The Mission by Jamie Rivera

There's a call going out 
across the land 
in every nation

a call to all who swear 
allegiance to the cross of Christ

a call to true humility,
to live our lives responsibly.

to deepen our devotion 
to the cross at any price.

Jamie Rivera is known as "the inspirational diva" in the Philippines. She has popularized several Christian inspirational songs and she has always been the favorite recording artist for Catholic themes.

Let us then be sober 

moving only in the spirit

as aliens and strangers 

in a hostile foreign land

the message we're proclaiming 

is repentance and forgiveness.

the offer of salvation 

to the dying race of man.

CHORUS:

To love the lord our god,

is the heartbeat of our mission.

the spring from which our service overflows.

across the street 

or around the world.

the mission's still the same.

proclaim and live the truth

in Jesus name!

As a candle is consumed

by the passion of the flame

spilling light unsparingly

throughout the darkened room.

let us burn to know him deeper

then our service flaming bright.

will radiate his passions 

and blaze with holy light

(CHORUS)

Ways of Coming to Know God

The Catechism of the Catholic Church begins the teaching of faith by giving this simple definition. It exhorts that the knowledge of God can propel man to respond in faith to the call of God. Man has the capacity to know God because God wills that he should know Him. Man is created in the image of God and he is called to know Him. It is man's nature to seek the truth of God's existence.

Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man to a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search, then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man, and finally the response of faith. (#26, Catechism of the Catholic Church)

There are many ways to prove the existence of God. Anyone who seeks God shall discover within himself certain ways of coming to know Him. It may seem like a mystery to other people but such person knows for himself the God truly exists. He or she gets a conviction in his or heart about the reality of God. He or she gets this conviction not through discoveries in the natural sciences but through the dictates of his or her conscience as he or she observes the things around him or her.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. (Romans 1:19-20)

"Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky... question all these realities. All respond: "See, we are beautiful." Their beauty is a profession. These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One who is not subject to change. (Saint Augustine, Sermo 241)"

All creatures bear a certain resemblance of God. The manifold perfection and beauty of creation reflect the infinite beauty of its creator. The earth and everything in it bear witness to the reality of the existence of God. The greatest manifestation of this reality is the human being. Man is created in the image and likeness of God.

God is the beginning principle of all creation. From Him, everything was made. He is also the final end of all things. This reality of God can be known by man in many different ways. God has endowed man with intellect to discover all these things. However, in order to restore that real intimacy with Him requires God's grace. We can prove the existence of God as an infinite being who controls all things but we need faith to believe that God is a person who longs to have a relationship with his creation - man. 

Man's Desire for God

Every man feels a certain emptiness within himself that nothing on earth could ever seem to fill up. That is because God planted a desire in the human heart to seek Him. Man is in search of God because God wanted man to seek Him. God is constantly drawing man to Himself.

The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to Himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for. (#27, Catechism of the Catholic Church 

Every person has his own unique way of expressing his or her own desire for God. This is usually manifested in the individual person's religious beliefs and behavior. These forms of religious expression vary in many different ways according to each person. But the purpose of such expression is always the same - to satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart.

There is a vital and intimate bond between God and man. Ever since the dawn of creation, man was in close fellowship with his Creator. This relationship, however, had been broken by sin. And man, out of fear, had gone away from God. He is afraid to approach God for fear of judgement for his sin. But even though man had fled from the presence of God, God never ceased to call him back to Himself. He continues even until today to call every man to seek Him. For it is only in God that man can find the truth and happiness that he has always been searching for.

You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is your power and your wisdom is without measure. And man, so small a part of your creation, wants to praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and bearing the evidence of sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite everything, man, though but a small part of your creation, wants to praise you. You, yourself, encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rest in you. (Saint Augustine, Confessions)

A Recipe for Wisdom

For ingredients, you will need:

a cup of KNOWLEDGE

three heaping spoonfuls of EXPERIENCE

a dash of UNDERSTANDING

a pinch of DILIGENCE, and

a bushel full of REVERENCE for the Lord

Here's how:

Combine all ingredients and cook in high flame until well done, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot in small portions daily.