All the Days of Our Life

Tags

Death, Eternity, God, Grace, Hope, Life, Prayer

“As Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice, so lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, and make us glad with the tokens of Thy love.  Be Thou with us, O Lord, and let Thy grace follow us this day, and all the days of our life.  Be Thou our Guide unto death, in death our Comfort, and, after death, our Portion and Happiness everlasting–Amen.”

-Benjamin Jenks, quoted in Great Souls at Prayer, 357

Indubitably

Tags

Erudition, Linguistics, Theology

The phrase of the day comes from Bernard Lonergan’s The Triune God: Systematics, trans. Michael G. Shields (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007), page 207:

Once these things have been grasped, the gnoseological foundation of hylomorphism comes to light…

Oh boy, does it ever.

 

Reasoned Faith

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Atheism, Christianity, Faith, Life, Meaning, Paganism, Reason, Truth

Blaise Pascal, in his uncompleted notes known as the Pensees (“Thoughts”), mulled over the relationship of reason to our understanding of truth.

“Submission and use of reason; that is what makes true Christianity” (83).

There is such a thing as a reasoned faith.  And, despite protests that some atheists might make, that is what the Christian tradition offers.

Faith does not jettison reason.  The truth that is communicated to us by revelation is sensible and usually comprehensible–if sometimes, especially in the doctrine of God, it may only be understood analogically.  To believe is not the opposite of to think.

But reason does not eliminate the need for faith.  There are truths beyond any real human comprehension, which can only be grasped by faith and understood by analogy.  There are mysteries to reality.  And reason itself supports the idea that this great cosmos, let alone its Maker, should be beyond the scope of our intellects.

“If we submit everything to reason our religion will be left with nothing mysterious or supernatural.  If we offend the principles of reason our religion will be absurd and ridiculous” (83).

The truth is neither mundane nor absurd.  These are the extremes to which people are pushed when they reject the truth.  Atheism is mundane to the point of utter nihilism.  Paganism is absurd.  But the reasoned faith of Christianity is both intelligible and supernaturally significant.

Yet there are reasons for the escape into rationalism or irrationality.  The reasoned faith of Christianity shines the harsh light of conviction onto our lives of darkness; it confronts us with the high drama of reality when we would rather be befuddled by entertaining triviality; it summons us to take up our cross.  In short, the road of faithful reason calls for courage.

But the reward is infinite bliss.

 

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Quotes from Pascal’s Pensees taken from the Penguin Classics edition (London & New York: Penguin, 1966), translated A.J. Krailsheimer.

 

Worthy of Praise

Tags

Creation, Glory, God, Meaning, Psalms, World, Worship

Psalm 96 extols the glory of the Lord: “For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods” (v.4, NIV).  That verse may give us pause for a moment–the gods?–but then you read the next verse, “For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens” (v.5).  Ah.  Whatever supposed gods may be worshipped, the one true God is the Creator.

In that one verse we have the antidote to both polytheism and pantheism.  There is one true God, and He is not to be confused with creation.  He is exalted: “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary” (v.6).

Though the world is not God, it belongs to God, and so the psalmist poetically exhorts creation to give forth its praise: “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.  Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy” (vv.11-12).  This world exists for the praise of its Maker.

So, also, do we.  God is great, and worthy of all worship.  This is the high calling of all creatures, to glorify the glorious Creator.  May He be praised, now and forever.

Amen.

Enabled to Endure

Tags

Mercy, Prayer

“Almighty and merciful God, who art the Strength of the weak, the Refreshment of the weary, the Comfort of the sad, the Help of the tempted, the Life of the dying, the God of patience and of all consolation; Thou knowest full well the inner weakness of our nature, how we tremble and quiver before pain, and cannot bear the cross without Thy Divine help and support.  Help me, then, O eternal and pitying God, help me to possess my soul in patience, to maintain unshaken hope in Thee, to keep that childlike trust which feels a Father’s heart hidden beneath the cross; so shall I be strengthened with power according to Thy glorious might, in all patience and long-suffering; I shall be enabled to endure pain and temptation, and, in the very depth of my suffering, to praise Thee with a joyful heart.–Amen.”

-Johann Habermann, quoted in Great Souls at Prayer, 352

I Thought So…

Last month, I wrote in a post that I was concerned that the left’s push for gun control was less about guns and more about control.  Noting Beto O’Rourke’s infamous, “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” my comment was “I don’t have either of those, but I do wonder what might be taken from me a little bit down the line.”

I didn’t watch the “Equality Town Hall,” but apparently this was a part of it (per Christian Post):

At CNN’s Equality Townhall, news opinion host Don Lemon asked O’Rourke: “Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches and charities should lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same sex marriage?”

“Yes,” O’Rourke replied. “There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us. And so as president, we’re going to make that a priority and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.”

Apparently, as far as O’Rourke is concerned, the only part I was off about was the whole optimistic ‘a little bit down the line’ timescale.

Freedom is a fragile thing.

Song for a Dreary Day

Tags

Grace, Hope, Mercy, Poem

Rain fall,

come pattering upon the panes

with your memory of sorrows

–there is ever tomorrow.

O dreary day,

yours is the moment;

paint it gray and grumble

over souls you humble.

Heaven sees,

and God is kind;

clearer come the dawning skies

and mercy with sunrise.

A Gracious God

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15, NIV).

Our greatest comfort is the character of God.  We stray so easily from Him; if He were not gracious, we would have no hope.  But we can always come back to Him, with every need, because He is full of compassion and mercy.

Who do we envision when we pray?  Is it the God who abounds in love and faithfulness, who is slow to anger and ready to give mercy?

Our faith must be stronger than our fear.

Thy Will

Tags

God, God's Will, Life, Peace, Righteousness, Truth

“Most gracious God, to know and love whose will is righteousness, enlighten our souls with the brightness of Thy presence, that we may both know Thy will, and be enabled to perform it–Amen.”

-Roman Breviary, quoted in Great Souls at Prayer, 346.

The Last Hot Day

Tags

Tea

Weather.com has solemnly promised me that today is the last burning hot day for the foreseeable future (the foreseeable future is ten days).  I do hope that this is so.  Autumn is officially here, and its about time the weather got with the program.

The main thing wrong with hot weather is that it makes it more difficult to enjoy hot tea; and without hot tea, what separates us from the barbarians?