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Monday, March 24 2008on one note, if i didnt already mention, my tinnitus is back to normal. okay, it got wonky on thursday morning. the pneumatic drill noise got intermittent. as of 2 or so in the afternoon yesterday, it’s back to the normal 24/7 sort. im not sure what to feel about this.
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today at work, my work got more interesting. i got to deal with invoices. okay, i hope i dont mess up the payments. WOW. really freaky sorting them out. eww please.
i had a conversation with ethel yesterday about my previous post titled ‘Hakuna Matata’ and how this guy Brad posted a comment. i didnt write the post to receive any comment whatsoever, it’s not that i dont like getting them, i do. i just didnt expect anyone to post anything in response to that post, people usually dont comment on my posts anyway, and even if they did they’d usually just say hi.
she thinks Brad is right and im starting to think it too. if mass and stuff are expressions of an inward feeling, we should just keep to the inward feeling. that’s not to say that mass and such are not important, they are. but, for example, if someone doesnt go to mass doesnt mean that he/she’s a bad catholic. of course, it would be preferred if you did attend mass and did all the things you’re supposed to. but in the end, i think it’s just about me [you] and God. like i say to people and try to apply in my relationships: it’s me and you. NOT me, you and the rest of the world. maybe it’s true.
and think about it, what if God only judged you for what you are and your relationship with him, rather than whether or not you attended mass? ha, i think more(or less people, depending on the way you think about it) would be marked ‘good for heaven’.
so…i shall now pray for a nicer relationship, okay, closer relationship with God. however that works…err, yeah, i’ll work on it. you know, sometimes, i look at my friends, especially jasmine, sam and cheryl and wonder how they have so much faith in God and in prayers and things. that they can manage to see God in everyday stuff that doenst occur to me at all! okay, i may not agree with ALL of it, but i still admire how they have so much trust. like i said, i’ll work on it.
You can look at mass and the other rituals of the church as an outward expression of your relationship with god. If you look at things this way then yes, mass and the adherence to the “rules” as brad mentioned, is not a necessity, as long as your personal relationship with god is strong. However I urge you see the church, its mass and all its “frills” as more than that.
Firstly, we have to realise that the catholic religion is not only for the betterment of oneself, or even for humanity in general. While sociologists may argue that it is but a social construct to answer difficult existential questions that man might have and provide moral guidance, for those who are faithful (and discerning), catholicism is, above all, focused on christ, and by his instruction, his church. who are we to dictate what our relationship with god should be like? The fact that humanity is so inconsequential compared to godhead, the sole purpose of our relationship should be one of glorification. any extras, requests, favours, hopes etc remain but that: extras. God can do what he will with us, we should have no say. what we perceive as good/bad on god’s part, or the question “why is god doing this to me?” are merely products of our flawed humanity, our incapability to understand god’s will. We have no choice but to centre our religion on the glorification of god, rather than ourselves.
Once you see things from this point of view, then you would agree it is perhaps best to glorify god in the way that he prescribed. He also conferred the power of this prescription to st. peter, the first pope, and to all who have occupied the chair of st peter. A minor example is the lord’s prayer. the disciples asked him: how should we pray? to which he prescribed the lord’s prayer. A major, and most significant, example would be the eucharist. Christ said do this in memory of me. Which is why every sunday we celebrate the Eucharist, where the bread is changed to flesh and the wine blood. it is not a commemorative gesture or a re-enactment; we see every week the actual pashcal sacrfice that christ himself was to become.
Why should god in his divinity stoop so low as to redeem humanity? That is in fact the mystery of the eucharist. again, it’s one of those inexplicable things. but faith is centred around mystery. if we could explain anything, there would be no need for belief anymore. if someone could prove the existence of god, then we would not need to believe anymore, for we know for a fact he is there.
It is this faith that also compels us to accept the teachings of the church, as well as the rituals it prescribes. sure, there might have been a few errant popes who went off womanising and stuff, but we believe that when it comes to the interpretation of and acting on god’s teaching, they are infallible.
So we see quite clearly now that besides a strong relationship with god, the participation in the church and its mass is also vital. In fact, i will go further to say that participation in church and mass is necessary for a strong relationship with god. Firstly, through the readings, gospel and the eucharist, god is manifested to us, not as the vague, conceptual, supreme-being whom we say “dear god” to before dinner, but as the god of the hebrews, who was made man and died for us. Secondly the homily (by right) should give us the practical and definitive way of interpreting scripture, and how we might apply it to our daily lives.
So yes, you are right to say that god will eventually judge us on the fundamentals of our character, how we have loved him, and how we have loved our brother. And yes, we all should pray for a stronger relationship with god. But let that prayer start at mass: for the eucharist is where the relationship god has with us now truly starts.
wow…cheem, i will take some time to absorb. it seems to make sense now though!
Nice read!
One good way to glorify God is to be Christ like in our actions so much so that others will see God when they see us. That is one good way i keep telling myself.
And YES, faith is important! You may need some facts/evidence to believe in something. Yet when you have faith in something, its something mutual, something abstract. Whoa… A lot of pondering rite Erika.