#remaking god

[momentsbeforemass]

“Who do you say…”

(for someone who doesn’t realize he’s doing this)

“Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus asks this question in today’s Gospel. And gets a range of answers. It can seem surprising. Since He’s asking the Apostles, the people who should know Him the best.

But it really shouldn’t be a surprise. Because if Jesus asked you and me “Who do you say that I am?” We would give Him a range of answers as well.

This has been an issue for us as human beings from the very beginning. Literally. From almost the moment of creation, human beings have been answering this question in all kinds of ways.

Because there’s something in us that is desperate to remake God.

Whether we’re doing it so we can reject God. Or doing it so that we can control God. Or to get what we want. Or to avoid something.

Especially this last one.

No matter what else is going on, you and I are desperate to remake God. Because we can’t handle the alternative. We want to avoid God truly being God.

Because if God truly is God, then there’s no room for us to be God. For us to be the center of our own petty little universe, where everything orbits around us.

If you and I are honest, we know that we’re not fooling anyone but ourselves. That everything doesn’t revolve around us. And that we’re just setting ourselves up for a fall when we pretend otherwise.

The other problem with remaking God? Our inadequate version of God will prevent us from having an actual, healthy relationship with God.

If we’re focused on our inadequate version of God, then we’re going to be relating to, interacting with, or even avoiding/denying something that doesn’t exist. Again, setting ourselves up for a fall when reality eventually comes crashing in.

Trying to remake someone else to meet our needs is a recipe for ruining a relationship. Or not having one at all. We’ve all seen how it plays out when we do it to other human beings. It never ends well.

Why should it be any different with God?

Today, make sure that your relationship with God is grounded in reality. Be honest with yourself about the baggage that you’re loading God up with. Stop trying to remake Him.

Instead, set yourself up to have an actual relationship with God.

Try letting God be God.

Today’s Readings

[momentsbeforemass]

Dealing with God

There are basically two ways to deal with God.

We can deal with God on God’s terms.

That is, we can either open our hearts and our minds to God. And let God show us who He is.

Which leads to all kinds of things that make us deeply uncomfortable. Like today’s Gospel, the bread of life discourse. It’s the source of the Church’s understanding that Christ is really present (body and blood, soul and divinity) in the Eucharist.

Or we can deal with God on our terms.

Our relationship with God will be radically different, depending on whose terms we’re using.

If we deal with God on our terms, we will soon find that we have made something to suit our own preferences. Whether it’s something that we’re comfortable with.

Or something that we’re comfortable ignoring.

We’ll make it work for a while. But in time, we’ll find ourselves further and further from anything real. Further and further from anything that will ever satisfy the hole in our hearts.

If we deal with God on God’s terms, we’ll find ourselves drawing closer and closer to the source of reality itself.

If we persist, if keep dealing with God on God’s terms, then we will find a peace and joy that can only come from satisfying our hearts by filling them with the very thing that they were meant to be filled with.

“The only One who can truly satisfy the human heart is the One who made it.”

Today’s Readings

[momentsbeforemass]

“Who do you say…”

(for someone who doesn’t realize he’s doing this)

“Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus asks this question in today’s Gospel. And gets a range of answers. It can seem surprising. Since He’s asking the Apostles, the people who should know Him the best.

But it really shouldn’t be a surprise. Because if Jesus asked you and me “Who do you say that I am?” We would give Him a range of answers as well.

This has been an issue for us as human beings from the very beginning. Literally. From almost the moment of creation, human beings have been answering this question in all kinds of ways.

Because there’s something in us that is desperate to remake God.

Whether we’re doing it so we can reject God. Or doing it so that we can control God. Or to get what we want. Or to avoid something.

Especially this last one.

No matter what else is going on, you and I are desperate to remake God. Because we can’t handle the alternative. We want to avoid God truly being God.

Because if God truly is God, then there’s no room for us to be God. For us to be the center of our own petty little universe, where everything orbits around us.

If you and I are honest, we know that we’re not fooling anyone but ourselves. That everything doesn’t revolve around us. And that we’re just setting ourselves up for a fall when we pretend otherwise.

The other problem with remaking God? Our inadequate version of God will prevent us from having an actual, healthy relationship with God.

If we’re focused on our inadequate version of God, then we’re going to be relating to, interacting with, or even avoiding/denying something that doesn’t exist. Again, setting ourselves up for a fall when reality eventually comes crashing in.

Trying to remake someone else to meet our needs is a recipe for ruining a relationship. Or not having one at all. We’ve all seen how it plays out when we do it to other human beings. It never ends well.

Why should it be any different with God?

Today, make sure that your relationship with God is grounded in reality. Be honest with yourself about the baggage that you’re loading God up with. Stop trying to remake Him.

Instead, set yourself up to have an actual relationship with God.

Try letting God be God.

Today’s Readings

[momentsbeforemass]

“Who do you say…”

“Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus asks this question in today’s Gospel. And gets a range of answers. It can seem surprising. Since He’s asking the Apostles, the people who should know Him the best.

But it really shouldn’t be a surprise. Because if Jesus asked you and me “Who do you say that I am?” We would give Him a range of answers as well.

This has been an issue for us as human beings from the very beginning. Literally. From almost the moment of creation, human beings have been answering this question in all kinds of ways.

Because there’s something in us that is desperate to remake God.

Whether we’re doing it so we can reject God. Or doing it so that we can control God. Or to get what we want. Or to avoid something.

Especially this last one.

No matter what else is going on, you and I are desperate to remake God. Because we can’t handle the alternative. We want to avoid God truly being God.

Because if God truly is God, then there’s no room for us to be God. For us to be the center of our own petty little universe, where everything orbits around us.

If you and I are honest, we know that we’re not fooling anyone but ourselves. That everything doesn’t revolve around us. And that we’re just setting ourselves up for a fall when we pretend otherwise.

The other problem with remaking God? Our inadequate version of God will prevent us from having an actual, healthy relationship with God.

If we’re focused on our inadequate version of God, then we’re going to be relating to, interacting with, or even avoiding something that doesn’t exist. Again, setting ourselves up for a fall when reality eventually comes crashing in.

Trying to remake someone else to meet our needs is a recipe for ruining a relationship. Or not having one at all. We’ve all seen how it plays out when we do it to other human beings. It never ends well.

Why should it be any different with God?

Today, make sure that your relationship with God is grounded in reality. Be honest with yourself about the baggage that you’re loading God up with. Stop trying to remake Him.

Instead, set yourself up to have an actual relationship with God.

Try letting God be God.

Today’s Readings

[samuelatgilgal]

GOD FOR SALE?

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. (Acts 8:9 ESV))

In the region of Samaria, there once lived a man called Simon the Sorcerer. He astonished the people of this province with his magic. As a matter of fact, the people called him the “great power of God. Simon loved power and…

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