Saul was already a believer in God - far advanced in Judaism (Gal1:14) and yet he needed conversion. Saul was learned of Scriptures and faithful to the law and yet he needed conversion. He had zeal for his faith although intolerant with others and did not mind the persecutions of the followers of the Galileans.
Saul or St. Paul's conversion on the way to Damascus is one of the most well known stories of conversion. Yes, it was dramatic... struck by the Light and hearing the voice of God. A persecutor becomes a defender.
Still, it is not an uncommon story of spiritual journey. Believers that still go through conversion; Often, ending up on the other side - with those believers once deemed to have gotten it all wrong.
Our spiritual journey in this tapestry of life is never a done deal. There is always room for growing in faith and love. It makes sense because God is bigger than what our mind can conceive. Thus, God's invitation to know Him and to know love is the very essence of our existence. As St. Augustine said, "For You have made us for Yourself; and our hearts are restless until it rests on You".
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
One God, Many Religions
When I was a child, I thought everyone who believes in God is a Catholic. On one occasion while I was toying with the radio tuner, I landed on a radio statiom that was religious. My father commented, "have you changed religion... are you now Iglesia ni Kristo?" That made me wonder and I asked myself, "I thought there was only One God, how come there is more than One religion when religion is about God". It was just a passing thought and I did not bother to pursue it.
There are many, many religions and so often, I would hear Protestants say that religion doesn't matter. It is a doctrine of their faith. Still, it does matter to them or else they would not bother inviting people to their church. And there are those who believe that the Catholics are under the leadership of the Anti-Christ that we shouldn't belong to it. I guess, in practice, religion does matter to them.
In a question posed to Bishop Chito Tagle in his TV show, The Word Exposed, whether religion matters when there could be good and bad people in any religion or even those without religious affiliation. He admitted it to be so but there is one aspect we must remember and that is the Divine Revelation.
God wants us to know Him. Not just in abstract but to the fullest possibility. God desires a real relationship with us and not just an idolatrous relationship we have with entertainment or sports personalities. Not a one way relationship. Not of an invented and reinvented image. The acceptance to this invitation to a relationship is what religion is for. And very much like a relationship with other persons we become connected too with the people they are connected to- family, friends, and co-workers.
Love cannot be in a box excluding others. That's what adulterous relationships are. They are mere imitations of love.
In true love of God, we become connected to each other and St. Paul so described it as the "mystical body of Christ". We cannot say, we love God wirhout loving our neighbor. We cannot say, we love our neighbor without having a glimpse of God's love.
We do need religion if we want to pursue a relationship with God, but then, there are so many religions to choose from or even be borne into. It comes back to Divine revelation, how much of what God had revealed do we really accept. Or do we divinized the created and miss out on the Creator? Or are we willing to be in a relationship with God only to the extent that it is comfortable and feeling good?
There are many, many religions and so often, I would hear Protestants say that religion doesn't matter. It is a doctrine of their faith. Still, it does matter to them or else they would not bother inviting people to their church. And there are those who believe that the Catholics are under the leadership of the Anti-Christ that we shouldn't belong to it. I guess, in practice, religion does matter to them.
In a question posed to Bishop Chito Tagle in his TV show, The Word Exposed, whether religion matters when there could be good and bad people in any religion or even those without religious affiliation. He admitted it to be so but there is one aspect we must remember and that is the Divine Revelation.
God wants us to know Him. Not just in abstract but to the fullest possibility. God desires a real relationship with us and not just an idolatrous relationship we have with entertainment or sports personalities. Not a one way relationship. Not of an invented and reinvented image. The acceptance to this invitation to a relationship is what religion is for. And very much like a relationship with other persons we become connected too with the people they are connected to- family, friends, and co-workers.
Love cannot be in a box excluding others. That's what adulterous relationships are. They are mere imitations of love.
In true love of God, we become connected to each other and St. Paul so described it as the "mystical body of Christ". We cannot say, we love God wirhout loving our neighbor. We cannot say, we love our neighbor without having a glimpse of God's love.
We do need religion if we want to pursue a relationship with God, but then, there are so many religions to choose from or even be borne into. It comes back to Divine revelation, how much of what God had revealed do we really accept. Or do we divinized the created and miss out on the Creator? Or are we willing to be in a relationship with God only to the extent that it is comfortable and feeling good?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)