Why did God create us?
The old Baltimore Catechism says we were created to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this life and be happy with Him forever in the next. Or perhaps we can sum it up even more simply: we were created to give God the glory He is due.
All of creation gives glory to God by being most fully what the Creator intended. Inanimate objects and creatures without free will give glory to God simply by being. We creatures, with intellect and free will, can either choose or choose not to be what the Creator intended.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Love of a Father
Sometimes it's not easy being a father. Our children imitate what they've learned from us -- both the good examples, and unfortunately, the bad. We try to pass on the wisdom we've learned by experience -- to help them avoid the same pitfalls that we've fallen into ourselves -- but often see them following the same paths. We try to discipline but often exercise it imperfectly.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Lost Sheep
A friend of mine used to tend sheep on his parent's farm as a boy. He explained to me once some of their curious habits, such as never drinking from running water, and always following the sheep directly in front of them. Somehow our discussion turned to the image of the shepherd from Matthew and Luke's gospels -- the shepherd who leaves the flock of 99 sheep to find the one that strayed.
He asked if I'd ever noticed that in some of the paintings of Jesus as the shepherd, the lamb hoisted upon His shoulders has a bandage around one leg. He told me that in some cases, a young lamb will habitually stray -- no matter how many times the shepherd brings it back to the flock, it soon runs off again. And it leads others astray as well.
So the shepherd breaks the leg of the wandering lamb.
He asked if I'd ever noticed that in some of the paintings of Jesus as the shepherd, the lamb hoisted upon His shoulders has a bandage around one leg. He told me that in some cases, a young lamb will habitually stray -- no matter how many times the shepherd brings it back to the flock, it soon runs off again. And it leads others astray as well.
So the shepherd breaks the leg of the wandering lamb.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Light of the World
The bible has plenty of what a skeptic might label contradictions, or at best, inconsistencies. Some of these are due to less-than-accurate translations. Others due to misinterpretation or unfamiliarity with the writing style of the text's ancient authors. But some of these are simply passages taken out of context.
John tells us that, despite the grumblings of the Pharisees, Jesus declared: "I am the light of the world." (Jn 8:12) Yet in today's gospel, we hear what seems to be a direct contradiction as He said to his disciples at the tail end of the Sermon on the Mount: "You are the light of the world." (Mt 5:14)
John tells us that, despite the grumblings of the Pharisees, Jesus declared: "I am the light of the world." (Jn 8:12) Yet in today's gospel, we hear what seems to be a direct contradiction as He said to his disciples at the tail end of the Sermon on the Mount: "You are the light of the world." (Mt 5:14)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
