Brian's Blog

Yesterday's scripture reading reminded of Jesus' call to the disciples to come and follow.  I was intrigued by Jesus' comment that if we follow him we will see amazing things.  I'm sure if we would have literally followed him we would have seen amazing things such as his charismatic personality, his interesting interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures, his compassion and his courage in confronting oppressive powers.  In the 21st century we have only the report of past events and a mystical connection with his spirit.  It made me wonder why I still want to follow Jesus and believe in a God-power.  My musings made me realize three things that I attribute to the God-power of which Jesus spoke.  The first is the marvel of creation itself which I portrayed through an interesting YouTube video. The wonders of the universe make me conclude that there is a divine intelligence that I call the God-power.  The second marvel that draws me to faith is when people step out of self-interest to passionately care for others.  Mother Theresa and Jean Vanier are grand examples of this but here and there we see ordinary people also acting to support and encourage others ahead of their own interests.  They are walking in the steps of Jesus.  Finally I was intrigued by those moments of existential aloneness when we are confronted by a struggle or just the realization of our smallness in the universe.  In those moments I am drawn to looking toward a greater purpose and an eternal companion.  What is it that causes you to be a disciple of Jesus?  How do you explain faith and spirituality?  If you were to tell another person about your spirituality, what would you say?  I look forward to your responses!