3 ms·

Life is a gift of God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, who in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in God's own blessed life

Life is a gift of God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, who in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in God's own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Saviour. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life. Adapted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It reflects my own belief and answer to this question, and I am happy to be numbered among billions over the centuries who would have answered Siver's question in the same way. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2.HTM http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2.HTM

jqm 13y ago
I'm not hating on your answer here, you certainly are free to believe as you wish and at least as right as anyone else, but appeal to popularity, especially when that popularity was often forced at the point of a sword, is not a very good argument.
- michaelsbradley 13y ago
  I did not make an appeal to popularity. I believe what the Church teaches, and I am perfectly happy being one sheep among billions in the sheepfold – that was my point. The reason I pointed that out is that, other controversies aside, in an age of hyper-individualism, the fact that a set of beliefs is shared by so many is itself often an unstated motive for doubt.
- stefantalpalaru 13y ago
  Would you say the same to the guy who discovered atheism at the age of 7, somewhere at the top of this thread?
- virtualwhys 13y ago
  I'd say the phrase, "nobody wins an argument", most definitely applies to debates between believers and non-believers; i.e. he's not arguing in favor of Christianity, but rather is in the business of saving souls.
virtualwhys 13y ago
Curious, are you familiar with the writings of Thomas Merton? Outside of Paradise Lost, the other book that made me realize the Christian leap is not without reason is, "The 7 Story Mountain" Anyway, obviously you are a fully converted Christian, congratulations on your happiness ;-)
- michaelsbradley 13y ago
  I have not read that book by the late Thomas Merton, though I am familiar with the author and I've heard others recommend Merton's works numerous times. I should probably put it back on my "to read" list. From a Catholic perspective, reason and faith necessarily go together and official Church teaching rejects fideism[1] outright. That's not to say that individuals don't experience "leaps of faith", wherein reason and belief may be in tension with one another for brief periods. Most of my Christian reading these days consists of historical works, treatments of specific topics (e.g. theology of Atonement), and spiritual classics (e.g. Augustine's "Confessions", Scupoli's "Spiritual Combat"[2]). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fideism#Fideism_rejected_by_the_Catholic_Church http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fideism#Fideism_rejected_by_the... [2] http://www.ecatholic2000.com/combat/spirit.shtml http://www.ecatholic2000.com/combat/spirit.shtml
  - virtualwhys 13y ago
    Thanks for the links, I have yet to read Augustine's "Confessions", that's going on the Amazon order list. I'm a big fan of spiritual autobiography, which is exactly what the 7 Story Mountain is all about, the story of Merton's fall and salvation -- it's really quite beautiful, can't recommend it highly enough ;-) Curious, may I ask why the Church seems to be emphasized over Jesus in your posts? Put another way, before the Church came to be there was Jesus -- should the cart not come before the horse?
    - michaelsbradley 13y ago
      It's not an auto-biography, but one of my favorite books is a biography of a modern saint, or at least a man who I think will be canonized some day: Strange Vagabond of God[1], by Fr. John Dove, S.J. The book tells the life-story of John Bradburne[2] – mystic, poet, wanderer, care-taker of lepers. There are very few recordings of John reciting his own poetry[3] but a couple of them were featured in a short film about his life: Mombe! (Cry Cattle!)[4] and Love (1971)[5]. For a Catholic Christian, the Church and Jesus always go together, for the Church is Our Lord's mystical body[6], of which he is the head. The Apostle St. Paul in his epistle to Timothy refers to the Church as the "pillar and foundation of truth"[7]; St. Cyprian of Carthage, a bishop in the 3rd Century, would remind his flock that "he cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his mother."[8] The Church is the context for my personal relationships with Jesus and His Blessed Mother[9]. It is in and through the Church that I have received and am continually strengthened by the life of Divine Grace[10], nourished with the very body and blood of Jesus[11], and taught the truth about myself, other men, the world and its Creator and Redeemer. [1] http://www.johnbradburne.com/shop.php http://www.johnbradburne.com/shop.php [&] http://books.google.com/books?id=VjdXWDpt34YC&pg http://books.google.com/books?id=VjdXWDpt34YC&pg [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradburne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradburne [3] http://johnbradburnepoems.com/ http://johnbradburnepoems.com/ [4] http://vimeo.com/23668242 http://vimeo.com/23668242 [5] http://vimeo.com/23669547 http://vimeo.com/23669547 [6] http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_29061943_mystici-corporis-christi_en.html http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/docum... [7] 1 Timothy 3:15, http://newadvent.org/bible/1ti003.htm http://newadvent.org/bible/1ti003.htm [8] On the Unity of the Church, paragraph 6, http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1797 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.... [9] http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/true_devotion/index.php http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/true_devotion/index.p... [10] http://www.christianperfection.info/tta5.php#bk1 http://www.christianperfection.info/tta5.php#bk1 [11] http://www.livemass.org/LiveMass/dailyHD.html http://www.livemass.org/LiveMass/dailyHD.html

jqm 13y ago

I'm not hating on your answer here, you certainly are free to believe as you wish and at least as right as anyone else, but appeal to popularity, especially when that popularity was often forced at the point of a sword, is not a very good argument.

michaelsbradley 13y ago
I did not make an appeal to popularity. I believe what the Church teaches, and I am perfectly happy being one sheep among billions in the sheepfold – that was my point. The reason I pointed that out is that, other controversies aside, in an age of hyper-individualism, the fact that a set of beliefs is shared by so many is itself often an unstated motive for doubt.
stefantalpalaru 13y ago
Would you say the same to the guy who discovered atheism at the age of 7, somewhere at the top of this thread?
virtualwhys 13y ago
I'd say the phrase, "nobody wins an argument", most definitely applies to debates between believers and non-believers; i.e. he's not arguing in favor of Christianity, but rather is in the business of saving souls.

virtualwhys 13y ago

Curious, are you familiar with the writings of Thomas Merton? Outside of Paradise Lost, the other book that made me realize the Christian leap is not without reason is, "The 7 Story Mountain" Anyway, obviously you are a fully converted Christian, congratulations on your happiness ;-)

michaelsbradley 13y ago
I have not read that book by the late Thomas Merton, though I am familiar with the author and I've heard others recommend Merton's works numerous times. I should probably put it back on my "to read" list. From a Catholic perspective, reason and faith necessarily go together and official Church teaching rejects fideism[1] outright. That's not to say that individuals don't experience "leaps of faith", wherein reason and belief may be in tension with one another for brief periods. Most of my Christian reading these days consists of historical works, treatments of specific topics (e.g. theology of Atonement), and spiritual classics (e.g. Augustine's "Confessions", Scupoli's "Spiritual Combat"[2]). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fideism#Fideism_rejected_by_the_Catholic_Church http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fideism#Fideism_rejected_by_the... [2] http://www.ecatholic2000.com/combat/spirit.shtml http://www.ecatholic2000.com/combat/spirit.shtml
- virtualwhys 13y ago
  Thanks for the links, I have yet to read Augustine's "Confessions", that's going on the Amazon order list. I'm a big fan of spiritual autobiography, which is exactly what the 7 Story Mountain is all about, the story of Merton's fall and salvation -- it's really quite beautiful, can't recommend it highly enough ;-) Curious, may I ask why the Church seems to be emphasized over Jesus in your posts? Put another way, before the Church came to be there was Jesus -- should the cart not come before the horse?
  - michaelsbradley 13y ago
    It's not an auto-biography, but one of my favorite books is a biography of a modern saint, or at least a man who I think will be canonized some day: Strange Vagabond of God[1], by Fr. John Dove, S.J. The book tells the life-story of John Bradburne[2] – mystic, poet, wanderer, care-taker of lepers. There are very few recordings of John reciting his own poetry[3] but a couple of them were featured in a short film about his life: Mombe! (Cry Cattle!)[4] and Love (1971)[5]. For a Catholic Christian, the Church and Jesus always go together, for the Church is Our Lord's mystical body[6], of which he is the head. The Apostle St. Paul in his epistle to Timothy refers to the Church as the "pillar and foundation of truth"[7]; St. Cyprian of Carthage, a bishop in the 3rd Century, would remind his flock that "he cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his mother."[8] The Church is the context for my personal relationships with Jesus and His Blessed Mother[9]. It is in and through the Church that I have received and am continually strengthened by the life of Divine Grace[10], nourished with the very body and blood of Jesus[11], and taught the truth about myself, other men, the world and its Creator and Redeemer. [1] http://www.johnbradburne.com/shop.php http://www.johnbradburne.com/shop.php [&] http://books.google.com/books?id=VjdXWDpt34YC&pg http://books.google.com/books?id=VjdXWDpt34YC&pg [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradburne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradburne [3] http://johnbradburnepoems.com/ http://johnbradburnepoems.com/ [4] http://vimeo.com/23668242 http://vimeo.com/23668242 [5] http://vimeo.com/23669547 http://vimeo.com/23669547 [6] http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_29061943_mystici-corporis-christi_en.html http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/docum... [7] 1 Timothy 3:15, http://newadvent.org/bible/1ti003.htm http://newadvent.org/bible/1ti003.htm [8] On the Unity of the Church, paragraph 6, http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1797 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.... [9] http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/true_devotion/index.php http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/true_devotion/index.p... [10] http://www.christianperfection.info/tta5.php#bk1 http://www.christianperfection.info/tta5.php#bk1 [11] http://www.livemass.org/LiveMass/dailyHD.html http://www.livemass.org/LiveMass/dailyHD.html