Cleansing Fire

Defending Truth and Tradition in the Roman Catholic Church

The ‘why’ in the bible . . .

February 9th, 2022, Promulgated by Diane Harris

Over many years, alone and in bible studies with others, the most difficult question has always seemed  to be “Why?”  But it is also a question that can yield much fruit as we crave to know better our God. Most studies stop after the “Who, what, when, where, and how” are answered.  “Why?” always seems a bit audacious. Who are we to question the ‘why’ of the mind of God?

But there is nothing to fear in asking the “why” of God’s actions, and there are a number of verses where we, through the disciples, are invited to do so. In first grade we were taught the following exchange:

  • “Who made me?” (Answer: God made me.)
  • Then the second or third question is usually:
  • “Why did God make me?”
  • Aha! We are invited to ask “why!” And the answer embraces a 3-part ‘why’:
  • “God made me to know Him, to love Him and to Serve Him …”

In that pursuit, we inevitably stumble into asking more “why’s” on the path to knowing God more fully.

One ‘why’ which has been on my mind a lot lately is the “why” implicit in Luke 18:8b in which Christ invites His Apostles to ask themselves the question:

“Nevertheless (or ‘yet’) when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Why did Christ ask His Apostles’ opinion on this matter? Why don’t we know how they answered? And how can we not be invited to share in contemplating that same “why?” The “Y” in the road leads us deeper into knowing, loving and serving.

I offered no answers to that question, just an invitation to comment on why this is posed as a question instead of the answer given as a teaching. We know the mission and we know the outcome (God wins; has already won!) but what will be the result of our embracing His work? Or of NOT embracing His work?  The questions are of course linked to preparation for the Second Coming.

While sorting out the recent Catechism’s “re-presentation” of the historic teaching, I was surprised to find that ‘to serve’ had disappeared from the traditional 3-part priority list. Paragraph #1’s title now proclaims “The Life of Man — to know and love God.”  Is this a restatement of “Non Serviam?” i.e. of Satan’s refusal to serve? Or just a typographical error he is exploiting?

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