Dear Parishioners,
On many occasions, I have encountered someone who relates to
me a certain frustration about a family member or friend who left the Catholic faith for another religion, who
is no longer practicing the Catholic
faith in which he or she was baptized and/or who is simply indifferent to any
fundamental disparities among religions.
They will inevitably say something to me like: “I guess it’s okay, Father, as
long as they believe in God.”
While my intention here in this column is not to debate the
essential teachings of each particular faith or denomination—and I do agree that a person should believe in
God—the “God” that a person believes in is extremely important because Jesus told us that it is so.
Jesus reaffirmed the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures when
He referenced the book of Deuteronomy:
The broader passage to which Jesus referred speaks boldly
of the necessity of believing in the one,
true God:
Our Lord also says something quite important regarding our path to God:
“Jesus said to [Thomas], I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn. 14: 6)
Jesus “fulfilled” (cf. Mt. 5:17) a faith background (Judaism) in which its faithful followers were strict monotheists who believed that there was
only
one, true God. Christians take this a step further by professing that Jesus was the Incarnate Revelation of God
as His
Only, Begotten Son. And so, as Catholic
Christians we must believe in God as revealed to us by Jesus Himself. This is not negotiable. Any other “god” would be a “false
god.”
I am sure that many well-intentioned people are certainly
hoping for the best for their friends or relatives—hoping that, at the very minimum,
they believe in God in some way, shape or
form. However, God took the time to reveal Himself to us in the Person of Jesus. Settling for anything less than what
Jesus taught once we have the teaching
from God Himself is incomplete and, in many
circumstances, false.
When we profess our creed
at Mass (and at other times), think seriously
about its meaning and various implications.
Martyrs through the centuries
have given their lives so that our faith—in its fullness—could be passed on to
subsequent generations.
I believe in one God . . . . We say this for a reason.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
No comments:
Post a Comment