Apologetics of Loving God

[grannymh]

I have no idea where this thread is going.

I am only a cranky granny and nowhere near being an Apologist. I am fortunate to have in my home a small “writer’s corner” where I work part time. This morning of Christmas Eve, enjoying the nativity statues on a windowsill to my right, I looked up at the wall ahead of me, as I usually do when at a loss for words, and looked at the Crucifix, which is in a real corner. To the left of Jesus, there is a large window. A window to the world, one might say. I started to imagine all the Apologists going into the world, bearing the good news of the Catholic Church.

Apologists explain all the Catholic teachings from the dawn of human history to the birth of Jesus to His victory over death. But how should we explain our love for God? We are all so different; yet, we are the same species in the image of God. We all have our ups and downs and boredom in the middle. How would you, the reader of this post, respond to someone politely asking you: “How do you explain your love for God?”

 

[glendab]

Hello Granny.

Merry Christmas. How does it go? For those without faith, no explanation is possible; for those with faith no explanation is necessary. There is never any quarantee that you will be the one the lost soul listens to - but carry the Message anyway. It takes many voices to make a choir, yours is only one of many and the whole choir in harmony is what gives the song its beauty. We all play a part, but ultimately it is between the lost soul and God and if you have done your part well and trust Him with His, the results are miraculous.

Glenda

 

[Randy_Carson]

I have no idea where this thread is going.

I am only a cranky granny and nowhere near being an Apologist. I am fortunate to have in my home a small “writer’s corner” where I work part time. This morning of Christmas Eve, enjoying the nativity statues on a windowsill to my right, I looked up at the wall ahead of me, as I usually do when at a loss for words, and looked at the Crucifix, which is in a real corner. To the left of Jesus, there is a large window. A window to the world, one might say. I started to imagine all the Apologists going into the world, bearing the good news of the Catholic Church.

Apologists explain all the Catholic teachings from the dawn of human history to the birth of Jesus to His victory over death. But how should we explain our love for God? We are all so different; yet, we are the same species in the image of God. We all have our ups and downs and boredom in the middle. How would you, the reader of this post, respond to someone politely asking you: “How do you explain your love for God?”

How do I explain my love for my wife? Even that is not an easy question to answer, is it?

I remember reading once that catechetics involves WHAT we believe, and apologetics involves WHY we believe it.

But how we respond to what we believe, that is, by loving God is not so easy to put into words.

Perhaps that this the work of the poets and the psalmists - but not this apologist.

 

[grannymh]

If only we could describe our love for God as Elizabeth Barrett Browning did for Robert Browning.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.

​

 

[glendab]

How about these lines from the Song of Songs?

9 You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; you have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one bead of your necklace. 10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride, How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfumes than any spice! 11 Your lips drip honey, my bride, honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/4

Pretty heady stuff coming from God!

Glenda

 

[simpleas]

I have no idea where this thread is going.

I am only a cranky granny and nowhere near being an Apologist. I am fortunate to have in my home a small “writer’s corner” where I work part time. This morning of Christmas Eve, enjoying the nativity statues on a windowsill to my right, I looked up at the wall ahead of me, as I usually do when at a loss for words, and looked at the Crucifix, which is in a real corner. To the left of Jesus, there is a large window. A window to the world, one might say. I started to imagine all the Apologists going into the world, bearing the good news of the Catholic Church.

Apologists explain all the Catholic teachings from the dawn of human history to the birth of Jesus to His victory over death. But how should we explain our love for God? We are all so different; yet, we are the same species in the image of God. We all have our ups and downs and boredom in the middle. How would you, the reader of this post, respond to someone politely asking you: “How do you explain your love for God?”

Good question, one I’ve been thinking on for the past day and am still thinking!

I did have the first thought of actions, meaning by the way we live our life, not just prayer, we can’t have one without the other, but that seems to easy an answer.
If the person asking has never had a spiritual experience/moment in their life but lives a good life, they would not be convinced that a God even exists.
If the person is religious, they maybe looking for support in being able to know their own love for God, as they may not even believe it.
The actions and prayer made me think of Jesus’ last commands, to love God and neighbour.

Personally for me, my way of loving God is to help care and protect animals and the environment to the best of my ability and situation. I’ve always believed that I can love God through all his creation. I also think that attending Mass every week, and doing that little extra at Easter/Christmas, giving my free time up to spend in church as another way of acting for God.

I don’t think this answers your question, again it would depend on who is asking, I know that you are Catholic and so you would be familiar with what I say, but to someone who has never been to a church and knows nothing about faith/God/prayer etc, another explanation would be needed I think.

But actions will always speak louder than words.

Just my two pennies, sorry for the rambling on

 

[simpleas]

Hello Granny.

Merry Christmas. How does it go? For those without faith, no explanation is possible; for those with faith no explanation is necessary. There is never any quarantee that you will be the one the lost soul listens to - but carry the Message anyway. It takes many voices to make a choir, yours is only one of many and the whole choir in harmony is what gives the song its beauty. We all play a part, but ultimately it is between the lost soul and God and if you have done your part well and trust Him with His, the results are miraculous.

Glenda

What you have written here made me think you are speaking about the existence of God. So then it would be ‘How do you explain the existence of God’?.
How do you explain your love of God, if you have never seen/met/experienced the divine?

 

[GaryTaylor]

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Kahlil Gibran -The Prophet-Love

 

[Googler]

We adore God by faith, hope, and charity, by prayer and sacrifice.
God deserves to be loved as He loves us. Only through His grace are we able to give back holy love. We love Him back by His own Holy Spirit. We have a mother who is more intimately in union with the Holy Spirit than any other creature. Through her intense union with the Holy Spirit there is more than just the love of two beings. In the Holy Spirit there is all the love of the Trinity itself, and in Mary, the love of all creation. In Mary is found the converging of the fullness of Divine Love with the plentitude of created love. It is the Holy Spirit that we love in her; and through her we love the Son. In the hearts of men she erects the throne of Her Son and leads all to the knowledge of Him and inflame them to a love of His Most Sacred Heart.
The more we converse and pray with Jesus and Mary, the happier we become. Our love deepens to such an extent that we would only do God’s will even delight in suffering to please Him.