![]() This same principle applies to all God-given human powers. The overall point, then, is that the mind can be recruited to “rationally” explain any number of “realities.” And it can be used for sacred or profane purposes, or anywhere in-between. And because the Christian believes and experiences God as real, certain understandings necessarily flow from that fact. To a Christian, of course, that “projection” is not a made up psychological defense, but the real God. As Freud famously argued, a primitive humanity needed a parental figure in order to cope with the unexplained uncertainties and mysteries of life. God for the secular scientist may be appear as but a mere projection of the human mind. Any appeal to the transcendent is by definition rejected. To a hardnosed, atheistic scientist, for instance, the “facts” are what can be known through the 5 senses. It all depends on our frame of reference, how we experience life. What is a fact to one person may seem ridiculous to another. To put it another way, there is reason and there is reason. And if the apprehender has had no acquaintance with the Spirit, his or her mind necessarily will be working on an entirely different level, with a different set of “facts.” The mind can only categorize and classify information available to the apprehender. Knowledge of divine things, in other words, cannot be apprehended without an experience of the divine, the Other, the transcendent, the supernatural. Rather, his point was that faith cannot be apprehended by rational or scientific inquiry alone.īelieving comes first, then understanding. Anselm was not arguing that Christians needn’t bother with understanding things (in lieu of a blind faith). That immediately brought to mind the famous motto, “Faith seeking understanding.” What I hadn’t realized, until I looked it up, was that it was the very same man, Anselm, who had authored this similar paradoxical statement. It read as follows: “I do not seek to understand in order to believe. Anselm, the 11 th century Archbishop of Canterbury. This past week, at our monthly diaconate meeting, Lynn Bitzer passed out a quote from St. You never know where you’ll find sermon material. From Broken to Blest is now available on Amazon and Barnes at Noble in print, Nook & Kindle versions.Preaching Text: “Now eight days after these saying Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.” (Luke 9:28) Gill, RN, BSN, ABDA is the author of 3 books including "From Broken to Blest: Embracing the Healing that Awaits You," written with Dr. That's why God sent Jesus to be with us - all of humanity - to hold our hand and trust Him through the storms we all encounter and lead us into eternal life.Ĭhaplain Adele M. He wants us to trust Him with all our being in every situation. Yet, God sees our efforts and hears our anguished cries. Though we are striving souls focused on doing God's Will, we all fall short. We all have the potential to be righteous - it is a choice we make. To become a righteous person in the eyes of God, we simply need to keep on trying to discern and follow His Will. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful." James 5:16 This is not relegated to a few - it is a great privilege we all have whenever we venture into prayer. However, each of us is capable of praying and having our prayers heard and answered. For the Bible tells us in Matthew 18:19: "Amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father." When you turn to your 'praying friends' or family to prayerfully intercede for you on your behalf, you will certainly be blessed. Sometimes we all need divine intervention, and there is great relief to be found in prayer as we hand the situation to Jesus, giving Him control. Relationships are restored, doors are opened, people are strengthened, comforted, protected, healed through God's abundant supply, as He cares for all our needs in His own special time and way. ![]() So what can we do about that which is beyond our control? How can we maintain and restore balance, peace and joy in our lives in times of adversity, against all odds? One vitally important way is through prayer as prayer changes things. Whenever we pray and ask for Jesus' help, it is always a powerful experience whether we pray with others, have them pray for us, or we pray for ourselves.Īll of us have times have infirmity, worry, anxiety, sadness, and fear. Though it is truly a blessing to have people to pray for us, it is important as Christians to recognize that each of us has equal access to God through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Keywords: Catholic, Catholic Online, Christian, Christianity, Jesus
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