“I will make of you a great nation”
Genesis 12:2
I always enjoy a thought provoking exercise that I came up with once. I try to put myself in the sandals of all of the different characters of the bible with the exception of the main character and see what that part of scripture has to say to me, Kenan. In the case of the scripture mentioned above, I quite humbly replace Abraham with myself. I do think that God has made a great nation out of me. I like the skills and talents that he has given me. I am happy with the family that I am from, happy with the family that I married into and happy with the family that Rita and I have created. He did make a great nation of me and he did bless me. The Lord does keep his promises to us. But remember that he said that he would make a great nation of us, not a perfect one.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Anxiety
“Free us from anxiety”
Proper of the Mass
I find that the supplication “free us from anxiety” taken from the proper of the mass is one of the most necessary and comforting prayers that we make. If there is one concept that I have of heaven, it is that is a place where we will be free from anxiety. I have faced things in life e.g. death, job loss, debt, rejection and a whole host of others. It is not those particular things that are the burden the burden is the anxiety from dealing with them. And then there is the basic anxiety that we face as humans- our death, which cannot be eliminated. It is part of the human condition (Paul Tillich). This basic anxiety that we have through life is one that we pray for relief from in each Mass that we attend. This prayer and other prayers can help settle the “restlessness of heart” or “anxiety”.
Proper of the Mass
I find that the supplication “free us from anxiety” taken from the proper of the mass is one of the most necessary and comforting prayers that we make. If there is one concept that I have of heaven, it is that is a place where we will be free from anxiety. I have faced things in life e.g. death, job loss, debt, rejection and a whole host of others. It is not those particular things that are the burden the burden is the anxiety from dealing with them. And then there is the basic anxiety that we face as humans- our death, which cannot be eliminated. It is part of the human condition (Paul Tillich). This basic anxiety that we have through life is one that we pray for relief from in each Mass that we attend. This prayer and other prayers can help settle the “restlessness of heart” or “anxiety”.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Obedience
“Like obedient children”
1 Peter 1:14
Obedience is not a trait that one who grew up in the sixties and seventies accepts easily. Our high school and college years saw one incident after another i.e. Viet Nam, Watergate etc. and we saw that blind obedience was not always a good thing. It can be the same today. For instance, in today’s business world we see blind obedience to short term profit and the disastrous effect that it has had on people’s lives. But yet, as I read the scriptures and absorb the Christian and Catholic traditions and heritage, I see the benefit of proper obedience. Obedience today does involve the sublimation of the ego. Something that I will say is not my strength. I know that in the Sprit of Jesus, I do owe obedience to some of man’s institutions in this world. I owe obedience to the institution of marriage and therefore to a person, my wife. I owe obedience in many situations to the President of the Untied Sates as my civic leader. I owe obedience to the bishop in matters of peace and justice. I owe obedience to the various groups that I am in. I owe obedience to the well being of my children and to their individual development. I owe obedience to my boss as long as that obedience compliments my prime obedience to the Spirit of Jesus.
1 Peter 1:14
Obedience is not a trait that one who grew up in the sixties and seventies accepts easily. Our high school and college years saw one incident after another i.e. Viet Nam, Watergate etc. and we saw that blind obedience was not always a good thing. It can be the same today. For instance, in today’s business world we see blind obedience to short term profit and the disastrous effect that it has had on people’s lives. But yet, as I read the scriptures and absorb the Christian and Catholic traditions and heritage, I see the benefit of proper obedience. Obedience today does involve the sublimation of the ego. Something that I will say is not my strength. I know that in the Sprit of Jesus, I do owe obedience to some of man’s institutions in this world. I owe obedience to the institution of marriage and therefore to a person, my wife. I owe obedience in many situations to the President of the Untied Sates as my civic leader. I owe obedience to the bishop in matters of peace and justice. I owe obedience to the various groups that I am in. I owe obedience to the well being of my children and to their individual development. I owe obedience to my boss as long as that obedience compliments my prime obedience to the Spirit of Jesus.
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