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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.

 

I Believe In God the Father Almighty

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I Believe in God the Father Almighty

 She excitedly thought to herself, “He is the One.” She had known him for a little more than six months and was now certain that she could see herself with him for the remainder of her life. Together with him she could create and raise a family, face and manage family issues, and overcome the obstacles that all families experience. She possessed a deep faith in her fiancé and his commitment to her and their mutual dreams and goals. This strong faith was developed over a relatively short time of six months. She is aware that her faith will be tested during her marriage to him, yet she is convinced that she will never lose her faith in him.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” The initial sentence of the Apostles’ Creed – a simple, direct act of Faith – leaves room for no ambiguity about the nature of God. It is primarily an act of faith. Oh yes, as with the woman’s faith in her fiancé, so also one’s faith in God is bolstered by a degree of intellectual knowledge of God. For some this knowledge comes only after a long period of study and reflection, for others belief in God arrives early in life as it is passed on by family or through observation of the world. Regardless of whether one comes to faith in God through extensive study and research or through access to limited and basic information, the accumulated experience and wisdom of man from numerous millennia, starting with Adam and Eve, proceeding to the great Greek minds of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates and continuing with Augustine, Aquinas, Bellarmine, and many others, man simply knows “God exists.” Man finds the acquired knowledge and wisdom to be more than sufficient to have belief and faith in God. For most the faith in God increases as they travel through life, experiencing His presence in the world around them.

God is the Almighty; that is, without equal and without limitation. He is the creator of all things, including the human species. And He is our Father, a personal, loving, involved God. During the First Vatican Council, the fathers of the church summarized the church’s teachings about the existence of God and his nature as follows.

“The holy, Catholic, apostolic Roman Church believes and professes that there is one true and living God, the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth. He is almighty, eternal, beyond measure, incomprehensible, and infinite in intellect, will and in every perfection. Since he is one unique spiritual substance, entirely simple and unchangeable, he must be declared really and essentially distinct from the world, perfectly happy in himself and by his very nature, and inexpressibly exalted over all things that exist or can be conceived other than himself. “  Vatican 1

This declaration of belief necessarily leads the believer into searching for a greater understanding of what the Creator expects of us. The search for this expectation and its fulfillment is the essential aim of man’s existence.

With our own children we expect a certain type of behavior. As parents we created them and naturally have certain expectations of them as they grow and mature. Do we not expect that God also would have expectations of us? If He made us, why are we here? What should we be doing with our lives? It is inconceivable that God would not have a purpose for us – a plan for our lives. Otherwise why would He bother to create us?

With faith in God, the answer to this question should be abundantly clear to all. The earth is filled with knowledge of God; all man must do is open his mind and eyes to find and live it.

Suggested Reading

The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom Edited by Fr. John Hardon, published Ignatius Press. Note the chapter on Thomas Aquinas, section on The Apostles’ Creed