Is Christianity a religion or a lifestyle? A religion! (IV): Closing
-----continuing
Dearest brothers and sisters.
This is our religion, our binding together, our union with God: Christianity. It is in Christianity that God came down and became man, and unites man to Himself, so that man might experience the very Life of God. And this is the very Life of God: Love.
He, then, gives us the "pledge" or "first fruits" of our inheritance: the very life of the Holy Trinity, which is to love as "God [has] loved us."127 This love (the "charity" of 1 Cor 13) is the source of the new life in Christ, made possible because we have received "power" from the Holy Spirit.128
(CCC 735)
I have much to say but I guess we all can begin to see the richness of our Christian religion. It is sad to hear christians saying that we do not need sacraments, we do not need prayer, we do not need to read the bible, and what we need is to be good only. We are trying to be good away from the source of All Goodness, God.
Only when we see ourselves in union with God and in our neighbor, then we will be like God who is good and loving. And the richness of Christianity shows this union in many things, all the sacraments help us to "enter", "remain" and "grow" in this union of Love.
In Baptism we are united into Christ, and into His Body. And only in this Union can we understand why the Church is the Body of Christ, why St. Paul said that we are all one, we must have the same mind and the same heart.
This is also the reason why Christ gave the power to the Church to forgive sins. Because we keep on breaking the Union and in the sacrament of Reconciliation we are United back in the Life of God.
No wonder the Christianity respects Marriage very much. We see Marriage as a symbol of Christ Union with His Church. And this Holy Sacrament of Matrimony Unites man and woman. Only in this light we will understand why God created Man and Woman: so that they may become One.
Only in this Union we can see why is it necessary for us to receive Holy common-Union every Sunday. In this Holy Sacrament, we are united fully in Christ and in His Body, the Church. No wonder the Eucharist is called the source and the summit of Christian Life.
This is our religion, Christianity. And through all these sacraments we are in union with the Very Life of God. And when we are sharing the very Life of God, we will begin to Love as God has loved us, for God is Love.
This is the will of God, so that we may have our Happiness, our desire, that is a union of Love. What are we looking for in Life if not Love? In God alone we will find our happiness, and in this union with God and with His people we will find our heart's desire: Love.
For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
(Eph 1:9-10)
Our hearts are made for You, O Lord, and it will not rest until it rests in You
-St. Augustine-
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam
-For the greater Glory of God-
your brother in His love,
oka
Dearest brothers and sisters.
This is our religion, our binding together, our union with God: Christianity. It is in Christianity that God came down and became man, and unites man to Himself, so that man might experience the very Life of God. And this is the very Life of God: Love.
He, then, gives us the "pledge" or "first fruits" of our inheritance: the very life of the Holy Trinity, which is to love as "God [has] loved us."127 This love (the "charity" of 1 Cor 13) is the source of the new life in Christ, made possible because we have received "power" from the Holy Spirit.128
(CCC 735)
I have much to say but I guess we all can begin to see the richness of our Christian religion. It is sad to hear christians saying that we do not need sacraments, we do not need prayer, we do not need to read the bible, and what we need is to be good only. We are trying to be good away from the source of All Goodness, God.
Only when we see ourselves in union with God and in our neighbor, then we will be like God who is good and loving. And the richness of Christianity shows this union in many things, all the sacraments help us to "enter", "remain" and "grow" in this union of Love.
In Baptism we are united into Christ, and into His Body. And only in this Union can we understand why the Church is the Body of Christ, why St. Paul said that we are all one, we must have the same mind and the same heart.
This is also the reason why Christ gave the power to the Church to forgive sins. Because we keep on breaking the Union and in the sacrament of Reconciliation we are United back in the Life of God.
No wonder the Christianity respects Marriage very much. We see Marriage as a symbol of Christ Union with His Church. And this Holy Sacrament of Matrimony Unites man and woman. Only in this light we will understand why God created Man and Woman: so that they may become One.
Only in this Union we can see why is it necessary for us to receive Holy common-Union every Sunday. In this Holy Sacrament, we are united fully in Christ and in His Body, the Church. No wonder the Eucharist is called the source and the summit of Christian Life.
This is our religion, Christianity. And through all these sacraments we are in union with the Very Life of God. And when we are sharing the very Life of God, we will begin to Love as God has loved us, for God is Love.
This is the will of God, so that we may have our Happiness, our desire, that is a union of Love. What are we looking for in Life if not Love? In God alone we will find our happiness, and in this union with God and with His people we will find our heart's desire: Love.
For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
(Eph 1:9-10)
Our hearts are made for You, O Lord, and it will not rest until it rests in You
-St. Augustine-
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam
-For the greater Glory of God-
your brother in His love,
oka
posted by Oka | 6:59 pm
2 Comments:
Bravoo!! Very well written and deep! Praise be to Jesus!
Any specific book(s) you read about this? I would love to read more..
Much of what you said in the final installment echoes the words of our Holy Father Benedict XVI in his inaugural encyclical Deus est Caritas.
Follow the link
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
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