Tag: relationship

Why I Am Catholic And Not Just Spiritual

It is very common to hear this line from your “average” Christian.

“I am spiritual, but not religious. I don’t need the Church, all I need is a relationship with Christ.”

At one point in time, I even held this point-of-view. But in my personal journey, praise the Lord, that I have also grown up and away from this very superficial point-of-view.

Here are some of my personal reasons:

1. Spiritual usually means that I just feel good about my own perception of God.

If God fits the mould that I imagine Him to be in, then He is not God. God, ironically enough, by definition should not even be definable.  He cannot be put into a certain view-point or a certain mould. That is why He tells Moses, “I am who I am”. (Ex 3:14) God is simply God. Period.

If I simplify God using my own personal finite cognitive skills, then God ceases to be infinite, which in fact is one of His attributes.

How then, can I come to know God? Well, through how He revealed Himself. He reveals Himself to us in a myriad of ways, from the beauty of nature to the razor sharpness of logic as well. I believe God has revealed and reveals Himself in us, when we discover this God-shaped hole in our hearts as St. Augustine would say. This inescapable emptiness that can only be filled with this infinite God. This infinite God who fully revealed  Himself in Jesus Christ. Which leads me to my next point.

2. Jesus was the Word made flesh. He was not just spiritual, but more importantly physical as well. (John 1:14)

This is where things get interesting. Christians, including me, like to spiritualize things. But God, though pure in spirit (CCC 370), created us in a very PHYSICAL world. We act as if anything that is physical is evil, but the reality it is not. For everything that God made is in fact VERY good.  (Gen 1:31)

And if Jesus is any example – he would be the best – since He is fully human and fully divine, He is also fully good. His humanity and physicality doesn’t take away from His goodness. Neither should our reality of being physically present take away from the innate goodness that God has made us to be. Jesus shows us the way, He integrates the spiritual and the physical. He does not differentiate between both.

This is why for us Catholics, good works are an integral part of living Christian lives. One cannot separate the follower of Christ from good works. Since the source of all good is God Himself. These good works were enumerated by Christ in the Bible. But since not all of those things He said were explicitly said, a lot of them were passed on to His followers – the Apostles and the disciples. (2 Thess 2:15) Which leads me to my next point.

3. I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

The very same Church whom Christ established through Peter (Matt 16:18), the One(not multiple) Church that is made Holy through Christ and not by the people in it. The One that is sent to all peoples, and not just to a select few. The One Church that has a proven lineage that traces itself back to the Apostles and back to Christ Himself. The Catholic Church.

This may come as a shock to some of you, but the bible you know now was compiled by the Catholic Church. In fact the Catholic Church predates the Bible in that sense.

Which brings me back to my second point, remember the time Jesus said:

“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” – Matthew 26:26-28

Jesus didn’t mean that in a figurative sense of partaking His body or drinking from His cup. He meant it not only spiritually but very much so literally and physically. And guess which Church takes this to heart?

This Church.

Which goes back to my first point, only is it in the Catholic Church that my faith is asked challenged to go beyond the confines of what comforts me. The Catholic Church challenges me to conform my will to something infinitely higher than me. Which is God’s will, because He has revealed Himself through this Church.

I think it would be a sad day if the fullness of God was limited to what I was comfortable with. I want a faith that doesn’t stop at prosperity, but actually challenges me to pick up my own own cross (Matt 16:24) and be crucified in it. I want a faith that tells me to say Yes to His will and say no to the limited world-view. I want a faith that does not want me to compromise Him for the sake of my own personal gain. I want a faith that transcends my limitedness.

Going back to its roots, Religion is taken from the word Religare which means relationship. My religion is the relationship which God has instituted so I can have a fuller relationship with Him. And like any relationship, try going about doing other than what the other person wants/needs and you’ll end up in a very unhappy and unfulfilled relationship. A relationship is about giving oneself to the other, religion is the giving of oneself to God – Catholicism is its fullness. Why would I give God something less than what He wants?

Mother-daughter relationship <3

I’ve known about Mama Mary for quite some time now.  See I went to a catholic school from K-12 and then have been a part of this community for about half my life. But my knowledge, love and appreciation for her hasn’t always been on the up and up…

  • In elementary: When I was really young I used to think she was so cool because her crown was made of stars, not to mention that she was always depicted wearing one of my favorite colors!
  • In junior high: I started to notice more about her physical features.  I noticed her fair features, her simple smile, and her constantly open arms.  She always looked so peaceful and I remember wondering if it was humanly possible to be that at peace!?
  • In high school: I was very fixated in finding out about my relationship with Christ, that I focused only on that, paying very little attention to her.
  • In university: I started to really get to know her… but I felt as though hearing her out meant that I had to do something that I didn’t want to do, let alone think I was ever ready to do.  So I ran away from her, seeking my own way.
  • In my career: Through prayer and growing in my relationship with Christ, I felt more and more drawn to her.  I was more willing to get to know her, more willing to grow in love and appreciation for her.

As you can see, we haven’t had the best mother-daughter relationship, but it certainly has come a long way from where it used to be.  It went from admiration, to curiosity, to absence, to refusal, to acceptance, to now.  And what is it now do you ask?

It’s all of the above!  I admire Mama Mary for her obedience and complete trust in our Lord.  I can’t even begin to think about how I would react if I was told that I would give birth to the redeemer of the world; and she handled it with such grace, strength and surrender. I’m so curious about her.  I want to learn about her, her family, her role.  I want to understand what the bible tells of her, I want to understand her love for us; her love for me.  I am absent from and refuse what the ‘world’ thinks of my devotion to her.  Deep reverence and devotion to our Mother does not mean that I am becoming a Sister, it simply means I see the importance of knowing my heavenly mother now.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a Sister, in fact I believe it is one of the most beautiful vocations, but I choose to not equate my relationship with Mama Mary as a means to an end, this is just the beginning!  I accept her for all that she is and all that she wants to do for me; for us.

It’s quite funny, and not at the same time, how I treated Mama Mary as I was growing up, because that was essentially my relationship with my actual mother.  At a young age I thought my mom to be like a superhero.  As I grew up, I started to notice her more; how she reacted, what she liked, how she carried herself.  The older I got the more consumed with my own life I became, paying little attention to her. And when there came the time when she would share her views or opinions or attempt to point to a certain direction, I sought my own way.  Now that I’m older, I have more of an appreciation and love for my mom and all she’s done and all she continues to do for me and our family.

I’m sorry Mom for not having the best relationship.  I’ve really come to love you and appreciate you in a way I don’t think I could have without first going through everything we did.  I love you! Please forgive me.

I’m sorry Mama Mary for not having the best relationship.  I’ve really come to love you and appreciate you in a way I don’t think I could have without first going through everything we did.  I love you!  Please forgive me.

Setting the tone

You know when you want to be in a relationship (at least in the brothers perspective) you want to be the one who is in control as in the one who sets the tone because we are the pursuers.  Well in this case in my relationship with my Lord, I’ve been the one who keeps on trying to be in control, well because I want to pursue Him.  At first I thought I was doing pretty good, I’d see him at mass, adoration, or try to see him in my daily life.  But then it began to feel I wanted more from Him.  It began a little difficult to see him as much as I wanted to.  I wondered am I doing something wrong?

I started to see although I am doing my very best to get to know him and my best to let him know everything about me, I started to feel He wanted to take control of this relationship.  He began to say “I need you to trust me,” “my plans for us are better,” and “you need to let me take control.”

Well I think this is one of the hardest things for me to do, I like to be in control, but I also know when I am, I feel like I’m just a presence, running a business, “do this, do that” kind of attitude.  I don’t know how many times I will be telling my self “Tim, humility please” and “Tim, be careful what you say” and the biggest ones is “Tim, trust him” and “Tim just let God take care of it.”  I was really wrong the whole time, it’s our Lord who really sets the tone and is the one who pursues me.

I hope my heart can really answer to this “something greater” for what he wants for me.

@itsmetimmm

Relationship Flow

My relationship with the Lord was started by the Lord and not with me. It is initiated by the Lord. He loved me first, He chose me first. He created me with this intention – a relationship with Him so that He can just love me unconditionally. He supplied all my needs and this includes my family and all the people around me. It was because of my relationship with Him that I have my relationship with other people. If He did not start this then I will just be existing and not living.

I realized that in order for these relationships to be nurturing, these have to be founded on God – the God who is in 3 persons. It is the dynamics and the mystery of the 3 persons that best exemplify the fullness of a relationship. If ever I am challenged in any of it, the best way to get back on track is to look at the Trinitarian love make it the basis.

“Lord, thank you for coming in 3 persons, thank you for loving me first. May I always allow you to love me in whatever situation I am in; may I see your love in every second of my journey and may I experience your love through the people that you have surrounded me with. Lord, teach me to consecrate all my relationships to you. ”