Where was God? and the answer that drives me nuts...

There have been several tragedies in the last few days. The Boston marathon bombings, the explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas, the shooting of an MIT campus security officer... the list goes on.  As usual when things like this happen it is common for people to ask "where is God?", "why did he let this happen?".  And if they are not asking that question they are answering it, most often with things like this:

source: internet quotes

This really bothered me. If you want to say we have lessons to learn and can learn from the difficulties and tragedies that occur, ok - I get that... but to say that God ALLOWS these things to happen for HIS purpose? That makes no sense.

I am not a theologian, I'm no expert, but there is a clear distinction between God allowing things to happen for His purpose, and God using the wickedness of others for Good in the end. You see, the difference is 'free-will'.  We are not puppets on a string, YES, God has a plan for each and every one of us, but he has only given us guidelines as to how to get to that plan. CLEAR GUIDELINES, but guidelines none the less. We must CHOOSE to follow those guidelines. God does not put up the barriers in our path, we do that to ourselves. God does not decide which events will take place or not, again people choose to do these things.

We can not have it both ways, we can't be both puppets on a string and have free will. 

So then we have to answer the question, "where is God?"   God is in the same place He always is - with us.
In Boston, God was with the man in the cowboy hat who jumped in with both feet to help and ended up holding a mans artery together with his fingers while they wheeled him to an ambulance.

source AP

God was standing next to the little boy who died, not because God called him, but because some mad man took his life way too soon. Still God was there, to comfort him and to take him in His arms.

God was there in each of the hearts of those first responders, in those who have done the searching since, in those who have been injured, and with those who died. If we believe in Him, he is with us as we go through our lives. When we ask God to help us, we get answers. Sometimes we don't hear the answers because we are looking through tunnel vision. God sees the big picture. He does LOVE us and wants the best for us. But we have to be open to HIS answers to HIS plan for us, not just the answers we want.

My camera, above Boulder

The other day I was having a bad day in my own household, I could have looked around right were I stood to find a solution, but I didn't, I threw a fit and drove off. When I got to where the road took me I ended up in the above spot. How easy it was to find God in that moment. But I opened my heart, I opened my eyes, and I realized I had done the wrong thing, God would have been just as evident if I'd stayed right were I was and opened my heart wide enough too.

God is with us, He does not let things happen for His purpose, but he uses the consequences of our free will choices to make a difference in this world - IF WE OPEN OURSELVES UP TO SEE IT. Again free will. If we walk around with our eyes closed to God we will miss Him, we will automatically be more susceptible to evil and vulnerable to the evil others will do.  It is OUR responsibility to go out into this world prepared, open and obedient to God.

"Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." -Ephesians 6:13-17

My prayers go out to all the families and victims of all those that have been affected by all of the recent events. Put your trust in God, place your faith directly in Him, and find peace.

 

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Communion as a political weapon?

I read two or three stories today about the Catholic church and it's over-reaching use of communion as a political weapon. Stunning. Because some Catholic leaders believe that if someone is supporting abortion and gay marriage (or any other thing that goes against the teaching of the Church), they should not receive communion. And the news media is calling this a political weapon...

NOT that my little corner of the blog world is going to change any of the tolerant left minds that have gone on the attack about this BUT I thought I would explain just exactly what it is about the Catholic faith that I LOVE, and at the same time try and explain how the mainstream media is very VERY wrong.

I love the Catholic Church because you always know where you stand. PERIOD. There are no wishy washy, rules or laws. The church has been pretty much what it is from the beginning. I don't mean to say that there have never been any wrongdoers in the leadership of the church that took some wrong actions, but the Church herself at it's foundation has not changed. And the rules are fairly simple.

As far as gay marriage, the Church does not 'hate' gays, nor do they tell them they are not welcome, in fact they very much welcome them. The church does tell gays that being sexual with another man or woman is not morally correct and that they should abstain from intimate behavior.

As far as abortion, it is murder and therefore against church teachings, so if you support gay marriage, and abortion you are acting against the moral code of the church. And since we are taught that communion is something we take with reverence and after confessing any mortal sin or to abstain if we are in a state of continual sin, then it makes perfect sense for the Church to ask members to abstain, or even refuse communion to those people.

It is not a political weapon, it is an act of faith and spiritual guidance and IF you are a member of any church you will get spiritual guidance from your leaders. THAT is what they are there for.

The political weapon comes in when a member of a congregation comes in, proclaims to be a follower of your faith, and then calls you a bigot when you expect them to REALLY FOLLOW.

Hint: If you are a member of a church and you disagree with one or more of the main teachings of said church it is your job to either A: bend to the faith of your church. or B: LEAVE! You see religion is not supposed to bend to you... the bible never said God was made in mans image, but that MAN was MADE in GOD'S image.

My church, My faith, My leaders - I love them all because I know just where I stand with them. I will never EVER be able to say the same about our political leaders.

 

A beautiful statue of Our Lord out front of our church.