What is the truth? Well, the truth varies but never changes but it is often hard to decipher. Words used wrongly along with words used rightly often overshadow truth. Finding the truth of any situation is hard to come by since both truth and lies and half truths are often cancelling out each other in the same conversations spoken, articles written or even simply thought about. In other words, the truth of any situation is often hard to get at. Take today's problems concerning politics, health care, presidential elections, religion, etc. in today's word marketplace.
The above 'problem' came to me via unusual circumstances' and one where it could be said, out of thin air. This morning, January 13, a Friday, I thought to check my Catholic Calendar to see who the Church has listed as a saint. Not that I particularly cared and I might add, to tell the truth of the situation, I love my God and talk to him all through the day, but I don't necessarily see him as only a Catholic God. He belongs to all. It's just that I, born into a Christian family, Old Regular Baptists of Eastern Kentucky, married into a Catholic family, am labeled a Christian. It's from this viewpoint I view the world of religion.
I love the Catholic church but I am not unaware of the forces within it that are not always, and to use a word often used to describe those who disagree, on the same page. There are parts of the Church who want to go back to pre-Vatican Council days and believe the Mass should be in Latin and who also believe this and that is not right. I believe in God and I believe he is directing and I don't argue with that. I love words and I don't understand Latin and I thank him for his English Masses. That's the language I understand. I also believe he is up to date, He is concerned with today's problem and that he uses today's words and not those of centuries ago to deal with problems needing to have the truth ferreted out. Enough said about that and on to the my 'find of the day' that delighted me and set my fingers to pounding my keyboard.
The saint listed for today is Saint Hilary. He's a him and not a she, as is another non-saint whose life is being discussed on news broadcasts today. What's the connection, you may ask? Well, believe it o r not, the problems concerning the French Bishop Hilary of the early church, and the problem of today are quite similar. The problems concerning our modern day Hilary are political, of course, while the problems of the third century saint was also political as well as church mattered, the world was then ruled by such matters, and both concerned how words are used. Now you can easily see how I nearly jumped out of my seat while reading the life of the early church leader, Saint Hilary. Yes, Yes, Yes, I thought, todays problems are being replayed out in our higher court systems and believe it o r not, God is in charge of the truth.
I will take a breather here and say why should any of us worry , since God is in charge? Well not so fast. He is in charge but he needs helpers. That's where we come in. We can't just perceive a truth, according to our ability to perceive the truth, we must do what our conscience tells us to do. The only thing I am able to do is to tell my experience with my 'revelation' and otherwise pass it on. What I did when I nonchalantly swallowed my last bit of coffee, casually picked up my calendar to see who today's saint was, since I had, wanting to be more God oriented than I usually am, thought to be more in tune with him on this Friday. I reluctantly gave up watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" to instead reach for my Kindle, tap on my Catholic encyclopedia and look up Saint Hilary. I though I would be bored, but for God's sake I often allow myself a little boredom and a few aches and pains. It was a delightful summary of a very honest and humble man. He appeared to me as modern as today's news broad casts. If you don't believe me, read his life story for yourself. There are two Saint Hilary's, the one here is Saint Hilary of Poitiers, not the one of Arles.
Before I close, I want to stress that those who made the Catholic Calendars and encyclopedias were unusual people. They did not go along with the crowd. They let their conscience rule and when they found errors in their own way of thinking, they set out to change for the better. This saint was a well educated man and but in the antiquated words describing his early life they said he was 'instructed in profane learning, but being a seeker of the truth 'renounced idolatry and was baptized."
The above 'problem' came to me via unusual circumstances' and one where it could be said, out of thin air. This morning, January 13, a Friday, I thought to check my Catholic Calendar to see who the Church has listed as a saint. Not that I particularly cared and I might add, to tell the truth of the situation, I love my God and talk to him all through the day, but I don't necessarily see him as only a Catholic God. He belongs to all. It's just that I, born into a Christian family, Old Regular Baptists of Eastern Kentucky, married into a Catholic family, am labeled a Christian. It's from this viewpoint I view the world of religion.
I love the Catholic church but I am not unaware of the forces within it that are not always, and to use a word often used to describe those who disagree, on the same page. There are parts of the Church who want to go back to pre-Vatican Council days and believe the Mass should be in Latin and who also believe this and that is not right. I believe in God and I believe he is directing and I don't argue with that. I love words and I don't understand Latin and I thank him for his English Masses. That's the language I understand. I also believe he is up to date, He is concerned with today's problem and that he uses today's words and not those of centuries ago to deal with problems needing to have the truth ferreted out. Enough said about that and on to the my 'find of the day' that delighted me and set my fingers to pounding my keyboard.
The saint listed for today is Saint Hilary. He's a him and not a she, as is another non-saint whose life is being discussed on news broadcasts today. What's the connection, you may ask? Well, believe it o r not, the problems concerning the French Bishop Hilary of the early church, and the problem of today are quite similar. The problems concerning our modern day Hilary are political, of course, while the problems of the third century saint was also political as well as church mattered, the world was then ruled by such matters, and both concerned how words are used. Now you can easily see how I nearly jumped out of my seat while reading the life of the early church leader, Saint Hilary. Yes, Yes, Yes, I thought, todays problems are being replayed out in our higher court systems and believe it o r not, God is in charge of the truth.
I will take a breather here and say why should any of us worry , since God is in charge? Well not so fast. He is in charge but he needs helpers. That's where we come in. We can't just perceive a truth, according to our ability to perceive the truth, we must do what our conscience tells us to do. The only thing I am able to do is to tell my experience with my 'revelation' and otherwise pass it on. What I did when I nonchalantly swallowed my last bit of coffee, casually picked up my calendar to see who today's saint was, since I had, wanting to be more God oriented than I usually am, thought to be more in tune with him on this Friday. I reluctantly gave up watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" to instead reach for my Kindle, tap on my Catholic encyclopedia and look up Saint Hilary. I though I would be bored, but for God's sake I often allow myself a little boredom and a few aches and pains. It was a delightful summary of a very honest and humble man. He appeared to me as modern as today's news broad casts. If you don't believe me, read his life story for yourself. There are two Saint Hilary's, the one here is Saint Hilary of Poitiers, not the one of Arles.
Before I close, I want to stress that those who made the Catholic Calendars and encyclopedias were unusual people. They did not go along with the crowd. They let their conscience rule and when they found errors in their own way of thinking, they set out to change for the better. This saint was a well educated man and but in the antiquated words describing his early life they said he was 'instructed in profane learning, but being a seeker of the truth 'renounced idolatry and was baptized."
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