A couple of summers ago, I found myself in a deep depression. I was unemployed. I had moved to the city from the country. My children were all grown up and I was not adjusting well to being an empty nester.If ever there was a calling, I had fulfilled mine---motherhood. I've got two grandchildren, another on the way and I just don't see them often enough. Nevertheless, I had to accept this new chapter in my life, and it was very trying. So--- that lonely summer I became addicted so to speak. Well, sort of---I got hooked on Pinterest while in the valley.
Since I love images, photography indeed, Pinterest fit my personality to a T. It's somewhat of a social network, but not like Facebook. Let me reiterate; not like Facebook. Pinterest derives its name from the words "pin" and "interest." Thus Pinterest is a site that allows you to pin your interests.
One day, as I perused the site, I stumbled across a photograph of an unknown man and unknown photographer. He looked interesting enough, so I pinned the image to my anthropology page.
I then commented on the image based on my meager National Geographic education. I wrote: "According to science, people of the earth began in Africa, and the more people migrated around the world, the more physical changes would develop because of adaptations to certain areas. People who evolved in the same spot for a long time did not change much." See National Geographic's The Human Journey, if you are interested in the migration of mankind.
Now I must agree that my mystery man is an interesting looking fellow, and his eyes and expression speak. But on Pinterest (interesting faces), I've seen thousands of captivating faces, interesting people with much more impressive expressions and much more appealing photography.
However, this image, this man--- manages to get repinned at least 50 times a day. How do I know? Well, I get notice on my smartphone every time he's pinned. I used to be annoyed by this, but now I am utterly fascinated. Like I said, there are thousands of interesting people pictures on Pinterest, so why this image?
It could be, and I would venture to say that it is perhaps what I had written in the comment section about him. The comment awarded the image more meaning. I believe that what I had written about him created more meaning because of the phrase "people of the earth began."
You see, mankind never ceases to wonder, never ceases to ponder and never ceases to puzzle over his existence. Why? is the cry of every human. And the answer to that cry is God. I know that sounds presumptuous and I wish I could give every human being the ability to believe, but it doesn't work that way.
Each of us has to come to a belief on our own. St. Augustine, after wrestling for many years put it this way, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.”
Why are we here; how did we get here and where did we come from? Well, we don't really know for sure, and the mystery seems to be part of that journey, but a faith in God and Jesus can help you understand more than you ever dreamed of. Allow me to explain.
I began my journey pretty early, but then fell away. I eventually came full circle on the religious merry-go-round and came back home to the Catholic faith. I personally believe that God calls all of us to him. It's just that some of us are not listening, and I'd like to invite you to listen.
The Catholic Church teaches 2000 years of tradition in interpreting scripture. And through this Church, you can learn about God. I remember watching Marcus Grodi on The Journey Home, a program about Catholic converts from all walks of life. He interviews Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists and agnostics--- Catholic reverts, like me, Anglicans, Protestants, and atheists who have all come home to the Catholic faith.
I was interested one day and watched an interview of a convert named Kristine Franklin. About half way through the program, she describes her experience with an Irish priest who insisted she could have all her questions answered. Kristine gasped, and said, "All?" I thought, wow, that's pretty compelling.
But as I watched, I began to be humbled, and I began to pray. It was a simple prayer---something like, "God, help me know." And I began to seek. remembering the words of Jesus, "Seek, and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." I didn't get a burning bush experience, but with an intelligent approach to learning about my Catholic faith, I began to have my eyes opened.
Won't you join me on this journey. You won't be disappointed, in fact, you will probably gain courage. Life won't all of a sudden be easy, but again, you'll gain a courage that will be near you even unto death. Read this inspiring article, from Divine Mercy News. It's about a man and a plane crash. Ironically, that's one of my biggest fears.
No disrespect to my protestant brothers and sisters, but I would also like to introduce the Bible to you in a new way. My Catholic tradition has taught me that the Bible is sacred and divinely inspired; however, Catholic tradition also teaches that the Bible is not an island unto itself. For Catholics, it's not Sola Scriptura, and it's not necessarily a literal book. Inspired yes, but not literal. And something else to know is that the Bible is not a book.
The Bible is a compilation of ancient documents from a variety of sources. It even contains letters. The Catholic church gave the Bible to all christians, so allow the Catholic church to explicate it. From Genesis to Revelation, it must be studied and understood in the context of the culture, specifically, the ancient Hebrews.
One has to understand the use of literary genres (styles of writing that convey important spiritual messages). All this must be taken into consideration. But know friends---it's God breathed. And with the help of the Catholic church, it can become a living text. Scott Hahn, a Biblical scholar and Catholic convert, might be a good place to start. Here's some facts to pique your interest.
Some of the literary genres used in the Bible are the parable, the allegory, the beast fable, the short story, the historical novel and even speeches, songs and letters. Each book if studied in its context will convey or teach us about the nature of God.
Let's poke around in Genesis, man's beginnings. It's an inspired book, it's not a literal story, but rather an allegory. An allegory is a story with lots of symbols. It's a "figure story with veiled meaning."(1)
Why do we find sunsets beautiful? Afterall, they are just waves of light bouncing off molecules. Right? Physics could easily explain what a rainbow or a sunset is. But again, why do we as humans find it beautiful!
Back to Genesis. Consider this fascinating observation. The book of Genesis was probably written 3 to 4,000 years ago. But it seems that the order of creation described in Genesis lines up with science and it's order of how life developed.
Whether everything evolved or not, the creator, seemed to reveal some knowledge of scientific order which is in harmony with Genesis. In Genesis 1:2 we see God bringing "an orderly universe out of primordial chaos." (2) "...the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the earth." Science wouldn't argue that.
The next sequence of events, described in "days" continues with separation of the heavens and earth with a dome. vs. 6. "Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other."
We belong to God. We are not our own, as Father Robert Barron eloquently expresses in his Paths to Holiness presentation---a must see.
You can order from this website: Word on Fire. He says, "God calls us. And God sends us. It's his Theo drama. The only audience worth playing for is the divine audience." It's the posture that scientist Monsignor Georges Lemaître had (see previous blog for his bio). This is God's idea, not mine. Some of us are messengers.
Give the God of my beautiful Catholic faith a chance. Study sacred scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I promise you won't be disappointed. It will open your eyes to many mysteries and take you on a splendid journey. It might even answer questions you have about your existence.
(1,2, and 3) New American Bible, St. Joseph Edition, 1986, order info here: http://www.christianbook.com/st-joseph-nab-student-edition-softcover/9780899429502/pd/29505?dv=c&en=google-pla&event=SHOP&kw=bibles-0-20&p=1179710&gclid=CjwKEAjwlsSoBRDoid2ihqnjjlISJABZoG9-gh2Lu-8zlfFOJmG5XE8NzVWpJBufsCve040-qFkiSRoC1Fzw_wcB
(4)Carl Sagan's cosmos from:http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/sagancosmos.pdf
