Category Archives: Essays

God Is Absolute Fr. Albert’s Homily

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God is Absolute, which points to the greatest paradox of all; He is both infinite and finite. Infinite, in terms of God is the sum of infinity, again another paradox, one that is true, because there is nothing greater than God, and there is no situation in which there is God and something more. Finite, because as in any absolute there must be limitations, because if it is absolute it can’t be something else, again another paradox and necessarily so. It’s important that both aspects of God, the infinite and finite be paradoxical, because both describe a condition which cannot be, but is. Now, we see on closer examination, that when two elements in the same thought or sentence are contradictory yet true, this is when paradox becomes analogy. G.K. Chesterton said, “Paradox is the truth standing on its head to get attention.”  I am saying this in response to your homily concerning summoning God’s forgiveness at the time of confession.

On one hand, you are categorically correct, no one can invoke or provoke God into doing anything. On the other hand, you are correct again, because you as a priest do give His blessings at the time of confession. This make sense, that you can give something from God, when we just established you can’t invoke anything from Him, if we agree that God is absolute. Consider this: by His word, He made what is. He said it would be and it is. So, when Jesus proclaimed by His word, by His oath (as in Matthew 18: 15-20), He established a covenant definitive in its manifestation and infinite in its mercy. If this points to the truth, and I think it does, then what follows are limitations God places on Himself, by His manifestation in this distinctive reality which He created. Let’s consider several conditions: God cannot create a God greater than Himself, if He could He wouldn’t be God. God cannot be evil; evil is the absence of God. God cannot sin. Jesus in His worldly realm did not sin. In His human condition He certainly chose not to sin. However, in His divine nature He could not sin. God cannot punish. He can heal, He can cure, He can re-align, He can rehabilitate, He can discipline, and He can put us through therapy however none of this is punishment. Our worldly father sent us to our room for what we did, our Heavenly Father sends us to our room for what we will become. God cannot lie. There are no circumstances, no contingencies in which God would misdirect or misinform us for our own good.

Perhaps most importantly is the reality of this distinctive creation of His. Understanding He is the author who gave each created character the freedom to write their own script. This binds each of us to a covenant relationship with the Triune God we call God. In the beginning, Adam and Eve had the choice to be obedient to God’s parameter or write their own script. They put themselves ahead of God and made the wrong choice. I know God pleaded and prayed to them, spoke in the tender voice of a loving Father; please don’t do this, think what you are doing and realize the grave mistake you are making. They heard but weren’t really listening, they did it anyway. In the beginning, God spoke to Abraham, He pleaded and prayed to him, don’t take Hagar as your own, trust in My power and purpose. Abraham heard, but wasn’t really listening, he made the wrong choice and did it anyway. The Lord in His loving generosity gave us the power to create, the free will to choose to surrender to His loving embrace or write our own script. Jesus’ promise is to give us anything we wish as long as it is in accordance with His will. God’s prayers for us will never be stronger than our free will, His love is our gift, ours to receive and accept or write our own script.    

Mercy, understanding and unconditional love demand honesty and sincerity. All of God’s commandments are possibilities. All of God’s promises are true. God is Absolute, He cannot be anything other than God. God did create a world where great tragedies both natural and manmade can and have occurred. Why He did this is another discussion, how He intervenes during these times is His decision for His purpose and plan. 

Grace of Faith

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I believe we all wrestle with some confusion and misunderstanding concerning the nature of God. We struggle with God’s nature and God as “being” itself. God as “being” itself can be seen as outside our space and time. God is the singularity, which can best be described as Love, which never changes; God is the uncreated creator; Jesus the uncreated created and the Holy Spirit the created uncreated. This paradox of God seen through the Trinity also points to the paradox of singularity as well. God’s love is His mercy and His grace; His providence is His compassion as well as His kindness, guidance, power and purpose. With God there is no separation, nothing in Him stands between Him.

So, what is so difficult about the nature of God, since we just described His singularity as well as from our point of view His attributes? I think in order to make a complex idea seem more understandable; we project our worldliness onto His holiness. Jesus teaches this in Matthew 16:23, as he tells Peter, “You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Perhaps there are many ways to interpret this passage, however, it seems to me, Jesus is saying, you are thinking as a man would think not as God thinks. We often hear Jesus saying He has come to fulfill the law, in many cases this means, He is bringing the Word forward as in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

I am suggesting we a adopt a world view based on the foundation that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one in the same. In the lowest common denominator, the Truth is simply what is. When we hold on to the idea of God as singularity, then His love is the Truth. This leads me to the conclusion that there can only be one worldly Truth as well, the same Truth whether seen through the lenses of theology, philosophy, science or psychology. So, why the apparent stark difference between the God of Old and New Testament; why the world view of truths in every discipline? It seems to me the real question lies in the answer. There is no difference between the God of Old and the God in the New Testament and there cannot be different truths in each discipline. So, how are the people in Old Testament times different from the people living today?

It is not my intention that this portion of the essay be comprehensive, thorough or exhausting. I would like it to stand as a reminder of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the idea that we live in a cause and effect world; a world of observations and conclusions which we sometimes mistake as truths. I believe we were endowed with the Holy Spirit at the moment our God, the Father Almighty, breathed life into Adam. I also believe in olden times the Holy Spirit’s presence was unusual and infrequent. Certainly, the Holy Spirit spoke to the Prophets and mystics had visions, however, they like all of us are locked into their era and limited by their own frames of reference. I have often prayed that the Lord would teach me what I can understand, rather than ask for greatness beyond what my mind could comprehend. We also see in the Old Testament and in the New Testament as well, Job’s friends asking what he had done to deserve these trials, and the Apostles asking Jesus whether the man born blind had sinned, or whether his parents were to blame for his blindness. 

One more thought, the emphasis of the New Testament seems to be on separation. The vertical separation between God our Father and we His people. Perhaps more importantly, the separation we make ourselves, about ourselves. At times, we struggle to understand the difference between our “self” and our “being”.  Our “self” is the person we have come to be in this  world and our “being” is the person we were made to be in His image and likeness. Finally, we see the relationship as well as the linear interaction as we strive through our self-control and perseverance to reach a more righteous frame of reference. Applying this newfound foundation, we look at the world, as Peter teaches in 2 Peter 1: 5-8, “with brotherly kindness.” This reflects back to God our Father as we receive and accept His love, as well as our loving Him. It is this interchange which demonstrates the separation as well as bonds the unity. It also points to the contrast of how we treat our brother with our limited humanity, and how God treats us through His infinite love. Doesn’t it seem to you that the Golden Rule actually means, treat others as God would treat them, not as you would like to be treated or how you are capable of treating others.

Now, the conclusion I am drawing does not hinge so much on how, why and when God reveals himself to us as much as what we gleam from these glimpses. As long as we see the world in terms of cause and effect, the longer we remain locked in this worldly frame of reference. However, when we realize our worldliness does not lead to His holiness; His holiness leads us to our holiness, this changes our world view. Now we begin to see that God uses everything that happens for a greater good. This realization changes our disposition. We see the Grace of the Holy Spirit through our Baptism, the washing away of Original Sin, the teachings of Christ Jesus and two thousand years of discernment as seen through the Catholic Church. This brings us streaming into the twenty first century and a step away from the first century Christians.

Is God Worthy

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Is God worthy….that’s a rhetorical question, a question which begins a process of flipping our thinking on its head. The rhetorical question suggests we are looking for an answer outside the parameters of the question. In Scripture this idea is referred to as “the wideness”, an answer bigger and better than the definitive answer we may have in mind. Jesus often used this “wideness” when answering his critics who were trying to trap him, or in response to the temptations of the devil after the 40 day fast in the desert. Many times, Jesus’ audience was treated to a parable which authorized each listener to reach conclusions on their own, conclusions they could understand.   

Realizing I’m not bound by the Church, I’m not making a statement of doctrine or dogma, I’m writing an essay which only points in a direction. The only approval I would seek from the Church is that what I’m writing would not lead a person into sin. It’s not about truthfulness, that’s a different conversation. I am making observations and drawing conclusions. From this point of view, truth is an inflated ego statement from a position of right or wrong. I’m only looking for what is pointing to the truth, not a statement of truth.  Jesus came for the sinful not the righteous, so the conclusion is, those of us who are “undeserving” are paradoxically more deserving of His love, forgiveness, comfort and aid. I am asking you to stop and examine these questions for yourself. Are you grateful for all your blessings and your gifts? Do you constantly thank God for His goodness, His grace…….of course you do…….so the conclusion is…….it’s not who you are, it’s Who He is. So, what’s the height of paradox……”it is what it isn’t”. If you see yourself as unworthy and God sees you as worthy, then the conclusion is, you are putting yourself ahead of God.  If God is for sure and for certain, the what might be, is for sure. Your hope is for what you pray for; your hope is for what could be…not so with God. He is for sure and for certain… God hopes the people who need the most help. Your mission, in our ego driven world, is to help the people who need hope.

Looking In and Looking Through

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I have often spoke and written about paradox, why I think it is meaningful, and how we can use it to better understand our beautiful Catholicism. Just as allegory in the biblical world becomes a metaphor, in the same manner, paradox becomes an analogy. The mystery of our faith demands we understand what it means when we say both these, and this also. Two contradictory elements which are in themselves complementary demonstrates the mystery. As Catholics, we are forced to the conclusion that problems have a definitive answer and mysteries do not. We revere the mystery just as wise people seek out problems because they need their gifts. Jesus’ answers were frequently, better questions. His answers were often outside the parameters of the question. He spoke in parables and morality stories using the locations and audiences as His scenery.  All of this, in an effort to direct His followers to go beyond their thinking and into a mental imagery inspired by His revolutionary message.

Jesus lived in a world of unending matrix. Nothing wasted, nothing without meaning. Nothing going unnoticed. His followers spoke of Him as the corner-stone, and He was the keystone in the archway between worldly and divine. How many times do we hear Jesus asking His disciples to go beyond themselves, out of the practical world of this and that, and into the world of the greatest paradox of all? There He stood in front of them as entity and singularity, the physical precursor of the Trinity.  He is both these and this also. In our image and likeness of Him, we express the psychological, the philosophical and the worldly. He expresses all of these worldly attributes and He is ecclesial, spiritual and  mystical.  

So, where do we go from here? I say we go to His Church, into the building, where we find the physical and definitive expression of the Real Presence. We enter into the liturgy and sacraments, where the practical meets the transcendental; where the visible meets the mystical; where the signs and symbols meet the fruit; where we can become the cause and the effect, His mystical body,  His hands and feet.