Was Jesus talking to us or just the apostles?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gripper
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Gripper said:
Because babies being aborted isn’t His divine will; isn’t that obvious?
Click to expand...
His will is that we have the ability to choose our actions. Even if our actions are sinful, our ability to be moral objects and make life choices is explicitly His will.
 
The fact that the evangelist took the time to put it into the sacred scripture means that it was meant for us as well.
 
Let’s imagine I had some direct connect to God, and he told me that he was permitting you to go through this trial for some greater purpose. What might that purpose be?

Feel free to not answer this question on the forum. Just take some time to seriously consider it.

I’ve used a similar thought experiment to help me sort out challenging circumstances in my life. The results were really helpful.
 
Last edited:
mrsdizzyd said:
Let’s imagine I had some direct connect to God, and he told me that he was permitting you to go through this trial for some greater purpose. What might that purpose be?
Click to expand...
None.

When a brand new set of suffering comes my way I initially decide that praying won’t help. After a few days I realise that is the devil speaking and so I ray and fast a great deal. During this phase if God answered my prayers I would understand as it caused me to solely rely on him and humble myself. When it goes beyond this phase I become disillusioned and do not understand why it continues. I then reduce the praying and fasting and end up going to Mass out of obligation only.

My life is a wreck and I doubt it will ever be the same again. I feel further away from God now.
 
That is for you to reflect on. I certainly can’t tell you. You haven’t even shared what you are going through, so I can’t even hazard a guess.

In my own life, the most challenging crosses have always been for my sanctification. They have required me to build up some virtue within myself that was essential for my next step in life.
 
mrsdizzyd said:
In my own life, the most challenging crosses have always been for my sanctification. They have required me to build up some virtue within myself that was essential for my next step in life.
Click to expand...
If that is what it is for me I don’t think I want the next virtue.
 
Vanity of vanities says Qoheleth,

vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!

What profit have we from all the toil

which we toil at under the sun?

One generation departs and another generation comes,

but the world forever stays.

The sun rises and the sun sets;

then it presses on to the place where it rises.

Shifting south, then north,

back and forth shifts the wind, constantly shifting its course.

All rivers flow to the sea,

yet never does the sea become full.

To the place where they flow,

the rivers continue to flow.

All things are wearisome,

too wearisome for words.

The eye is not satisfied by seeing

nor has the ear enough of hearing.

What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!

Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!” has already existed in the ages that preceded us.

There is no remembrance of past generations; nor will future generations be remembered by those who come after them.
 
Last edited:
Gripper said:
I no longer see a purpose or a goal to prayer as I have had all my hopes dashed.
Click to expand...
OK, so let me ask this a different way: when you did pray, what did you think that the purpose or goal of the prayer was?
 
Gorgias said:
OK, so let me ask this a different way: when you did pray, what did you think that the purpose or goal of the prayer was?
Click to expand...
Good question. The purpose or goal it seemed was to show how much I needed God and needed Him to answer my prayers.
 
I’ve always liked this quote from CS Lewis:
C.S. Lewis:
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
Click to expand...
 
Gripper said:
So what you are saying is we are all supposed to suffer constantly for our entire lives and deal with it?
Click to expand...
The reality is, everyone suffers sometime. You cannot avoid it. And that does not disprove God’s love for us. All it proves is…everyone suffers sometime.

Even Christ suffered. But Christ lived his human life such that suffering has meaning and purpose.
That purpose is hard to see, but Christianity sheds light on that meaning and purpose.
 
Gripper said:
40.png
Gorgias:
OK… we’re making progress! What does “answer your prayers” mean?
Click to expand...
End the suffering.
Click to expand...
Ahh! Now we can talk!

OK: so, what you’re saying is that the goal of Christian prayer is “to get the thing that I want.”

That’s not what the Church teaches about prayer. (The entire fourth quarter of the Catechism is about prayer. You might want to read up on it.) Rather, what the Church teaches is that the goal of prayer isn’t to enter into some great cosmic slot machine, but instead, to draw us nearer to God and attempt to understand – or at least, accept – God’s will. That means that, every time I ask for something, it’s important for me to come at it from the perspective of “if it’s your will, God, then…” or “help me to understand what you desire for me, God…”.

Somehow, we’ve gotten the wrong idea about prayer. It ends up causing despair when, having thought that it’s all about “winning” a prayed-for “prize” and not receiving it, that God isn’t listening or answering…
 
There are many stories of people praying for help and they receive it so why shouldn’t we be treated the same way?

Also in the bible Jesus healed people He didn’t just draw them closer to Him and not answer their prayers.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top