CCC 27 - 32 28 Feb 2009
We have a desire for God in our hearts -no matter what religion, race or culture from which we hail, the desire is still present. It is across cultures. It's also because of this desire that we are attracted to people who are good, honest, just etc., like Mother Teresa and Pope JPII, because they live Christ-like lives. However, this desire is insatiable. We're always looking for something even better, someone even better, someone with such qualities to a higher degree. Why?
What we see in the people around us (good, honesty, justice) is not enough - it's not the supreme good/honesty/justice, thus it doesn't satisfy us. God is the supreme good. He gave the people whom we look up to some of this goodness, that's why we're so attracted to them. This thirst for the best will only be quenched (slaked) through God, because GOD IS THE SUPREME GOOD.
God. The supreme good. He is knowable, personable and wants to have a relationship with us. A personal relationship with each and every single one of us. So how is this relationship established? When we call God, "Father". Jesus preached saying that we can all call God, Father. This is why Christianity is a REVEALED RELIGION, God has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ! The other two revealed religions are Judaism and Islam. Important note: We should never forget that we have Jewish roots. Jesus and Mary and Joseph weren't Catholics.
As it says in Genesis, man was created in the image and likeness of God. This gives us dignity. What IS dignity?
Genesis actually may or may not be a factual account. Whether you believe that God created man and woman, or whether you believe that the existence of homo sapiens is due to evolution, you must not fail to acknowledge that original sin was present. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, the consequence was original sin. Humans (descendents) began to think that they can live without God, since they know what's good and evil. They begin to use themselves as the reference - their lives are what is the "best". This is exactly what is happening to us now. Sometimes, we think we know what's good and what's not and we use our own lives as reference. This is when we become self-centred and thus, we sin. (Refer one of the previous posts on sin.) Self-centredness is the root of sin. We want our way; it is inborne, and so we have original sin.
Remember something about revelation and Jesus revealing something to us, mentioned earlier? Jesus also reveals to us the way back to a sinless life. The way back to the pre-fruit era, to living as Christ did.
Check back for the next session. :)
What we see in the people around us (good, honesty, justice) is not enough - it's not the supreme good/honesty/justice, thus it doesn't satisfy us. God is the supreme good. He gave the people whom we look up to some of this goodness, that's why we're so attracted to them. This thirst for the best will only be quenched (slaked) through God, because GOD IS THE SUPREME GOOD.
God. The supreme good. He is knowable, personable and wants to have a relationship with us. A personal relationship with each and every single one of us. So how is this relationship established? When we call God, "Father". Jesus preached saying that we can all call God, Father. This is why Christianity is a REVEALED RELIGION, God has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ! The other two revealed religions are Judaism and Islam. Important note: We should never forget that we have Jewish roots. Jesus and Mary and Joseph weren't Catholics.
As it says in Genesis, man was created in the image and likeness of God. This gives us dignity. What IS dignity?
Genesis actually may or may not be a factual account. Whether you believe that God created man and woman, or whether you believe that the existence of homo sapiens is due to evolution, you must not fail to acknowledge that original sin was present. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, the consequence was original sin. Humans (descendents) began to think that they can live without God, since they know what's good and evil. They begin to use themselves as the reference - their lives are what is the "best". This is exactly what is happening to us now. Sometimes, we think we know what's good and what's not and we use our own lives as reference. This is when we become self-centred and thus, we sin. (Refer one of the previous posts on sin.) Self-centredness is the root of sin. We want our way; it is inborne, and so we have original sin.
Remember something about revelation and Jesus revealing something to us, mentioned earlier? Jesus also reveals to us the way back to a sinless life. The way back to the pre-fruit era, to living as Christ did.
Check back for the next session. :)
posted by ihmyc at 5:09 PM
0 comments
