Faith

"Never doubt God in the darkness what he has given us in the light."

"სამხრეთის კედელზე მაცხოვრის ერთადერტი თვალდახრილი და სახედაფხეკილი ფრესკის ქვეშ ვიღაც ლაზღანდარა ათეისტს მუშაირა ჰქონდა გამართული თვითონ მაცხოვართან. უცხვირპირო და უთვალო, როგორ გიწამო, უფალო?!-კომკავშირელი ათეისტი. ასე აწერდა ხელს ლექსის ატორი. ცოტა ქვევით უფლის პასუხი იყო, ასევე ლურსმნით ამოკაწრული: კომკავშირელო, თუ არ გწამს, სახარება და ღმერთიო, ამ სიმაღლეზე მეორედ, გთხოვ, აღარ ამოეთრიო!-იესო ქრისტე. ასე აწერდა ხელს პასუხის ავტორი."

"The test of faith is whether I can make space for difference. Can I recognize God's image in someone who is not in my image, who language, faith, ideal, are different from mine? If I cannot, then I have made God in my image instead of allowing him to remake me in his."

"Christianity is not about how much faith you have. Its about Who your faith is in."

"God made you the way He wanted you to be and He does not make mistakes. He has a plan for your life that is much bigger than you can imagine."

"Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning.''I understand the concept. It's just . . . there seems to be a contradiction.''Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man's starvation, war, sickness . . .''Exactly!' Chartrand knew the camerlengo would understand. 'Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn't He'The camerlengo frowned. 'Would He'Chartrand felt uneasy. Had he overstepped his bounds? Was this one of those religious questions you just didn't ask? 'Well . . . if God loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.''Do you have children, Lieutenant'Chartrand flushed. 'No, signore.''Imagine you had an eight-year-old son . . . would you love him''Of course.''Would you let him skateboard'Chartrand did a double take. The camerlengo always seemed oddly "in touch" for a clergyman. 'Yeah, I guess,' Chartrand said. 'Sure, I'd let him skateboard, but I'd tell him to be careful.''So as this child's father, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes''I wouldn't run behind him and mollycoddle him if that's what you mean.''But what if he fell and skinned his knee''He would learn to be more careful.'The camerlengo smiled. 'So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child's pain, you would choose to show your love by letting him learn his own lessons''Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It's how we learn.'The camerlengo nodded. 'Exactly."

"When we try to focus our thought upon One who is pure uncreated being we may see nothing at all, for He dwelleth in light that no man can approach unto. Only by faith and love are we able to glimpse Him as He passes by our shelter in the cleft of the rock."

"Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love - but sometimes it was so hard to love."

"The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals."

"I decided I would fill the emptiness in me with God and with paint."

"I will tell you why we have these extraordinary minds and souls, Miss Whittaker," he continued, as though he had not heard her. "We have them because there is a supreme intelligence in the universe, which wishes for communion with us. This supreme intelligence longs to be known. It calls out to us. It draws us close to its mystery, and grants us these remarkable minds, in order that we try to reach for it. It wants us to find it. It wants union with us, more than anything."

"Ask and it shall be given you,'" I began. "'Seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.' We have the same message in the Book of Saint John," I said, sounding for all the world like a preacher..."Well, but how could I just stop there? Those words were worse than nothing if I didn't tell what they meant to Grandpa. Looking at the long rough box, I spoke timid, in a mumbled voice. Not preachified at all. "Grandpa didn't think Jesus meant, by that, that we should ast God for things, or for special favors. He said we could trust that in the nature of things, without astin', we'll get lots of blessin's and happy surprises and maybe a miracle or two. When Jesus said ast and you'll get it, He meant things of the spirit, not the flesh. Right now for instance, I could ast, 'Lord please raise Grandpa from the dead,' but it wouldn't happen. But I can say, 'Please, God, comfort me,' and I'll get heart's ease. Grandpa said Jesus meant us to ast for hope, forgiveness, and all that. Ast, 'Hep us not be scared, hep us not be greedy, give us courage to try." I was really carried away. "Ast any such and God will give it to you. But don't ast Him not to let fire burn, or say spare me from death. At least, uh, that's what Grandpa said."

"The goal of prayer is to live all of my life and speak all of my words in the joyful awareness of the presence of God. Prayer becomes real when we grasp the reality and goodness of God's constant presence with 'the real me.' Jesus lived his everyday life in conscious awareness of his Father."

"I told him I had once lost everything I had, too, and that I think that can be God’s way of building walls around us to force us to look up at Him."

"I have always been a firm believer in God and the power of prayer, though to be honest, my faith has made for alist of questions I definitely want answered after I'm gone."

"The worse I am, the more I need God. I can't shut myself out from His mercy. That is what it would mean; starting a life with you, without Him."

"If the Almighty directs our steps, we've no need to look back over our shoulders."

"It is not easy to convey a sense of wonder, let alone resurrection wonder, to another. It’s the very nature of wonder to catch us off guard, to circumvent expectations and assumptions. Wonder can’t be packaged, and it can’t be worked up. It requires some sense of being there and some sense of engagement."

"The sorrow of God lies in our fear of Him, our fear of life, and our fear of ourselves. He anguishes over our self-absorption and self-sufficiency... God's sorrow lies in our refusal to approach Him when we sinned and failed."

"There can only be two basic loves... the love of God unto the forgetfulness of self, or the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God."