Reflection:
The truth that strikes me today is that, while I strongly resist the "Triumphant Church" attitude that says; if you don't believe as the Church teaches, you have not found the truth, the whole truth is found in God. And God is found only through Jesus Christ ("Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (Jn 14;6)). I'm starting to feel like this is a sermon rather than just a reflection. Sermons tend to make a point and support it with scripture; I would rather take scripture and extract the point -that's homiletics. But the point is that when Jesus got off the boat in the Gospel today and looked at the crowd, according to the Gospel; "When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd;"
My first thought as I reflected on these words was rather complex. As I read the whole reading I thought; "Oh, he's taking his disciples on an off-site retreat." Then, when all the crowds showed up I was thinking; "He must be pretty disappointed. No private teaching can be done in those circumstances." Finally when the writer explained that he had pity for them because the were like "sheep without a shepherd," I thought; where else would they go, Lord, "You have the words of eternal life." (Jn 6;68)
As much as I resist the feeling of Gnosticism that comes from understanding there is only one way to the truth, I can't help believe that there must be some way around this impasse of multiple faiths, multiple truths, multiple gods. Look at events in the world today. Among Christians there are seemingly insurmountable problems to unity of faith and belief. When we throw in man's apparent appetite for conflict in the name of faith (see the ongoing self fulfilling prophecy of the Muslims threatening to blow up EU buildings because they were insulted that the Prophet Mohammed was depicted in a cartoon with a bomb shaped turban) we can only shake our heads and wonder if God really planned for the world to be this divided.
What I know to be true in my heart is that the Word of God leads us on right paths and we must try to stay the course. After all - Truth is Truth.
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/020406.shtml
Reflection:
The truth that strikes me today is that, while I strongly resist the "Triumphant Church" attitude that says; if you don't believe as the Church teaches, you have not found the truth, the whole truth is found in God. And God is found only through Jesus Christ ("Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (Jn 14;6)). I'm starting to feel like this is a sermon rather than just a reflection. Sermons tend to make a point and support it with scripture; I would rather take scripture and extract the point -that's homiletics. But the point is that when Jesus got off the boat in the Gospel today and looked at the crowd, according to the Gospel; "When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd;"
My first thought as I reflected on these words was rather complex. As I read the whole reading I thought; "Oh, he's taking his disciples on an off-site retreat." Then, when all the crowds showed up I was thinking; "He must be pretty disappointed. No private teaching can be done in those circumstances." Finally when the writer explained that he had pity for them because the were like "sheep without a shepherd," I thought; where else would they go, Lord, "You have the words of eternal life." (Jn 6;68)
As much as I resist the feeling of Gnosticism that comes from understanding there is only one way to the truth, I can't help believe that there must be some way around this impasse of multiple faiths, multiple truths, multiple gods. Look at events in the world today. Among Christians there are seemingly insurmountable problems to unity of faith and belief. When we throw in man's apparent appetite for conflict in the name of faith (see the ongoing self fulfilling prophecy of the Muslims threatening to blow up EU buildings because they were insulted that the Prophet Mohammed was depicted in a cartoon with a bomb shaped turban) we can only shake our heads and wonder if God really planned for the world to be this divided.
What I know to be true in my heart is that the Word of God leads us on right paths and we must try to stay the course. After all - Truth is Truth.
posted by Deacon Jim | 1:06 PM
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