On Sunday August 5, 2018, commenting on the Scripture readings of the Mass, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad said a homily in which he showed the psychological needs of humans from birth till adulthood. The little baby that comes out of the womb of his mother cries for the comfort that he left when he was being nourished inside to the discomfort of having to find the nourishment gradually withdrawn as he stops sucking the milk from his mother's breast. In a similar fashion the Israelites complained to Moses that in order to follow him into the desert, they had to leave the comfort of their homes in Egypt where they ate and now are hardly able survive. The Passover is a reminder that Christ will also use to describe how his body and blood will be given up in order to save us and to lead humanity into the joy of heaven. This is the body that is consumed by the faithful in the Eucharist on Sunday - the "Real Presence of Christ" among us. At Holy Rosary parish in Toronto, the faithful are able to contemplate the Blessed Sacrament on their knees.
But this raises the question of doubts about God that many in our materialistic world, particularly the younger generations educated in only the physical sciences, have come to experience. Every metaphysical question is being examined today as if the world has not gone through thousands of years of worship.
I recall that in August last year, I asked the two Jesuit scholars that I know, Fr. Henri Boulad and Fr. Samir Khalil Samir about my own fear that because of my sins, God may send me to hell. Fr. Boulad replied "Trust in God. Do not think of hell". Fr. Samir replied that Pope Saint John Paul II declared "Damnation" in hell should not be attributed to God's initiative since in his merciful love, God does not desire other than the salvation of his created beings. Bishop Robert Barron (who published the massively popular "Catholicism" series) commented here on the possibility of damnation in hell but wisely observed that while the Church declared many souls in heaven, she has never made a declaration of any human in hell. Furthermore, the greatest Catholic theologian in the 20th century, Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote his book "Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved?" In his book, von Balthasar prays that God in his utter merciful love may save all. In his book "Introduction to Christianity" Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) shows that God's love in Christ's Resurrection is stronger than death. His magnificent chapter may be read here.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
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Today's Quote
"Behold I make all things new." (Revelation 21:5)
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