What I Believe: A Response to A Challenge

Full disclaimer: this article is about my religious beliefs, which is probably not welcome by a large percentage of people on LinkedIn. I do not wish to offend anyone, I am simply making a proclamation of my faith. If you do not wish to read about religious content, please feel free to return to your normal news feed. Now, on with my article.

I am not a writer. I have never written an article on LinkedIn before, but I have been challenged by someone to do just that. I have been asked to document my beliefs, presumably so that he can take shots at them, and explain why I am wrong. I am a believer in the American principals of freedom of speech, so I figured it couldn't hurt anything to publicly state my beliefs for all to see, and let the chips fall where they may.

This request came in response to an exchange that we had on a comments thread for a post from Tim Tebow ( https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/timtebow15_just-a-simple-encouragement-love-one-another-activity-6652720551066427392-MrOI ). An individual who goes by the name Alexander X?? (NotMyBody/???? ???????????) initially responded to Tim's post accusing him of pandering to people's feelings via sentimentalism, claiming that he was fake and not really expressing love for those he was trying to help. I am not going to get into the various responses from the many people who took issue with Alexander X's assessment of Mr. Tebow, you are welcome to read it all for yourself in the link above.

Instead, I am going to respond to Mr X's request to post my beliefs in an article, to which he has promised to do the same. I view this as an opportunity to share what I believe, and hopefully provide him with the opportunity to do the same. I am a Catholic Christian. Alexander X has stated that he is a Hare Krishna. I will not discuss his beliefs, or my perceptions of the beliefs of Hare Krishnas as it would not be fair to people of that faith (my understanding of Hare Krishna, Hinduism, and the various Gita's/scriptures is fairly limited). Instead, I will only discuss my own beliefs as I understand them, based in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

I am not a theologian, and certainly not an authority on the dogma and doctrine of the Church. So I am simply sharing my beliefs as I understand them. I believe in the Trinitarian Monotheistic model that is The Father, Son and Holy Spirit - three distinct persons in one God. God the Father, is creator of all things. The Son of God Jesus Christ, God's word made flesh, is the redeemer of humanity by way of dying (being crucified) on a cross to atone for our sins. The Holy Spirit is sent forth as God working in our lives, filling us with grace, and providing strength to believers (those who have accepted that Jesus died for us, and have been baptized into the Faith) to carry on the mission of the Church, which is to spread the good news to the world.

My soul is saved, and I am destined for Heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and because I believe it to be true (John 3:15-21). My faith is manifested through my works (James 2:14-26) in that I am called to demonstrate my faith by living the example of Jesus. That means that we are invited by Jesus to emulate the example that he gave us in his human life; love God with all your heart, and love all people as God loves us. We are all sinners, so this mission is extraordinarily difficult. Loving others means being charitable: clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, and be an example to all those around us that we live our lives for the glory of God. We must be faithful, we must have hope, and we must be charitable. These are the core principals of my faith.

I am strengthened in the mission through the Sacraments. The Sacraments provide graces that enhance and strengthen my relationship with God and Jesus. There are 7 Sacraments (of which I have received 5): Baptism, Confirmation, The Eucharist, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Order (the Priesthood) and Anointing of the Sick. I was welcomed into the Church via Baptism as a baby (Matthew 28:18-20). I was confirmed through a conscience decision to be a member of the Body of Christ (the Church) via Confirmation when I was in 8th grade. I commune with the risen Christ through the Eucharist at every mass (Matthew 26:26-29), which is the true presence of Jesus. I am shown God's mercy by confessing my sins via Reconciliation (John 20:19-23 / James 5:16), and asking God for his forgiveness. I was given the gift of Marriage, the manifestation of the Holy Family in my daily life. The Sacraments are a fulfilling and nurturing way for me to grow my faith, and bring me closer to God in a profound way.

Bottom line, I love God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. I try to live a life of service to others, through the example of Jesus. Though I fail to be the saint that Jesus has called me to be, I will always continue striving to be the best Man, Husband, Father, Brother, and Friend that I can be. I pray that humanity finds peace despite suffering, and I look forward to eternal life with God the Father when my time here is over. God Bless!