Highlight:
(1)Ur life is span from BIRTH to DEATH. How to analyze Ur life?. How U came to this world?what is the purpose of Ur life? Why Ur life change from baby to old?. Why world is changing?.
(2) Why U say, Theology, philosophy and science explain,same truth of life with different strategies?.why they examine the world in different angles?
(3)Why john Gospel gives so many I AM statements? Ex:{I am who I am. I am the bread of life/ I am the light of the world/I am the gate of the sheep/ I am the good shepard/ I am resurrection and the life/ I am the way and the truth and life/ I am the true wine}.Is Catholicism philosophical religion?
(4)Can U really know,why other person is acting like that? Can U read his mind? Do U know what is happening inside Ur body, when U eat?. Who knows all those things God or U
(5)Philosophy wants to know "why Ur here" what is Ur answer?
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Reflection for 2nd April 2017, celebrating 5th Sunday mass of lent season,of cycle 1. Church invite us to analyze, major characteristics of Christianity: it is not based on cause and effect but based on accepting God's creation and following God's will to lead a happy life!.
What do you mean by philosophy?
Philosophy wants to know, why you are here?
Let us analyze few answers
Some says, I am living because my wife and children or some other says, I am living to do good things to the society and so on many answers. Is it really the answer?. Why you are here, TO LEAD YOUR LIFE HAPPILY. When your wife or children is not behaving according to the way you think, you become unhappy or when the society is not behaving the way that you want you become unhappy. Why you get frustrated? Because you cannot read the other person mind: because you don't know that 100% output of your action.
Then how to lead a happy life?
So many unknown things are there in your living society. You don't know, what your wife think or what your children think or what your friend really think about you. On the other hand you don't know what is happening inside your body?.you don't know how much cells die and form new cells in your body every day!.
on the other hand, you experience in your life,occurrence of logically unexplainable things . How you came to this position today? How you get your beautiful child? How you get your wealth or health! HOW YOU CAME FROM YOUR PARENTS? You don't know 100%.
Why?
God has created this world with many uncertainties. For example can you control climate?
Try to understand, that you have limited knowledge with no power. You become powerful, when you develop physical + mental, energies within yourself. You have to fill water into jars. Can you fill it alone? Not at all. First your parents have supported you to become an adult. Your relations have supported you to enjoy your child life. Even to day you cannot live alone, you need the support of many humans for you to live. In an uncertain environment, you are powerless and you become powerful when you other humans carry out your instructions. In actuality you are powerless, you cannot kill a worm in your stomach. So powerful means how much you can exert presure on others.
(1)in life you will have many unknown things-
ex:why you cannot walk in moon?(Earth gravity)/U see bulb light but U cannot see the flow of current
(2)when you study you will get to know the reasons
(3)similarly in your life,you cannot do many things without the support of others-you cannot do a surgery for your illness by yourself
(4)to study about your life,U should know THEOLOGY(faith/Who created U),PHILOSOPY(human reasons/why Ur here))& SCIENCE(test & results/why is it)).All 3 provide truths,with different angles(5)but the common answer which match all 3 is'God has created U to lead a happy life,by following HIS will'
(6)to follow HIS will, practice 7 ethics
(7)practical answer for'why Ur here is to carry God's will.
Who is God. Characteristic of God is that HE is omni presence,i.e Presence every where at the same time;omni scent ie knowing every thing and having unlimited understanding.
and omnipotence: ie HE is having unlimited power and authority.
We believe God is having all thee 3 characteristics Omni presence,omni cent and omnipotence. Every person in this world has realized presence of God, in their life at certain times.
How to analyze life?
To know about any subject, you have analyse, with many angles!. Why God has not revealed Himself with one Gospel, HE has revealed with 4 gospels. Why chuch has accepted these 4 gospelS are enough for us to analye Jesus life in vArious angles.
Even modern management methods, where you deploy data mining or datA visualization is showing us the same path. Medical biopsies also use the same pattern. They take a sample flesh or liquid from your body and analyze by various test to find out whether there any problems in your body. Similarly, you might have analyze your life with various angles. These angles are normally called philosophy, theology and science.
Philosophy is based on human reason,where as theology is based on faith,science is based on observation & experiments!.All 3 provide you valid truths of your life,but each one has different strategy. They examine same world/universe but from separate angles.
Science try to answer 'what is it?&how does it work?,Philosophy wants to know 'why is it?Or why are we here? Theology looks 'Who created?"So there are 3 levels of truths! to examine same reality-Life&Death-but from different starting points!.To get full knowledge all 3 needs to know,keeping in mind that
You know that you cannot decide 100% outcome for your action or you cannot decide your parents for your birth- only God knows.
That is why,Gospel gives grand array(12)of I AM SENTENCES/ex I am the way,& the truth& the life Jn14:6. many more. Altogether, they give a resounding reminder that we believe FIRST OF ALL IN PERSON,(God),not in a PHILOSOPHY.
It Summarizes: the question of Why we are here? To follow God's will. God has promised happiness for those who are following HIS WILL.
Today's readings:
Prop Ezieiel says(EzK37:12-14)"I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live"
Paul says to RomAns(Rm 8:8-11)"The spirit of HIM who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you"
Jn 11:1-45) says" I am the resurrection and the life"
Reflection: john's Gospel puts before the believer a grand array of I Am sentences. rooted in the name of God in exodus 3:14. I am who I am. I am the bread of life(Jn 6;35,48,51) I am the light of the world(jn 8:12;9:5). I am the gate of the sheep(Jn 10:7,9) I am the good shepard(Jn10:11,14) I am resurrection and the life (Jn 11:25) I am the way and the truth and life(Jn 14:6). I am the true wine(Jn 15:1,5). Altogether they constitute a resounding reminder that we believe first of all in a person Not in a philosophy.
Today Gospel gives us to analyze the basic answer to the philosophical question "why you are here". If you realize that God created you to lead a happy life, then try to search for what HE has asked you to follow. When you follow 7 ethics of Catholicism, you follow what HE has asked you to do. Then you convert your trust to faith with HIM. Then you can enjoy your life, as promised by HIM. When you forget God, due to mAny uncertainties in your life, one day you get frustrated. Then you think life is suffering. You think that you have to finish this life quickly but practically you want to extend it. So your life become contradictory.
In conclusion: today church invite you to analyze the very basic foundation of Christian life ie who created you! And uncertainties of your life, within yourself and outside to you. What is the best method to achieve happiness in this life?: when you forget to answer the philosophical question: when you deviate from God, you become frustrated about your life very quickly. Then you think life is sorrow. Which contradict with your main Goal of life Happiness!.
When you lead a worried life, without handing over such worried, your stress will go up and you become sick. So today thru' 12 I statement of Gospel, church invite you to be clear about the difference between philosophical religions to God fearing religions.
Catholism gives very specific philosophical answer for why Ur living?. To carry out God's will. To do know who is God?, how HE has revealed HIMSELF to US?.1st U should be aware 7 ethics(what HE has asked to do?),then practice it: searching any answers for this question is like U try to walk in moon. U cannot walk, one day U'll be frustrated. God guareenteed happiness,those who follow HIM. God is omni potence,Omni presence & omni scent. No other person can be defined as God.(Don't treat Ur parents/teachers as God & worship them, but RESPECT them)
Thank you!
God Bless you!
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