Comments on: Thursday 10/19/2017 Justification by Faith: God Has No Grandchildren

By: Mary Ortwein

Mary Ortwein — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:48:16 +0000

I love the dialogue we are having with each other. If you doubt if you are child of God because sometimes you take faith for granted, remember children take their parents for granted often, and focus. Parents love their children, even though the know their children are works in progress; I trust God has a similar kind view of us as we learn and grow.

I did not talk enough with my children about faith, even though both my husband and I were active in our faith. My children are God’s grandchildren, too. I’m working on learning how to witness effectively to them now. Let us all pray for each other and our children!

Mark, it is your comment that leads me to write a response today. I spent years believing Matthew 25 was the way to get to heaven. I heard a homily once about it entitled “God’s Final Exam.” It is the clearest description of what God wants. However, in my efforts to live Matthew 25, I spent some years very much in the humanist world–in part because sometimes they did a better job of being Matthew 25 Christians than my Christian friends. Now I pray each morning as part of my morning offering, “Lord, give me the gift of Compassion that I may do Works of Mercy as you would do them, and give me Works of Mercy to do today, that I may grow from Compassion to Solidarity.” Both Mother Teresa and Pope Francis speak often that “the church is not an NGO (non-government agency) or social service agency. I am trying to learn how to serve the needs of the poor in ways that enable me to also share their poverty, to learn from them and be served by them, too. I’m very much on the front end of that learning curve, but working in that direction is helping me truly see God in many faces.

Blessings to all for your comments!
Mary Ortwein

By: Mary Jane

Mary Jane — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:07:47 +0000

Your reflection is so deep and thought provoking. We are all on different paths in our lives and we each have individual challenges and we are blind to many things. My faith has grown and changed through the years. My children are grown and scattered and believe so differently than I do. I once asked a priest for help when they were teens. He met with them and told me it was too late. I wish I could go back in time and change who I was and how I understood and lived my faith. But I go forward every day and I talk to my grandchildren about my faith and why He is so wonderful and helps me in so many ways. With Him all things are possible. Much love.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:45:24 +0000

Hey Mary,

I agree with that recieving the Sacrements does not guarentee us a place in Heaven. Either does going to church every Sunday, let alone every day.

Do you want to know how to get to Heaven? Read Matthew 25.

Mark

By: Judith

Judith — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 13:19:54 +0000

Mary,

Today’s reflection is immensely beautiful! Thank you!
It has gotten me to reflect deeper on my faith and honestly i think i am a grand child of God. I have to work harder on being a true child of God. I trust in due course i will get there but God knows i need loads of His grace.

Thank you

By: El

El — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 12:59:28 +0000

Thank you, Mary, for a thought-provoking reflection. I appreciate how you are able to dig deep into Scripture and theology to help us understand God’s ways. Many of us have never attended a theology school or studied the Scriptures in depth. That’s why I’m grateful for the knowledge you impart to us so that we may grow in our own faith and understanding of the Word. As well, you share from your own life and the counseling sessions you have with others so that we may feel that we are not alone in our struggles. Lord, increase my faith so that I may impart deep belief into my children that they may never wander from their own precious convictions.

By: Jennifer Pereira

Jennifer Pereira — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 12:42:52 +0000

Another thought-provoking reflection, Mary. Thank you!

By: Grandpa Scotty B

Grandpa Scotty B — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 12:09:58 +0000

Thank you. This is a struggle for us all who grew up absolutely believing we MUST do something.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 12:08:30 +0000

Thank you, Mary, a thought-provoking reflection. I’ve found it’s a lot easier to submit my will and intellect to God once I acknowledge every day that I cannot get to heaven alone, without Him forming me. I have to give up any illusion that I can do all these things in His name. I once read somewhere that it’s not what you do that gets you to heaven. It’s how much you love. St. Paul also said, “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” That hit me and still has a profound effect on me. It has changed the way I think about everything, and how mistaken I was. Thank you for helping us grow as followers of Christ.