Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life

The Declaration “Dominus Iesus” reaffirms the knowledge that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. God revealed Himself to humanity fully in and through Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is alive and well in today’s Catholic church.

Our faith is in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God the Father, and one of the three persons in the Trinity.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16 (NIV)

Our religion is based on the belief that God sent Jesus to show us the way; and that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God creator of all things visible and invisible, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth sent His only Son Jesus so that “whoever believes in him” may not die but have life everlasting. And Jesus lived on earth, died and rose from the dead, and returned to earth in His glorified body after the resurrection and walked and talked among His apostles, and after forty days He ascended into heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and the Catholic Church began. A complete statement of the Catholic Creed can be accessed here.

In salvation history God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit has been revealed to humanity in convincing ways. The life of Jesus and His teachings revealed to us what God has wanted from us, from the beginning: to know, to love and to obey Him. The life of Jesus demonstrated the great love God has for us.

“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (NIV)

How can we make our statement of faith, our Creed part of our lives?
From what we believe, from our Catholic religion we can develop a philosophy of life. With our human reason we can determine what we can and cannot do in life. All God asks of us is obedience.

Hear, O Israel:

The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give you today

are to be upon your hearts.

Impress them on your children.

Talk about them when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down and when you get up.

Deut 6:4-7

(NIV)

As Christians we are to love God with all our hearts, and our fellowmen as ourselves.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matt 22:36-39 (NIV)

Christian love should be what shapes a Christian society.

With divine revelation through Christ, we come to know who God is and what is expected of us.

Religion à A Philosophy of Life à Society

With the knowledge of God, we develop a philosophy of life and together with others who share our vision we grow into a society.

Religion à A Philosophy of Life à Law of the Land

What we belief determines our philosophy of life, from there derives what society is and what may become.

Your Beliefs à Philosophy of Life à Law of the Land

When a culture and a society go wrong is when the individual is lead to believe that society dictates his way of life. From society it derives his philosophy of life and then the individual reasons what his relationship to God should be.

Society à Philosophy of Life -à “Relationship to God”

When that trend develops, we see man, making god to his image. Morality becomes relative to what one believes and there is no-right or wrong. That is a sin. God made man to His image. (Genesis 9:6) Man cannot even try to make a god to his image, in that instant, man has created an idol.

Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God,
failing to observe his commands, his laws
and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied,
when you build fine houses and settle down,

and when your herds and flocks grow large
and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,

then your heart will become proud
and you will forget the LORD your God,
who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

He led you through the vast and dreadful desert,
that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

He gave you manna to eat in the desert,
something your fathers had never known,
to humble and to test you
so that in the end it might go well with you.

You may say to yourself,
"My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."

But remember the LORD your God,
for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,
and so confirms his covenant,
which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

If you ever forget the LORD your God
and follow other gods and worship
and bow down to them,
I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you,
so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

Deut 8:11-20 (NIV)

Moral indifference is a sin of omission. We see wrong being done and we do not do anything about it.

We in our limited mind cannot understand the infinite mind of God without the insight and teachings of Jesus Christ. He said to us:

"I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

Let’s follow Christ’s teachings. A Christian society is full of hope. Our hope is in Christ, we are on our way to life everlasting and He can help us walk on the road to heaven. To everything that happens in our life there is a reason in Christ timing. We need to pray for God’s wisdom to face life, and to make the right decisions when we are confronted with controversial and difficult issues.

We, Catholics, are 61 million in the United States according to Scientific American magazine, March 2000. We have the power to affect society, when we stand for what we believe. Divine revelations from Christ has shown us the way. Let us follow our Christian morality in every aspect of our lives.

The Law of the Land is not always right, so we have to pray and do what we know is morally right, through the knowledge we have as Christians and the wisdom of the Catholic Church.

We are here to make history not for history to dictate what we are going to be. We make up the society. The society does not make us what we are.

LEAP OF FAITH

www.faithleap.org

Two roads diverged in the woods,

and I took the least travelled by,

and that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Leap of Faith

St Laurence Catholic Parish

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

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