Sunday after Ascension 12.5.13 Whose God?
Our Lord refers to probable persecution for those who follow Him. He predicts that those who persecute us will think that they are doing a good deed, ridding the world of error and trouble.
Is this not exactly the way atheists talk these days: that religion, and in particular the Catholic religion, is the very worst thing in the world and the source of most of the world’s evils?
There is much confusion abroad today as to what is the Truth, or where is the source of truth.
A lot of people just do not know what the truth is anymore, there being so many religions and points of view to choose from. They do not know their left hand from their right, or which way is up.
It is a relief to know that there is a way out of all this confusion: that, as we say in the Creed: Credo in unum Deum... I believe in ONE God, and only one. One is enough, and one is all there is.
A woman who supports ‘gay marriage’ wrote in the local paper that as far as religious arguments go, she hoped that any god believed in by people would be open to gay marriage.
A man once debated with me about abortion and he said he believed in abortion and also in God, only that his ‘god’ was pro-choice.
The assumption is that each one of us has our own ‘god’ as though we have the freedom to choose, like going to the shop to choose which things to buy.
‘My god’ says this: ‘your god’ says the opposite. Whose god is right? This is subjectivism gone mad.
We can cut through all this: Credo in Unum Deum! There IS only one God. Not because we happen to think so, but because it is objective reality.
It is not as though we have any choice as though we ‘prefer’ one god to the next. There is only one to pick from.
Indeed we can come to be glad that He does exist and He is the way He is, but it is entirely out of our hands to determine these matters. God is what He is regardless of our belief or approval.
This clarity makes it easier to know right from wrong. It all comes from God – reality itself, and any rules relating to it. It all must be referred to Him ultimately. There is no alternative way of looking at things, at least no true way. If we disregard Him we will reap a lot of trouble - and that we have already done.
Fortunately part of this one God’s nature is that He is merciful. He is slow to anger and rich in mercy (Ps 102,8). Just as well for all those who deny Him! But there will come a time when time runs out.
When we, as the Church, say to the world: you can't do this or that action (such as same-sex ‘marriage’) we are not saying these things for our own amusement or to hurt anyone’s feelings. We are simply saying what is what according to the God who made us, and keeps the whole universe in being.
It is not my God but THE God.
Meanwhile we will cop flak but at least let us be clear where we stand and why we continue to hold our beliefs.
We hold them because they are true and they appeal to reason as well as faith, but in any case there is no one else, nowhere else to go.
We will come to like whatever we do not yet understand. The one God is infinitely good; the more we know of Him the clearer everything else will become.
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