The Audacity of God
Piggy backing on my experience Saturday evening, I was more than eager to spend time with Him in Adoration on Sunday night. As I knelt before Him in the few, brief minutes that remained at the end of Youth group, I reflected on the previous nights encounter. My eyes adjusted to the dim light and I seemed to hyperfocus on the host. I said a few personal prayers, but what overwhelmed me is how outrageous this is that the God of the universe should come to us this way! I have some empathy for atheists. Our faith is almost too much to believe. It truly does require a gift of faith. Who could ever believe that an all powerful God would not only take on the form of a being He created, suffer the indignities of natural life, but the even greater torture and cruelty of death as a criminal. Not only that, but raised up, ascended to where He belongs, He chooses to return to us continually, in an even lower form! An object, created by a created being, and not just in the whole, but in the tiniest crumb, contains Him entirely. This is either a lie of the most outrageous kind, or it is true. I cannot fathom the full implications of this mystery, but my soul resounds that it is true!
” I have some empathy for atheists. Our faith is almost too much to believe. It truly does require a gift of faith. Who could ever believe that an all powerful God would not only take on the form of a being He created, suffer the indignities of natural life, but the even greater torture and cruelty of death as a criminal. ”
Absolutely. Amen.
Hello Bekah. It was the picture of Eucharistic Adoration on your post that caught my eye while browsing through blogs over lunchtime. I visit the Perpetual Adoration chapel near me when time allows and always leave refreshed and strengthened. You are right when you say that believing is a gift of faith, but what a gift it is! Drop by my blog sometime for a visit at http://8kidsandabusiness.wordpress.com I’d love to have you over.
8 kids, my husband and I have eight as well. I wish I could credit myself or my husband with this image, but it was a Google images find and I’m not sure who holds the copyright but I’d love to find out. The imagery is striking as Christ is superimposed over the priest, a visual representation of “in persona Christi.” Welcome to our blog! I’m so glad you found us.
I was in a discussion with an atheist once about the fact that, yes, I reaalllly do believe that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ.
It truly is a matter of faith to believe that, and when you’ve been Catholic your whole life and believed it your whole life, it can be easy to forget just how remarkable that must sound to someone else.
It was interesting that his thinking on the matter is that the teaching is a big conspiracy. It was all a big lie to promote perpetual membership (and I guess, line the Church’s bank account). He said “Seems pretty convenient that if you believe something like that, you could never bear to leave and go anywhere else.”
My response: “Perhaps God planned it that way on purpose.”
I received a “touche” on that one.
Thanks for sharing your audacious beliefs.
My response: “Perhaps God planned it that way on purpose.”
Perfect! I see from your blog that you are from Wisconsin. We’re practically neighbors. 🙂
Yep… Packer fan, Badger fan, grew up on a farm, love cheese… the whole nine yards.
My husband is the WI native. I’m just a transplant. Kinda like our relationship with the Church. LOL If you ever make the trip out to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, let us know and we’ll meet you there for Mass.
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