We are made up of two natures: body and soul. Together this combination is called human. Our bodies die, at least until Christ comes again, but our souls are eternal, destined to live forever, though for a short time here on earth, and thereafter forever either in Heaven (with God) or in Hell (the absence of God).
God created us through love, for love. He doesn’t need us. He, in Three Persons, is perfectly happy, but out of love He created us, so that we could spend eternity with Him, also in perfect happiness.
Because of the Fall of Man through Original Sin, we must live for a short time, a blink of time really, in this Valley of Tears, where we must work out our salvation “with fear and trembling.” Fear in the sense that now we can lose that eternal happiness, depending on whether we turn towards God or towards Satan, the only two options.
With all of this said, I am Christian because I acknowledge the Truth of my creation. I was created to know, love, and serve God in this life so that I can be happy in the next. This Truth came from the grace of God, because only by His enlightenment would I be able to accept it. Faith is by grace alone, yet God has given us all the ability to receive that grace.
God created a Church in order to give us the tools and map to get to this place of eternal happiness. The Church, through Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition, guide our souls towards virtue while helping us rid ourselves of the vices that come from concupiscence (the inclination to sin after the Fall). Sin is when we say “yes” to Satan rather than God. When we do wrong or fail to do good, because we are more focused on our worldly state than our eternity.
For example, if my neighbor needs help moving but I’m tired and desire to watch a movie instead, that is a sin of omission. I failed to act out of charity the way I should have, dying to self.
If I yell at someone in frustration because they’re not doing a task how I would want it done, that’s a sin of commission, actively turning from Christ, who is meek and humble, towards Satan is who is all pride. Pride is defined as the view of self that is distorted from reality, thinking you are more than you are. Humility, then, is understanding who you are in relation to God. I’ll let you in on a secret: you never have a right to yell or get frustrated with someone. They are as loved and precious to God as you are.
Christianity centers on the idea that we were made by Our Creator through love and it is the ordered response of the soul to love Him back. Then the question is: who is He? So, we spend time looking for Him. He is found in the person of Jesus Christ, both 100% man and 100% God, but One Person. God the Father revealed Himself to the Jewish people through Abraham, our Father in Faith. The Isrealites (Israel being the name God gave Jacob after His Covenant with him) were the first to understand God properly. He gave us the 10 Commandments, those clear and necessary laws that help us to reach Him through love.
Then Jesus, the Messiah came, as promised by God the Father, for our salvation (our entrance into Heaven after it was closed by Adam and Eve’s sin). Jesus taught us how to love properly, how to live properly, and gave us a Church so that not only were the Israelites able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but everyone who hears the Word of God and believes. Salvation was, and is, open to all. But we choose it by our actions in this life.
Jesus died on the Cross to show us what dying to self truly means, what self-sacrificial love truly means. He died for every single one of us. Not us collectively but each of us individually. It’s an example of how we must live in order to come back to Him.
And He rose from the dead. Because He is God. And nothing is impossible with God. If we die to ourselves, we will rise again with Him in Heaven.
Then the Holy Spirit, that Love created through the Father and the Son, was gifted to us to inspire us to do good, to share with others, to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
I am Christian because there is no other way for my soul to be. I was made through The Word, Logos, Christ. My soul longs to be with Him. To think otherwise is to ignore the light and to choose darkness.
I have chosen darkness in the past. While I was always a Christian, I did not understand my eternal destination or my soul, and so I let the world govern my actions, I let my body guide my decisions. What I did, what I watched, what I said was based on how I felt. That doesn’t mean I was a bad person. But my light was dim. I was confused a lot. After satisfying the desires of the flesh, I never felt satisfied. Or at peace. Once God lifted the veil, once He enlightened my soul with Truth and gave me the grace to accept it, that’s when the confusion began to clear.
Now, walking in orthodoxy, living the 10 Commandments, striving for that narrow path, I choose only Christ. And my soul is at rest. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” – St Augustine.
Walking in Truth, dying to self, creates a peace that the world cannot give. From the world’s perspective, from the darkened cavern of a soul without Christ’s light, it may look strange. Giving my Sundays to God. Choosing to forgo popular activities. Getting up early to pray. Homeschooling. Setting aside worldly ambition for the ambition of Heaven. Living simply.
Yet, the world is hungry for light. No worldly pleasure can satisfy that hunger. The distractions of the world are all provided by Satan to keep you in the dark. That confusion you feel at night, alone, when it is quiet, that unrest you have regarding death and the unknown, that can never be answered by how big our house is or how much money is in our bank account or how many things we own or the vacations we go on. That light and peace only comes from God.
So, if you are reading this and feel God calling you, for He is always knocking, send me an email and I’ll share more. Or look to for your local Catholic Church and attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Jesus Christ is there. Innumerable angels rest at every pew, at every holy water font, at every entrance and window. Consider that this world will pass away all too quickly. We are only guaranteed this moment, for we don’t even know what will happen in the next. Eternity is forever. And the peace God offers in walking in His Ways is without measure and without worth, for it is priceless.
I will pray for you. I will pray for the Light to penetrate the darkness, and that your soul that cries out to God without you even knowing, will burst forth with the grace of understanding and you will turn to Him who is Love.