B
BrunoMaria
Guest
A friend wrote to me:
“a long time ago before I knew any better, I thought too casually about belief”.
But this dear friends, goes to almost anyone! Let’s never despair! Even Holy Thomas needed Jesus’ rebuke before he came back to reason. St Thomas was today mentioned in the Holy Mass in Rome, at the canonization of St. John-Paul II and Saint John XXIII.
Another friend in this round of “MailCircle” said:
„Too conservative" always means; whoever is against abortion, sodomy, and ordination of women etc.“
Well, true, but it goes a lot deeper. TOO CONSERVATIVE is widely understood for those real believers, to whom the reality of God is priority in life and first thing and thought in all considerations of which nature so ever. A conservativism that’s a treasure, for it knows about God’s being and our final justification for every day of our life - whatever we said, did, thought and our works of love or sins! Nothing will be veiled all will be revealed. (Luke 8,17)
All this “modernizing” of the Church, disregards God’s reality. When we see God, which everybody will, careless of if he believed or not, we will not be asked how we saw this or that “problem” and how we handled it, but we will be judged according to how we handled God’s being and how we treated our next; as the least of them is Jesus Christ; and how our soul and heart stood to Jesus Christ during our life-time. Belief first. Though - belief without deeds of love is nil! See Jas 2,26: For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.
That’s what I thought recently, when I was very happy to meet in the hospital a priest again after a long time, whom I used to know for well over 20 years now. So I attempted to hug him in joy. He though strongly held me back, so I couldn’t reach him. I was shocked and terribly disappointed at this behavior, and I can’t see any reason for this. I told him - “I got no infectious disease” - he didn’t react, we exchanged some blah blah, and he disappeared.
Sometimes I got the non-good habit to say and speak out when I’m alone, in normal voice what I think. So later that day, I suddenly said “such a jerk” (in fact I used a more vulgar word). People nearby wondered as to whom this old man mighe mean
But this very thing is a good sample for failure of love. And belief without love is nil - by no means judging this hospital Priest.
But still - as St James repeatedly said. Belief PLUS works of love is living belief - in opposition of the Protestant “sola fidem” which doesen’t make real belief at all.
Modernists who condemn “conservatives”, forget this and formalities and mere outwardness are their personal form of belief. That’s however nothing but theatrical performance without a clue of faith. OK - I never said a thing, for I’m not to judge and better belt up!
As to “THE MIRACLE OF FAITH” in German: “THE SECRET OF FAITH”. It’s actually no secret at all. OK, yes - it’s a miracle, but still a very obvious “miracle” to him who is given the grace of insight; which is given to all - independent of the persons age or education - to all who open themselves for belief. In Mark 4,11 Jesus tells His people: “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.”
So; in very many cases we might talk and try whatever we like to in managing our belief - it will remain frutile, if the insight and absolute conviction of God’s being remains vague. That’s of course no excuse to never even try to tell doubters about God’s reality. Not would it excuse our own vague belief before God. But truly, the miracle of belief will remain a folly and inexistent thing and secret to all who close their eyes; turn a blind eye upon God’s revelation of Himself and abandon any insight - just as a blind cave-fish denies that there is a sun. He’s never seen the sun, so it “doesn’t exist” though he wouldn’t even be able to live without the sun.
I once read, that the secret of belief; the miracle of faith is something like carrying a bag in which lays a book that tells all about our actual existing togetherness and “twosomeness” with God. All that exists then between this easy reachable insight and us, is this dead bag we carry. Call it great life, wealth, money, high society and whatever. So, the very obvious offer of clarity and solution of the “secret” is that bag. It’s dark and worldly and burdensome. So let’s be as brave and free enough to throw the bag away, and grab the book of life and finally open it together with your heart and become one with that “secret” of God’s reality and listen when God kindly speaks to us.
Text was too long - so second part below:
“a long time ago before I knew any better, I thought too casually about belief”.
But this dear friends, goes to almost anyone! Let’s never despair! Even Holy Thomas needed Jesus’ rebuke before he came back to reason. St Thomas was today mentioned in the Holy Mass in Rome, at the canonization of St. John-Paul II and Saint John XXIII.
Another friend in this round of “MailCircle” said:
„Too conservative" always means; whoever is against abortion, sodomy, and ordination of women etc.“
Well, true, but it goes a lot deeper. TOO CONSERVATIVE is widely understood for those real believers, to whom the reality of God is priority in life and first thing and thought in all considerations of which nature so ever. A conservativism that’s a treasure, for it knows about God’s being and our final justification for every day of our life - whatever we said, did, thought and our works of love or sins! Nothing will be veiled all will be revealed. (Luke 8,17)
All this “modernizing” of the Church, disregards God’s reality. When we see God, which everybody will, careless of if he believed or not, we will not be asked how we saw this or that “problem” and how we handled it, but we will be judged according to how we handled God’s being and how we treated our next; as the least of them is Jesus Christ; and how our soul and heart stood to Jesus Christ during our life-time. Belief first. Though - belief without deeds of love is nil! See Jas 2,26: For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.
That’s what I thought recently, when I was very happy to meet in the hospital a priest again after a long time, whom I used to know for well over 20 years now. So I attempted to hug him in joy. He though strongly held me back, so I couldn’t reach him. I was shocked and terribly disappointed at this behavior, and I can’t see any reason for this. I told him - “I got no infectious disease” - he didn’t react, we exchanged some blah blah, and he disappeared.
Sometimes I got the non-good habit to say and speak out when I’m alone, in normal voice what I think. So later that day, I suddenly said “such a jerk” (in fact I used a more vulgar word). People nearby wondered as to whom this old man mighe mean
But this very thing is a good sample for failure of love. And belief without love is nil - by no means judging this hospital Priest.
But still - as St James repeatedly said. Belief PLUS works of love is living belief - in opposition of the Protestant “sola fidem” which doesen’t make real belief at all.
Modernists who condemn “conservatives”, forget this and formalities and mere outwardness are their personal form of belief. That’s however nothing but theatrical performance without a clue of faith. OK - I never said a thing, for I’m not to judge and better belt up!
As to “THE MIRACLE OF FAITH” in German: “THE SECRET OF FAITH”. It’s actually no secret at all. OK, yes - it’s a miracle, but still a very obvious “miracle” to him who is given the grace of insight; which is given to all - independent of the persons age or education - to all who open themselves for belief. In Mark 4,11 Jesus tells His people: “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.”
So; in very many cases we might talk and try whatever we like to in managing our belief - it will remain frutile, if the insight and absolute conviction of God’s being remains vague. That’s of course no excuse to never even try to tell doubters about God’s reality. Not would it excuse our own vague belief before God. But truly, the miracle of belief will remain a folly and inexistent thing and secret to all who close their eyes; turn a blind eye upon God’s revelation of Himself and abandon any insight - just as a blind cave-fish denies that there is a sun. He’s never seen the sun, so it “doesn’t exist” though he wouldn’t even be able to live without the sun.
I once read, that the secret of belief; the miracle of faith is something like carrying a bag in which lays a book that tells all about our actual existing togetherness and “twosomeness” with God. All that exists then between this easy reachable insight and us, is this dead bag we carry. Call it great life, wealth, money, high society and whatever. So, the very obvious offer of clarity and solution of the “secret” is that bag. It’s dark and worldly and burdensome. So let’s be as brave and free enough to throw the bag away, and grab the book of life and finally open it together with your heart and become one with that “secret” of God’s reality and listen when God kindly speaks to us.
Text was too long - so second part below: