Reading the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, pub. USCCB, c. 2006, 9th printing 2012.
Responding to discussion questions from chapter one, My Soul Longs for You, O God:
What am I looking for in life? Hmm... peace, wholeness, oneness-with-God, rest, meaningful-but-tranquil-connectedness. As for my goals and ideals? I find that for the first time in my life I don't have clear dreams or goals; I have fulfilled many (all?) of my previously envisioned goals, and I feel I have spent/exhausted my life along those lines; I want new dreams; I want an all-consuming dream for this next era of my life.
How does God and the Church play a part in this? Hmm... finding God's purpose for me now is the central defining balance-point and the only thrust/trajectory that will satisfy me. As for "The Church," I don't know what part it plays "in my life"; rather, I think in terms of what part my dream (God's purpose for me) will play in the life of the Church.
How is my life a journey toward God? I am very aware (and have been for as long as I can remember) that my life is entirely about being held by God, walking w/ Christ, longing for being completely consumed with and by the Holy Spirit. Even as a very young child I remember feeling a deeply poignant longing/ yearning for something; I was beginning, even at age 14, to realize that this fathomless hole inside me could only be filled by God. All of my adult life has been a mixture of responding to God's drawing me into intimacy w/ Him and allowing myself to be distracted by other things, sometimes alternating between the two, more often struggling with the tension of the ever-present choice.
As a seeker I look for the truth in The Truth as revealed by the Author of All Truth, God, by reading His Word (the Bible), by communing w/ Him in prayer, and by opening myself further to the movement of the Holy Spirit by worshipping the Lord in communion w/ other believers, namely through the Mass. I pay attention to people, things, and events in my life and continually ponder how they are part of God's Story. I listen to my heart.
When I experience truth, beauty, goodness, I praise God. I credit God for all good things. I bless His Holy Name. What makes it POSSIBLE for me to seek God? Firstly, God Himself; secondly, God designed and created me to seek Him; thirdly God designed and created the universe to be a context, a time and space, where I can meet God and relate w/ Him.
The main thing I have found in my search for Truth is this: Jesus-Christ is my Creator and Redeemer, my Teacher, Best-Friend, and Lover of my soul. It is in trusting and following Jesus as my Lord that I can grow in my understanding of Truth.
Does being Catholic give any particularity to my search for God? Hmm... I'm not sure. I know that God definitely led me to finding my Home in the Eucharist. I also know that I feel a soul-kinship with "the mystics." But does being Catholic give me any sort of advantage in growing in the Lord? I tend to think of being-Catholic as being open to becoming ever more aware of the bigness of God and ever more embracing of others.
My first family, especially my parents, have been a profound blessing, especially in terms of learning of and experiencing God as an absolutely unconditionally loving Creator and Parent. My parents have done this by being themselves unconditionally loving and giving the credit to God, and by teaching me from His Word. They also gave me an amazing start in life and introduction to the wonders and beauty of the world, most notably the awesomeness of creation and the sacredness of all peoples in all their variety. They lay the groundwork for giving me the perspective that I am a citizen of the Earth and yet my true home is Heaven.
Right now, today, my longing for God is most genuinely expressed in my questioning how God wants to organize my life, order my schedule, prioritize my commitments.
Responding to discussion questions from chapter one, My Soul Longs for You, O God:
What am I looking for in life? Hmm... peace, wholeness, oneness-with-God, rest, meaningful-but-tranquil-connectedness. As for my goals and ideals? I find that for the first time in my life I don't have clear dreams or goals; I have fulfilled many (all?) of my previously envisioned goals, and I feel I have spent/exhausted my life along those lines; I want new dreams; I want an all-consuming dream for this next era of my life.
How does God and the Church play a part in this? Hmm... finding God's purpose for me now is the central defining balance-point and the only thrust/trajectory that will satisfy me. As for "The Church," I don't know what part it plays "in my life"; rather, I think in terms of what part my dream (God's purpose for me) will play in the life of the Church.
How is my life a journey toward God? I am very aware (and have been for as long as I can remember) that my life is entirely about being held by God, walking w/ Christ, longing for being completely consumed with and by the Holy Spirit. Even as a very young child I remember feeling a deeply poignant longing/ yearning for something; I was beginning, even at age 14, to realize that this fathomless hole inside me could only be filled by God. All of my adult life has been a mixture of responding to God's drawing me into intimacy w/ Him and allowing myself to be distracted by other things, sometimes alternating between the two, more often struggling with the tension of the ever-present choice.
As a seeker I look for the truth in The Truth as revealed by the Author of All Truth, God, by reading His Word (the Bible), by communing w/ Him in prayer, and by opening myself further to the movement of the Holy Spirit by worshipping the Lord in communion w/ other believers, namely through the Mass. I pay attention to people, things, and events in my life and continually ponder how they are part of God's Story. I listen to my heart.
When I experience truth, beauty, goodness, I praise God. I credit God for all good things. I bless His Holy Name. What makes it POSSIBLE for me to seek God? Firstly, God Himself; secondly, God designed and created me to seek Him; thirdly God designed and created the universe to be a context, a time and space, where I can meet God and relate w/ Him.
The main thing I have found in my search for Truth is this: Jesus-Christ is my Creator and Redeemer, my Teacher, Best-Friend, and Lover of my soul. It is in trusting and following Jesus as my Lord that I can grow in my understanding of Truth.
Does being Catholic give any particularity to my search for God? Hmm... I'm not sure. I know that God definitely led me to finding my Home in the Eucharist. I also know that I feel a soul-kinship with "the mystics." But does being Catholic give me any sort of advantage in growing in the Lord? I tend to think of being-Catholic as being open to becoming ever more aware of the bigness of God and ever more embracing of others.
My first family, especially my parents, have been a profound blessing, especially in terms of learning of and experiencing God as an absolutely unconditionally loving Creator and Parent. My parents have done this by being themselves unconditionally loving and giving the credit to God, and by teaching me from His Word. They also gave me an amazing start in life and introduction to the wonders and beauty of the world, most notably the awesomeness of creation and the sacredness of all peoples in all their variety. They lay the groundwork for giving me the perspective that I am a citizen of the Earth and yet my true home is Heaven.
Right now, today, my longing for God is most genuinely expressed in my questioning how God wants to organize my life, order my schedule, prioritize my commitments.
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