November 12, 2002
Subjects:
Prayer
Theology
[12/Nov/2002:21:01:26] <Father
Phillip> Greetings...
[12/Nov/2002:21:02:38] <Father Phillip> if you have a question
or a comment, please type it in the white line and when you've typed it, hit
"enter"
[12/Nov/2002:21:02:54] <Father Phillip> the moderator (me) will
see the question and try to respond...
[12/Nov/2002:21:02:55] <Father Phillip> ok?
[12/Nov/2002:22:16:36] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: Fr. Phillip,
you there?
[12/Nov/2002:22:16:41] <Father Phillip> yes i am!
[12/Nov/2002:22:17:25] <Father Phillip> what can i do for you?
:-)
[12/Nov/2002:22:18:48] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: First of all, thanks so much for your recent email
to me about why we go to a priest for reconciliation. It was exactly what I
needed to hear. But on to the next question that has been plaguing me: What
are we to do/conclude when our prayers go unanswered?
[12/Nov/2002:22:19:08] <Father Phillip> well...in the first place
[12/Nov/2002:22:19:18] <Father Phillip> our prayers NEVER go UNanswered
[12/Nov/2002:22:19:27] <Father Phillip> let me try to explain...
[12/Nov/2002:22:20:08] <Father Phillip> God is always listening
[12/Nov/2002:22:20:14] <Father Phillip> Gos always hears us
[12/Nov/2002:22:20:19] <Father Phillip> sorry: God
[12/Nov/2002:22:21:15] <Father Phillip> so, we always get a "response"
-- it may simply be God quietly, gently, patiently listening to us
[12/Nov/2002:22:21:24] <Father Phillip> but that IS an answer...a
response
[12/Nov/2002:22:21:28] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i am talking
about reasonable requests, like asking for peace of heart and mind, to offer
our anxieties up to the Lord as php 4:6-7 tells us to
[12/Nov/2002:22:22:07] <Father Phillip> even with unreasonable
requests -- God is surely listening and responding and answering
[12/Nov/2002:22:22:32] <Father Phillip> but surely with the truly
and authentically kind of "holy" requests your mention, God is listening
and answering
[12/Nov/2002:22:23:00] <Father Phillip> sometimes, though, our
God answers in ways that we just simply don't like
[12/Nov/2002:22:23:05] <Father Phillip> sometimes God says NO
[12/Nov/2002:22:23:17] <Father Phillip> and we're such wonderfully
spoiled children that we don't like God's answer
[12/Nov/2002:22:23:25] <Father Phillip> and so we say that our
prayers go unanswered
[12/Nov/2002:22:23:49] <Father Phillip> and at other times, the
response is even harder than NO
Relation of prayer to psychotherapy
[12/Nov/2002:22:24:16] <Father
Phillip> for example, with the request you mention of wanting/asking
for peace of mind
[12/Nov/2002:22:25:03] <Father Phillip> sometimes the response
is: "My beloved child, you need psychotherapy, and i will help to provide
that for you; go see Fr. Phillip and he'll direct you to a good therapist."
:-)
[12/Nov/2002:22:25:10] <Father Phillip> that is to say,
[12/Nov/2002:22:25:40] <Father Phillip> sometimes, the answer we
get from the Lord is one that we don't want to hear or that we are afraid of
hearing and implementing in its fullness
[12/Nov/2002:22:26:09] <Father Phillip> especially in issues revolving
around our psychological-spiritual-mental well-being and health
[12/Nov/2002:22:26:13] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: if He is listening
and answering my pleas, then why have I continued to endure such depression,
stress, and anxiety? it's affected my faith life
[12/Nov/2002:22:26:31] <Father Phillip> of course these things
effect and affect your faith life!
[12/Nov/2002:22:27:17] <Father Phillip> as you know -- maybe --
i have a mental illness, depression and anxiety disorder, and they have disrupted
my faith life profoundly in the past
Back to the Top
Proof of God's existence from experience
[12/Nov/2002:22:27:23] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: how do we know that our belief in a god isn't a
well-crafted panacea for all our problems then?
[12/Nov/2002:22:28:04] <Father Phillip> if you mean, can we PROVE
that our belief in God is not a well-crafted panacea for all our problems --
prove in the scientific method sense of "prove" -- then the answer
is no
[12/Nov/2002:22:28:14] <Father Phillip> i can't PROVE that -- at
least not in that way
[12/Nov/2002:22:29:11] <Father Phillip> but if you mean "prove"
in the sense of the interior witness of my heart and mind, and in the experience
of the community of believers, then YES indeed we can "prove" that
God is real and our belief is based on the reality of the incarnation and resurrection!
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:29:19] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: the thing that frustrates me so much about prayer
is that the conversation i try to have with Him is so one-way
[12/Nov/2002:22:29:27] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i can't tell
you how much i wish i could see Him next to me, even if for a second
[12/Nov/2002:22:29:38] <Father Phillip> you're not alone in that
feeling!
[12/Nov/2002:22:30:04] <Father Phillip> i have a good friend who
is a nun who says, "Yeah, I know that God loves me, but when was the last
time He sent me flowers?!?!"
[12/Nov/2002:22:30:16] <Father Phillip> she wants some tangible
"proof" that God is
[12/Nov/2002:22:30:21] <Father Phillip> and that God is there for
her
[12/Nov/2002:22:31:11] <Father Phillip> many, many times, i have
sat in front of the Blessed Sacrament and said, "I KNOW You exist, but
today knowledge is just not enough; i need to FEEL Your Presence in my heart
and in my body!"
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:31:22] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: why is God such an invisible God?????
[12/Nov/2002:22:31:51] <Father Phillip> you're adverting to the
theological concept of the "deus absconditus", i.e., the "hidden
God"
[12/Nov/2002:22:31:58] <Father Phillip> it's so hard for us
[12/Nov/2002:22:32:21] <Father Phillip> we are so decidedly corporeal
[12/Nov/2002:22:32:30] <Father Phillip> tangiblity is so important
to us
[12/Nov/2002:22:32:47] <Father Phillip> but knowing that about
us is why God assumed FLESH in Jesus
[12/Nov/2002:22:33:05] <Father Phillip> so that God -- the invisible
God -- could be "one like us in all things but sin" as Hebrews says
[12/Nov/2002:22:33:37] <Father Phillip> the mystery of the incarnation
is when God-in-Jesus made the invisible God VISIBLE!
[12/Nov/2002:22:33:54] <Father Phillip> and the Sacraments are
the continuing, grace-filled Presence of Christ Jesus
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:34:05] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: the thing that has rocked me is that i've realized
i don't trust at all
[12/Nov/2002:22:34:09] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: well, if faith
is only granted by our father, then why does He not give certain people enough
of it?
[12/Nov/2002:22:34:25] <Father Phillip> you're getting to the core
of the mystery, i think
[12/Nov/2002:22:34:33] <Father Phillip> i suspect that you DO trust
[12/Nov/2002:22:34:55] <Father Phillip> if you didn't trust, why
would you have posted the question about confessing to a priest on CatholicQandA?
[12/Nov/2002:22:35:03] <Father Phillip> if you didn't trust, why
would you be here tonight?
[12/Nov/2002:22:35:16] <Father Phillip> if you didn't trust, why
would you care whether God answers your prayers?
[12/Nov/2002:22:35:27] <Father Phillip> you are being tormented
by doubt
[12/Nov/2002:22:35:30] <Father Phillip> and by fear
Back to the Top
Hearing God's call in temptation
[12/Nov/2002:22:35:48] <Father
Phillip> but one of the most fascinating lessons of Jesus' life is the
following
[12/Nov/2002:22:36:42] <Father Phillip> one of the greatest high
points in His life was his Baptism -- when He heard the voice of the Father
proclaim Him to be God's beloved Son and saw the Holy Spirit descend as a dove
[12/Nov/2002:22:37:05] <Father Phillip> and then IMMEDIATELY after
that moment, Jesus was driven out into the desert to be tempted by the evil
one
[12/Nov/2002:22:37:11] <Father Phillip> the point is this:
[12/Nov/2002:22:37:45] <Father Phillip> when we are very close
to doing what God is really calling us to do, precisely at THAT moment the enemy
of our human nature starts really tormenting us
[12/Nov/2002:22:38:02] <Father Phillip> so, i suspect that YOU
may be very near to the point of really doing what God wants of you
[12/Nov/2002:22:38:20] <Father Phillip> and that is why the evil
one may be tempting you with this doubt and fear
[12/Nov/2002:22:39:32] <Father Phillip> how the Spirit chooses
to apportion the divine gifts -- and you're right: faith is a divine gift of
the Father -- is just simply not up to us...we have to sit back in awe that
God deigns to share so many gifts with sinful people such as ourselves -- rather
than carping about not getting enough of this gift or that one!
Back to the Top
Recognizing Jesus in our doubt
[12/Nov/2002:22:39:44] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: one problem i have trouble coming to grips with
is that if He came again, i wouldn't be able to recognize Him. even when Jesus
was on earth, people could not see Him as from above...
[12/Nov/2002:22:39:55] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i mostly want
to know Him, but i feel the only way i know Him is through what other people
say about knowing Him
[12/Nov/2002:22:40:11] <Father Phillip> no, my friend, you know
Jesus
[12/Nov/2002:22:40:14] <Father Phillip> in your heart
[12/Nov/2002:22:40:19] <Father Phillip> in the questions you are
asking
[12/Nov/2002:22:40:26] <Father Phillip> in the prayers you've been
offering
[12/Nov/2002:22:40:30] <Father Phillip> you do know Jesus
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:40:46] <Father
Phillip> and by the way, the Church tells us that when Jesus comes the
second time
[12/Nov/2002:22:41:05] <Father Phillip> He will come in such a
public and manifest way that nobody will be able to miss Him!
[12/Nov/2002:22:41:28] <Father Phillip> the real problem, i think,
is that you are afraid that Jesus is right there beside you and you're missing
what he's saying to you
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:41:37] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: well, the antichrist will present himself in the
same way...
[12/Nov/2002:22:41:45] <Father Phillip> not exactly
[12/Nov/2002:22:41:55] <Father Phillip> the anti-christ will be
public
[12/Nov/2002:22:42:14] <Father Phillip> not when Jesus comes the
second time He will come on the clouds of glory attended by the angels of God
[12/Nov/2002:22:42:32] <Father Phillip> that is not at all anything
that the anti-christ will be able to pull off!
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:09] <Father
Phillip> so, i'm inclined to think that the deeper issue is one of you
recognizing Jesus Who is very much present and part of your life right here
and how
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:12] <Father Phillip> remember:
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:29] <Father Phillip> the Scriptures tell us
that God -- usually -- speaks in a still, small voice
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:37] <Father Phillip> and to hear it we have
to be still
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:40] <Father Phillip> to listen
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:42] <Father Phillip> with our hearts
[12/Nov/2002:22:43:44] <Father Phillip> and our minds
[12/Nov/2002:22:44:06] <Father Phillip> in the craziness of --
is it Duke? -- it's kinda hard to be still and listen, isn't it?!?!?
Back to the Top
Praying about a post-graduation job
[12/Nov/2002:22:44:17] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: i feel i've copped out on what He wants me to do
by taking on a corporate job next year...was taking the job the wrong thing
to do?
[12/Nov/2002:22:44:24] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: but in the
end i had to go with the security, for both myself and my family, whom i could
help
[12/Nov/2002:22:44:50] <Father Phillip> taking the job was wrong
-- only if by taking it you were saying no to God
[12/Nov/2002:22:44:56] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: so, if i am
who you say i am (a person on the brink of recognizing what God wants me to
do), what can i do to overcome this massive roadblock?
[12/Nov/2002:22:45:12] <Father Phillip> hummm....that is a very
good question
Back to the Top
Steps to deal with roadblocks in prayer
[12/Nov/2002:22:45:23] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: the roadblock that is purportedly the devil
[12/Nov/2002:22:45:47] <Father Phillip> yes, well...the Church
prescribes a couple of really good ways of dealing with such roadblocks
[12/Nov/2002:22:46:03] <Father Phillip> 1. keep praying -- daily
and consistently and fervently
[12/Nov/2002:22:46:36] <Father Phillip> 2. fast -- for the intention
of being so interiorly free that you can discern God's call and have the courage
to respond positively to that divine call in your life
[12/Nov/2002:22:47:55] <Father Phillip> 3. seek spiritual direction
-- find a prayerful person whom you like and trust at a human level (and this
person does not have to be a priest) and ask that person to help you listen
for and discover the movements of the Holy Spirit in your life especially as
those movements may pertain to these roadblocks and to what God may or may not
be calling you to do with your life
[12/Nov/2002:22:49:23] <Father Phillip> 4. find a good psychotherapist
-- find a counselor who respects your religious faith (she/he need not share
it) and ask the therapist to help you figure out if the roadblocks are possibly
psychological and/or chemical and if they are what might be some good strategies
for dealing with them
[12/Nov/2002:22:50:48] <Father Phillip> 5. make a retreat -- dedicate
some time -- a weekend, a week, 10 days or even 30 days (as i did this last
summer) to being quiet, silent before the Lord, begging God to reveal to you
the divine call in your life and to tive you the courage and will to say YES
to that divine call
[12/Nov/2002:22:50:55] <Father Phillip> take those five steps
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:09] <Father Phillip> and don't give God some
kind of artificial time limit
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:28] <Father Phillip> in other words, let God
tell you in God's way and in God's time
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:31] <Father Phillip> and you'll know
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:37] <Father Phillip> i promise you -- you'll
know
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:41] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: i am afraid at what God might be calling me to do.
i DO want to answer the call, but i am not sure what it is, and i am afraid
that i will misconstrue His plan because of my sins
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:55] <Father Phillip> yepper!
[12/Nov/2002:22:51:59] <Father Phillip> you're afraid
[12/Nov/2002:22:52:05] <Father Phillip> i totally understand that
[12/Nov/2002:22:52:18] <Father Phillip> in some ways, having a
certain "fear of the Lord" is a good thing
[12/Nov/2002:22:52:27] <Father Phillip> but when that fear paralyzes
us
[12/Nov/2002:22:52:43] <Father Phillip> preventing us from hearing
and responding to the Lord's call
[12/Nov/2002:22:52:56] <Father Phillip> then THAT kind of fear
is not "of God"
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:01] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: well, it's
more like fear of the unknown
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:10] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: more like fear
of the uncertain
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:13] <Father Phillip> of course
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:29] <Father Phillip> so, you need to spend time
in prayer, spiritual direction, retreat
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:34] <Father Phillip> getting to know the Lord
better
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:46] <Father Phillip> and then God and God's
ways won't be so "unkown"
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:55] <Father Phillip> nor will the call be so
uncertain
[12/Nov/2002:22:53:57] <Father Phillip> :-)
[12/Nov/2002:22:54:04] <Father Phillip> you'll find that you like
God
[12/Nov/2002:22:54:33] <Father Phillip> and you'll find that rather
than being afraid of God you will want to do whatever God is calling you to
do
[12/Nov/2002:22:54:37] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i feel i have
spent a lot of time doing that, but it's culminated right now in frustration
[12/Nov/2002:22:54:51] <Father Phillip> have you spent time doing
ALL of the things i suggested above?
[12/Nov/2002:22:55:16] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: not all
[12/Nov/2002:22:55:19] <Father Phillip> ok...
[12/Nov/2002:22:55:25] <Father Phillip> it's kind of a "package"
[12/Nov/2002:22:55:36] <Father Phillip> you really have to do ALL
of it to get the full benefit
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:56:01] <Father
Phillip> your sins aren't what is keeping you from knowing what God is
calling you to do
[12/Nov/2002:22:56:11] <Father Phillip> and your sins aren't what's
causing the frustration
[12/Nov/2002:22:56:21] <Father Phillip> at least not sins of commission,
i suspect
[12/Nov/2002:22:57:33] <Father Phillip> i imagine that you unwillingness
or, more likely, your inability up to this point to do ALL those things may
be what is keeping you from knowing the peace which comes from hearing God clearly
and saying yes to that divine invitation
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:57:56] <Father
Phillip> for example
[12/Nov/2002:22:58:44] <Father Phillip> you said, relative to your
'corporate job', that in the end you had to go for security so you could help
your family
[12/Nov/2002:22:58:54] <Father Phillip> helping your family is,
of course, a good thing
[12/Nov/2002:22:58:56] <Father Phillip> BUT
[12/Nov/2002:22:59:18] <Father Phillip> if you put helping your
family above or before saying yes to God, then you have a problem there!
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:22:59:22] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: are college students really expected to fast though?
i'm hardly eating enough as it is, and i seemingly need as much strength as
possible to just keep up with everything
[12/Nov/2002:22:59:35] <Father Phillip> sure college students are
expected to fast!
[12/Nov/2002:22:59:56] <Father Phillip> for example, college students
could most profitably fast from beer
[12/Nov/2002:23:00:06] <Father Phillip> or they could fast from
pulling all-nighters
[12/Nov/2002:23:00:21] <Father Phillip> college students could
fast from video games or im-ing
[12/Nov/2002:23:00:42] <Father Phillip> fasting can take many different
forms
[12/Nov/2002:23:00:49] <Father Phillip> and can be spiritually
very rewarding
[12/Nov/2002:23:01:04] <Father Phillip> a fast could be from some
specific type of food
[12/Nov/2002:23:01:15] <Father Phillip> for instance, you could
fast from beef
[12/Nov/2002:23:01:34] <Father Phillip> you could still eat chicken
and fish and pork, but just not beef
[12/Nov/2002:23:01:38] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i don't know
if i could fast
[12/Nov/2002:23:01:50] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: so, by fast
you mean more like a lenten sacrifice
[12/Nov/2002:23:01:58] <Father Phillip> close but no cigar
[12/Nov/2002:23:02:49] <Father Phillip> by fast i mean sacrificing
something concrete and specific for the precise intention of knowing God's will
clearly and having the courage/grace to say yes to the divine call once you
know it
[12/Nov/2002:23:03:48] <Father Phillip> every time you think, "i
have to go to bed at a decent hour rather than staying up all night because
i am fasting from 'all-nighters'" you would be offering a specific prayer
to God in your intention and in your actions
[12/Nov/2002:23:03:54] <Father Phillip> got it?!?! :-)
[12/Nov/2002:23:04:05] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: the prob is,
i'm doomed to fail!
[12/Nov/2002:23:04:14] <Father Phillip> that's a cheery thought!
[12/Nov/2002:23:04:21] <Father Phillip> why are you "doomed
to fail"?
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:23:04:39] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: how does sacrificing something so small like, for
example, candy, help me to know God's will??
[12/Nov/2002:23:04:57] <Father Phillip> i was actually suggesting
something bigger than candy, but anyway...
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:11] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: and the problem
about fasting the all-nighters is that if i did that, i'd flunk out of duke
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:15] <Father Phillip> there are worse things!
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:30] <Father Phillip> then you would be free
to come to a real university -- like carolina!
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:31] <Father Phillip> :-)
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:34] <Father Phillip> anyway....
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:50] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: haha.
[12/Nov/2002:23:05:55] <Father Phillip> yeah, that's what YOU say!
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:00] <Father Phillip> anyway, again....
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:18] <Father Phillip> no fast, no sacrifice in
itself can help us know the will of God
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:34] <Father Phillip> if that were the case,
they would be nothing much more than "bribes"
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:42] <Father Phillip> and God can't be bribed
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:47] <Father Phillip> not with candy
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:50] <Father Phillip> not with riches
[12/Nov/2002:23:06:53] <Father Phillip> not with anything
[12/Nov/2002:23:07:06] <Father Phillip> the purpose of a fast is
different
[12/Nov/2002:23:07:28] <Father Phillip> a fast is a way of emptying
myself of ME, MY CONCERNS, MY ISSUES
[12/Nov/2002:23:07:52] <Father Phillip> a fast is a way of emptying
myself of the (sinful) notion that THE ENTIRE WORLD REOLVES AROUND ME
[12/Nov/2002:23:08:10] <Father Phillip> a fast empties myself of
these things, so that i can be filled with God
[12/Nov/2002:23:08:15] <Father Phillip> and with knowledge of God
[12/Nov/2002:23:08:22] <Father Phillip> and with the goodness of
God
[12/Nov/2002:23:08:28] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: =)
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:23:08:36] <Father
Phillip> SaintMaybe: i'm doomed to fail because i am human, and every
human fails
[12/Nov/2002:23:08:53] <Father Phillip> well, my friend, HERE you
are very wrong
[12/Nov/2002:23:09:30] <Father Phillip> Jesus had a completely
HUMAN NATURE, as well as a completely divine nature, and Jesus did not fail
[12/Nov/2002:23:10:12] <Father Phillip> in fact, as the Scripture
says, what we are now is children of God, what we later will be we just don't
really know!
[12/Nov/2002:23:10:22] <Father Phillip> (that's kind of a paraphrase!)
[12/Nov/2002:23:10:31] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: because He
was THE MAN!
[12/Nov/2002:23:10:37] <Father Phillip> correct!
[12/Nov/2002:23:10:54] <Father Phillip> but He says that whatever
He does, we will do and even greater things we will do!
[12/Nov/2002:23:11:11] <Father Phillip> Jesus gives us the Spirit
and calls us to glory
[12/Nov/2002:23:11:17] <Father Phillip> we are NOT doomed to fail
[12/Nov/2002:23:11:29] <Father Phillip> we are "doomed",
so to speak, to abundant life!
[12/Nov/2002:23:11:33] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: but isn't it
true that sometimes it can become a source of major anxiety and worry? that
is, the idea of being a sinner and a failure can cause frustration
[12/Nov/2002:23:11:53] <Father Phillip> sure the idea of being
a sinner can cause frustration
Back to the Top
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:03] <Father
Phillip> but, as i said, we're NOT failures!
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:16] <Father Phillip> and moreover, being sinner
is only a part of the story
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:22] <Father Phillip> and frankly, only a small
part of the story
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:31] <Father Phillip> true, we are sinners
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:33] <Father Phillip> BUT
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:36] <Father Phillip> we are redeemed
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:41] <Father Phillip> sanctified
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:49] <Father Phillip> vessels of the Holy Spirit
[12/Nov/2002:23:12:55] <Father Phillip> heirs of grace
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:00] <Father Phillip> co-heirs with Christ
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:11] <Father Phillip> co-operators with God in
creating and re-creating with world
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:17] <Father Phillip> we have an unspeakable
dignity
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:23] <Father Phillip> and an unutterable worth
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:30] <Father Phillip> we're not failures
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:32] <Father Phillip> bah!
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:50] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: and he was
perfect. no human is perfect
[12/Nov/2002:23:13:53] <Father Phillip> so?
[12/Nov/2002:23:14:05] <Father Phillip> that's not the issue
[12/Nov/2002:23:14:22] <Father Phillip> our call is to be responsive
to God
[12/Nov/2002:23:14:42] <Father Phillip> to be co-operators with
God in bringing justice and peace into the world
[12/Nov/2002:23:14:49] <Father Phillip> to be the hands of Christ
[12/Nov/2002:23:14:53] <Father Phillip> and the feet of Christ
[12/Nov/2002:23:15:16] <Father Phillip> we are to serve the lowly
and disfranchised because they are Christ
[12/Nov/2002:23:15:23] <Father Phillip> perfect?
[12/Nov/2002:23:15:28] <Father Phillip> of course we're not
[12/Nov/2002:23:15:48] <Father Phillip> but God graciously condescended
to share our life
[12/Nov/2002:23:16:11] <Father Phillip> and in doing that God shows
us that our human, finite, limted lives are of inifinite worth and value
[12/Nov/2002:23:16:18] <Father Phillip> THAT 's the point!
[12/Nov/2002:23:16:20] <Father Phillip> :-)
[12/Nov/2002:23:16:55] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i see
[12/Nov/2002:23:17:18] <Father Phillip> well, THAT is a rousing
endorsement of my rather eloquent presentation of the Church's position on this
topic
[12/Nov/2002:23:17:19] <Father Phillip> ;-)
[12/Nov/2002:23:17:45] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: wow, that's
awesome
[12/Nov/2002:23:17:52] <Father Phillip> That's much better!
[12/Nov/2002:23:17:53] <Father Phillip> :-)
[12/Nov/2002:23:17:57] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: okay, i know
things were supposed to get wrapped up at 11pm, so i will let you go
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:03] <Father Phillip> you're a good person
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:08] <Father Phillip> believe in yourself
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:11] <Father Phillip> believe in God
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:19] <Father Phillip> y'all are a pretty darned
good team!
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:35] <Father Phillip> and if i/we can be of of
any help, please feel free to contact us/me
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:41] <Father Phillip> have a good evening
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:49] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: albeit, temporarily
[12/Nov/2002:23:18:55] <Father Phillip> what temporarily?
[12/Nov/2002:23:19:14] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: thanks fr.
phillip
[12/Nov/2002:23:19:18] <Father Phillip> blessings!
[12/Nov/2002:23:19:25] <Father Phillip> SaintMaybe: i will let
you go, albeit temporarily
[12/Nov/2002:23:19:32] <Father Phillip> deal!
[12/Nov/2002:23:19:35] <Father Phillip> night