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I need some practical advice for how to live and grow in Franciscan spirituality as a layperson. Because I am not close to a Secular Franciscan group, I need to do this on my own.
The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins crystallized so beautifully the effect that John Duns Scotus’ teaching has on mystical minds: Yet ah! this air I
Find a quiet place to go and sit—even if it’s just for a few minutes. If you can’t get away, try to watch a video or listen to a recording of some soothing nature sounds for a few minutes.
I know that being an atheist is looked down upon, but I want to know if being an agnostic is a sin.
Our attempts to make up for deficiencies from our childhoods lead to our recurring sins. By the Holy Spirit’s gifts of insight and understanding, we can begin the process of being freed from our slavery to sin.
If God created the angel Lucifer, who failed God through pride, why didn’t God simply dump him in hell instead of allowing him to torment and wreck so many human lives? Isn’t God more powerful than Satan?
I have heard this explained in terms of free will. When did that theory begin? It seems that our all-knowing and all-powerful God has been shoved aside. What am I missing here?
Reflect It’s tough to be patient when we are waiting for God to act in our lives. One recent morning I watched a snowy egret.
Q. The term born again has become very popular among many Christians now, but I am not sure of its meaning. I suspect that it is misused or misunderstood by many people who proudly use it. Also, we read in John 3:5, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ” Is “water ” here the same as Baptism?
In the second part of the Hail Mary, we say, “Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” My fundamentalist brother wants to know how Mary can be the mother of God if God made Mary. How can I explain this?
The Western Church asserted the body and blood are present at the completion of the words of consecration. The Eastern Church supported the view that the real presence takes place through the epiclesis (the prayer for the sending or coming of the Spirit to sanctify the gifts of bread and wine).
