What is real, and most important in our lives?
January 13—Le Fresne church. I said, “Truth, I adore You.” “Yes, I am Truth. Sin is falsehood, error, darkness. “Every form of goodness is truth: the desire for good, work for justice . . . You will see later that only one thing matters and that is truth, for God alone matters. Attach no importance whatsoever to anything apart from Me, however pleasing it may be. Happiness is found in Me alone. “When I created man I placed deep within him a sense of goodness and truth, for I created him in My image. When he sins against his conscience, he no longer resembles Me but becomes ignominious, whereas when he tries to draw nearer to Me through sacrifice and effort, he takes on a new likeness to Me. There are some who have so faithfully imitated the gentle Christ that they have appeared in heaven like other Christs. What glory they bring with them! “Each one of your thoughts and feelings and actions has its repercussion for good or evil. “These are great truths. Ponder them on My heart. Picture yourself always before me,
Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (Kindle Locations 1898-1906). Pauline Books and Media. Kindle Edition.
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What is real, what is important? The answer will depend on what one puts his, or her, faith in. I have no doubt that if I were an atheist, my outlook would be somewhat different, but I would still be me, and most likely trying to live a life that is decent and human. Atheist, I know more than a few, who are loving, kind, and wonderful human beings. However, faith in God does add another dimension, one that is more attuned to the human heart in my opinion.
If God is, and if Christ Jesus is the revelation of the Father, then yes, in the end, the only thing that matters is God and our relationship with that reality.
It is not about an ‘afterlife’, for perhaps at death, it is just our life continuing on at a different level. The only difference would be that if there is indeed a judgment, it would a time when we learn for ourselves that nothing is overlooked, or we can’t get away with anything.
It would be about being naked before Infinite Truth, where all falsehood, pretense, avoidance, would be impossible. We will be what we are, not what we would like to pretend to be or to hide our true self from others. Before God, we are seen fully, and if judgement is based on absolute truth, then we would have to face all the falsehood in our lives. Or to the point, I will have to experience all that I have done to others, good, bad, indifferent, everything. I would have to experience it, feel it, and hopefully repent of it. When all of us come before the truth of Jesus, we will either kneel in joy or kneel because the truth is overwhelming, even if we hate that reality.
To have a ‘life review’ would be judgment, but it would come from us. It would not be a punishment, since it is there to wake us up, to the reality that all those we knew in life, or just passed by, were real, had a deep inner life, and what we did to them impacted them and had meaning.
The intimate union we are called to in Christ Jesus will allow Jesus to incarnate in us, to allow us to become like him, one with him, for in him, we live and move and have our being. It is our nature to be one with him, it is what we are made for, anything less than that would be hell. The love we are made to be one with if lost, blocked out by a closed heart, would be alone forever, with no love, no humanity, just rage, anger, and deep abiding hatred of all that is, which is God.
At 70, life takes on a different texture for me. My future is not that long, my time is running out, as it will for all of us. I think that as I age, time becomes more precious, my faith becomes my greatest treasure because it fills my heart with meaning, as well as I continue to grow in grace, by the grace of God, I experience the gentle, all-consuming love of God. It grows year after year. Even in my failures, I feel God’s arms around me, picking me up, and not allowing me to sink into depression, or self-contempt, because I am not perfect, or strong, or a saint.
Yes look to God, the only permanent reality, for all else fades, crumbles, and is replaced by something, or someone else.
Prayer is our connection, all prayer, no prayer is better than any other. Prayer that comes from the heart slowly grows into loving and praying for all. As Christians, we are called to the priesthood of the faithful, to lift up all into the mystery of the Trinity, to pray for salvation for all.
Seek to become ‘Christ Jesus’. Allow your hands to heal to become his. Your arms to embrace, his, your heart to love all, his. It is a long journey, but look to Jesus and not to yourself, let go, take responsibility for failures, but keep going.—Br.MD
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
