Fall 2011

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They Will Bear You Up

In the Company of Angels, Part 2

Psalm 91 declares: “For [the Lord] will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

A couple things are learned by examining those verses:

Angels actually exist. They are not mythical creatures in a fairy tale.

The Lord has these angels at his command, and he willingly dispatches them to guard you. The... READ MORE


In the Company of Angels

Part 1

Hebrews 13:2 comes to mind whenever I hear a knock at the front door… “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” It reminds me that there is a spiritual realm here on earth that I often forget or ignore. There are angels among us.

For the last several weeks, this series has focused on the first line of the Creed: God, the Father Almighty,... READ MORE


God Always Wins

an ongoing study of the Catechism

In the ultimate showdown between Divine Providence and evil, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that evil hasn’t got a prayer. 

When we – with finite minds – look around us, we might be tempted to think otherwise.  (Evil certainly seems to have a bigger advertising budget…)

Just what is Divine Providence? 

It is God’s work of guiding his creation (the universe, and us) toward perfection,... READ MORE


Cosmic Symphony

Creation is the First Movement

Creation reveals God’s majesty and mystery in the universe … like a dramatic melody establishing a familiar refrain within the first movement of a cosmic symphony in four parts: creation, the fall, redemption, and finally, heaven. (You’ll never appreciate the finale unless you’ve heard the previous three movements.)

What’s more, creation is God’s first movement or step toward us in his divine plan.... READ MORE


In Him All Things Hold Together

an ongoing study of the Catechism

Creator.

God as the creator, and our creator is a central tenet of Christian belief. It’s a title we Catholics use while praying the Apostles Creed.  I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.  The Nicene Creed – prayed at Mass – uses “maker” in lieu of “creator.” God is maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.  Both texts point to the same truth.

Understanding... READ MORE


How Big Is Your God?

an ongoing study of the Catechism

Reading about the Creed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), paragraph 278, you come upon a compelling question:

If we don’t believe that God’s love is almighty, how can we believe that the Father could create us, the Son redeem us, and the Holy Spirit sanctify us?

It might as well have asked me: “How big is your God?”  Or even, “How small is your faith?”

It got my attention and it made... READ MORE


Describing an Indescribable Mystery

an ongoing study of the Catechism

As I read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, my mind often hears the distant voices of my grammar school teachers enjoining me to “look up the words I do not know.” As one traverses the landscape of the Catechism, one encounters language requiring translation and definition. This is especially true in understanding the Trinity. Today’s column seeks to build our vocabulary!

For centuries the Catholic... READ MORE


The Revelation of God as Trinity

an ongoing study of the Catechism

Growing up Mom used to say, “Actions speak louder than words.”  A person’s actions disclose hints about the truth of who they really are. The better we know a person, the more likely we will understand their actions, and what is communicated by those actions.

Applying Mom’s wisdom, the reason Christians know about the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is due to the actions of God breaking into human... READ MORE


What Faith In One God Implies

an ongoing study of the Catechism

We continue to examine the Creed and “We believe in one God.”

There are 5 implications of belief in the one God.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in CCC 222, reads:

Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.

These “enormous consequences” affect us now, plus they have eternal ramifications!

1.  Faith in God means coming to know... READ MORE


God is Love

an ongoing study of the Catechism

What is God’s innermost secret?  Who or what is at the core of God?

For us humans, the revelation of one’s deepest self to another requires total trust and security in the knowledge that what is shared will be respected and valued. Now, imagine knowing that inner mystery about God! Do you wonder what that might be? And, if we knew what that innermost secret is, what would it mean for us?

Indeed, we... READ MORE


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