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Another comment suggesting no one need wait as suggested in the OP of this thread...
I was raised a Catholic,
Sorry to hear that... Hey! Only saying that because I KNOW that Catholicism ain't easy! I mean, when I hear that someone is Catholic, my "funny bone" retorts, "You ARE? Oh...sorry to hear that!" Meant to be funny...
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and I grew up believing everything about Jesus doing all he did in the way of an appearance and all those miracles described in the Bible. Up to and including his cruxifixction and rising from the dead. I don't believe those things anymore, but if anyone does, why wouldn't we or shouldn't we expect the same sort of thing to happen again? In no uncertain terms like described in the Bible happened before?
The whole point of miracles is that they're...well...miracles. Why would one expect a miracle to happen more than once? After all, the whole point of miracles is to cause others to believe...
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Why is anyone made to "strain" for contact now? Or is that what's needed when trying to make out something you think is there but really isn't? Hard for me to think otherwise...
Not everyone "strains" for contact. When I had my own..."experience"...I really wasn't looking for anything. I looked up to my ceiling and tearfully asked of God, "Do you love me?" When I asked, I was despondent...on the verge of getting fired from my job...having NOT been a practicing Catholic for many years...believing, that I didn't deserve to live, AND, if I died, I deserved HELL.
...and yet, within seconds, I had this...overWHELMING sense of peace. Or love. Or both. I can't explain it. It wasn't "just" emotional...or physical...It was like, every fiber of my physical body and mind were somehow "peaceful." It's one thing to be resting in a hammock on a tropical island and feeling "peaceful." But this was something different.
If you've ever been in love before, and I mean the first "fallings" of being love...multiply THAT by a million + times...
... tearfully asked of God, "Do you love me?" When I asked, I was despondent...on the verge of getting fired from my job....
...and yet, within seconds, I had this...overWHELMING sense of peace. Or love. Or both. I can't explain it. It wasn't "just" emotional...or physical...It was like, every fiber of my physical body and mind were somehow "peaceful."
It's one thing to be resting in a hammock on a tropical island and feeling "peaceful." But this was something different.
If you've ever been in love before, and I mean the first "fallings" of being love...multiply THAT by a million + times...
...and you wouldn't even come close...
Sorry to hear that... Hey! Only saying that because I KNOW that Catholicism ain't easy! I mean, when I hear that someone is Catholic, my "funny bone" retorts, "You ARE? Oh...sorry to hear that!" Meant to be funny...
The whole point of miracles is that they're...well...miracles. Why would one expect a miracle to happen more than once? After all, the whole point of miracles is to cause others to believe...
Not everyone "strains" for contact. When I had my own..."experience"...I really wasn't looking for anything. I looked up to my ceiling and tearfully asked of God, "Do you love me?" When I asked, I was despondent...on the verge of getting fired from my job...having NOT been a practicing Catholic for many years...believing, that I didn't deserve to live, AND, if I died, I deserved HELL.
...and yet, within seconds, I had this...overWHELMING sense of peace. Or love. Or both. I can't explain it. It wasn't "just" emotional...or physical...It was like, every fiber of my physical body and mind were somehow "peaceful." It's one thing to be resting in a hammock on a tropical island and feeling "peaceful." But this was something different.
If you've ever been in love before, and I mean the first "fallings" of being love...multiply THAT by a million + times...
...and you wouldn't even come close...
Actually Mink, being raised a Catholic was nothing difficult for me. Just went to church on Sundays, confessed my sins, prayed as many times as I was told would absolve me of them, got home in the afternoon and played with my friends outside until dinner time. Nothing too hard about any of that for me, although I know for others it's a different story. Then for me too, it was no big deal or challenge to eventually find myself becoming an atheist. Which I've been ever since and for a long time now. Yet again without any negative consequences for me to date. None I'm aware of anyway. The opposite actually.
I'm not sure about your explanation regarding miracles. I'm not necessarily talking about repeat miracles, but why not that too? More to the point, once upon a time miracles were recorded in the Bible to have happened, and all I'm curious about is why then and not now? I know some people will think a parting storm today is a miracle of sorts, or the miraculous birth of a child not meant to happen, but I'm talking about the parting of a sea, for example. Turning water into wine. Actually, really, causing a blind person to see with the touch of a hand on the forehead. Why then and not anymore is what I'm curious about. Curious, but actually I think the answer is quite obvious.
With respect to your personal experience, just like all the others I've heard about, I am certain you are convinced about yours as most others are convinced about theirs. Again, if any are true, then no one need wait for Jesus to appear again is what I'm explaining. He, Jesus, God according to you and others are in contact with us now. Some of us anyway. If any of us is to really believe such a thing, but again I find all that curious, because none of these current versions of contact leave any real trace that anyone else can confirm. Why? Just like no more miracles of those sorts anymore. Why? Again, I believe I know why. The reason quite obvious to me anyway.
In your particular case or experience, I can't help but add you were obviously in quite the emotional state before you then experienced this sense of calm. "All bets are off" far as I'm concerned when it comes to people in serious distress or anxiety, because we should all know our minds and bodies are apt to react in all variety of different ways when we are in such a state. Often profound in nature. Subject to whatever interpretations we're inclined to make as individuals at a very personal level. No, you don't typically get that level of mental or physical reaction by laying in a hammock at the beach. True.
Glad you found peace one way or another for whatever reasons you were able in any case. That's the important thing if our well being is the issue. Thanks for the reply.
Funny thing about it is that Putin is a church going man. Takes communion. The whole works.
I very much doubt Putin has a devout bone in his body -- the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin are pandering to each other. It is useful to regard the ROC leadership as just another oligarch that supports Putin's power in exchange for Putin carving out some share of privilege and national wealth for them.
I very much doubt Putin has a devout bone in his body -- the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin are pandering to each other. It is useful to regard the ROC leadership as just another oligarch that supports Putin's power in exchange for Putin carving out some share of privilege and national wealth for them.
If true, he sure doesn't seem to be in any big hurry. A good many millions of people have come and gone believing the same thing. Never getting to see any sign of return as they hoped and believed would come soon. Then again if we consider the near 14 billion years since the universe has been around, what's another billion or so more years of waiting? Best nobody hold their breath too long while waiting in any case. Indeed, what's another billion or so years? Another billion or so people? I'm certainly not among them either way.
PS: If true, it will be more than just a global event I might add...
Jesus returns through the hearts of millions and millions of people every day.
What a great legacy of love and service that Jesus, my savior, has.
Jesus returns through the hearts of millions and millions of people every day.
What a great legacy of love and service that Jesus, my savior, has.
As I "look around" at the state of local, national and international affairs, also our long history of suffering one calamity after another of all kinds going back to the beginning and right up to today, personal tragedies and as a people, I'm not able to see ONLY a "great legacy." Far from it in fact. Maybe even more the opposite, but of course we all know how "perspective is everything" and your perspective is commonly shared by many. Again yes of course, but not everyone also of course. You know of the religions who don't even share the same perspective about Jesus, and those are millions and millions of people too. Also of course.
For me anyway, it's almost always a case of seeing all the "good, bad and ugly" which often has me parting company with people who see things more singularly and biased the way you do. Mentally and factually speaking that is...
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Hey! Only saying that because I KNOW that Catholicism ain't easy! I mean, when I hear that someone is Catholic, my "funny bone" retorts, "You ARE? Oh...sorry to hear that!" Meant to be funny...
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