The Apostles

 

When I think of the characteristics of some of the apostles of Jesus; 

Peter, who denied even knowing Jesus, 

Thomas who did not believe in Jesus Resurrected until he could see Him, 

and the one everybody knows so well; Judas, who betrayed Jesus for 

a few pieces of silver, I think how humanity has not changed at all

in the appr. 2020 years that has passed since. 

 

They are like us, like sub-personalities that we all carry inside us. 

Your first reaction might be: "what? how dare she say that? 

I am not like that", but I would respond: "have you been really

tested?"

 

I do not condemn Peter for denying knowing Jesus as he watched in 

horror what was happening to Jesus, what was playing out in front of 

his eyes, it must have been terrifying. The survival instinct kicks in.

Peter, who had been with Jesus during his time of ministry, had recognized 

him as God, but the human side of him had not understood Jesus, 

which he revealed in Matthew 16, where Jesus predicts his death:

"21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life ^f will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

28“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

 

Suffering is the main thing that humanity cannot understand.

We cannot understand it, because to us it does not make sense.

We revolt against it.

At the first crossroad when things do not go the way we want to or had 

planned, we often blame God, by denying his existence, and continue in 

our efforts of making things better, in order to eliminate suffering, which 

we find intolerable, and which we do not accept. 

It is hard to understand, it takes time, but it is within everybody's grasp, 

and it is at the heart of the roman catholic faith. 

Our crosses, whatever they may be, serves as our tools of redemption

when we unite them with Jesus, and they liberate us, we become free 

from ourselves.

This is why divorce is not allowed for married couples, no matter what happens, 

why there is no abortion for women finding themselves pregnant when they do 

not want to be, why assisted reproduction methods is not permitted by the church 

for infertile couples. 

It is because by finding worldly ways of resolving these problems, we miss 

out on the power of the Cross that Jesus gave us by his example. 

If we want to unite ourselves with God, 

we have to do the same. Not my will, but your will, Father.

This is why we have to live in the world, but in a way that is not of the world.

This is why we should never have the interest of our comfort first in mind, 

why we should not worry about material things and money. 

We should focus on God, living in a constant state of surrender to Him, 

no matter what happens, good or "bad". 

I say "bad" in inverted commas, because if we truly 

do this,  the "bad" things transforms themselves, our world change. 

We have to be aware of our defense mechanisms in operation, 

faced with a "negative"experience, because it is exactly there and in  

that moment we have to do things differently, we have to change; convert.

 

The aspect of priestly celibacy brings with it a very high level of difficulty, 

and that is why it is so spiritually powerful, a true and complete surrender 

of the body; biology, psychology, feelings, everything; a complete gift and 

offering of oneself. 

People that still go on about " the priests right to marry", do not 

understand the authentic catholic faith.

I know, as do many others, that all the things that truly make me progress in 

my life, are all difficult ones, sometimes really painful and even frightening. 

Gold is tested by fire. Life is not supposed to be easy. 

Humans have two dimensions, an earthly one and a divine one. 

The divine, or God, can only be attained by Jesus, the only Son of God. 

This work of our reunification with Him has to be carried out while we are 

still in this earthly dimension, that is why the Sacraments are indispensable, 

and the only way that our spiritual death: the separation of our body and 

soul can be reunited and we can be born into Eternal Life. 

It happens here and now, nobody can afford to put it off to a later time, 

because nobody knows their time nor their hour.

We are all created by the same substance; the same "dough", if you like, dough that becomes bread.

The enormous gap between us and God in regard to justice, 

has been bridged by Jesus, and it is true that it beggars belief, 

so I understand Thomas too, but it is nevertheless true.

Anyone that believes in Him, is saved.