Quote of the Dei (# 2)

photo courtesy of Joep R.

“There are only three types of people;

those who have found God and serve him;

those who have not found God and seek him,

and those who live not seeking, or finding him.

The first are rational and happy;

the second unhappy and rational,

and the third foolish and unhappy.” 

- Blaise Pascal

Faith and Grace

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A recent survey reveals that around 90% of the scientists from the prestigious United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS) are either atheist or agnostic. I wonder why belief in God’s existence is rejected by today’s most brilliant minds. A few years back, one of the most successful entrepreneurs I know told me his reason for unbelief: “the problem with faith is that it has so many gray areas”. A sharper man I’ve never met, but I plainly can’t bring myself to agree with his logic; for me, faith simplifies and paints everything in black and white.

I remember a joke I heard: “It’s good that being smart is not necessary for salvation, otherwise we’d have to get a master’s degree to get into heaven”. Kidding aside, faith and reason are equally essential in the quest to know God. Pope John Paul II wrote: “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth”; we simply can’t hope to see God, hence Truth, without one or the other.

Discussing the correlation (or lack of) between intelligence and a/theism with a friend, I proudly shared my conclusion: “Faith is a gift”, only to be humbled seconds later by my friend’s: “Faith is not a gift but is rather a grace”. “The difference?” I asked. “A gift is something that can simply be given to anyone; grace is given only to those who ask for it.”  I couldn’t have been happier to be corrected.

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.” – Blaise Pascal

Footprints (by Mary Stevenson)

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One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Reference/s:
Footprints-inthe-Sand.com, 2003

The Problem of Problems: Non Serviam

photo courtesy of Thermos

 

“Indeed God has created man to be immortal in the likeness of his own nature, but the envy of the devil has brought death to the world, and those who stand with him shall experience death”
(Wisdom 2:23-24)

Who was the serpent, the tempter who led Adam and Eve to sin?

Revelation, the last book in the Bible, identifies the serpent as none other than Satan, the first of the fallen angels (Revelation 12:9).

Who are the fallen angels or devils and how did they become evil?

• Like man, angels are endowed with intellect and free will.
• Like man (and all of God’s creations), angels were created good. Scripture tell us that angels are pure spiritual beings who are superior to man in many ways.
• Like man, angels were put to the test and asked to prove their love for God. As to the nature of the test given them, theologians could only speculate. Many of them think that angels were shown a vision of the Incarnation, of Jesus Christ’s suffering and crucifixion, and were commanded to adore the Word became flesh. Aware of their superiority to man, some of the angels refused to obey (“I will not serve!”), and by thus marking the birth of hell.

• Unlike man, the fallen angels were not tempted to sin.
• Unlike man, there is no redemption for fallen angels. It’s ironic that this is due to their superior nature.
• Unlike man, who was ignorant to a degree, fallen angels had “angelic intellects” (superior to that of man), making their choice to sin final and repentance impossible. Our (man’s) weakness, so to speak, was our excuse.

Some theologians also believe that men were created to fill out the void left by fallen angels. Though this is mere speculation, it does make sense of the devil’s envy and hatred for mankind.

What is clear is the fact that the fall of both angels and man was brought about by the sin of pride. Therefore, it’s essential for man to practice its opposite, the virtue of humility, in order to rise over evil and all its atrocity.

To Be Continued...

1. Introduction
2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen

6. Non Serviam

The Problem of Problems: Free Fallen

photo courtesy of velton

How did evil enter the world?

The answer is in the Book of Genesis, where we find the story of our first parents, Adam and Eve. God originally bestowed upon them sanctifying grace and other special gifts, such as constant state of happiness and freedom from pain and suffering. These gifts were theirs to keep (and pass on to us, their descendants) on one condition: they must prove their love for God by not eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. But alas, tempted and seduced by the serpent’s lies (“you will become like gods” – Genesis 3:5), they disobeyed God’s commandment. Adam, the appointed ambassador of the entire human race, committed this grave act we now call “Original Sin” and by thus, death came into the world.

In the novel Don Quixote, we read that: "true love…must be voluntary and not compelled”. Indeed, love must be a deliberate act; it cannot be forced. For this reason, God gave man free will. We can freely decide to love God, believe in Him and submit to His will; or we can freely elect to hate, doubt and rebel against our Creator. Adam and Eve chose to do the latter. And so, it can be said that pain and suffering in this life is due to man’s misuse of free will.

Free will is the basis for justice, for no one can be justly held accountable for their actions unless they are truly free. It gives man the freedom to become saints or sinners; to do what is right or wrong. While a world sans free will is one without evil, sadness or tears, neither can it have goodness, joy, nor laughter. Therefore, a world without free will would be of humans devoid of humanity; a benevolent God would never create one as such. Free will is a gift; we just often choose to make it a curse.

The special gifts God gave Adam and Eve, like freedom from pain and suffering, were privileges; it was not theirs by right. These were gifts from a loving Father who wants to give what is best for His children. These were gifts we would have inherited from our first parents. But unfortunately, these were gifts they freely chose to reject through their sin. To make matters worse, instead of admitting guilt and asking for forgiveness, Adam put the blame on God (Genesis 3:11-12)! But do we, Adam’s descendants, know any better? Don’t we also often fault God for miseries of our own doing?

Free will is not just a fancy term. We are free to choose our own destiny. God loves us so much that He even allows us to choose over Him! However, we must always keep in mind that we are accountable for our actions and that our choices do have consequences. After all, justice is not just a fancy term either.

1. Introduction
2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam

The Problem of Problems: Of Evil and "Non-things"

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“God saw all that he made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

As Christians, we believe that God is the creator of all things. Does this mean God created evil? 

To answer this question, we turn to St. Augustine of Hippo who tells us that evil is not a thing, but is rather a privation or loss of good. Make no mistake - evil is real, but it cannot exist by itself apart from good. Take, for instance, light and darkness. We can measure the properties of light (e.g., intensity, speed, etc.), but we cannot quantify darkness. The reason for this is that darkness has no existence of its own; it is merely the absence of light. In the same vein, we can say that sin is the privation of God’s will; blindness is the loss of sight; death is the absence of life; and so on. Therefore, God created all things, but not “non-things”, such as evil. 

1. Introduction

2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job

4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam 

The Problem of Problems: Good Job

photo courtesy of Jeff Hathaway

The Book of Job, possibly the oldest in the Bible, not surprisingly deals with the problem of evil - surely the oldest in history. It tells the story of Job, a holy man who, with God's permission, underwent severe tribulations and lost everything he treasured – his children, wealth and health. Job endured and remained devoted, but eventually became angry and challenged God to account for his pain and sufferings. God provided neither an explanation nor justification, rather, in essence asked Job: “who are you to call Me into account?” In the end, Job was humbled and assented to God's will. God then restored Job's health, blessed him with new offspring, doubled the riches he had before the ordeal, and lived for another 140 years before dying a peaceful death.

The Book of Job is an invitation to contemplation. Though it does not directly offer a solution to the "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thessalonians 2:7), it offers profound insights into the problems of life. With eyes of humility, let us look at some of its lessons which are as relevant today as when it was written thousands of years ago:

• "Then Yahweh answered Job out of the storm: Who is this that obscures divine plans with words of ignorance?" (Job 38:1-2) God's rebuke put Job in his place - and we are reminded that God should be doing the questioning, not Job; that the Creator holds the creature answerable, not the other way around. As diocesan priest Fr. Leo Trese states: "an ant has more right to criticize an Einstein than has man with his limited intelligence to question the infinite wisdom of God".
• “I spoke of things I did not understand, too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3) God's wisdom forced Job to realize his ignorance - and we are reminded that on our own, we cannot have all the answers for life's problems; that only through God's grace can we understand life's deepest mysteries. As the Socratic maxim goes – "wisdom is the awareness of ignorance".
• "If only there was an arbiter between us, who could lay his hand upon both of us…" (Job 9:32) Job humbly acknowledged the infinite gap between God and man - and we are reminded of how that gap has been bridged by the God-man, Jesus Christ; that God shared in our pain and sufferings by becoming man and conquered evil by His death and resurrection. As St. Paul wrote: "As there is one God, there is one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus, true man, who gave his life for the redemption of all..." (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

The story of Job is one of patience, humility and faith – virtues essential in dealing with pain and suffering. If we follow Job's example and put these virtues into practice, like him, we too shall be rewarded in the end. 

1. Introduction

2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam

The Problem of Problems: Mystery of Misery

photo courtesy of David Bitters

Evil is indeed, a most profound problem; a mystery, the meaning of which we cannot fully understand in this lifetime. To cast some light on the problem of evil, we must consider the following Divine attributes: 

1. God transcends space and time. He sees from an eternal point of view. He knows and wants what is best, not just for one, but for everyone; not only for this life, but also for the afterlife.
2. God is omniscient. To ask “Why does God do this?” or “Why doesn’t God do that?” is tantamount to questioning the judgment of an all-knowing Being.

As finite creatures, there is a limit to our human intellect. Thus, to discern more the nature of evil, we must turn to Divine revelation. Humility brings us to faith and to embrace these beliefs; these beliefs in turn, give us further understanding of this mystery. 

1. Introduction
2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam

The Problem of Problems: Introduction

photo courtesy of honikum

Many lives are lost and affected daily due to natural and man-made disasters. Countless hearts are broken and bucket of tears are shed everyday. Where is God amidst all the pain and suffering? The problem of evil, possibly the most serious argument against the existence of God, can be stated simply as follows:

1. An omnibenevolent (all-good) God would not want evil to exist.
2. An omnipotent (all-powerful) God could prevent evil from existing.
3. Evil exist; therefore, an omnibenevolent or omnipotent God does not.

“Everybody Hurts” 

– R.E.M.

Pain and suffering is experienced by everybody, both believers and non-believers alike. The difference is, for atheists, life is just is – pain and suffering is what one should expect in a world without God. On the other hand, the theist, Christians in particular, must reconcile the problem of evil with their belief in a God who is omnibenevolent and omnipotent. In other words, Christians look for meaning and purpose of pain and suffering, while atheists seek neither.

“I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing.” 

– C. S. Lewis

Of all the objections against the existence of God, the problem of evil is perhaps the one most rooted in emotion rather than intellect. Pain and suffering are not just theories, but are daily realities. We want to heal our hurts; not dwell on our distresses. 

Peter Kreeft wrote that to ask “if there is a God, then why does evil exist?" is not the same as when philosophers asks “Why?”, but is rather like that of a "little child with tears in its eyes looking up at Daddy and weeping, "Why?"". In other words, the problem of evil, at its core, is not so much a matter of reason as it is of rebellion. 

1. Introduction
2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam

Help Yourself

Everyone can use a little help; perhaps none more so than ourselves. This is why self-help/improvement books are every so often included in the bookstore’s bestseller list. A classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, was a requirement reading for us back in high school. As I grew older, I found out that true friends are hard to come by and there are more valuable things we could strive for besides influence. When I started working, my brother lent me his copy of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. I found its principles, well, effective, and many a time applied them for career growth. That being said, I realized that the book is lacking information when it comes to dealing with some, in my opinion, more important aspects of life. For instance, how does one create or perceive a “win-win” situation when faced with tragedy, like the death of a loved one? Later on, to better cope with office politics, a well-meaning friend recommended the book, “The 48 Laws of Power”. But after reading, I thought it is more accurate to label it “self-destruct” rather than “self-help”. It encourages a “win at all cost” mentality and the use of methods based on deceit in order to achieve goals. Not surprisingly, it has often been compared to the book “The Art of War”. While Sun Tzu’s treatise on warfare contains knowledge indispensable to military tactics, in the battlefield called “life”, I would rather pursue the “art of peace”. In my quest for personal advancement, I also took up Aikido and was introduced to its literature. Like most oriental martial arts, it emphasizes the importance of focus, balance and "centered-ness" in one’s life. However, with philosophical tenets derived from Shinto and Buddhism, it promotes beliefs (relativism e.g. “within divine love there is no good or evil…”) which are irreconcilable with my own. I believe that the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement are essential, and hope none of my ramblings are taken to mean otherwise; however, I also think that unless they bring us closer to God, both are ultimately meaningless. I learned, for example, that the “7 Habits” won’t truly be effective without practice of the “7 Virtues”. Experience also taught me that for self-improvement, one need not look far in search of help. I started reading more of San Paolo and less of Paulo Coelho; more of the parables of the Messiah and less of the poems of "The Prophet"; more of the life of Christ and less of "The Purpose Driven Life"; and in doing so, I’m reminded, that a better self-help book than the bible, there is none.

“All scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people's lives and teaching them to be upright.” (2 Timothy 3:16)