Thursday, December 30, 2010

blerghhh

A couple of blogs today because I've not posted in a while.

Travel

Travel.

It’s funny. I haven’t blogged for a while; not because I don’t have topics to talk about, but because I have so many. There’s a post on here from a while back where I list possible blog topics. I doubt I’ll ever address most of those, if any.

In the past fortnight, I’ve moved out of home and into a household that is part of a particular Community within the Catholic Church.

Living with others who share my beliefs is an amazing blessing. I love having conversations that easily change between what we have got up to that day and Church teaching; conversations about the lives of Saints that take place in a tone that suggests that they are dear friends of ours - because they are. - These conversations are ones that I enjoy immensely.

I am so thankful that I have been able to move into this household. Knowing that the people I live with share my faith, won’t look at me strangely if I say I’m going to late night Adoration, and will come to Mass with me is awesome. That is, having this experience is filling me with awe, and does so every time that I think on it.

My move also made me think of the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. My blog entitled Journey gives a few different translations of the story.

Journey

Journey.

“In those days Caesar Augustus ordered a head count of the whole Roman world. (This was the first big tally, when Quirinius ran the Syrian branch of the empire.) And everyone had to go back to the bit of country they were born in to fill in the forms.
So Joe hiked up from Nazareth (in Galilee shire) to Bethlehem (in Judea shire) because this spot in the mulga was where King David came from, and Joe’s family tree had King David up in the top branches. He went there to fill in the forms and sign the register with his fiancée, Mary, who was pretty near nine months by this time.”
- Luke 2:1-5 (The Aussie Bible [Well, bits of it anyway!])

“At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire. When this first census took place, Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own town.
Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judaea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant.”
- Luke 2:1-5 (The Good News Bible)

“In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of he entire Roman world. (This was the first census and took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”
- Luke 2:1-5 (NIV)

“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.”
- Luke 2:1-5 (NRSV)

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrolment, when Quirinus was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”
- Luke 2:1-5 (RSV)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Hidden Bible Names

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu; kept people looking so hard for facts, and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalised. The truth finally stuck home for numbers of readers; to others it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others will require judges to help them. I will quickly admit, it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little old lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there are seventeen names of books of the Bible in this paragraph. If I chose another sentence, maybe you can post them at the water cooler at work?





This is a copy of a hand-out given to my RE class when I was in year 12. Credit to the author and all credit to The Author. 

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Chose Life!

We live, I think, too much in the present. There is little hope for we who dwell here and now but not elsewhere.
Our treasure, so to speak, is in the moment.

We forget to dwell on the past. That is to say, we forget that here and now are based on then and there; they are the present's foundations.

We each need to take time and use it to reflect upon itself, for, in reflecting itself, it gives us a chance to look at the future. Now is the foundations for hereafter.

Do not think that I speak in terms of great, lengthy periods of time. I speak, primarily, of weeks, days, hours and minutes.

We may dwell here and now, but we don't dwell in here and now. If we did, we'd be able to remember, with clarity, what we did a minute, an hour, and, even. a day ago.

But I can't.

I sit here and write, and my writing seems full of hypocricy.

Dwelling on the past, in the now, for the future must, I repeat, MUST be my aim if I am to Christian in more that name.


This was written yesterday in my diary while sitting in front of the Tabernacle in the Chapel of the Cathoic Pastoral Centre.
The Title of this post is based on a reflection given to me by my Spiritual Director that is based on Deuteronomy 30:15-20.

Divine Truth

Today's blog is on a topic that I can't come close to finding words for. As such, I invite you to click here and listen to theologian Peter Kreeft speak on the topic Divine Truth: Our Heart's Greatest Longing.

Peace to you.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Philosophisationing.

A friend of mine, who we shall call Xantos (and whose blog can be found by following this link),  asks a few questions in his post entitle “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!” that I’d like to look at from a Catholic point of view.

I am assuming the existence of God. There are some reasonably compelling arguments for this position, not the least of which, and aside from person experience, are Anslem’s Ontological Argument and C.S. Lewis’ Argument from Desire. Moreover, Xantos comes to the conclusion, by himself, that God exists.

The first thing I’d like to tackle is the question of what happens when we die. In order to do this, it is seemly to define death. Aquinas writes that the soul - the immortal part of the human being - gives life to the body. This soul is akin to (but not the same as) our mind, in that it is what allows us to think freely and rationally. That is not to say that people - humans - who are unable to act freely or rationally no longer poses a soul. This conclusion is self evident. Firstly on the basis that free, rational actions require free, rational thought, but the reverse is untrue. (You can see, for example, that a parent may freely and rationally desire to care for their children; however, the parent may not be able to provide that care.) Secondly, since having a soul is what makes the human body alive and, thus, a person. People who do not act freely are still people by definition.

I digress.

Bodily death occurs when the immortal soul leaves the human body. The soul, being non-physical, does not have need of a physical place to go to when it leaves the physical body. It does not stay on Earth. The pre-resurrection heaven in not physical because there is nothing physical to inhabit it. God, the angels and human souls are all immortal, non-physical beings; they are all spirit.

God is Love. God cannot do that which is not love. This includes forcing us to do something that is against our individual wills. All who freely and consciously deny God, freely and consciously deny entry into heaven. If there is even one person in the entirety of human history has done this, heaven is not where all humans dwell after death.
Animals and plants lack free will because they are without souls. Since, for these, death is not the leaving of the soul from the body - plants don’t even have bodies! - there is nothing left of them to go anywhere upon death. There are no animals in heaven.

Since God is infinite, heaven - the place God dwells - must also be infinite.

Post-resurrection - when human bodies and souls are miraculously reunited with God - our bodies will be in a state of perfection, “we will become like Him.”* ^ We will not be moving slowly. Indeed, we will be outside time and space, just as God is, always has been and ever shall be.

Hell exists. It is total and complete separation from God.
Hell is not a nice place.
God is Good, The Good; God is Light, Truth, Life, Love, Mercy, Joy, Compassion.
Hell is total and complete separation from God.

But surely a loving God, a God who is Love, cannot, would not, will not consign us to Hell?
God doesn’t. We choose it.
By denying God, we deny our own entry into heaven; we separate ourselves from The Good, from Light, Truth, Life, Love, Mercy, Joy and Compassion.

For people whose upbringing has lead them down a non-Christian path, God cannot, will not and would not consign them to Hell because Hell is the choice of the individual. When the individual comes before the One who Is, who Was and who Is To Come, and if they chose that One, God, being Mercy, will be merciful to them. Woe to those who have the tools to choose God now and who refuse!

Using our tools of logic alone, it is perfectly reasonable to believe in One, Omni-present, Omnipotent, Omni-benevolent, Creator God. The same cannot be said of Hinduism.






Dear Xantos,

The above answers are poor. They do not fully address the questions you pose because you ask about the infinite. Language, being finite, and me, being a finite user of it, are, even combined, unable to fully address your ponderings. Moreover, I am faliable, as you well know.

Peace and sleep well, Xantos!

-Kelly








*For those who recognise this quote from the New Testament, my reason for changing the wording is mostly because God, being spirit, is neither male or female.

^ Changed back on April 10th to how it's meant to be, for 2 reasons,
1. I'm no longer trying to be a feminist.
2. I realised that St Paul was talking about Jesus who is God and who is male.
3. I'm no longer trying to be a frminist.