janjotting about God

Sunday, 24 September 2017

About the difference between hope in God and conviction that there is a God

The concept of hope, in a religious sense, has long been a struggle for me because I have had always the conviction that a) there is a God, b) there is a heaven and c) I'm going there when I die.

This is not because I'm 'good' enough but because God is. I've tried to be and do my best, and, even though I've failed many, many times, for which I am truly sorry, I believe that this is all that God asks from us.

Being brought up with very good values of what was right and wrong and being shown, by word and example, how to behave towards others was also an amazing benefit. So, believing that this is the best way to be happy in this world, it's been worth the effort.

(On a 'personal anxiety' level, I freely admit that I am also scared of 'being in the wrong' and of 'being told off', but not by God, of whom I've never been afraid, but by people. Also, I bother far too much about what people think of me so do want to be seen to be doing the 'right' thing.)

As I grew up and became aware of the anguish and suffering in the world, I used to think I couldn't bear it if I didn't believe that all this would be put right or made up for somehow, if not in this world, then in the next.

Recently though, I'm beginning to see why hope could be so important for people who don't have the certainty that I have (through no conscious effort on my part, but as a pure gift from my life's circumstances, I imagine).

If what I believe in is true, then every grief and sorrow, all struggles and sufferings, in fact "every tear", WILL be wiped away. Consolation will be given TO, and justice done FOR, everyone who has suffered. At the same time, justice WILL be done TO all who have caused suffering, in ways that our human minds cannot comprehend.

Surely it is worth hoping that this might be true. Isn't this better than closing our eyes and shutting down our hearts to the pain of the world or becoming hardened and teaching ourselves not to care.

I do hope so. If I never wrote another word, this is what I'd want my life's message to be.

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Prayers 1 About 'praying' and 'saying prayers'

For a long time now, I have felt that I would like to write about praying and share my prayer pattern in case it might be of help to someone else so here goes.

How many words have been written on this subject before?! Countless, I'm sure is the answer to that. Why should that be? Well, if there is a God who has made us and loves us then communication would seem to be high up on the list of imperatives in our relationship with our Maker.

As young people at school, we were given the pnemonic 'ACTS' as an aid to prayer, the letters standing for Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Suppplication. I was never particularly happy with this and, over the years, have come up with my own, which is as follows: Love, Adoration, Sorrow, Thanksgiving, Intercession, Need and Glory, giving the word 'LASTING'.

I actually end up praying in the opposite order of the letters. I also believe that it is important for us to pray in our own words in our personal prayer so you will find my best efforts to be as true to the accepted language of our traditional prayers as I understand it and as it makes sense to me.

The order is very much based on the Trinity which is the fundamental picture I have of the God with whom I am trying to communicate. So first of all, I address God the Father, then Jesus, his Son and then, the Holy Spirit.

As this has turned into quite a long introduction, I will start another post to give the actual prayers.

Sunday, 10 September 2017

Thoughts about two sad situations brought to mind whilst out shopping today

The post below was written in September 2017 and has been in draft ever since but still holds good for me today.

In Tesco today, we bumped into a couple we know who have a son with learning and physical disabilities. He goes to the same day placement as our son and is a lovely lad.

In the course of our conversation, not having seen them for a while, we found out that they are really struggling to get the appropriate care package for their son and respite for themselves.

Both of them have had very serious illnesses and they have one daughter who tries to help them as much as she can but has her own family and also has real health problems at the moment. It is so unjust and upsetting and breaks our hearts for them.

As we drove home, talking about how wrong it all was, we spotted one of our neighbours walking down the road. Since a dreadful bike accident when he was a young lad, every step he takes is painful to watch. He walks with a very pronounced limp and has had to have a hip operation at quite a young age for an adult.

There seems no easy answer to either of these situations which could be replicated throughout the world, to a greater and lesser extent, wherever you look.

My only consolation is to hang on to the absolute conviction that in the next world, all this grief will be assuaged and the injustice dealt with and righted. Again, I say to myself, without that belief, how can anyone live in a world with so much sorrow.

Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Thoughts about articles in the Catholic Herald Aug 4th, 2017 re Chris Patten and re the joy of 'ordinariness'

For a while, last year, I used to write an email to someone at the Herald when a particular piece struck me in any way, but the aforesaid magazines would pile up as I regularly fell behind with the task and anyway, what would the very nice Luke do with my comments, apart from, occasionally, and very kindly, replying.

It still happens that I read something which I really want to share, so where else should I do so than here on my very own blog where to my amazement, I see that nearly 8400 people have viewed my God-spot pages.

Re Chris Patten: final sentence of a review of his memoir, 'First Confession'
(He) "rose so high, served so well, and remained a decent, humane and faithful public servant." I like that.

Fr Matthew Pittam's column, "The pressure to be excellent" extolls what I like to call 'the glory of the ordinary'. So many of us today are made to feel that we have to 'jump through hoops' just to do our ordinary jobs. I think it's a really excellent article; well worth a read.

The same theme is taken up by Fr Ronald Rolheiser 'In praise of the ordinary' in his inimitable way. I would only change his last sentence, "There's a lot to be said for being a contented, little person, anchored in the rhythms of the ordinary." by removing the 'little'!

I liked Colin Brazier's column and there's a great anecdote from his 7 year old son's school diary; funny and human. It will make most parents (and teachers) smile.