Today we will look at my husband’s
answers to the questions from yesterday’s blog reading of sections 4-7 of the
introduction to Lumen Fidei (with commentary from me).
Scripture passage for reflection:
Romans 7:17-24: So I find it to be a law
that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law
of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members, another law at war with the
law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my
members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
1) Questions for section 4: Given
that there are three main areas of life which faith illumines, let’s say the
soul, the body and the earth, how do our relations with God, ourselves and
others, and our environment suffer when we extinguish the light of faith?
Al
(my husband) says that our relationship with God ceases to exist since we no
longer see a reason to have a relationship with Him. Our relationship with
ourselves means that when you let go of God, you let go of conscience, so
anything goes, you can do anything you want and be self-gratifying and selfish.
Other people become a burden unless they serve you and if they don’t, they are
of little consequence. As far as the environment goes, we have less of an
ability to value those things around us, since they cease to be gifts from God (in
our minds).
I
like what I read in Fr. Michael Gaitley’s book “The One in Three” (Marian
Press, 2012). He explains it this way: “…and when he [man] pulls away from
[God], he immediately suffers an effect in his soul…. Reason becomes darkened
such that it doesn’t clearly see the good; the will becomes fickle and weak,
and the passions become wild, unpredictable and difficult to control….when man
breaks communion with God, he quickly sets himself up as his own god and sees
himself as the center of the universe, which causes a multitude of evils….Instead
of the original harmony with creation…men torture animals and pollute the
environment….
3) When did you first realize that God
had called you to a life of faith? Was it like a spark that became a burning
flame?
Al
says: for me it was when I made my Cursillo in 1982. I really saw that God
loved me and that He could show Himself to me through the love and faith of a
community. This was the first time I had ever experienced this and it changed
my life. It was like a spark that became a burning flame since I then wanted to
share this wonderful joy with everyone I met.
For
me, I had a great faith at a very young age. I used to keep an altar in my
closet starting when I was in the second grade. It was a shoe box turned upside
down, covered with a “borrowed” handkerchief from my dad’s drawer, with a
little plastic statue of Mary and two cotton balls dotted with my mom’s
perfume. I would put little clover leaves on it as an offering, and I would
write letters to Mary asking her to appear to me as she did to Bernadette. I
though no one knew of my altar, so you can imagine my shock in the mornings
when my letters were gone!! As I grew older, I cried at the Stations of the Cross
every Friday when our school went for the Lenten Devotions, and in college I
went to Mass every day during Lent. I was sure I wanted to become a nun, but I
had fallen in love and made a novena to see where I should direct my life. God
led me to my husband of 39 years. God
lived in me and my faith was always strong even if my will and resolve to “do
good” were weak. So I guess I never had a spark that turned into a flame, just
an ever-glowing ember.
1) “Why is it not enough to have a
private faith, one that we share with God but not with our fellow man?
Al says,
“Because God reveals Himself to us through other people, so that we must be
willing to share God once we have come to know Him. God can reveal Himself to
other people through us, so we must be willing to live our faith at work, in
our families, and in our communities.
Me: Pope
Francis reminds us that Jesus, “then told him [Peter] to strengthen his
brothers and sisters in that same faith” and he and the apostles did just that,
“for it had brought them to the light and given birth within them to divine
life, a new experience and a luminous vision of existence.” If we discover that
faith will truly change our lives and bring us peace, direction and eternal
life, why wouldn’t we want to share it with everyone?
2) Would you say that your faith brings
“grandeur and fulfillment” to your life? Why or why not?
Al says,
“Definitely. It opened my eyes to be able to realize that God truly loves me
and wants me to be with Him in heaven, and that He wants me to help others to
find this love and road to eternal glory. This has become my life’s mission and
I am very thankful for it.”
Me: I
cannot imagine a life without faith, so yes, I would say it does. 1 Corinthians
2:9 tells us that “However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what
no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God
has prepared for those who love him”. What is the purpose of life if not to
know, love and serve God in this world and then be happy with Him in the next? My faith has given me a glimpse of heaven at
times, and I love what I have seen. I
live every day of my life in love with God and the world He has given to me,
and my only wish is really to bring as many people as I can into this true and glorious
way of life.
1) In what ways can you help to bring
“the primacy of God in Christ” to the center of your life? How should your
parish be helping you to do this?
Al says,
“Well, by learning more about Christ through reading and sharing with others
about how Christ is acting in our lives – how He is making a difference in our
lives, and by regular prayer and attending Mass and going to Perpetual
Adoration on a regular basis, daily if possible. My parish has activities to bring people
together to share Christ’s love. For example, last year I attended a program my
parish sponsored called “Lightworks” which taught me Lectio Divina or how to
read and understand scripture, and then share my experience with my group. It
was exhilarating.
Me: I do
this by very regular prayer practices: morning prayer before I get out of bed,
daily Mass, rosary, recitation of the Angelus at Noon, Chaplet of Divine Mercy
during the hour of mercy from 3-4 pm, and the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of
Mary as my night time prayer. I try to get to church a half hour before Mass
starts to make a Holy Half Hour every day, and during the day I keep little
prayers running through my head such as “Jesus my Lord, my God, my All, how can
I love You as I ought?” People ask me how I find the time to do this, along
with spiritual reading and blog writing and still lead a busy life, and I
guess the answer is to try and always set aside a part of every hour for God by running a prayer in your head or by remembering to say thank you to God for His many gifts. Make as much of what you do in your day holy! For help with what you watch on TV, by the way, check out http://piusmedia.com/. We subscribe to this
and have seen such wonderful shows – helping us to stay positive and uplifted.
Parishes should give top priority to groups for sharing the faith,
communications for sharing faith-inspiring resources, and devotions for leading
people closer to God and His Mother.
1)
If
faith really does enable us to “joyfully advance along that way (to the future)
on wings of hope” then why don’t more people have true faith?
Al says, “Because they would have to make
major changes in their lives, ones that are gratifying to the senses and to
give them up requires sacrifice and change and that is extremely difficult for
those who have allowed themselves to become self-centered.”
I say it
is because not enough people are inspired to speak up and out about their
beliefs. How many of us stay quiet while someone blasts the Church and its
stand on abortion and marriage? How many of us fuss and fume about the tide in
society but still engage in more secular activities than in ones designed to
bring people to Christ? If people are to find true faith, they need someone to
bring it to them.
2)
Let’s
answer the two questions Pope Francis gives us at the end of 7. But what is it like, this road which
faith opens up before us? What is the origin of this powerful light which
brightens the journey of a successful and fruitful life?
Al says, “The road is a very scenic one with
many dimensions and is very exciting. There are many challenges along the way,
but overcoming the challenges makes life fulfilling.
FAITH
IN AND LOVE OF GOD of course leads to a
fruitful life.
I just watched the movie “The Way” with Martin
Sheen and Emelio Estevez. In it, a father sets out to follow the El Caminode Santiago trail to the Shrine of St. James in Spain, a trail on which his son died. He
overcomes many setbacks and trials, anything from bothersome people to physical
hardship, yet he does it, and discovers the beauty of the universe and
qualities of love in himself and in his fellow man that he didn’t know existed.
I like to think this road which faith opens before us is like that. If we place
our hand in God’s, and never ever let go, then we will see vistas we never
imagined and experience people in a way we never did before. The origin of the
light on the trial, the Son of God in all His glory, will never grow dim or
fade away. Thus bathed in that light, our lives can never stop being successful
and fruitful in God’s eyes.
Send me some of your answers at bertinisandy@gmail.com
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