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- Written by EJ Sweeney
How often do we want to cry out: “God, if you’re really out there, show me!”
Why doesn’t God just show up? Why does faith have to be so hard?
IF there is a God, why doesn’t He give us a clear, unambiguous sign of His existence? Especially if our response to Him is the whole point of this life, if it determines our eternal destiny. You would expect Him to show Himself somehow so we could fulfill the purpose of our being.
This “hiddenness” of God is perplexing. It’s a real obstacle to faith.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
What’s the first name that pops into your head when you hear the word doubt? If you’re like the other seven billion of us, it’s Thomas.
Doubting Thomas.
How would you like to go down in history as the one person whose name is most associated with doubt? Not Thomas the valiant, Thomas the wise, Thomas the loyal disciple. But Thomas the doubter. What a loser! For an apostle, a believer, it doesn’t get much worse.
But take a closer look. The Gospel doesn’t present him as a loser at all. Just the opposite.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
In the entranceway to one of the Catholic high schools where I used to teach there was a picture of Jesus that had a truly bizarre effect. No matter where you stood, the eyes in that picture gave the impression that Jesus was looking right at you! As you passed by, His piercing eyes followed you, as if they were penetrating into the depth of your soul everywhere you went.
A number of the kids I taught were terrified by that picture. They thought it was creepy. They cringed every time they walked by it.
But the effect that picture gave points to a fundamental truth about God. If He exists, then by definition, God is omniscient, all-knowing. He sees you no matter where you go; no matter what you do.
For most of us, this is a huge TURN-OFF: God is a Moral Policeman, a Cosmic Party Pooper, watching our every move, ready to pounce the moment we step out of line.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was be a firefighter. Every Saturday night, I could be found glued to the TV set, mesmerized by Emergency—for those who have no idea what I’m talking about, it was the Chicago Fire of the 70’s—dreaming what it would be like to be one.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
Tell me if I’m wrong, but in this whole Kavanaugh fiasco, does anyone really want to know what happened? Does anybody really want to know the truth?
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
This is a nation of second chances.
That’s what one commentator said as Tiger Woods was about to win the PGA Tour Championship this past weekend. The image of him walking up the course with a crowd of people following and cheering him on as he wrapped up his first victory in four years—his first victory since his sex-addiction scandal broke—was a powerful testament to the fact that this is indeed a land of second chances.
