Why am I here? Why do I go to church?
Perhaps because of my leading questions, our group’s discussions can be divided into two general topics; a response to what happened the previous week and the scripture passage for the present week. So you can note that there have been two separate posts over the past month or two. The same is true for this week’s post.
Last week I noticed that Tim, Roseann, Heber, and Michael shared a common theme that was worth pursuing. Tim reminded us of his struggle when confronted with concrete decisions concerning what can be termed God and Country issues. Roseann was aware that she has matured over the years. As she reflects back she is more critical of the thoughts she had as a younger woman. Michael responded that growing older doesn’t necessarily mean becoming more mature; sometimes persons actually become harder, meaner, smaller. Heber realized that going through the RCIA process had made a profound change in him, clarifying the proper relationship between God and Country concerns. In the concluding paragraph I attempt to identify the common themes that emerged from our discussions.
Roseann felt that we have to choose whether to become bitter or not in response to what life presents you with. She felt that we have to learn in her words, to let go, let God. That phrase reminded Rosemarie of a book with that title. Although she didn’t agree with all of it content, Rosemarie thought that the key word is adjust. “I believe that everyday of our lives we adjust.” We need to recognize that God is in control and that is what is underneath the phrase, let go and let God. But it is easier to say than to do. Being in control seems to lie close to the heart of the matter. Life doesn’t offer conclusive proof that God is in control which leads us to want to control. There is an real issue at this juncture of control, us, and God. Let go sounds easy enough but is it?
Tim shared the question that headlines this post. At age 25 he realized that he had been coming to church more out of habit than anything else. This caused him pause and led to asking himself a very fundamental question, Why was he at St. Anthony? Why did he attend church at all? This was a genuine, personal question for him. And that made all the difference. In response to that question he went back to the Book and ultimately was to read most, if not all of it. He wanted to find out the basis for his faith and turned to the Bible as a primary source. Do these profound personal questions happen to everyone? Why do some of us search for an answer and others do not?
As we reflected on our conversations we realized that we share many common themes in our life. Life comes at us everyday, it never stops until we die. During our life we can grow and become more mature, more balanced, etc., but it is also possible that we will become bitter, small, mean over what life has thrown our way. It can happen that we raise very fundamental questions about the meaning of our life as we are living it. Why do I go to church? Why am I here? Again it is not inevitable that we ask ourselves these kind of questions or asking them take the time to respond to them. Events can make a different, change the course of our life. But, like a refrain, such changes are not inevitable.
As we turn our attention to the call and migration of Abraham, another layer of interpretation of the meaning of our life comes to the fore. We can come to realize that our response matters but God is faithful even if we are not. Have we discovered that truth in our life?