I sincerely hope that Ben Sasse will continue to share his experiences and wisdom with us. We all face death but only a few get a clear prognosis and time chart that provides a forum for such communication. May God bless his family and him richly by providing the peace that passes all understanding.
M'am, You are God's gift to the benighted West. God bless you and may your husband be the respite you deserve during your struggle to help us save our civilization
Not all of us have a spiritual crisis. Not all of us need vaguely religious entreaties. Many of us have strength derived not from fake beliefs in fake gods but in reason and faith in human
institutions and relationships which are sufficient. We prefer not to be misled by the quite
incredible and irrational beliefs of others. We possess minds that are capable of determining lies from truth. My condolences that you have not yet taken advantage of nature's gifts to humans, the ability to detect what is real and what is invented.
I've been reading The Showings by Julian of Norwich. Around 30 years of age, with the Black Plague sweeping, yet again, through England, she slipped into a terminal spiral one evening, and felt her body shut down over the next few hours. Her priest visited her, holding a crucifix over her face while her physical vision narrowed to a tunnel, and as she stared at the symbol, God gave her 15 visions, each one revealing to her the depths of God's love, over the course of the night. By the morning, she was completely healed. And she spent the rest of her life unpacking the visions of God's love she received that night while her life was, seemingly, ebbing away.
Authentic faith is not a set of dogmas, rituals, traditions, or theology. Not vague entreaties. Sadly, much that parades through human history and society as "religion" are just these things--dogmas, rituals, traditions, and theologies. There is often no authenticity to them. But the substance of faith, as Julian discovered, and as many (not all, but many) discover is in a true, real encounter with God. These encounters usually defy description, but for anyone who has experienced such, they are life-changing, they are events which a person can remember with clarity of detail for the rest of their lives, and are a confirmation of the efficacy of faith. And these encounters are common when one is at the edge of physical death. Fortunate are those of us who receive such encounters when not at death's door, while we still have life to live,, and a story to tell.
I with you long life, but when you, like everyone eventually are staring into the abyss, and you realize that human institutions give no comfort, look for something else that may be breaking through.
Beautifully written Grace! So uplifting!
In the end, only one thing matters. We're challenged to live our entire lives by this one thing.
We are immortal creatures who know we are going to die. We remember when it was not so.
"When cynicism becomes a cultural default, the shared story that once bound the West together begins to unravel...
"... our culture desperately needs (hope)—a hope grounded in the certainty that the story does not end in the grave...
"If the West is to renew itself, it must once again believe that death is not the final word."
What a wonderful, wise, and inspiring post, and just what I needed to read today. Thanks for sharing and for your good influence. 👍🙏
I sincerely hope that Ben Sasse will continue to share his experiences and wisdom with us. We all face death but only a few get a clear prognosis and time chart that provides a forum for such communication. May God bless his family and him richly by providing the peace that passes all understanding.
M'am, You are God's gift to the benighted West. God bless you and may your husband be the respite you deserve during your struggle to help us save our civilization
Not all of us have a spiritual crisis. Not all of us need vaguely religious entreaties. Many of us have strength derived not from fake beliefs in fake gods but in reason and faith in human
institutions and relationships which are sufficient. We prefer not to be misled by the quite
incredible and irrational beliefs of others. We possess minds that are capable of determining lies from truth. My condolences that you have not yet taken advantage of nature's gifts to humans, the ability to detect what is real and what is invented.
I've been reading The Showings by Julian of Norwich. Around 30 years of age, with the Black Plague sweeping, yet again, through England, she slipped into a terminal spiral one evening, and felt her body shut down over the next few hours. Her priest visited her, holding a crucifix over her face while her physical vision narrowed to a tunnel, and as she stared at the symbol, God gave her 15 visions, each one revealing to her the depths of God's love, over the course of the night. By the morning, she was completely healed. And she spent the rest of her life unpacking the visions of God's love she received that night while her life was, seemingly, ebbing away.
Authentic faith is not a set of dogmas, rituals, traditions, or theology. Not vague entreaties. Sadly, much that parades through human history and society as "religion" are just these things--dogmas, rituals, traditions, and theologies. There is often no authenticity to them. But the substance of faith, as Julian discovered, and as many (not all, but many) discover is in a true, real encounter with God. These encounters usually defy description, but for anyone who has experienced such, they are life-changing, they are events which a person can remember with clarity of detail for the rest of their lives, and are a confirmation of the efficacy of faith. And these encounters are common when one is at the edge of physical death. Fortunate are those of us who receive such encounters when not at death's door, while we still have life to live,, and a story to tell.
I with you long life, but when you, like everyone eventually are staring into the abyss, and you realize that human institutions give no comfort, look for something else that may be breaking through.
Stay tuned.
To what?
To an intimate personal relationship with Almighty God!
How sad you are.