Immaculate Heart Retreat House

Few photos I took with my cell phone during my second retreat at a Catholic convent situated mid way on a hill in one of Los Angeles’ up-scale residential neighborhoods.

 I spent a long hour at this chapel (below) in my first visit.

 

 

 

Every time when I passed by the pool to look for a quiet corner for solitude, I was tempted to dive into the water for a swim instead.

I fasted for my first retreat here. Despite the nice dinning place, the second time I brought with me only this simple lunch to last me through seven long hours up here.

 

I've left my God back home

This year I have a number of opportunities to retreat, twice in August and twice in October. The two retreats I had in August were accompanied by family. One was a church camp and the other one was seminary’s community coordinators get together camp.

The two retreats in October however were to do it alone with other seminarians of a spiritual formation class. My experience in these two latter retreats was amazing, especially the one in my first EPC (extended personal communion with God).

I went to the retreat with many questions ready for God. I wanted to take this opportunity to ask Him about many things He promised but had not been happening here in my life.

I felt my life (socially and spiritually) back home was a whole lot more challenging and fulfilling as compared to where I am living now. There is nothing much for me to do here in Southern California.

We don’t have any relative lives here, nor do we have any real close friend to talk to. My spiritual life has been like in a desert for awhile as dry as the California’s weather. Many churches here are dying. It took us about a year to finally settle down at a church in Alhambra. We don't want to consider mega church, as it's too big for us to get to know anyone, and smaller church is usually too small. We need an intergeneration church with ministries for children, youth, and adult. Often time, this turns out just like looking for a needle in a haystack. One usually finds a church either with adults and young children but with no youth, or a church mostly with youths but without the adult and children.

Church services are usually pretty short in mainline churches. Before you get anything (or before the pew get warm), the entire Sunday service is over. I have been grumbling about this ‘lukewarm kind of service” to my wife for quite some time. What is the use of seminary education - staying up late most nights reading an inexhaustible list of books and working on seemingly endless assignments and at the end none of which is preached in church. How can one go deeper into God’s word in such a mini service? How to get people interested in knowing God?

In seminary, it’s hard (for me) to feel God’s presence as readings and assignments usually preoccupied most of our being and mind and in church if I still don’t experience Him, where is my God? This question is exactly the same one when I asked Him in my first EPC during the retreat.

To my amazement, God spoke that day. He assured me again – “I did not leave you and I did not abandon you.” – I am the one who has left my God back home. This whole conversation took place in the first person pronounce “I”, whether it was the part God had spoken, or the part I responded in my mind.

To confirm I really 'heard' what it was just said, I re-paraphrased His saying to what sound like in Scripture. I asked God did you say, "I’ve never forsaken you nor abandoned you.” Immediately, I was being corrected. God’s voice resonated again in my heart “I did not leave you and I did not abandon you.” At that moment, I stopped…..and wept…..I knew God has never left me. I was the one who left God back home!

Let's pray the St Patrick's prayer

May Christ the prince of peace dwell in you and empower you:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ all around me, please consecrate me.

Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising, Christ in my walking, Christ in the ocean, Christ on the Mountain, Christ in the air please fill me.

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me, please bless me! Amen.

(adapt from St Patrick's breastplate prayer)

If we're the body why....???

I found this song--If We're the Body by Casting Crowns--speaks to me a lot about our prejudice against people whom we do not know when I was preparing the study on James 2;1-13 for this coming Sunday School lesson.

I seriously agreed we all ought to think about why......



It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

CHORUS

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

Chorus (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

About predestination and election

About the doctrine of predestination, I’m still more inclining towards Arminianism. When I read about the debate between Jacobus Arminius and his colleague, Francis Gomarus, a firm believer in predestination in the strictest sense, I tend to find it hard to believe that God makes salvation available only to those He chose beforehand. It’s hard to face the fact that Jesus’ atonement is limited to some or he died only for the elects.

The five doctrines or the hallmark of orthodox Calvinism came out from the Synod of Dort (1618-19) maybe easily remembered by the word “TULIP.” No, it’s not about the spring flower; it’s about some theological aspects of Calvinism, which some people find it hard to identify with.

T= total depravity
U= unconditional election
L= limited atonement
I= irresistible grace
P= perseverance of the saints

Jesus said no one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him drew that person (John 6:44), it argues well for the predestination of the elects. Sin, by definition, is our rebellious attitude against a holy God, so how can we a sinner turns to God if it is not by His saving grace? In essence, the followers of Calvinism are saying salvation is all in all and through all God’s grace – the sovereign will of God to predestine who would be saved.

Of course, not many people, including non-Calvinists would deny the sovereignty of God. According to the understanding of Arminius, God’s predestination of who would be saved is not about election for it means God rejecting others, but it relates more to His divine foreknowledge of who would respond to Christ’s unlimited offer of salvation.

If my interpretation is correct, it means when you are saved, it’s because God already knows you will respond to His invitation of salvation, and thus God predestines you to be saved beforehand. The ‘good’ thing in such case is we are being given an opportunity to participate in God’s redemption work. Nonetheless, such idea is exactly the primary reason that Calvinism against. Salvation belongs to the Lord, how can we have any part in it?

Honestly, I don’t have any answer as to who (Calvinists or Arminians) are more accurately reflecting the theological truth of God’s predestination. I simply believe that our God is faithful and just, and He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness if we confess our sins. Since God is faithful and just, He will forgive us our sins not only on certain days but everyday, and will purify not only my sins but your sins as well. Amen.

Hear the Word of God:
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1&2)

The Book of Revelation

I know many people like Revelation, including my professor who has the class to do an exegesis of several passages of the text. Personally, I don't really like the Book of Revelation very much. I find that it is kind of hard for me to relate the meaning of the text with our everyday living.

Though every book in the Bible is canonical and authoritative and should be given the same weight and attention, most of us in some way have developed our own canon within the canon - a tendency for loving certain books more than the others.

I am no exception to the above nature as well. I often find myself quoting more frequently from the gospel of John and the Johannine epistles in the NT. In the Old Testament, I like Exodus and Deuteronomy the most.

I recalled one of my pastors (who is really good at preaching and interpreting Daniel & Revelation) said many years ago that Revelation was written by the same author of the gospel of John. But, I am now pretty convinced they were two different authors. The literary style and the language used in both the books truly did not resemble each other. These two books of course are of different genre, and thus they should not be expected to look similar; however, they are simply too far apart! If you read John's Gospel and the epistle of first, second, and third John, you'll agree with me quickly they were all written by the same author, but different from the one wrote Revelation.

The big question here is, if Revelation was not written by Apostle John, who was the one on the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9) ? What happened to Apostle John? If Revelation was written by Apostle John, then who wrote the gospel of John and the epistles? Who was "the disciple whom Jesus loved" described in John 13:23? Unfortunately, no one seems to have an answer ready for this series of question. Most theologians, nowadays, instead of confirming one or the other, they generally say there is a lack of evidence to even pinpoint the books in questioned were written by Apostle John. Perhaps, the safest way to say it is they were both come from the Johannine community, and it is possible that Apostle John could have asked someone to write on his behalf.

I know any answer offered here would fail to satisfy one's desire to know the fact. But the truth is, there is no concrete information available for us to make any claim. The best thing is to leave the matter to individual interpretation. What we must know and believe is, in my opinion, there was an apostle by the name of John in Scripture rather than so much of a deal now as who wrote the scripture. Amen.