Saved for the World

CROSSING THE CATECHISM

Last Saturday I had a few hours to spare - so I chose to dive into the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" --- did I lose you yet??

What's that I hear?...Get a life!!!

No, seriously, I really sat down and read it - not like a novel, but by topic.

I looked up some of the big, scary, "bugaboo" words of Christian tradition, you know topics like these:

• Salvation
  
• Judgement
  
• Sin
  
• Death
  
• Faith etc.
  

SAVED FOR WHAT?

When I first "accepted" Christ, I did so according to the generally accepted tradition of the Evangelical Protestants. I believed that by accepting Jesus' gift of salvation; by "inviting him into my heart/life," I had arrived at the fullness of faith, and that my spiritual path from that point on was a matter of growing into understanding the depth of grace that I'd already received.

I ended up rejecting Evangelical Christianity because it left too many unanswered questions -

• How are we meant to live in this present age - while we "wait for Heaven"?
  
• Had the last days begun as some taught - or were we just biding our time?
• Were all things made new or were we supposed to put up with things the way they were?
• What about all the denominations of Christianity? How could they all be right, yet totally disagree with each other on some fairly big issues?

Although I went to some pretty good churches that had good teaching and very good social programs - participation in their meetings or gatherings was like attending a good motivational seminar.

Belonging to an Evangelical Protestant Church seemed to be little more than being a member of a club with a conscience!! It somehow seemed to fall short of the "Kingdom" of God on earth described in the Bible.

Evangelicals teach (for the most part) that God judges man, and only by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his son, in our place, is he able to forgive us. Yet, when I read Jesus' teaching on forgiveness he says that our forgiveness of others should be unconditional - we should "love our enemies," and "bless those who curse us." If, as the Evangelicals teach, God is ONLY able to forgive based on the condition of us accepting Jesus' atonement - this makes God out to be a hypocrite!! This didn't make sense.

SAVED FROM IGNORANCE OF SALVATION

The Orthodox/Catholic view of salvation is very different!!!!

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church - Paragraph 460

"The Word became flesh to make us 'partakers of the divine nature' (2nd Peter 1:4)"

"For this is why the Word became man, and the son of God became the Son of man; so that man, by entering incto communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God" - St. Irenaeus

"For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." - St. Athanasius

"The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods." - St. Thomas Aquinas

According to Orthodoxy/Catholicism: Jesus died to conquer death - to restore life beyond the physical. To transform death from being the end of life, into being the transition point into eternal life. Eternal, not referring to a duration of time, but to a quality of life, outside of time.

SIN OF SINS

In Evangelical teaching, sin is seen as a barrier to communion with God. It is seen as something that keeps God distant from us. BUT, in Orthodoxy/Catholicism, NOTHING separates us from God - Jesus, as God, came near despite our sin condition.

Sin, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1440:

"... is before all else an offense against God, a rapture of communion with him."

It keeps us away from God - but does not prevent God from coming near to us!!!

Paragraph 387:

"Sin is 'an abuse of the freedom that God gives to created persons so that they are capable of loving him and one another.'"

Paragraph 397:

"Man's first sin consisted of 'letting trust of God die in his heart.'"

Paragraph 398:

"Man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him."

Paragraph 404:

"Original Sin is called 'sin' only in an analogical sense: it is a sin 'contracted' and not 'committed' - a state and not an act."

Paragraph 405 (This is beautiful!!!) :

"Original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendents. It is adepravation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted; it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it; subject to ignorance, suffering, and the dominion of death; and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called 'concupiscence.'"

DEATH OF DEATH

In Evangelical teaching - death is the judgement of God. It is the curse that God has placed on man as a consequence of the fall.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1008

"Death is a consequence of sin."

NOTE: Not the judgement of God.

(Just like burning your hand on a hot stove is not the judgement of the stove but a consequence of the touching!!!)

"... death entered the world on account of man's sin. Even though man's nature is mortal, God had destined him not to die. Death was therefore contrary to the plans of God the Creator and entered the world as a consequence of sin. Bodily death, from which man would have been immune had he not sinned is thus the 'last enemy' of man left to be conquered."

ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS

If there is a God, why is there so much suffering and evil in the world?

That's one of the big ones - I've asked it myself, during moments of great doubt; and it's being asked again now after the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and now Ike.

Many Evangelicals, usually the most outspoken (ironically those whom you wish would keep their opinions to themselves!!) often jump to blame it all on the "judgement of God." "Justifiable retribution" as punishment for our collective behavior.

As I study the Catechism, I can see how differently one can understand the nature of God if you base it on an historical perspective preserved through the ages in the Traditions of the Church by those appointed as overseers and caretakers of the Truth of the Gospel.

If, as an Evangelical, I believed that God judged man and punished man for his sin - it would be easy to see how tragedies, diseases, and death could be perceived as the vengeful weapons of an angry God.

But, as an Orthodox Catholic, I see that God, as love, gives freedom of choice and behavior to all that he loves, (all of creation), and that all our sufferings are consequences of our own bad action, either impacting others or harming ourselves. As God; as Love itself, he transforms over time the consequences into the means of our salvation and restoration.

(I should point out here, lest we forget, that good results are the consequences of our good actions - and learning from our mistakes, implementing good preventative plans, being more environmentally responsible etc, would be a few good long term responses to these disasters. Short term responses would be praying for the victims, offering financial assistance and manpower, if possible.)

St. Thomas Aquinas said:

"God permits evil in order to draw forth something greater."

Catholicism teaches that through the love of God - the Cross, an instrument of brutal death and torture, became his throne from which he restored the universe to himself. He turned a tragic ending into a beautiful new beginning.

As an Evangelical I believed that God was saving me from the world.

As a Catholic I now know that he is saving me FOR the world.