Human Desire
What happens when you get something you desire?
Happiness; Rest; Satisfaction.
By giving us Himself / Revealing Himself to us
What is faith in general?
An act of the intellect and will saying 'yes' to something not seen or possessed.
What are the collective bare minimum bar statements for being Catholic called?
The Precepts of the Church
On its most fundamental level, what is Scripture?
God's word.
What are the two path we can take when in the face of a desire that is difficult to fulfill?
What are the two broadest categories of God's Revelation?
1) Creation and 2) Supernatural Self-Revelation
What is the relationship between trusting people and the things they say?
We trust the 'something' because we trust the 'someone'.
What are at least 2 lessons someone can learn from the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola?
Faith is 1) an all-in, total act 2) living it well is an ongoing process, or 3) faith is certain.
We understand nothing!
What does the experience of seeking contentment in food, for example, tell us if we soon after become hungry again?
Human desire is infinite.
What is the final and greatest form of God's self-revelation to us?
Jesus Christ.
What makes faith credible / reasonable?
Repeated evidence / experience pointing to the conclusion.
What are the four options for who Jesus Christ is for me and you?
Lunatic, Liar, Legend, and Lord.
Why does God reveal himself to us in ways we can understand?
Because he does it for us! There is no other purpose than to be with us and save us.
Are food, friendship, golf, etc. still real 'goods' in life if they do not totally satisfy human desire? How ought we think of them?
Yes, they are still good, only not enough!
What does the hemorrhaging woman want in this passage?
"As he went, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years, who [had spent her whole livelihood on doctors and] was unable to be cured by anyone, 44 came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 Jesus then asked, “Who touched me?” While all were denying it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are pushing and pressing in upon you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone has touched me; for I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she came forward trembling. Falling down before him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately. 48 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace.”"
What did St. Augustine mean when he said "I believe in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe" about faith in God?
What are the two steps someone has to make in order to follow Jesus?
First, learn who Jesus is and choose him above all else; and second, attempt to integrate everything else compatible with Him and leave behind everything incompatible.
How does Scripture fulfill one of man's infinite desires?
Man desires to hear the voice of God; in Scripture, God truly speaks to man.
What does John the Baptist want in this passage? "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 30 He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ 31 I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” 32 John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. 33 I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’ 34 Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
To make Jesus's identity / person known to the Israelites.
How does God fulfill Simon's desires in this passage? "While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9 For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, 10 and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him."
Simon wants to be worthy of God; Jesus brings him into His own mission of bringing people to God.
Give me a real example of how faith and reason seem to contradict (that is, an 'apparent contradiction') and then explain how they do not really contradict.
Heliocentrism; Genesis and Big Bang; Genesis and Evolution; etc.
What is at least one thing Mother Teresa's experience tells us about faith?
Mother Teresa wrote about her feelings of tenderness for Jesus being lost. She wondered what exactly she was leading others to because she couldn’t see it any longer. She had no words. She could only say “My God” in her prayer. Lesser souls would have given up. She did not. She continued in her desire to love God and she shared these thoughts with Fr. Neuner.
Fr. Neuner had a pragmatic response: desolation happens and there is no way for a human to fix it. He posited that the one suffering has to remember that God is in fact still present. He just feels as if he isn’t. He wrote, “The sure sign of God’s hidden presence in this darkness is the thirst for God…no one can long for God unless God is present in his/her heart.” The only way to respond is to surrender oneself to God and “accept the darkness in union with Jesus.”
1) We can always believe in God no matter our feelings (and He is truly always there); 2) perseverance is necessary for faith; etc.
Song of Songs: "Let me see your face, let me hear your voice."
1 Samuel 3:10: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
etc.