The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana 1 1
• i I
."
By JOHN F. HAUGHT
.Catholic News Service
ges us to move
of associating "unbe-
those who do not share
'Following. the example of
• SOmetimes found more
the gentiles than among
challenges us to
problem pri-
or each one of us.
down to whether
our lives and future
God or instead per-
For, as the Gospels
a degree of dis-
"I believe• Help my
people always will find
! Which to trust. The real
that Something will be.
as well as unbe-
an inborn tendency to
COncern on which to
this sense all are
have a habit of choosing
that are too small,
rs.
makes clear, genuine
other than idol-
"idolatry" mean
things that are
an exceptional
We diminish ourselves
It freedom and
to things
even familial ties,
, or obsession with law
',our true iden-
, Wider kingdom of
with the
simply because
that isn't located outside us
idolatry imprisons people,
whereas real trust in God
sets people free.
Our own understanding of
unbelief or idolatry, there-
fore, should echo the biblical
intentions. Unfortunately,
though, we have tended pri-
marily to associate unbelief
with "atheists," and idolatry
with the religious practice of
"pagans."
By projecting atheism and
idolatry outside ourselves,
attributing these only to
"outsiders," we fail to notice
the idolatry and unbelief in
our own lives•
Our unbelief- in other
words our idolatry -- can be
almost invisible to us. It can
even become an aspect of
our pious devotion to "God"
when we imagine God to be
much less than God is.
Most of us acquire our
sense of the divine when we
are very young. But often,
after we have grown up, our
image of God remains
undersized, inflexibly fixed
to some prior phase of our
personal and religious devel-
opment• Within our own
spiritual lives vGe can
enshrine images of God that
imprison.
In biblical terms this too is
idolatry. It is a form of unbelief.
This is why Meister Eckhart, the
medieval mystic, was inspired to pray:
"God, deliver me from God." What did
he r0ean? He meant, "Deus semper
maid:" Those words in Latin mean that
God is always greater than our sense of
God.
Haught is professor of theology at George-
town University.
Point:
ttitude, as a Catholic Christian, toward someone who
a non-believer?
happened was•., to try and find out what the person
CUrious what the word 'faith' meant to him .... I didn't really
convert him, but instead wanting to say that my faith is
that I want to share."
-- Sue Becket, Middlefield, Ohio
the little miracles of life .... It is much more difficult
God than to believe .... If I can say anything to help them
is theirs."
Sharon Gingerich, Burton, Ohio
, but I think in the end they may f'md it was an incorrect choice.
to choose their own beliefs even though I don't agree with
-- Nancy Urban, Parkman, Ohio
to Witness to the truth. As a priest, my attitude is one of sor-
and hope that somehow I could help him or her come to an
experience of '
• Jesus love and the way of his salvation for that per-
: "-" Father Alfred Pehrsson, CM, Grand Rapids, Mich.
VOice:
asks: How would you define the word 'hope?' And how
publication, plea write: Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth
017-1100.
"Most of us acquire our sense of the divine when we are very young," explains theol-
ogy professor John F. Haught. "But often, after we have grown up, our image of God
remains undersized."
-- CNS photo by Michael Alexander
0
Food for thought ......
'Do we really know "how" to get through to people whose belief in God is
blocked by some obstacle -- by a lack of hope, perhaps, by anger or simply
because they don't know anyone who is a compelling example of faith?
The Synod of Bishops for America -- North, Central and South America,
and the Caribbean -- that took place in Rome at the end of 1997 issued a mes-
sage asking Catholic Christians to share their faith ,openly and courageous-
ly." To do so, the synod said, is to serve as evangelizers.
Who should faith be shared with? The synod named these groups:
"Those who have abandoned the faith.
"Those who in their longing are still searching for God.
"Those who have yet to hear the good news."
And how did the synod propose that faith be shared with these people?
By "your lives of holiness."
By "your kindness to all."
By "charity toward those in need and your solidarity with all the
oppressed."
And, looking ahead to the coming Jubilee of the Year 2000, the synod m'ged
that the new millennium's arrival be celebrated by hearing the Gospel anew,
taking it to heart and sharing it "with humility, gratitude and joy."
Just days after the synod concluded, Pope John Paul H issued his 1998 World
Day of Peace message. In it he told of ways that the Holy Spirit becomes vis-
ible to others. The Spirit, he said, is present in:
"The selfless service of those who work alongside the outcast and the
suffering.
"Those who welcome immigrants and refugees.
-- "Those who bravely refuse to reject a person or a whole group for ethnic,
cultural or religious reasons."
The Spirit "is especially present," the pope added, "in the generous activi-
ty of all who patiently and perseveringly continue to promote peace and rec-
onciliation between people who were once opponents and enemies."
David Gibson
Editor, Faith Alive!
