Bible

We are a unique species on this planet, intelligent and discerning, of limitless mind but so restricted physically, sharing the biosphere, following its cycles and mysteries.  Our lifetime is not enough to fully understand the things going on around us, the abstract and the concrete.  We see the beauty of the universe's design, rightly concluding that there must be a God in the back end.  But then there are those who object, needing clearer evidence.  In the end, we are responsible for what we believe in, but we must at least know individually.  We must believe in the lasting, in the really significant, in the bottom line.

Finding the truth is the beginning, but not the end.  Faith must then follow inevitably, whether it's about science or religion.  Hope then follows the train, perhaps to experience now what is expected, perhaps as a further push to our faith.  But then that is all useless unless it ripens to love, sustaining all of us.  Many times we hear deep inside the abyss, "what's the purpose of our existence?", or "everything is meaningless..."  Well the answer is love... love is the answer.  Spend your lifetime contemplating this reality.

Emerging from the oral traditions of early Christianity, one remarkable product is the canon of the holy scriptures or the bible.  Unknown writers put down these unwritten accounts (largly eyewitness) about this enigmatic figure—Jesus of Nazareth—son of man and Son of God!  It's understandable that many don't believe him as it demands a great leap of faith.  The presence of the Church for 2000 years is proof it is true, but this is not so for others.  The occasional (or not so occasional) scandals do not help at all, although believers are mortified by such evil, even happening in holy spaces.  As an aside, parents must teach their young children to report all inappropriate behavior targeting them, and do something about it (go to the civil authorities directly and possibly provide audio or video evidence, even by-passing the ecclesiastical authorities).  Talking about the incident years later may be explosive but more damage has been done at that point.  Individually, people experience God's presence somewhere, sometime, somehow, even something miraculous or unexplainable.  Such experiences are oftentimes not believed anyway.

While on facebook, I encountered a link about important bible verses that Catholics should know.  There are fifteen but I included another one at the beginning because it's reflected above.  All the passages are taken from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE).

1. "Faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13)
2. "Be still and know that I am God!" (Ps 46:11)
3. "The LORD is my strength and my shield, in whom my heart trusts." (Ps 28:7)
4. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)
5. “Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, his mercy endures forever!” (Ps 107:1)
6. "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." (Jn 14:6)
7. "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?  The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?" (Ps 27:1)
8. "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me." (Phil 4:13)
9. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control." (Gal 5:22f)
10. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Lk 10:27)
11. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior." (Lk 1:46f)
12. "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." (Jn 6:35)
13. "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God." (Phil 4:6)
14. "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
15. "Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love." (1 Jn 4:8)
16. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Mt 7:7)

So why not read the entire 35,529 verses of the Bible?