Does God look human?

 

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Hello ... Hello ...

 

Hello ... Hello ... God?

God ... are you there?

Please pick up ... pick up ... don't put me on the answering machine!

Hello ... is that God? 

Hi ... I have called to say ... thank you!

MORAL: Be patient. Be thankful.

... Even though.

 

I'm sure you remember the song "I don't know how to love Him" written by Andrew Lloyd Webber from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

As Christians, we claim that we love God, and we love Jesus. But HOW do we love Him? 

It is easy of course to say that we love God when everything is going well in our lives. But is that love still there with the same intensity when things go wrong?

All of us will experience difficult times at one stage or another; and it could be in many forms - health issues, financial problems, relationships, loss of a loved one or whatever. How do we react then?

Do we feel abandoned and neglected by the One we promised to love and serve?

Or do we continue to love Him even though ... even though we are facing a crisis in our life?

I think that's the kind of love that matters most. The "even though" love. Because the "even though" love reaffirms our trust and our faith in our Lord. 

By continuing to pray and to trust Him we are reinforcing our belief that He exists. That He lives and that He listens and that He cares for us.   

Even in the deepest depth of our despair, if we continue to pray it underlines our beliefs and our faith. It proves that we are not just talking to ourselves but that we truly believe God is listening.

Our prayers are a testament of our love. And if we are in any doubt, let us look at the Cross.

He gave up His life for us. He freely agreed to undergo all the pain and torture of the Crucifixion for us. 

Even though He had His doubts when praying in the garden before His arrest, even though He felt abandoned when hanging on the Cross, He accepted it all for us.

Christ's love for us was an "even though" love. Are we prepared to love Him and trust Him even though we are facing difficult times?

Oh God ...

 

Our daily dealings with God are a tough proposition in today's modern world. 

We never really know what He wants of us because He does not speak plainly as in the Old Testament; and consequently we do not always know what to do. 

He is no longer interested in burnt offerings like in the Old Testament. Perhaps He's become environmentally friendly and does not want us polluting the atmosphere. 

We cannot offer more prayers, the extra Rosary, lighting candles or other promises. He does not negotiate or make bargains. 

We cannot promise anything in return for His favours. 

We cannot say we'll be extra nice to someone obnoxious whom we do not like. He'd expect us to be nice regardless of the potential rewards.

How can we connect with God in prayer? 

We pray, we ask, we beg even; but often nothing happens. Silence. No answer. No response. 

Maybe He is saying "Yes", maybe He is saying "No", or "Not yet". 

We sometimes don't know where we are with God. Whether He will answer our prayers or He has more pressing matters from someone else's pleas. 

It would do us good to remember that God does not owe us an answer. He is not obligated to respond to our prayers or questions. 

He hears and listens to them, and He will deal with them in His time and in His way.

Maybe we should just trust Him that He knows what He is doing and that He has our best interest at heart. 

And maybe we should thank Him every now and then for what He has done for us and will continue to do.

I've never heard of God

 

We have now reached the stage on earth where almost everyone has heard of God. There may be pockets of people here and there who have not heard of God, but by and large the great majority of people have heard of God.

Some of these people may have heard of God but do not really know God. He appeared on their "radar" at some stage in their lives but they never bothered to find out more. Maybe because they're busy, maybe it's inertia; but for some reason or other they did not attempt to find out and learn more.

Others have heard of God and tried to understand and learn more about Him but decided that considering the evidence, or lack of it, God does not exist. They are sure of this and will not be persuaded otherwise. Some amongst this group, not satisfied with their decision and conclusions, have taken it upon themselves to convince everyone to their way of thinking. They see it as their mission in life to persuade everyone that God does not exist and will use every means at their disposal like disdain, contempt and ridicule to back their argument and persuade the vulnerable to their way of thinking.

There are those who "semi-believe" in God. They've heard of Him and decided to keep their head down in case He punishes them, like He did often times as recorded in the Old Testament. 

And there are those who believe in God enthusiastically and have experienced His presence and love in their lives.

Whatever group we belong to, and there are those who fluctuate from group to group; that fact remains that the large majority of the world has heard of God.

Now the thing is this ... let us assume for a moment that God exists and that one day, individually, each one of us gets to meet Him face to face ... regardless of which group we belong to ... what will we say?

What will you say?

Let's get real

 

This article is likely to be harsh, brutal even. It was inspired by a discussion on TV.

It seems that in the 21st Century we have bred a generation of "entitled" people who believe the whole world owes them something as of right, even God. This selfish attitude is symbolised in the belief amongst some Christians that a loving God would not really send any of His creations to Hell for eternity.  Surely God would not do that, they say. A loving parent certainly wouldn't, so if God is our Father, as Jesus said, then He would not let His children perish in Hell for eternity.

Such belief is wrong and totally stupid. For a start, God does not send anyone to Hell. People choose to go to Hell by their own behaviour here on earth and when they die they are judged accordingly by a fair and just Creator God. Hell exists for sure, as does Heaven. Jesus taught this so many times as recorded in the Gospels and elsewhere in the Bible. Whichever is our eventual destiny is up to us and no one else.

Another false belief is that God is forgiving, and He will eventually forgive all of us anyway, even the devil. Another load of nonsense. Of course, God is forgiving, but He is no fool; no push-over. He will forgive those who, in this life, genuinely repent of their sins and seek His forgiveness. 

The devil exists all right, he is no euphemism for being naughty and doing wrong. He is a living spirit like angels. In fact the devil was an angel originally who rebelled against God. God in His infinite love and mercy let him and his followers go free throughout the world. Their rebellion is accentuated by the fact that they roam free to encourage us to follow their example and turn away from God.

God can hardly forgive someone who has never asked for forgiveness and is intent to work against God's wishes and Commandments. This applies to the devil and also includes us.

Yet another contorted logic questions why a loving God does not hear or answer our prayers. Let's get real about this. God owes us nothing. He loves us and listens to all our prayers but that does not mean He has to answer. 

He does not have to explain why some prayers are answered and others are not, or why some things happen to us like tragedies, disasters and so on. If God answered every prayer then there would be no more funerals in the world and we would live for ever. God is not a magician or genie ready to respond to our every selfish demand. He is God. We are not. It is time we remembered this and treat Him with love and respect rather than serve Him in an advisory capacity.

There is right now a lot of false teachings amongst the Christian communities; and this does no good to either Christians, or to those who are interested in joining our beliefs. 

Christianity requires Faith. Faith is to believe when your common sense tells you not to. 

To be sure of the things we hope for and to be certain of the things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)

Are you tuned in?

 

The closer you come to God the more attuned you will be to the evil around you. Evil in the world, in society in general and certain people in particular. You will even notice the evil in yourself.

Do not be distressed by this. Having come nearer to God's love and mercy you are now becoming more aware of the lack of such qualities in others. Even yourself.

You are now becoming more aware of your own shortcomings and sins. Let each reminder of such failings be an opportunity for you to confess to God, repent and seek His forgiveness. This will bring you even closer to His divinity.

And as you reflect on the evil in others around you, hand them and their situations over to God in the sure knowledge that He is in control and will overcome evil in His way and in His time.

We live in an evil world, and your closeness to God is making you more aware of evil's influence in every sphere of life. Resist it in your own life.

Ask the Holy Spirit to descend on you and to guide you and protect you.

God needs your help

 

OK folks ... I've entitled this post "God needs your help." Surely that is wrong, blasphemous even, I hear you say. How can God need our help ... yours and mine? He is omnipotent and does not need us.

Let me explain. In Olden Times, at the times of the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through the prophets and the elders of the people. Individuals like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Noah, Jonah and many others. God spoke to them and they taught the people of Israel what they should do. The Ten Commandments were given to the people through Moses. The writings of the Old Testament, and the 300 or so prophesies therein about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, were given to the many writers by God through the Holy Spirit Who inspired them what to write.

Even today, God speaks to people through the Holy Spirit if we are willing and ready to listen.

So ... what has that to do with me? I hear you say.

Well, you are all good people. I can tell that by visiting your Blogs and reading what you write there. Often I leave a message there, and at times when I have visited many websites I just don't have the time to comment. I leave without saying a word. 

We never know who visits our Blogs without commenting. I check the statistics of my Blog regularly and there are many more passing visitors than people who comment. About 70% of my daily readers are first time  visitors; which is a good thing because I am spreading the net further day by day. I would guess it's the same with your Blogs. You have many more visitors than those who comment.

And that's where you come in ... where you can help God. The world is in a bad state now; perhaps more so than ever before. There's bad news everywhere and the Internet is full of negativity and darkness.

A post every now and then by you about God and Jesus would be like a beacon shining in a dark World Wide Web. 

You don't have to be a theologian, a learned person with many University Degrees, or a pastor, preacher or whatever. Just be yourself. A precious child of God who has been gifted with the courage to spread His Word to a Faith hungry world. 

Every now and then let us say a few words about God and what He has done for us. It may be something we have read or discussed at Bible Study sessions, or a sermon we heard recently, or an event we attended at a church; whatever God has placed in our hearts let us tell the world about it.

The world is full of half-truths and gossip right now. Let us not spread gossip, but spread the Gospel instead.

By whatever we write, who knows, perhaps one person somewhere may be encouraged to learn more about God. What a privilege for us to have been a channel for one individual to be saved.

Now look here ...

 

Years ago, I knew a Member of Parliament who often started a discussion, or to make a point, by saying, "Now look here ... ... ..."

He did not mean it in a patronising or demeaning way, to put you down or in your place. He was just making a point. A bit like today people who start by saying, "The thing is ... ... ..."

So I'll borrow his phrase and start with:

Now look here ... There isn't one person in the civilised free world that has not heard of God or Jesus. Everyone has heard of Jesus. Every generation since the Old Testament has had an opportunity to hear about God and Jesus.

But many do not believe.

I was thinking about that the other day. These people are not non-believers because of ignorance. Because somehow they've never heard of God. They have made the conscious decision not to believe.

At some point in their lives they heard about God, and His Son, Jesus, and either dismissed the whole "thing" as irrelevant to their lives, or consciously and deliberately decided not to believe. To them, God and Christianity are either nonsense or a human invention of some sort, a fairy tale without substance.

When a comedian on TV makes fun of Christianity, sometimes bordering on the blasphemous, he not only has decided that God does not exist, but is confident enough to ridicule the very notion and mocks those people who believe and practice their Faith. He has consciously decided to openly joke about belief in God and Jesus. He cannot in any way have the slightest doubt, or possibility of one chance in a million millions, that he might be wrong. To his mind, he is as sure as sure can be, that God does not exist. And, whether deliberately or not, his public utterances are influencing vulnerable young minds who are yet struggling about their beliefs.

He won't be able to say, "Oops ... I'm sorry ... I didn't mean it!" when he meets his Maker.

He reminds me of the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes in the Bible. They were learned men. They studied the scriptures and the writings of the Prophets of the Old Testament. They knew, and probably believed, about God. They knew the Birth of Jesus was prophesied as the Son of God. Yet, they deliberately, obstinately, and in defiance stood against Christ time and again and accused Him of getting His powers from the devil. (Matthew 12:22 onwards).

So now look here ... most non-believers, in my view, do so as a conscious decision. No one is an atheist by accident any more than no one is a Christian by accident.

So what should we, Real Christians, (if we are such and not by name only), do about this?

Pray ... pray ... and pray again. Many a person changed his mind,

(Check out Saint Augustine on the Internet. He changed his mind and eventually turned to God and became a leading figure in the Church).

God is faithful

 

Just in case anyone visiting here is experiencing difficult times right now; remember, God is faithful to you ... pray and trust in Him.

CLIFF RICHARD

MARANATHA

 

Let's Be Logical

 

OK folks ... you'll have to humour me with this. Just keep along with me and think about what I am saying logically in your mind. Answer my questions to yourself, or share your thoughts if you wish. See if I'm talking nonsense or not.

We're living in difficult times full or troubles, anxieties and worries. Look at the state of the world right now. Or look at the economy, the cost of living, politics, poverty, weather patterns and disasters ... need I say more?

Right ... so where does all that leave us? Yes, you and me? 

Do we believe in God - Yes or No?

If we do believe in God, then do we truly believe He is on our side, that He loves us and cares for us? Yes or No?

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32

God is for us. He created us. He loves us just like any good parent loves his children. He is not in the business of losing His followers. We need to think and repeat this last sentence frequently. Christ taught about searching for the one lost sheep.

When we're faced with fears and anxieties we need to remember, ALWAYS, that it is the devil's favourite trick to frighten us and to take us away from God. 

We may not be able to control stray thoughts and worries that come into our minds from time to time. We may not be able to control or be responsible for bad dreams we have which keep us fearful in our waking hours. But we CAN keep them under check.

We logically analyse how real our fears are and whether we can get help in resolving them. A friend, a pastor, a professional etc ... there's always help available if our fears are real and not just imagined.

We logically ask whether God is on our side and faithfully hand over those fears to Him asking for His guidance and help.

And we genuinely resist the devil's attacks through prayers and truly holding on to the belief that God is on our side. Because at the end of the day it is what we truly believe that matters.

Missing me missing you

 

If you have never tried something, or known that something exists, then you will not miss it in your life. If I said to you have you tried VIC M drinks or foods, and you have never heard of such products then you will not miss them in your life if you never knew about them.

I believe we have now reached a situation in world history where a large number of people do not know anything about the existence of God. They may have heard about Him, but never got to know Him or experience His existence and love. So how can they possibly miss Him in their lives?

Modern lives are busy and full of distractions, concerns, worries, ambitions, goals and many other things good as well as bad on which to focus our attention.

We just do not have time for God. To search for Him, to learn about Him, and to get to know Him.

If He is not in our lives we can hardly miss Him.

Until one day when we get to meet Him face to face. And then it will be too late.

Because then we will get to really know Who God is, we would experience and witness His infinite love for His creations and yet we would have willingly excluded ourselves from this eternal love.

All because we did not take the time to find Him in this life. 

CLICK HERE 

Selfish God?

 

Matthew 10:37-42

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

On first reading, this looks as if God, or Jesus, is selfish and demands that we love Him more than anyone or anything else. 

But I don't think this is what Jesus meant here. Remember, He was talking to His contemporaries who understood what He was saying, and the nuances and figures of speech of the time.

I think what Jesus is teaching here is that love of parents, offspring, or even life itself is a sacred mission as created by God. It is our duty, obligation even, to love our parents, spouses, children and "neighbours". 

Remember, "Honour your father and mother" and "Thou shalt not commit adultery" as well as "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Jesus is saying here that our whole purpose in life is to do as God commands us, and this includes loving other people on the same level of importance as loving God, because He commanded so. Even to the point of loving our own life as a dedicated service to God's will, not as a selfish possession of our own

If you welcome, (love), someone as you welcome Jesus then you are welcoming God in your life. But if you welcome, (love), a prophet just because he is a prophet, then you're welcoming just another man.

We should love other people with the same power and intensity as Jesus has loved us. Difficult as this might be; we should at least try our best.

The same applies for our lives. Our lives are a gift from God and we should love, (dedicate), our lives to the service of God, our parents, spouses, children and neighbours. And those who perhaps do not have spouses or offspring or family should dedicate their lives to those less fortunate, less able, less blessed than them. This is done through voluntary service, charity work, and so many other causes.

" ... whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

When Jesus was on earth, He lived His life in service for others. He even died for others. What He is asking us here is not to love our lives for ourselves - that is for our own good, our own pleasure, our selfish needs. But to love our lives lived in service for others. And also, to love others in the same way as He has loved us.

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE - WEBSITE

 

 I watch the sunrise
Lighting the sky
Casting its shadows near
And on this morning
Bright though it be
I feel those shadows
Near me
 
But you are always close to me
Following all my ways
May I be always close to you
Following all your ways, Lord
 
I watch the sunlight
Shine through the clouds
Warming the earth below
And at the mid-day
Life seems to say
I feel your brightness
Near me
 
For you are always close to me
Following all my ways
May I be always close to you
Following all your ways, Lord
 
I watch the sunset fading away
Lighting the clouds with sleep
And as the evening closes its eyes
I feel your brightness near me
 
For you are always close to me
Following all my ways
May I be always close to you
Following all your ways, Lord
 
I watch the moonlight
Guarding the night
Waiting 'til morning comes
The air is silent
Earth is at rest
Only your peace is near me
 
Yes, you are always close to me
Following all my ways
May I be always close to you
Following all your ways, Lord
 
Yes, you are always close to me
Following all my ways
May I be always close to you
Following all your ways, Lord

WARNING - Do not read this.

 

 

WARNING 

This article will make you think and may well change your mind. 

Read no further if you do not wish to be affected.

 Imagine you were omnipotent. You had supernatural powers and you could do anything you like. You could be anywhere you wanted by just thinking it. Your very thoughts controlled all your actions.

What would you do?

Would you sort out all the ills in the world? Eliminate poverty? Stop evil doings? Stop disasters like earthquakes, droughts, famines, tornadoes and so on?

Would you find a cure to cancer and all other terrible diseases? 

What else would you do with your new-found power? Would you let someone you like fall in love with you? Would you make someone change their ways from doing something wrong to going the right way?

If you miss someone dearly, a loved one, would you bring them back from the dead?

Think about it for a moment. You are omnipotent. You can do what you want. What would you do?

Now let's think some more. 

By doing some of these things we mentioned, are you really imposing your will on someone else? Often, when bad things happen it is because people made them happen. Poverty, droughts, famines and so on. It was once said that someone's sunshine and good weather can be a drought for a farmer. Or the farmer's rain can be a flood for someone else.

If you made someone love you, is that really true love or control on your part?

If you bring a dear one from the dead are you imposing your will on them? Maybe they don't want to be brought back into this world as it presently is.

With power, omnipotent power, comes responsibility.

God/Jesus is/are omnipotent. They can do all the things we've discussed and more besides. But they don't. 

Jesus did heal the sick, and help the poor, and even raised people from the dead. But every time He performed a miracle it was at the request of someone else in need. At no time did He impose His will on others. 

God can stop all bad things in the world from happening, but He does not do so. He allows them to happen. Why? It is because He does not want to impose His will upon us; even though we may pray daily "Thy will be done". He responds, "Yes, but I am also aware of your will too!"

Even when He decreed that Jesus would be born as a human, He asked Mary for her permission first.

People often confuse God's omnipotent power and our gift of free-will. God can influence people to His ways, but at all times He leaves the final choice to us and will not impose His will. We always have a choice to walk away, to say "no" and to turn the other way. Even to the point of denying His very existence.

Adam and Eve's sin was not one of disobedience. It was one of wanting omnipotence and power. To be like God.

Who or What is God?

 

  “The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities” 

by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

There is a noise around here right now. I suspect it happens everywhere every now and then. A noise or a buzz starts and it will not go away. Everyone is talking about it. It could be about global warming, climate change, immigration, abortion, the economy or anything else. The noise starts and won't go away.

Right now the noise here is about God. A good thing you might think.

But there are those who claim that we should not refer to God as Father; and we should not use the pronouns "He" and "Him" when referring to God because He is not an old man with a beard sitting on a cloud. He is a Spirit.

On the last point at least, these voices are correct. God is a Spirit. An invisible Spirit inhabiting an invisible world around us. So too are Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As a Trinity they have always existed. Jesus did not start to exist when He was born on earth. He always existed as a Spirit. Other Spirits around us are the Angels created by God as well as the Saints. Saints are people who existed as humans just like us and they now continue to live eternally as Spirits. Just as we will when our souls depart our bodies.

However, having agreed that God is a Spirit, we must remember the important point that He chose to be referred to as a man; and we should respect His command in this respect. 

Jesus, who Himself was/is God and was born a man, taught us to pray to God our "Father". Several times Jesus refers to God as "He"; not "she", "it" or "they" or by any other pronoun.

"If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth." John 14:15-17

Jesus also refers to the Holy Spirit in the masculine.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26

Yet the noise and the voices around here seem to wish to re-interpret Scripture for a more modern audience the purpose of which I'll leave you to surmise.

But of this I'm certain; try to re-write the Bible to suit your needs and it is no longer the Word of God; but merely the word of man, or woman or ... ... ...

ARTICLE HERE

Does God bless anyone when you ask Him?

 

Father Ignatius went to the doctor's for his usual check-up. His doctor was not there as he was on holiday, so he was seen by a new young doctor who was there as a substitute.

After the check-up was over and all was well, as he was leaving, the priest thanked the doctor and said the usual "God bless!"

To his surprise, the doctor replied, "God does not exist!"

Father Ignatius hesitated for a split-second and then said, "May He bless you all the same!"

The doctor would not let go, he said calmly, "How can He bless me if He does not exist?"

The priest smiled and walked away without saying a word.

As he walked home to Parish House, Father Ignatius pondered that sometimes in life we meet up with an immovable object. There is no point in exerting ourselves trying to move it. It is wasted effort if it is immovable.

It was obvious that the young doctor was set in his ways. He was sure that God did not exist and would not waste an opportunity to prove his point. The mere words "God bless" to him were just like waving a red rag to a bull. It was a challenge not to be missed. It was pointless debating the issue.

As he approached St Vincent Church and his house, Father Ignatius wondered, "Does God bless anyone when we ask Him? What is a blessing anyway?" he asked himself.

"It is to ask God to look favourably on someone," he concluded. And in this particular case, it is also asking God to have mercy on this young misguided man. Praying that he might, perhaps, with God's grace, meet up with an opportunity to change his mind.

"Our greatest gift to such people is to pray for them," he remarked silently as he entered home.

MORE FATHER IGNATIUS STORIES HERE

What is your relationship with God?

 

What is your relationship with God?

 

Fearful: God, I will always be a good person because if I am not you will ...

 

Reasoning: God, I have always loved you and been a good person, why is it that bad things happen to me ...

Negotiable: God, if I go to church every week, and if I give to charity, and if I ... will you then grant me this favour and ...

 

Argumentative: God, why do you let this happen to me? I thought you cared for me and now look what's happening to me ... 

 

Begging: Please, please God, grant me this favour, it means so much to me please ...

 

Hesitant: God, I'm not sure whether you'll answer my prayer, or whether you even listen to prayers, I'm just praying just in case ...

 

Questioning: Why is this happening to me? I thought you loved me, God. I'm confused. I thought that loving you would mean I'd be OK ...

 

Demanding: God I want you to do this for me, and then this and ...

 

None of the above: Or perhaps you are one of many who does not have any relationship with God at all, because you do not believe He exists; or if He does, He does not feature in your life.

 

I am sure you can think of other ways that we turn to God in prayer. And perhaps rarely in thanksgiving for what we already have and take for granted.

 

But how should we pray to God, what should our relationship with Him be like?

 

Let's see what Jesus has to say about it:

 

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name ..." Matthew 6:9

 

"So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows …" Luke 12:7

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:11-13

 

"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8

Often Jesus describes God as a loving Father. His Father as well as ours. He is our Creator who cares for His children as any good Father does.

I believe that's how God would like us to pray; that's the kind of relationship He desires. One of trust, love and respect based on the sure knowledge that He cares and loves us and no matter what happens in the world, and in our lives, He is always there by our side.

 

We need to review often our relationship with God. It should not be a cowering subservient relationship based on fear of punishment and retribution. If God is love then we should be confident enough that He will protect us come what may. To behave otherwise would be an insult to Him in that it betrays our trust in a loving Father.

Seek God's love in tribulation

The world is in a bad place right now. Perhaps more so than at any time in history. Some would argue that it is a different type of bad place we are in. But at least we would agree that we are experiencing very difficult times albeit we may have different views on the causes and the remedies.

As we progress and "mature" in our Christianity, we become more aware and increasingly sensitive to the wrongs around us. 

What in the past we merely observed as a wrong done by others, we now feel deeply the wrongs that surround us and the way they affect others. Even if we are not directly involved in others' suffering, and we are mere spectators, our closeness to Christ makes us feel and share the hurt done to people we have never met directly, but have only heard about them in the news.

So in sharing with their grief, albeit privately, and in feeling helpless perhaps in our ability to change the situation; where does that leave us in terms of Christ's commandment to love one another? 

Love for the "victim", the needy, the destitute and the oppressed in the wrong-doings may come naturally to us. But what is our obligation to love the cause of the wrong-doing. Whether it be an individual, or a situation or circumstances?

Central to all occurrences in this world is God's love. 

As a caring Father He loves His creations whatever the circumstances and whatever our behaviour and conduct. He is well aware that individuals, whilst exercising their freedom to choose, have chosen the wrong path, more likely influenced by the evil one. Yet, despite the transgressions of such people, He still loves them as would any parent whose children have wandered off to follow their own path.

God's love is never changed or untouched by the events of this world or the behaviour of the human race. It is this very love that allows some to wander from the path of righteousness and follow their own will. To do otherwise would mean to interfere with the very gift of self-will which He has bestowed upon us.

God's love is a place of safety for every trusting soul whatever the power of darkness can manifest on this world. 

Our sensitivity to such darkness should be tempered by the knowledge and conviction that God's love will conquer in the end; indeed, has done so already at the Cross when Christ had overcome the world. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) 

Choose crunchy ... or smooth

I have mentioned before that I like peanut butter. I spread it on toast and then put some raisins on top and another slice of toast. Tasty with a strong cup of sugarless black coffee.

My problem is that I cannot choose between crunchy peanut butter, or smooth peanut butter. Many a time I stood there in the supermarket crying trying to make a choice. Often, an attendant comes to console me, (I like the female attendants best), and I let them choose for me.

I could, of course, buy one jar of each type; but I think this is extravagant and so greedy. So I buy one jar a week.

Life these days are full of choices which add to our confusion. Have you noticed how many kinds and brands of toothpastes there are? Or fresh bread - our supermarket has at least 100 kinds of fresh loaves; and that's not counting the pre-sliced bread, and buns and other types. It's the same with pizzas, wines, soaps and so on.

Too many choices just to confuse us.

Some choices, however, are more important than others. Vital even for our well-being and our lives.

Like believing in God; or not.

Trusting God; or not.

Believing in Jesus as God's only Son; or not.

Believing there is an eternal life after we all die; or believing it is the end. Nothing else. Finito. La Fin.

I think some people need to make some very serious choices before it is too late.

In God We Trust

 

Father Ignatius felt he was getting old now. He was in his early seventies and every so often he felt various pains and had a little difficulty walking. But his mind, and his ability to care and empathise, were as keen and as sharp as ever.

One day he was visited by Tony, a young man in his early twenties who spent his spare time looking after the gardens at the back of Parish House. Father Ignatius sat on the bench by the statue of the Virgin Mary, whilst Tony was potting some new seedlings to be planted in the vegetable plot nearby.

"Father," he said, "when I pray, how can I be sure that God is really bothered with me and my problems. How can I really trust Him?"

"Just like me!" was the priest's quick response. 

It had the desired effect because Tony stopped working and looked puzzled.

The priest smiled and beckoned Tony to sit on the bench. He then said, "you can't buy trust in the supermarket. It is not a commodity one can have. Trust is based on experience."

Tony nodded.

"Do you trust your parents love you?" asked the priest.

Tony nodded again.

"You base that trust on their behaviour towards you. On what they say and do for you. On the way they care and how they brought you up," continued the old priest.

"Yes ..." mumbled Tony.

"You are young," Father Ignatius said, "and you may not have had much experience of God. I am more than three times your age, and believe me, over the years I have had many occasions to experience God in my life. I have been through several difficult situations over the years, and although at the time I may not have realised it, God was there by my side, and He saw me through my difficulties and trials. I have experienced God's presence; that's why I trust Him."

Tony nodded pensively and said nothing.

"Trust between two people," Father Ignatius continued, "is built over time. It's the same with trusting God. Right now, you are building that trust by believing in God, in pure faith, by praying, and by hoping that He will look after you. These are your first steps into building trust in Him. Over time you will look back at various periods in your life and you will realise that what happened then, what decisions you made, were helped and guided by God through the Holy Spirit."

"Is that how you trust God?" asked Tony.

"Yes," said Father Ignatius, "God has never let me down. He may have answered my prayers not as I expected, but He never let me down. I see no reason why He should do so in future!"

There were a few moments of awkward silence, then the priest continued, "when we pray, more often than not we ask for favours. We pray because we want something from God. Rarely do we remember the simple prayers of thanks. Being grateful for another day that has passed safely. Thankful when we wake up for another day that beckons.

"We seem to expect God to go around distributing miracles as if they were candies. 

"But God is not like that. He is a loving Father who deserves our trust just as He trusts us to do the right thing. That's why He gave us the freedom to choose our path in life. 

"He trusts us. Do we trust Him enough when we pray in thanksgiving or in times of need?"