Experiencing God

[scameter]

I have been pondering this question and would like to know the Catholic answer for it: why is it that most people in their lifetimes won’t have any experience of anything supernatural, whether God, angels, apparitions, miracles, etc., other than vague feelings?

 

[Dtmccameron]

I’m alive. I can breathe. See. Smell, taste. My heart beats, blood flows, my lungs oxygenate, my tissues work, my organs operate, my cells carry on with their day to day duties diligently. I live in house. The walls are made from various compounds and materials, yet the framework built from wood is assembled so as to support the roof above me, fighting a war against a force called gravity, which draws all things on this, my planet, towards its center.

An unmeasurable distance away there is an eternal explosion warming my planet, the light of which (the explosion, that is) is reflected by an enormous dirt clod spinning around, casting the world about me in a blueish glow. The planet I live on is tilted at precisely the needed angle to support life.

I hear crickets chirping in the night, their bodies too, are perfectly formed and operating, as is that of the creature which subsist on them, and the plants they themselves eat. Oceans, sky, forest and field! I have family! Wonderful mechanisms with a billion times more wondrous souls! They think and feel and know and love, and are entirely precious! And in this planet I’m living on there are uncounted thousands more just like them, entirely unique, wholly precious!

Every day is a miracle! Every person, every blade of grass, every speck of dirt screams praises to the Most High!

I have looked upon the flesh of God! I have seen Him exalted! And I have held Him in the filth of my human hands…

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Ooh! Catholic position! Whoops! Can’t help there, amigo, but, hey, I’m not dead yet, right? So, God clearly must have some use for me, eh? So then, I think you might be able to reverse that and say, “Well, the Boss hasn’t talked to me lately, I guess I must be doing alright!”

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And then, I think it’s important to remember that God wasn’t heard in the fire or the earthquake, but in the still, quiet wind. Even still! What sort of feat of faith is there who have seen the face of God? I mean, there came a point where even the Disciples had to face the facts of things!

 

[scameter]

Thanks for replying.

Well, for one, nature attesting to God is difficult because all religions, including atheism, think that nature and the way it functions supports their particular belief system, not just Christianity.

And for two, I’m not really asking to see the “face” of God. I’m just asking for an indication that he is there, in any way, that I don’t have to think up myself. For instance, saying that nature attests to God’s existence requires me logically deducing it; it doesn’t just say that itself.

 

[DonLeon]

I have been pondering this question and would like to know the Catholic answer for it: why is it that most people in their lifetimes won’t have any experience of anything supernatural, whether God, angels, apparitions, miracles, etc., other than vague feelings?

Is it necessary to have a supernatural experience to believe? Jesus did say that " Blessed are they that have not seen but yet believe". I haven’t seen or experienced any
thing supernatural, nor do I expect to. Just my life on earth is sufficient for me and when I meet my creator, then I will be in sheer ecstacy regardless of my reward.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[scameter]

Thank you for your reply. I’ve actually read that verse before myself, but it doesn’t really answer my dilemma; it just produces it. I know that the Church teaches that faith means not seeing, but that is very hard for me. Most Christians seem to see indications of God all the time, even if they don’t see something specifically supernatural; but I find that hard to do, because of the vague and arbitrary nature of many things in life. For instance, some people say that modern medicine is a sign of God’s existence, because of the great things it can do. But, to me, it could just as well be said that medicine doesn’t always work; that medicine has no innate religious motivation; that without money, medicine wouldn’t exist; etc. Similar things come to my mind about everything that people say attests to God’s existence, because of the vague and arbitrary nature of such things.

 

[tonyrey]

I know that the Church teaches that faith means not seeing, but that is very hard for me.

Then ask yourself what is more important than anything else. Then we can examine its implications…

 

[scameter]

Truth is more important than anything else.

 

[tonyrey]

Truth is more important than anything else.

If you believe truth is more important than anything else you love truth. So both truth and love are more important than anything else. But how and why do truth and love exist?

 

[bobbyva2001]

Maybe it is because nobody puts in the effort it takes to walk with and truly experience God. In my own life I’ve seen that during the times when I prayed most fervently, fasted,etc. I understood and saw how God operated in my life the most.

Then in other times it seemed I was looking for miracles, dramatic changes in my life, interventions.

God is waiting for you to experience with him. However like anything else it has to worked for. You don’t come to understand science without research. Nor do you make observations with blinders on. Seek and you shall find ask and you shall receive are the words of Christ himself.

 

[Zundrah]

I have been pondering this question and would like to know the Catholic answer for it: why is it that most people in their lifetimes won’t have any experience of anything supernatural, whether God, angels, apparitions, miracles, etc., other than vague feelings?

This a terrible thing… because it is true. Some people do not have any experience of God and yet they believe. They are very deligent to do so! Bless them, but back to your question now…

I have personally had, all prayers answered ever since my first one, propheseis revealed to me, all blessings granted and I had many dreams where I saw both christ, God and the devil. All of which happened just before and after my baptism. So I don’t really think I am capable of understanding your “dialema.”
But how ever here is a great idea; if people believe even when they haven’t had a sign - then they are more faithfull then I. Because even though when ever I pray and feel God’s immediate presence over me and my house, I have actually denied him to my self on occasions. But that is the athius world dragging me down and satan trying to rip my connection with God away. So even if you do have signs, trust me it will not stop you from denying God.

I thing I will say - I am not loosing my faith.:knight2::heaven:

 

[scameter]

Thanks so much for everyone’s replies, they’ve been really helpful in these past few days of doubt for me, that I have fortunately, with the help of others, come to resolve and remain in my faith, thank God. (Long sentence ). But, if everyone would, please see the posts in the other three recent topics I made in this Philosophy sections, especially my Prayer topic, for the issues discussed here. Thank you all and God bless.