Pauline came back from a retreat and described this wonderful metaphor: “You know when you’re watching a T.V. set that has really bad reception? The screen is really blurry and fuzzy. You can’t see the picture really well. That’s how my relationship was with God. I could hardly see the picture. I knew He was there, but I could never really see or feel Him in me. I doubted Him.” Now, after the retreat, she can see the T.V. picture better. “It’s not perfectly clear, but at least I can see the image.”
Is your reception blurry or clear?
Someone asked a question about Limbo and Purgatory. Father’s response was surprising, a bit reassuring, and also down right scary. When you die, be an infant or an old person, God will ask you one question—did you love me to the best of your ability?
He knows who you are. He knows how you are. He knows your abilities and limitations, your gifts and talents, your strengths and weaknesses. He knows how long you have had faith. He also knows about the times you stumbled, and the times that your love triumphed. Each person is different. Each person has different abilities. He just wants to know if you, you alone, did the best you could do to love Him?
Are you doing your best?
I never really understood the whole idea of being “saved”. What did I need being saved from? I felt safe. Where was the danger? Satan?
Father Ken brought up an interesting idea that helps explain the idea of being “saved” to some extent. Every human being is plagued by three questions, no matter what their culture, philosophy, religion, etc. These three questions are: 1) Who am I? 2) Where did I come from? 3) Where am I going? Having faith in Christ and God “saves” you from the anxiety and frustration of trying to find answers to these three questions.
As a homage to René Descartes, a French philosopher and mathematican, the following question is posed: To exist on the Internet, must one keep a weblog or online journal?
Update: Now one must also Twitter, Facebook (or MySpace), and have Gmail (or other) account. (15 July 2009)
I turned 40 today. Up until three and half years ago, I was dreading this day.
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