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The Ladder of Divine Ascent - Monastery of St Catherine, Mount Sinai
It is my belief that everybody needs a purpose. We feel this need inside of us that there must be something to live for. When we have nothing to live for, we get depressed. Some people even feel suicidal.
I also think that God gives us this desire to find a purpose for our lives. He gives us this sense that there has to be more to life, something we need to be aiming for. Unfortunately, like so many things that God gives us, we can often use it the wrong way. Most people will find a purpose for their lives. It doesnt mean they always find a good one.
I have spoken before about my distaste for goals and success. Not that theyre bad in themselves. But when people are focused solely on the worlds idea of success, or achieving their personal goals, they are often neglecting a higher purpose for a lesser one. Someone may think their purpose is to make lots of money or to get a good job or to become famous. These purposes are better than no purpose at all. But theyre not the best purposes we could find for our lives.
I think one reason these purposes are not the best is that they dont really satisfy. They may quiet that little voice inside us that tells us we need to aim for something. We are aiming for something. And so we think, as soon as we have it, that yearning for a purpose or for something more will go away. But it rarely does. We get what we were aiming for. And that niggly feeling inside of that there must be something more is still there. One of the reasons why I think so many celebrities have such sad lives is because theyve reached their goal. And once theyre there, once theyve fulfilled their purpose, they come to the realisation that that yearning is not going to go away. Theyre still not satisfied.
It goes against all the self-help books Ive ever read, but I prefer purposes where there is no end goal. Theres not a point where I can say, yahoo, I achieved it. I prefer purposes that I will always be aiming for. For two reasons. One is that I think anything I can actually achieve is not really worth striving for. If I can get there, then I wasnt aiming high enough. Two is that I think its the goals we cant reach that are the most important. When I focus on things I can achieve, I am focused on earthly things. I believe it is only when we aim for heavenly things that our desire for a purpose actually is used in the right way. And the heavenly things cant be achieved while were on earth.
This is not to say that its only the heavenly purposes that are good. You can be trying to live a life of integrity or to care for others around you or campaigning to make the world a better place in some way. These are all good purposes. But I do believe, that without that heavenly aspect to it, its not going to completely still that voice inside you that says you need to live for something.
This is a bit more preachy than I generally like my posts to be. Which was not my intention. I actually set out to write a post that everybody could relate to. But as soon as I started talking about purpose, I realised that, for me, purpose cannot be separated from God.
Theres a strong possibility that anyone who doesnt believe in God has already stopped reading. But if you are still with me, just ask yourself these questions. What is your purpose? What are you aiming for? Is it something you hope to achieve in this life? And if so, do you really believe that will satisfy you? Or will you still be longing for more?
Mary MacKillop holding a copy of her Life Vows 1869
In a recent meeting with some nuns, Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, told them that he would speak to Pope Benedict XVI about the canonisation of Mary MacKillop.
This really annoyed me, because I dont see why the Prime Minister should have anything to do with Mary MacKillops canonisation. Yes, it would be nice to have an Australian saint. And I can understand him hoping that she is made a saint. But hoping that something happens is different to speaking to the Pope about it.
Hes not even a Catholic. He attends an Anglican church. Hes definitely not what you would call an expert on saints. He is the prime minister of the country where Mary MacKillop happened to live. Thats all. And Mary MacKillops canonisation should have nothing to do with him.
Now Pope Benedict XVI did tell Sister Anne Derwin that Mary MacKillop would be canonised, they were just waiting for the miracle. At least he didnt say that they were waiting for Kevin Rudd to tell them what to do.
The fact that Kevin Rudd said he would raise the matter shows either a complete lack of knowledge of the actual canonisation process or a simple desire to win political points. It wouldnt matter who spoke to the Pope about making Mary MacKillop a saint. Pope Benedict XVI is not waiting for people to tell him what to do. He is, as he said, waiting for the miracle. It has already been accepted that Mary MacKillop performed one miracle. And a second miracle has been put forward. The Catholic Church now needs to confirm that this second miracle has taken place. There is an investigation process underway and it must be completed before Mary MacKillop is canonised.
In other words, canonising someone is not just a matter of saying Hey, I think this person should be a saint? What do you reckon? There is a formal process that must be gone through first.
I presume that Kevin Rudd knew that. So why say he would speak to the Pope? Just to show he cares about religion? To try and act more important than what he is? Or maybe just because the nuns asked him to and he didnt want to say no?
But whatever his reasons, the fact remains that prime ministers should not be involved in the making of saints. And I honestly believe theyd be better off staying out of the process altogether. Especially when theyre not even Catholic. Nothing Kevin Rudd says to the Pope about Mary MacKillops canonisation is going to make one scrap of difference. And thats the way it should be.
Jüngstes Gericht (The Last Judgement) - Meister des Bambino Vispo
Whenever I am trying to decide whether to do a thing or not, one of the questions I ask myself is whether I am motivated by fear or love. If its love, it is usually a good thing and worth doing. If it is fear, then I often have to rethink the situation.
That is not to say that fear is a bad thing. It can be quite good. There are a number of people that I think could do with a healthy dose of the fear of God. But it is not the best thing. And if the only way that people are going to do the right thing is through fear of the consequences, then I say let them fear the consequences. However, I would much prefer people to do the right thing out of love for God and love for other people.
Sometimes a mix of fear and love is used to make people do the right thing. A parent would like their children to obey them out of love. But if their children refuse to obey them, the threat of punishment is used instead. A business owner may hope that his employees do the right thing out of love for the company. But if someone is not doing a good job, the fear of getting fired may motivate them to do better.
And often fear is needed. There are some people who will obey the law because they want to. There are others who would break it if it were not for the fear of going to jail. Not all people will be motivated by love. Some need fear in order to stop them doing the wrong things.
However, love is the better motivator. For a start, when people act out of love they are happier about what they are doing and likely to do a better job. And it is so much nicer when someone does something for you out of love, than if they do it out of fear.
Friends are a good example of this. A friend will generally do things for you just because they love you. They are acting out of love, rather than fear. However, sometimes a friend will not do what you want them to do. Some people find it hard to accept this. They will use fear in order to try and get that person to do what they want. They threaten telling secrets, or withdrawing friendship. And sometimes that works. The person who threatened gets what they wanted. But its not the same. Because things that are done out of fear are never as good as those that are done out of love.
I personally think it is far better just to hope that people act out of love. And if they dont, just live with their decision. I dont want people to do what I want them to do because they are afraid of me. I want them to do it because they want to do it. Any gift that is forced is not really a gift at all. That said, sometimes fear is necessary. But without it, some people would continue to do things that hurt and harm other people.
Yet some people seem to rely more on fear to get what they want, rather than love. The minute anyone does or says anything that that person disagrees with, they will try to scare them into doing what they want them to do. Threats, intimidation, name-calling. They are all fear tactics. The person who uses them is hoping that they frighten someone into submission.
But the other side to using fear tactics is that the person who uses them is not just trying to instill fear, but they are acting out of fear themselves. They are too frightened to let anyone disagree with them. They are too scared to give up control of a situation. And so their fear motivates them to use any means possible to try and force others into doing what they want them to do.
One of the problems with using fear as a motivator is that it doesnt always work. Some people just wont be threatened into doing what we want them to do. And its often effective only in the short-term. People dont like acting out of fear. Theyre only going to put up with it for so long.
And yes, love doesnt always work either. For a start, you cant force people to act out of love. Thats the whole point. But when you give people the freedom to do what they want to do, it is often the case that eventually they will do what you want them to do, and they will be doing it out of love.
I had already planned to write this article, when I was reading a book as my computer started up. It was Thomas a Kempis The Imitation of Christ. (And many, many thanks to the person who recommended this book to me. I am loving it even though parts of it are very challenging. But Ill say more about that at another time.) Anyway, I just happened to come across a paragraph that talked about fear. And so I thought Id end with it here:
For he who loves God with all his heart fears neither death, punishment, judgement, nor hell; for perfect love enjoys sure access to God. But he who continues to delight in wickedness, what wonder is it if he fears death and judgement? Nevertheless, it is good that, if the love of God does not restrain you from sin, the fear of hell at least should restrain you. For he who sets aside the fear of God cannot long continue in a good life, but will rapidly fall into the snares of the Devil.
It is my sisters birthday today. And as I havent yet bought her a present, I thought Id write a blog in her honour instead. Now some might say I would have been better off actually buying her a present. No doubt, youre right. But my sister and I tend not to be too legalistic about when presents are actually given for birthdays. Anytime within 12 months after the birthday, and its consider to be on time.
My sister and I have not always gotten along. When we were teenagers, I think the only time we actually talked to each other was when we were arguing. And if it was anyone else, we probably would have severed the relationship then and there. But with a sister, you can fight and argue and still end up having a relationship at the end of it. And sometimes a very good relationship. And I think thats one of the good things about sisters. You can fight and still love each other at the end of it
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June 26, 2009, will go down in history as the day that Michael Jackson died. It also happens to be the day that I got sacked for the first time ever, and that my dog got stuck down a storm water drain.
One of the problems with Orble is that just about everything I say about myself makes its way into the comments or posts of other Orble writers. I say I had a bad day at the dentist. Next thing you know, certain people are making fun of teeth of another blog. I lose a dog. Suddenly, it means I need to look in the mirror. I say God gave me a loaf of bread and a taxi. And what do you know? People are mentioning free loaves of breads and taxis in their comments
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John Martin - The Great Day of His Wrath
In a bible study I attended a few months ago, a pastor said that God didnt get angry anymore. In fact, I think it was even written in the bible study. I strongly disagreed with him. Because to me, the idea that God doesnt get angry just doesnt make sense in the slightest
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On July 21, 1925, science teacher, John Scopes was found guilty for teaching evolution in what became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. (Later on, his conviction was overturned.) But what stands out for many people about that trial was not who won the court case, but the way the Christians in that case were held up to ridicule and portrayed as backward hillbillies.
The debate about evolution versus Creationism continues to this day. And so does the tendency of some people to ridicule Christians for their faith
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Català: Sagrada Família amb el nen dormit - Jeroni Jacint Espinosa
This is going to be another one of those posts that asks more questions than it answers. Because when it comes to love, I have no certainty. Just a big flashing question-mark over the whole love thing. And some posts I write because I feel like I have something to say. Some posts I write because I have something to ask. This is a something to ask post. And I guess the question Im asking here is How do we love
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The Stoning of St Stephen - Adam Elsheimer
When people are mean and nasty, its tempting to just go and do something mean and nasty back. Or at the very least, call them a few names (whether out loud or in your mind
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The Widow's Mite - from the 1890 Holman Bible - courtesy of http://breadsite.org
Three things have happened in the past month that have made me think of how when we give up things for God, he often gives them back
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Comment by samaritan
on My Fascination with Cults and the Absurd reactions to them
Fringe Faith
Samaritan's Stories
I think that people are a lot more aware about scientology now, than they used to be. But that can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because people are more aware than they are a cult and not a good thing to get involved with. But a bad thing, because some people may be even more curious to check it out for themselves. And once they check it out, they're pulled in.
As for the Adsense ads, I always seem to have scientology ads on my blog. One of the drawbacks of having a blog about religion, I suppose.
Samaritan