Refuting Carl Sagan

Not too long after our family watched “God’s Not Dead”, I saw the following quote:

“If God is omnipotent and omniscient, why didn’t he start the universe out in the first place so it would come out the way he wants? Why’s he constantly repairing and complaining? No, there’s one thing the Bible makes clear: The biblical God is a sloppy manufacturer. He’s not good at design, he’s not good at execution. He’d be out of business, if there was any competition.” – Carl Sagan

I feel compelled to refute this. If someone were speaking negatively or offensively about someone I loved, I would stand up for that person – that includes my Heavenly Father. Speaking up against this quote is not something that is easy for me. I’m not a scientist, philosopher, or theologian, but I am a firm believer in the God who created us. He has not promised that my life would be easy!

Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Therefore everyone who confessed Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in Heaven.”

The quick answer to the first question Carl Sagan posed is – God did! But I know that simple answer will not appease.

God did start the universe the way He wanted it. He created a perfect world in the Garden of Eden, providing everything His creatures needed. The catch is that He also gave humans the gift of free will.

The Oxford Dictionary of English defines free will as “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion”. God wants us to choose Him, but not because we are forced to do so. He wants us to come to Him freely. He already knows who will choose Him – those names are written in His Book of Life. He knows all – beginning, middle, AND end!

As to the second question, I don’t see God complaining, but yes…He is repairing. He knows we’re going to make mistakes & choose sin over His path for us. God allows those mistakes/sins, but has also given us a great tool that He uses in reparation – the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The last three sentences are the ones that truly offend me. 

“…if there was any competition.” There is no competition because there is no one greater than God. Never has been & never will be!

Sloppy? Not good at design or execution? I beg to differ! I see God in the beauty all around me – the palette of color in the sky at sunrise & sunset, the flowers & greenery that emerge each spring, the nighttime sky lit by those “billions & billions” of stars. Look at the miracle of childbirth, when a woman labors in pain – pain that is soon forgotten when that precious baby is laid in his mother’s arms.

How about the man in a nursing home lobby? He sits with his dementia-ridden mother who cannot speak. He rubs her knees & back, speaks tenderly to her with encouraging words, he brings her to her feet & carefully moves to the music only the two of them can hear.

God is not sloppy! Everything he has created falls in His grand design & plan. He has given animals & plants ways to adapt for survival – fur to keep warm, colors to blend in & be protected from predators, scents or special features to ward off danger (porcupine quills, poisonous skin oils on a poison dart frog, pine branches pointing downwards so that snow doesn’t weigh them down & also forms a protective home for various animals).

There is the cycle of life – conception to death, seasonal changes – all orchestrated by God, down to the tiniest detail.

Omnipotent – having unlimited power; able to do anything (Oxford Dictionary of English)
Omniscient – knowing everything (Oxford Dictionary of English)

Yes – God IS omnipotent & omniscient. What Carl Sagan misses is the fact that, even with these two descriptions, God still has given us free will. We can choose God & His ideal for our lives or we could choose to make our own path. What we need to learn (some of us more than once in our lifetimes) is that our choice to go against His plan keeps us from His Heavenly Kingdom. That Kingdom is the way He wants it to be & no one will enter until they have been perfected in God.

For those of you who have turned away from God, it’s not too late for you. Reverse your course & choose to follow Him. He wants nothing more than your love & willingness to follow Him.

Planks & Specks in Marriage!

Recently, I finished reading "Love is a Flame". It is a compilation of true stories collected by James Stuart Bell. Each story is told in the words of the one who experienced a rekindling of love in his/her relationship.

In many of the stories, the writers share how much they wished to change their spouse. One even said that her plan was to get her man to the altar, then once married, she would alter him!

Wives would complain about how many hours their husbands worked, how much time he spent on his own pursuits, how little they communicated w/ one another. Husbands complained that their wives spent so much time & energy on the children &/or volunteer activities, then not have anything left for meeting his needs. 

At some point in the litany of complaints, a revelation would be made. The complainer would realize that one cannot change another person. 

You can only change yourself. Responsibility for another person's actions does not lie w/ you...only they can change themselves. You can certainly pray for them & if it be God's Will, they can be led to change. 

The Gospel of Matthew came to mind at this point, specifically Matthew 7:5. This is the verse where Jesus admonishes hypocrites to remove the plank from their own eye. Only then will they be able to see clearly enough to remove the speck from their brother's eye.

Once these individuals realized that they could only change themselves, removing the plank from their own eye, something amazing happened...they no longer had a need or desire to remove the speck in their spouse's eye. 

Incredible! I wonder if that was part of Jesus' plan all along!
 

Advent Year B

Following is the bulletin insert from my parents' church. HandyGramps emailed this to me & gave me permission to share it here on my blog. May you all have a wonderfully, blessed Advent!

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ADVENT Year B

(November 30-December 21, 2014)

Advent is a struggle to balance the spiritual and the secular.  First, as Christians,  we see lying before us a four thousand year wait, encapsulated in the four weeks of Advent.  Each week takes us ever closer to the “Reason for the Season” – the celebration of the birth of Christ.  On the 1^st Sunday of Advent (this is Year B of the three year cycle of readings), we have a sort of preamble that foreshadows the Second Coming of Christ.  We are told to watch, for we do not know when the Master will return.  That may seem to be getting things backward, starting with the end times; but it makes sense in that it reminds us of the reason for Christ coming in the first place, to open the way to eternal life for those who choose to follow Him.  The 2^nd Sunday of Advent presents us with the ministry of John the Baptist, heralding the coming of Christ’s ministry.  John baptizes with water; Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit.  On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the Gospel ends with John handing off the ministry of salvation to Jesus.  We often refer to it as “John diminishes as Christ increases”.  And, finally, on the 4^th Sunday of Advent, we find ourselves hearing the story of the Annunciation.  The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that God has chosen her to bear His only Son whom she is to name Jesus.  Mary graciously accepts the invitation, setting the stage for the Nativity.

            Second, as a people bound for the moment by this world, we are surrounded by all the trappings of the holiday season – Santa Claus, Christmas trees, glimmering lights, presents, parties, etc.  Despite their secular overtones, each of these carries an image of what Christmas is really all about, for they have a distinct connection to Christ.  Santa Claus is derived from the generosity of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra.  The evergreen tree represents eternal life.  The gifts remind us of the Magi.  And so on.  But, these things are also wrapped in the cloak of commercialism, which can often distract us from their more spiritual dimension.  The call of big profits urges stores to “go Christmas” earlier and earlier – even by late August artificial trees were already showing up in stores.  By participating in the Advent liturgies we can pull ourselves away from the mundane and enter the miraculous.  By celebrating the Advent Masses we can put the whole season in proper perspective.  To be sure, there is nothing wrong with having a good time during such a joyful season.  We just need to be mindful of the relative importance of the secular and the spiritual, understanding that in the end the spiritual trumps the secular mightily.

            In the 2015 Sourcebook for Sundays, Seasons, and Weekdays published by Liturgy Training Publications, the introduction to the Advent Season points out that Advent enables us to focus on two aspects of the season.  First is the immanence of God: “Christ is still taking on flesh and He is continually present through His Body, the Church.”  If we look around us with the eyes of faith, we can see Christ everywhere.  He is in the members of our families, where love and forgiveness and compassion are most closely present to us.  We see Him in those who celebrate the liturgies with us, fellow travelers on the road to eternity.  He is in the stranger who has a need that we can help fulfill.  And don’t forget to look in the mirror; for you will see Him there.

            Second, Advent reminds us of the last days, when the world will be completely transformed into the New Jerusalem, when all who have died will be resurrected to eternal life.  The world as we know it will be gone, replaced by an existence of everlasting glory, where love will finally be absolute and unchanging and unconditional.  Again, from the introduction, “Just as Christ came at Bethlehem and now lives in us, He will come again in the fullness of time when He will judge the living and the dead.”

            So it is that Advent becomes a time of waiting, a time of expectation.  We are cloaked in purple for three weeks (wearing rose on the 3^rd Sunday in joyful anticipation that the time is near), more for introspection and resolution than for penance.  If we can see the purple for what it is, the royal purple of kingship, we will be able to look within ourselves to see whether or not we are truly ready – even truly deserving – of the King who is to come.  We will have the opportunity to guide our lives along the right path, hearing the voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.”

&

In the midst of the Advent season, on December 8, we have the opportunity to celebrate one of the most profound doctrines of our Catholic faith, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation.  (Note that it celebrates the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, not the conception of Jesus.  Mary was conceived without original sin, a privilege accorded her in preparation for her willing acceptance of being the Mother of God.)  In all three years of the liturgical cycle, the Gospel is the same – Luke’s story of the Annunciation (which this year will be repeated on the 4^th Sunday of Advent).  While it may seem unusual to “break into” a specific liturgical season, changing from purple to white, there is a distinct connection between the two.  As Advent prepares us for the coming of Christ, the Annunciation is the very moment that sparks the purpose for Advent.  It is in Mary’s free assent to the message brought by the angel Gabriel that God becomes Immanuel, God with us.  It is by Mary’s declaration, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word”, that God became incarnate in the Person of Christ.

            It should be noted that this solemnity is the patronal feast day of the United States of America.

Punctuated by Christ

Listening to a Catholic radio show the other day, I heard the comment, "Never put a comma where God has placed a period."

I got to thinking about how that can be so true. How many times in our lives have we tried to do something our way, but find God has other plans? No matter how many attempts we make, God's Way always trumps us! He pulls us back to His stopping point because that's where we need to be for Him.

You often see this with those called to priestly vocations or convent life. Individuals may have thought to get married & start a family. They may have had high career expectations...CEO of a Fortune 500 company. At each step along that path, something happens & they're unable to meet their personal goals. Does that mean they failed? Nope! It means that God had something better in store for them. His period was placed at a spot in their lives where He wanted them to be.

The more I thought about this quote, though, the more I realized it could be reversed. "Never put a period where God has placed a comma."

It works that way, too! How many times have we reached a point in our lives where we stop & say, "This is it! This is where I'm supposed to be!" -- only to find that it didn't work out? You thought you were settled at the end, but God had different plans.

An example -- You finally found the home of your dreams. It's affordable, perfect for your family, close to everything you need yet far enough for the peace & tranquility you desire, & you can see yourself there for the rest of your life. Then one day...BOOM! The house burns down. You lose your job. Your family has a health crisis. Any number of calamities could arise & you are forced to move from your dream home.

You find something else. That house was not your period. God's comma took precedence & you found something even better.

What about giving up? You've tried to find that special someone, the perfect job, to have a baby. Each attempt is unsuccessful & one day you just stop, throw up your hands, & say, "This is hopeless!" I'm never going to (fill-in-the-blank)! I GIVE UP!"

Shortly afterwards, it happens for you. God erased your period & put a comma in its place. He had a plan all along -- in His time...not yours.

So, no matter where you're placing your periods & commas, stop & take a moment. Pray. Ask God what the correct punctuation is for your current situation. Then patiently wait for His answer. It may not come right away, but it will come!

Tethered to Christ

The other night, I had a dream that I was part of a surveillance team. There were about ten of us & we made our base at a house in the country. We entered through the back of the house, which faced a pond & small forest beyond the pond.

I took charge & gathered everyone in the living room to go over rules for our surveillance (who or what we were watching, I do not know!) I had a list of rules, supposedly from a previous time, & started to read them. My goal was to cover the three or four rules already in place, then add any others we as a group felt were necessary.

We got through the first two, then one by one, people started leaving to go off on their own. No one was listening to me...I'd lost control of the group & began to grow angry. Instead of confronting anyone, I just shut down & went to bed. Because I was so angry, I couldn't sleep & decided to go outside for a walk around the pond.

As I was walking, there were three men walking toward me. They were tethered together by what appeared to be a large spider web. I realized that one of the men was Jesus & I knew that I did not want to be in His presence, especially in my angry mood. I started to back away, but when I looked down, I noticed a couple strands of the web were attached to the lower part of my shirt. I started to pull them away, but w/ each part coming undone, more enveloped the rest of my body. I was stuck to Jesus!

One of the attached men was playing a game on an iPad. He grew angry & threw it down. As his anger grew, he broke loose of the web & ran in the opposite direction of Jesus. I don't know where the other man went...he just faded into the dream.

Throughout this time w/ Jesus, He never once spoke to me or even looked my way. However, the closer the web pulled me to Him, the less anger I felt. There was a sense of peace growing inside me. As that peace grew, the web loosened & eventually fell off. By then, I had no desire to leave Jesus' presence. All my anger disappeared, replaced by peace & rest.

The following morning's Gospel (Aug. 12) says, "Unless you turn and become like children..." (Matthew 18:3). Then The Word Among Us reflection for the day stated, "Even if you feel the weight of all your responsibilities, you can still take up a childlike attitude. You can do this by putting a priority on prayer because that's where you'll hear your Father teaching you and guiding you through the pressures of your life."

The prayer at the end of that reflection was the following:
"Father, strip away my self-sufficiency so that I can look to you for guidance. Teach me how to be your child."

WOW! What a message the Holy Spirit sent me through that dream, the Gospel, & the reflection! By allowing myself to be tethered to Christ, not resisting the web that pulled me closer to Him, I was able to find peace through my anger...unlike the iPad man. He let his anger get the best of him, taking over & pulling him further away from the peace that Jesus offers.


The timing on all of this was perfect (isn't that the way w/ the Holy Spirit?) It was later that day that we picked up Matt's car from some major repairs & it stalled on him in the middle of a busy intersection. Remembering my dream & the readings from the morning, as well as keeping my verse for the year in mind ("Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Philippians 4:4), I was able to remain calm & peaceful throughout a stressful situation!

PART TWO - Focusing on the New Year with the Aid of Paul's Letter to the Philippians

If you missed it, here is PART ONE.

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The following Sunday was the Third Sunday of Advent...Gaudete Sunday...the Sunday of rejoicing.

Matt's dad (now to be referred to here as The Professor) was w/ us that weekend. The Princess had a cold, so Matt & The Professor stayed home from church w/ her. While I was upstairs getting ready, I heard the Gospel being proclaimed as Matt & The Professor were watching EWTN's Mass on the computer.

All of a sudden, I heard the priest exclaim, "Rejoice in the Lord always!" You can bet my ears perked up at that pronouncement! There was that verse, once again calling out to me! 

~~~ Philippians 4:4 ~~~

Once at church, the three boys & I sat in our normal spot, the 2nd row on the right side. When it came time for the homily, our pastor stepped forward, glanced toward the choir, & gave a slight nod. They broke into song, singing the words, "Rejoice the the Lord always, again I say rejoice!" The congregation joined in & we sang it over & over. Each repetition brought a bigger smile to my face!

 ~~~ Philippians 4:4 ~~~

OK God! You've gotten my attention! It was time for me to focus on what He was (& still is) trying to tell me through that verse.

My first step led me to the computer, where I found Bible Gateway...a site where you can look up any Bible verse, in pretty much any Biblical translation you want & in a wide variety of languages. 

Many of the translations I found for Philippians 4:4 were quite similar. The following are those that stood out the most for me. All gave me a better understanding this particular verse.

New American Bible (This is the Bible I still use myself...the one my parents bought me for my First Communion.)

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"

The Message Bible (in modern, plain-speak)

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him!"

The Living Bible

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!"

The Voice

"Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice!"

Worldwide English

"Always be glad for what the Lord has done, I will say it again, be glad."

Next, I decided to look back over recent trials &/or stressful times I'd been through. How could I apply Philippians 4:4 to them? How could I rejoice in the pain, stress, &/or suffering I endured?

Well, as I mentioned in Part One w/ Matt's car breaking down (it was the alternator, BTW), he could have either been in or been held up by a major car accident. Without headlights, he also could have been hit while trying to get off the freeway & into Bob Evans parking lot.

The Friday after his alternator went out, we were heading to pick up his car. We got stuck in traffic due to an accident involving a semi & at least three other vehicles. That set us back about half an hour since police closed off an exit & were diverting five lanes of traffic into the far two left lanes. What a mess!

Prior to getting on the freeway, we stopped at the allergist for Matt's shot, but they were closed. There are two scenarios that give us cause to rejoice for that day.

1) If we hadn't stopped at the allergist, all of us could have been involved in the accident.

2) If the allergist had been open, we could've been caught up in that traffic for a much longer time. We would have been in rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon.

~~~ Philippians 4:4 ~~~

In September of 2013, I had a miscarriage. This baby was so wanted & prayed for by our family. When I first read the positive on the pregnancy test, I was thrilled. I was a little apprehensive about telling others & what they would think ~~ I'm over 40. I take medication for high blood pressure, thyroid, & high cholesterol (all safe ones for pregnancy). How could we afford a 5th child? ~~ All things I worried about myself, but trusted in God's design for our family.

This miscarriage brought several rejoicing opportunities for me.

1) In trying to conceive, Matt & I grew much closer to one another. This was more than just a physical closeness...we became more emotionally & spiritually attached.

2) I found that others were very supportive after all. No one made any of those critical remarks I feared & many were not even surprised at our pregnancy announcement. Once I miscarried, I received many letters, cards, & phone calls offering their condolences.

3) The soul of a baby is present at the moment of conception. So, even though Baby F.M. was never carried to term, a new soul was born into Heaven. We have a new saint to watch over & intercede for us. And, as HandyGramps said, our baby could share love in Heaven w/ those babies whose lives were taken through abortion & never allowed to live on Earth.

4) Our Blessings gained a first hand perspective & deeper understanding that all life is precious, not matter what stage it's in. We held a prayer service, led by HandyGramps, at a local cemetery. Baby F.M.'s remains were buried there among other dear babies lost to miscarriage &/or stillbirth.

~~ Philippians 4:4 ~~~

So, this brings us back to my focus word for 2014. Have you guessed what word chose me?

*** REJOICE! ***

The fruits of this word choice have already been evident. I have felt more peaceful over the past month or so & others have noticed. I "chose" at the beginning of Advent, to not get so wrapped up in the stresses that come w/ Advent & Christmas preparations. I truly think that has helped me find ways to rejoice in all circumstances.

No matter what trials life may throw at me in the coming year, I will find ways to rejoice in them. I will find the good in each stressful situation, financial setback, family disagreement, weather occurrence, broken dish, or anything else that may happen. God's got my back & I trust that He won't let anything happen that He & I can't handle together.

~~~ Philippians 4:4 ~~~

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say REJOICE!"

May God bless each of you in this new year & tend to your every need!

Peace, 

Maria