joy

Jesus came not just to save us but to give us abundance of joy. Overflowing abundace. More than we could possibly contain. It will overflow. We often seek abundace of worldly goods and pleasures. It is an illusion because all must die to this world. In order to receive this abundace of joy that overflows into eternity I must sacrifice worldy abundance which only weighs me down.

Abundance

Jesus came not just to save us but to give us abundance of joy. Overflowing abundace. More than we could possibly contain. It will overflow. We often seek abundace of worldly goods  and pleasures. It is an illusion because all must die to this world. In order to receive this abundace of joy that overflows into eternity I must sacrifice worldy abundance which only weighs me down.

mystery

I am a mystery. You are a mystery. Life is a mystery. God is a mystery. A mystery is something so awesome, so profound, that it can never be fully understood by human means. Without mystery life could be very boring. The excitement of life is the pursuit of mystery. The pursuit of mystery requires faith. A person without faith is a person without hope. Without hope there is no joy. Without joy there is no love. It is all about love. God is Love. That is the mystery.

Evolution

The bible account of 6 days of creation is not a scientific theory but rather a theological lesson. On the first day there is light and darkness. On the second day there is water below and water above. On the third day there is land. The 4th day completes the first day by placing stars and moons, and planets in the sky. The 5th day completes the second day with fish in the sea and birds in the air. The 6th day completes the third day with land animals and man. The lesson is that God created the universe for man and created man like himself that is with a soul. Evolution can account for everything physical but a soul is spiritual and could not evolve from physical evolution. "We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary." Pope Benedict XVI 2005.

Galileo

Galileo was not an atheist. He was not at odds with the bible. The controversy was about the heliocentric theory which Nicolaus Copernicus, a Catholic canon, had advanced long before Galileo and Copernicus was not at odds with the Church.. The heliocentric theory (the earth revolves around the sun) was not proven until 1838 by Friedrich Bessel who had access to much advanced astronomical instruments.. The problem with Galileo was that he made his claim without presenting proofs which were not avilable in his lifetime and he caused unnecessary tension with fundamentalists and geocentrists who believed the sun resolves around the earth. Science is not opposed to the bible. The bible is not and was never considered a science book.

Can science disprove God?

Scientists agree that science cannot disprove God. The "scientific method" is very useful in testing a hypothesis regarding the physical universe but useless in disproving God who created the universe.  To disprove the existence of anything, science would have to prove its non-existence everywhere simultaneously. It is unscientific for any scientist to claim the non-existence of God. 

Science gives verifiable evidence that the universe began 13.7 billion years ago. Science also confirms that the conditions and constants necessary for life on earth are mathematically improbable to the point of being impossible without a super intelligent creator. Atheistic scientists have to invent non provable hypothesis to argue against God and one must question the motives of such a scientist.

violence-in-the-bible

violence-in-the-bible

The Bible is the story of the slow, painstaking and sometimes faltering escape from the idea of a God who is violent to a God who is love and has absolutely nothing to do with violence

Origen asserted: "Christians could never slay their enemies. For the more that kings, rulers, and peoples have persecuted them everywhere, the more Christians have increased in number and grown in strength."^[  Clement of Alexandria wrote: "Above all, Christians are not allowed to correct with violence the delinquencies of sins." Tertullian argued forcefully against all forms of violence, considering abortion, warfare and even judicial death penalties to be forms of murder. These positions of these three Church Fathers are maintained today by Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

Until  Constantine, Christians were pacifists like Christ “who turned the other cheek” but later Christians exhonerated “just war” and even “Holy War”.

The symbolic meaning of the “ban” (the extermination of enemies in the Old Testament) reflects the necessity of not compromising with evil.

Abraham is a humble and peaceful patriarch who only goes to war to rescue his nephew Lot.  Which could have been avoided by Lot had he not cavorted with evil people.

The Old Testament is the story of a loving Father trying to reward his children with a “Promise Land” but they constantly thwart His plan with disobedience and violence. Cain kills Abel and doesn’t show remorse just like his father Adam.  Jacob’s sons plot to kill their brother Joseph and sell him into slavery and lie to their father. They revel in the pagan practices of Egypt for 400 years.  They cowardly refuse to enter the Promised Land for fear and they all die in the desert.  The plan was to convert the Canaanites as demonstrated when Joshua wins a non violent victory at Jericho but the people prefer to use violence and greed.  David repents of his violence and establishes peace. Solomon rebuilds an army against God’s command and cohorts with the pagans thus bringing down the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem.  The lesson is that God rewards obedience and repentance but violence leads to the destruction of God’s people.

Jesus makes this clear with his command to “love your enemies” and the Sermon on the Mount.

The final victory in Revelation is in the Lamb slain (Jesus Crucified) who absorbs all the violence of men and establishes His eternal Kingdom of peace and love. This is the complete story of God’s plan for His people and we celebrate it in every Mass.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathrynlopez/2013/10/violence-in-the-bible-and-the-struggle-of-our-lives/