Category Archives: For Contemplation

Many essays here are Food for Thought for your enjoyment.

Why Did They do it?

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Why did they do it?

They gave of themselves, their wealth, their time, and their future. Why did they do it? They created and raised five children, made certain of their education from elementary school through college, provided food and clothing, and gave much of their free time to the children. All of this was accomplished during very difficult political and economic times; money was hard to acquire. What motivated the parents to sacrifice so much and, in some cases, to suffer for their children; children who often were difficult to manage and could be rebellious? Love is the only answer! The parents so loved their children that they would sacrifice their own personal well-being for “the kids.”  Yes, love is the only answer.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,” exclaims the Apostles Creed. (Note – the reference to Pontius Pilate provides a historical connection to Christ’s passion and death – a time and place is established.) Why did he, the creator, allow himself to become the created and then undergo such humiliating sufferings? Yes, the only answer is love. God loves each one of us; He sacrificed his only son, having him undergo horrific punishments for us. As great is the love of human parents for their children, God’s love for us is inconceivably greater and its totality is beyond man’s understanding. The theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar incisively commented, “What it means to bear the burden of the world’s guilt, to experience in oneself the inner perversion of a humankind that refuses any sort of service, any sort of respect, to God, and to do so in view of a God who turns away from these abominations – who can conceive of it?” Christ suffered for us, for love!

What were the reasons for Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us?  The answer is twofold – to provide a remedy for sin and to provide an example for our lives.  Sin is a defilement of the soul, which is removed by Christ’s Passion and death; Christ’s blood washed man of his sins, cleansing him. Christ’s charity and obedience to the Father are greater than the sin and disobedience of man. Thus Christ makes man friends with God once again; the gates of paradise are opened. The suffering and death of Christ is offered as a substitute for the punishment due to mankind for its sins. Christ is the perfect sinless offering – the remedy for sin – which God accepts on our behalf.

But God does not stop conferring gifts on mankind at the passion and death of Christ. He loves us so much that he provides continuing gifts in the sacraments to help us return to Him when we sin again, and again and again. The sacraments are the vehicles that strengthen and assist us to remain sinless and in communion with Him. Mankind has been cleaned, given the tools to strengthen itself, and promised help in keeping its soul clean and prepared for entering God’s kingdom. Will mankind use these many gifts or will it allow itself to succumb to its darker sides?

Thank you God for your love….a love that suffers for us! Man has a God who suffered for all of mankind.

Suggested Reading:

“The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom”, Edited John Hardon, S. J., published by Ignatius Press , Chapter on Thomas Aquinas, section on The Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Article 4. ( This section can also be found on the Internet at http://dhspriory.org/thomas/Creed.htm)

“Credo” by Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Section 4, published by Ignatius Press.

 

The Basic Beliefs

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THE BASIC BELIEFS

  •  “What does life mean? For a few years, perhaps, we can put off answering it while we are distracted with educational, career, and marriage decisions. In those early decades, other people have more say in our lives than we do. But sooner or later, we will come face to face with the question.”  — attributed to Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel and author
  • “For us it is all but inevitable that, however momentarily, we feel ourselves to be part of a vast cosmic drama and our thoughts turn to the author, not merely of our roles, but of our existence.”  Ralph McInerny (1929-2010) philosopher, esteemed teacher, and author.
  •  “Aristotle and Aquinas both see God as the highest being and believe that the highest life is one that acts for the sake of heeding to this highest being.” Melissa Atkinson, “Aristotle and Aquinas: Intrinsic Morality versus God’s Morality”

Theologians and philosophers frequently prattle at length about a church’s dogma, attempting to dissect every word and every concept, justifying or diminishing them according to their own preconceived views. However, few people really care about the abstractions of the philosophers and theologians. (While I do not wish to demean either philosophers or theologians, as they provide value to the discussions about God, few people ever read or pay serious attention to the actual works of philosophers or theologians.) The great mass of people, struggling to live in a daily regimen of work and family life, has little time to consider detailed philosophical or theological ruminations. However, they do care very much about the meaning of life. Why do I exist? What is my role in life? Is there a God? How do I relate to God? What is Truth? Some have a set of basic beliefs that answer these questions in one fashion or another, but many others are still searching for meaningful answers to these basic issues. Still others wander in a fog of unconcern, encumbered by worldliness and self-absorption.

The Catholic Church has a set of basic beliefs that answers the questions about life’s meaning; these answers were presented to mankind by God through His prophets and, then ultimately, through His Son, Jesus Christ. These beliefs have not changed in the 2000+ years of the church, as they are the essence of Christ’s teaching and, as such, are unchangeable. Although Christ’s teachings and the Tradition of the Church are extensive and contain thousands of pages, the basic beliefs can be and are summarized in a few sentences. If one wants to know the tenets of Catholicism, all one has to do is to read and reflect on The Apostles Creed. It is as radical set of beliefs as anyone has ever presented to man for his acceptance and commitment. It is a summary of Christ’s teaching to us about God, Himself, and how humans should relate to God.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

 A man is born of a virgin, died and rose from the dead, resurrection of the body, life everlasting for humans! How could anyone believe in these ideas? They are more than radical; they appear to be outlandish and nonsensical! Yet billions of people, the learned and unlearned, rich and poor, and all races, not only accept the concepts in the Apostles Creed to be true; they recite them regularly and then try to live their lives in the belief of its promise! Through faith and reason, they have accepted the Creed as true.

God exists, loves us, and has opened the door to eternal bliss. All we must do is accept his truth and return his love.

Suggested Reading:

“Credo”, by Hans Urs Von Balthasar, published by Igantius Press,  Subtitle “Meditations on the Apostles’ Creed.