"True loving affection cannot lie."

-- Fr. William Pahram a.k.a. Papa P

This morning the RICA candidates made their first confession. It's always awesome to see people enter into the loving forgiveness that is God. And on that I must confess that I that this morning I didn't give up to that loving grace. I had felt like saying something to another person and I didn't give into the love and affection that I was feeling. And then, of course, I hear Fr. Pahram say what he said at the penance service, "True loving affection cannot lie."

To understand what happend this morning I have to let you into my relationship with Fr. Pahram. He has this ability to speak directly to me and spark my intellect and focus on parts of my life that I'm not doing so well in. I don't know if he has ever spoken something that doesn't blow my mind. The man is such a conduit of Christ, that when you look up "in Persona Christi" you see Papa P there. The man is just, well, THE MAN!

So, any who, back to my story. Papa P was breaking down the first part of "The Loving Father" or "The man with two sons" parable (a.k.a. "The Prodigal Son"). And he focused in on how the father didn't even let his returning son finish his speech, he just called for a robe and a ring, and for the fatted calf to be prepared. It's here that he said the quote above. He explained that the fater didn't need to hear the speech that his son had prepared because he knew the love that his son was returning with and no amount of words could have expressed it, but his showing up expressed all that he could have wished to say. I think it's Woody Allen in one of his movies that says "90% of life is just showing up", there's great wisdom there.

Lord, words cannot express what You have done for us, for we are all constantly turn from You and wish that You would just leave us alone and to ourselves, but You, O God, know us better than we know ourselves and continue to persue us and call us home to You. Thank You, Lord for Your supreme act of Love to us who couldn't deserve it less.

God Love You.

"These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in"

-- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I said yesterday that I had completed The Brothers Karamazov and so now I'm reading Mere Christianity and I was pleased to see that Lewis touches on what I had talked about in yesterday's post, absolute moral truths.

Lewis makes it abundantly clear in the first chapter of this book the same point that I tried to make yesterday, I thought that quite encouraging.

Another aspect that Lewis points out is the idea that we "ought" to do something; we feel obligated. Dr. Kreeft expounds on this idea in his lecture on relativism. He gives a case of one who promises a friend to help move in the morning, and when his alarm goes off, he has two feelings, one to stay in bed and sleep, and the other to get up and go help. He has the desire to stay in bed and the obligation to help his friend. Each feeling is mutally exclusive, he has no desire to get up and no obligation to sleep. What does he do? If he is a good friend he gets up and goes. Notice that I used the word "good", the right thing to do would be to help his friend because he promised, and he knows this and has the feeling that he "ought" to help, and this out weights his desire to stay in bed and sleep.

Another aspect of obligation is that no one feels an obligation to do bad things. people feel they "ought" to fulfill their promises, or tell the truth, etc., but no one feels that they "ought" to murder, or rape.

I will end the same way that I began, quoting Lewis. "Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaing 'It's not fair' before you can say Jack Robinson"

God Love You

"If there is no God, everything is permissible."

-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

This statement is overlooked by most of today's atheists. Those who would have us believe that God is no more than a bedtime story; some one who is no more real that Santa Clause. But most of these people also wish us to be moral and noble in our actions, to have honor and good hearts. The best way to describe what these people want is, as C.S. Lewis puts in his lecture The Abolition of Man, to remove the organ and demand the function, to cut off the geldings and bid them bare fruit. God is the source of such moral actions and truths, to remove God from the picture would be to deny these things even exist.

Just think about it for a moment, what could be called "right" or "true" without God? The atheist would have us believe that what ever the majority or the powerful says is "right" for any particular society would be the correct answer. If this were true then Friedrich Nietzsche's idea of a "trans valuation of values" would not be so radical and ridiculous. The simple fact is that every society that has sustained itself has had similar rules and laws that govern it, and when the leaders of past societies fail to abide by these rules and laws long enough their people revolt against them in the name of justice and morals. Moreover, these rebels are "right", not because they are a majority and now have enough power to combat the unjust ruler, but because there is an absolute moral truth that judges right and wrong not just as ideas, but as truths. And these truths are rooted in God.

Lord, help our atheist brothers and sisters come to know You who love them even though they do not love You back directly. Help them to see You through us, help us to believe in You for their sake, help us to have faith in You for them that they may be converted and transformed with through and in You. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father, Amen.

God Love You.

PS.
Last night I completed The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and I couldn't be more impressed by his work. I strongly recommend reading this novel. I have heard it called "the greatest Christian novel ever written". But do beware, if you are feeble in your faith, do not read this novel, because one of the brilliant aspects of the novels is the flip side that Dosoyevsky presents in his characters, these sympathetic characters can shake the foundations of faith. I found myself challenged by the novel and its characters, but I made it through and I feel better for having read it.

"There are two kinds of people in the world,
Sinners who think they're saints,
And saints who know they're sinners."
-- Dr. Peter Kreeft

This is the first step to repentance, admitting and recognizing what you are and what you've done. St. Thomas Aquinas knew that and he formed the 12 step program which still is used today to help people with addictions.

We are all addicted to sin and the sooner we recognize our faults we can help to mend the wound. Think about this, in exorcisms the priest gets the name of the demon first before he casts the demon out. The point is this, if we know what we are up against we can cast these things out and we can avoid circumstances that will lead to more sinful activities. I try to categorize my sin, and name them in confession, this way afterwards I can pray to avoid them and defeat them and even loose my passion for them.
So I guess you can ask, what's in a name? Well Moses asked that same question at the burning bush and and God replied "I AM". In the name of Jesus demons are cast out, the penitent is absolved, bread and wine become His body and His blood.

Lord, help us all to know, love, and serve You with all of our heart, mind, body, and soul, so that we may live with You forever in heaven. We ask this in the name of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father, Amen.

God love you

"If do right, no can defense"
-- Mr. Miyagi

It's crazy how things like, lines from The Karate Kid can inspire and teach, because most frequently such quotes are hilarious when applied properly. My good friend Andy McNutt and I were conversing after RCIA this past Thursday when he dropped this line from The Karate Kid and I just about died laughing, but afterwards I thought about it and I remembered what another good friend had told me about his favorite movie, which just so happens to be The Karate Kid. This particular person is seminarian and he told me that The Karate Kid was very catachetical, and slowly but surely I'm seeing it.

So as I was contemplating (cause that's what I do) this quote I incorporated it to Christianity and it fits perfectly. Just think of Calvary (which is always good to do, especially during lent), Christ did everything right and the devil had no defense for it, and now we as the the followers of Christ have to enter into Christ, the cross was a divine "Crane Style". Just like Daniel-San and his hurt leg, our hurt leg is sin, it hurts to accomplish but "If done right, no can defense".

Lord Jesus, guide us with your most Holy Spirit to enter into your life and to truly be Your mystical body so that all may know You in us and see that You are living and working in us and with us. I ask all this and so much more in the name of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father, Amen.

God Love You.