“You have done many things for us, O LORD our God; there is no one like you! You have made many wonderful plans for us. I could never speak of them all their number is so great!1”. “God is the one who made the mountains and created the winds. He makes his thoughts known to people; he changes day into night. He walks on the heights of the earth. This is the LORD God Almighty!2”. “How great are God’s riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge: who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? As the scripture says: [who Know the mind of the LORD? Who is able to give him advice? Who has ever given him anything, so that he had to pay it back?] For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory for ever! Amen3”.
The magnificence with which the holy scriptures allow us to glimpse through a series of miraculous and prophetic episodes the manifest signs of the saving omnipresence of a God without origin and without end who is not disconnected from the daily concerns of the human race constitutes a sufficient proof to justify the fact that the best way to benefit from the unfathomable goodness of God's love is to consider oneself from the start as an individual who knows nothing, but who nevertheless believes in the existence of a God who can do everything, but whose extent of omnipotence we can only measure or fully understand by letting Him help us to know Him better. In other words, We believe that God exists; but since by ourselves alone we are incapable of knowing Him better, We make the free choice to trust Him so that He helps us to believe in Him better; that is to say, not to limit ourselves to one blind faith, but combine faith and reason, because if in fact “faith allows access to truths which exceed the capacities of reason, reason allows us to understand the truths accessible by faith. Thus, faith and reason can mutually enrich each other to allow us to access a more complete truth.”
Believing therefore does not mean not doubting but rather adhering first of all on the basis of a truthful testimony, and seeking to understand better subsequently thanks to our reason. And if criticism is also appropriate in this case, it is not a question of criticizing for the sake of criticizing; that is to say, denigrating and inciting the rejection of the faith as it is experienced and practiced by certain people, but criticize to better understand, and contribute to the deepening of our faith and that of others, by placing oneself in a particular context.
Confidence in matters of faith
Some people have made a habit of saying that the assertions of others regarding certain questions of faith are erroneous or even false, because according to them, these assertions or certainties are not supported by any biblical references. And when we question this source, we realize that it has a spiritual dimension which is expressed in an incalculable number of ways which in most cases have nothing to do with the fruit of perverse, shameful and hypocritical behaviours which characterize human beings. Although Men can mislead others, God remains faithful despite everything and it is in this sense that faith implies trust. But trust in Who? In God obviously, by conforming our ways of living to His word. And what is the word of God? It is everything which contributes or which is implemented by the force of the Holy Spirit of God with a view to extending His reign of love on earth, through the different means of expression emanating from the particular relationship which exists between God and each religious sensibility in general and Christian in particular.
Trust is therefore necessary in matters of faith, because He who gave everything to Mens cannot deceive them. “If we are not faithful, he remains faithful, because he cannot be false to himself.”4 He will always do everything possible so that those who believe in Him will never regret having made Him the priority of their life. But confidence does not exclude reasoning. Choosing to put your trust in God requires a lot of patience and discernment, so as not to remain in uncertainty or tossed between certainties and contradictory points of view. Trusting God means listening to everyone and remaining faithful to your convictions if you are certain that you are on the right path. It is building one's opinions on one or more proven truths, and not on harmful influences who have only partial knowledge of a truth of faith that they ignore, or that they have not had the grace to understand. In other words, Men freedom must be able to lead Him to build a personal relationship with God so as not to blindly believe in what we propose Him to believe, but to experience by Himself, through palpable facts, the wonders of God's love in what one propose Him to believe.
To each his own graces: the case of the Assumption of The Most Holy Virgin Mary
Religious freedom as it is understood by most of our contemporary societies is an extension of article 10 of the Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens of 1789 which consecrates freedom of opinion and religious freedom. It is a right to belong to a religion of one's choice, while freely choosing to strengthen one's personal relationship with God, by having recourse to the multiple means of sanctification that the religious obedience to which we have chosen belonging offers us.
All religions agree that in religious matters no one should be forced. It is in the exercise of this reasoned freedom that each person's grace is found, or better yet, a particular grace which, despite the divergent points of view it arouses, will always remain a proof of love for those who do the free choice to believe. Anyone who believes that Mary was truly elevated to heaven, freely adheres to the faith of the Church. And what is the Church? In the broad sense, taking into account all Christian sensitivities, She is as the Apostle Saint Peter says: “the chosen race, the king’s priests, the holy nation, God’s own people.”5 In other words, it is a universal community of saints for whom Jesus Christ is Lord. In a particular sense which can be Protestant, evangelical, but which is intended to be Roman Catholic in the context of this communication, the Church is the whole formed by Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Pope, the Bishops, the priests, religious, deacons, and the lay faithful in particular their daily experience in prayer, which is of great importance in the progression of faith and discernment.
If we can consider that the fact that Jesus said to Mary “He is your son6” and to John “She is your mother6” would mean that we can resort to the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the fact that she was raised to heaven is more a matter of personal relationship in faith, than of written proof. But that doesn't mean there isn't written evidence. To better understand the present (the New Testament), we must always question, know, and understand the past (the Old Testament). Indeed, the Most Holy Virgin Mary had the grace to give birth to the saviour of the world. His name is Jesus, the (anointed) Christ, the word who became flesh. He is tangible proof of a faithful God who is always at the heart of the joyful and painful daily life of each Men. He is “Immanuel”7. He IS THE WORD OF GOD, and the Most Holy Virgin Mary had the grace to carry it in her womb.
But even if it is by questioning history that we can succeed in having answers to the questions we ask ourselves, for the children of God and Christians in particular, we do not refer to "history for the pleasure in making known the past, but to testify to the fidelity of God towards his people, to make known his will and to thus prepare men to welcome the grace of his salvation. As such, every biblical story is prophetic. » God had planned to fill a virgin with grace not only to bring into the world "the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world8", but also to make her the Co-redeemer, the Holy Mother of God as decreed by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431 and finally, the one which those who make the free choice to resort to intercession, will have the grace to know better.
History tells us that “David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the covenant box to the place he had prepared for it.”9 What did this box contain? “There was nothing inside the covenant box except the two stone tablets which Moses had placed there at mount Sinai, when the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.10 » It (the covenant box) contained the tablets of the law, that is to say, the word of God. And what happened to the covenant box of the old covenant between Yahweh and the people of Israel? “On the seventh day of the fifth month of nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the King and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem. He burnt down the Temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people of Jerusalem, and his soldiers tore down the city walls.11 " This happened so that several prophecies would be fulfilled: First, when his anger will appease, He will bring His people back to Jerusalem, after “seventy years”12 of captivities in Babylonia; and like the scripture says, “People will no longer talk about my covenant box. They will no longer think about it or remember it; they will not even need it, nor will make another one.13 » Why? Because secondly, “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the covenant box was seen there.”14 The fulfilment of the final covenant with God was in gestation phase. She started to become more concrete perhaps according to Saint Matthew, 14 generations later after the return from exile with the birth of Christ, plus thirty or thirty three more years with the sacrifice of Christ on a “cross 15”. The covenant box would therefore have reappeared hundreds of centuries later, in the person of She who have carry within Her bosom for 9 months, the word of God with a view to the realization of the definitive alliance of God with His people16.
God mysteriously raised the covenant box into heaven because He wanted to build a New Jerusalem. “When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called the [Throne of the Lord], and all nations will gather there to worship me. they will no longer do what their stubborn and evil hearts tell them.17 » Those who choose to accept Christ in their lives as Lord are part of the renovated Jerusalem; that is to say, the new people of God saved, not by law, but by faith in the word of God which the Most Holy Virgin Mary had the grace to carry within Her, and which God raised once more mysteriously to heaven, so that those who adhere to the faith of the Church have the grace of a good death because “The first heaven and the first earth disappeared18”. Nothing is impossible anymore for those who believe and who show a real desire for change. God Himself “will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.19”
The Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary is a prefiguration of that of all those who believe that She was truly raised body and soul into heaven by the Lord. The Most Holy Virgin Mary is a model of life and faith for all those who make the free choice to follow Christ and to resort to his intercession not only to lead despite everything a life of holiness, but also resurrected with a body of glory the gold of their second regeneration, that is to say, their own resurrection.
Even if some people can rightly say that to believe is to doubt, it must still be clarified that in matters of faith, and particularly in this specific case of the Assumption, the Church believes because over the centuries, She discerned to finally arrive at the certainty that Mary, the “Immaculate Conception” as Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854, was truly elevated to heaven by the Lord. And it is because She is totally convinced of it that She asks Her faithful to believe or not in this same certainty, in order to experience more in their lives, the benefits of Christ through Mary. In other words, the fruits of prayer in the life of faith of the different members who play a great role in the adoption of a dogma. This is why we cannot see or more precisely, not have seen Mary being raised to heaven by the Lord, but believe, because the Church, through the various charisms of its multiple members, Has seen and is sure of what She proclaims because She took the time to discern. Field investigations to collect tangible evidence always precede an official declaration from the Pope. Thanks to His charisma that is to say His Infallibility which was conferred to Him by the first Vatican Council, He has the possibility of making ex cathedra declarations, that is to say, an act accomplished as vicar of Jesus Christ, and infallible pastor of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Church, through its official voice, will never suggest to its faithful to believe in what She does not believe in, or believe in what She is not sure of. The Pope's ex cathedra statements particularly regarding matters of faith will always be the result of a long process of discernment which will always include and require the daily prayerful experiences of all members of the Church. This is why we cannot see but believe, because the Church, thanks to the various charisms of its multiple members, sees and is sure of what She proclaims. It is a privilege granted only to a community of priests, prophets and kings who belong to a Church which has a special and all-powerful relationship with Christ.
The God-Men relationship and the fruits of a holy mystery graspable only by God's elect
He who does not seek the paths of righteousness in daily life will never be able to love God as he should. He will pretend to love someone he may not know. He will proclaim a truth without conviction. He will limit himself to words which are ultimately not in harmony with his innermost being or the desires of his heart.
Beyond words or speech, there is the impulse of the Holy Spirit which vivifies and illuminates the spirit of those who believe, thus allowing them to put it into practice on a daily basis. It is the special relationship of trust that exists between God and people in general and Christians in particular which helps them to be witnesses of His love in their environment. A good parent, for example, always wants what is best for all his children. He will not abandon one to satisfy only others. Even if he loves one more than others, he will always do everything possible to guarantee each of his children a bright future. A child may not be able to know the content of his father's love for him, but by being satisfied with the love that his parent provides him, he knows that he loves him. But the lack of love of a father towards his son or the lack of love around Us does not take away from the fact that God loves Us. He is not content with satisfying a minority but always seeks the happiness of everyone, because He always has plans for prosperity for all those who choose to trust Him, not by adopting immorals means. It is therefore important to note that if everyone is free to choose a model, it would be better to ask first whether the work of this model really contributes to the expansion of the reign of God lovein general, and of Christ in particular, or rather to that of darkness, so as not to become an innocent and perhaps unconscious victim of the calamities that surround us.
Following Christ does not mean adhering to just any trend. Saint Paul recommends not conform ourselves “to the standards of this world”20. To follow Christ is to seek to strengthen ourselves on a daily basis in Him (Christ), thanks to what the Church offers us to believe. If proof is extremely important in a relationship of faith, it is by first making the firm resolution to walk daily with Christ that He will allow us to have the answers to the questions we ask ourselves.
In addition to having a conscience, Men also has the ability to differentiate between good and evil or to discern right from wrong. But this ability to reason which is necessary to better believe or be comforted in our choice to follow Christ in a particular Church, must not be an opportunity to treat with contempt a privilege of which we have not had the grace to know or to understand.
Faith is a matter of choice. It is the tangible consequence of a favourable response to a call from God. So, to be content with seeing before believing, we must first respond to a call after listening to the word of God, then take the risk of believing without having seen, or refrain from making blasphemous remarks on subjects which we do not master or which we have not had the grace to understand and even less to see concretely.
The apostles witnessed the resurrection of Christ because they had a special relationship with Him. The Pharisees and teachers of the law who were also children of God forbade them from proclaiming this truth of faith because they did not have the same grace. They (the Pharisees) did not have concrete signs of this victory over death, not only because their hearts were hardened, but above all because God through Christ had already made the choice of those who would be the precursors of the announcement of this Wisdom or good news in the world. It is thanks to the privileges that God through Christ granted to His disciples that Thomas has had the privilege of seeing before believe. He was one of God's chosen ones.
The ongoing quest for truth through faith and reason
Believing in God does not mean not seeking to know Him better in a particular context by using reason. A critical Men can also be a Men of Faith with this precision that, it is a Men who does not only take pleasure in criticizing but who criticizes with the aim of understanding in order to believe better because as the Hebrew version of these words of the prophet Isaiah says: “If your faith is not enduring, you will not endure 21”. In other words, as Saint Augustine explained: “Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe in order to understand, because if you do not believe, you will not understand”
Basically like Socrates in Plato's Apology, “if I know nothing, I don't believe I know either. » In other words, since I consider myself ignorant, I prefer to confess my ignorance by doing additional research in order to better understand what I think I understand, because as a Japanese proverb says: “He who confesses his ignorance shows it once; whoever tries to hide it shows it several times. » In other words, “recognition of one's ignorance and the search for knowledge are the first steps towards success. »
Children of God in general and Christians in particular are nothing without God. He is the only one who knows all the truth and the only one who can, through the power of His Holy Spirit, allow people to learn to know and understand Him better. For Catholic Christians in particular, these words inspired and attributed to this Greek philosopher of the 5th century BC would mean this: trust the teachings of the Church to believe better, because “there is an organic link between our spiritual life and dogmas. Dogmas are the lights on the path of our faith, they illuminate it and make it safer. Conversely, if our life is right, our intelligence and our heart will be open to welcome the light of the dogmas of faith (Cf. John 8, 31-32)”
To be a Men of Faith is to be aware of the fact that there were other Mens of Faith before Us who shared their testimonies with others, so that they could be in communion with them. At the base there is already something that exists and to which we are called to adhere freely, not only because we have seen something, but because this trustworthy testimony which allows us to become Men of faith, is the means by which we will have the opportunity to better know Him in whom we have placed our trust. Doubt is not bad in itself; it is the persistent doubt about a truth of faith without however making an effort of understanding in order to fully adhere to the doctrines advocated by a Church to which we have freely chosen to belong which can lead us to become bad to the point of lose faith, and constantly say bad things about what we had the grace to understand, but which we freely chose to denigrate with inappropriate remarks which attest to an ignorance which is not only not aware of its own ignorance, and also failed to demonstrate patience to better understand and take advantage not of the demeaning points of view, but rather of the goodness contained in one or more mysteries of faith emanating from the Holy Spirit of God. The constant search for truth to free ourselves from error and lies conveyed on certain digital platforms by certain people of bad morals is a necessity which should not, however, make us forget that although questions of faith require constant recourse reason to believe better, there are however limits that it is preferable not to cross.
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Children of God in general and Christians in particular are nothing without God. He is the only one who knows all the truth and the only one who can, through the power of His Holy Spirit, allow people to learn to know and understand Him better. Illustration image Pixabay
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