Samuel: October 2007 Archives

Angels Among Us

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I am going to say that Samuel is and has been an Angel. Not a particularly well-behaved, cute, or cherubic child, but an Angel. And most recently he was an Angel to us yesterday and I only began to have it dawn on me today.

Linda has been very, very hurt by a friend of some duration. Hurt in a way that may make the friendship beyond repair. She was confiding this to me at length as we were driving to Sam's dance class and I was supporting her fully in her resolve when, from the back seat come, "Didn't Jesus say to bless those who persecute you and to forgive them."

In typical adult fashion I explained that while we are called to forgive, we aren't called to stick around and be abused some more. That there was a difference between forgiveness and being a glutton for punishment. He responded, "I guess so." But the tone suggested that he didn't buy the argument.

And I realized this morning, that I shouldn't buy it either. That forgiveness demanded of us, particularly in the case of long-term friends, demands that we keep at it, that we seek out love and offer love. We shouldn't stand for abuse, but that means not total withdrawal, but rather a measured response.

On the other hand, I'm not going to be the one to tell Linda. Right now, she just needs support in her feelings. She's got a good heart and she'll come around in time.

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Samuel on World Religion

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Driving to work this morning I was charmed by an observation Samuel made regarding ancient religions.

"I don't think the Ancient Egyptians were worshipping many gods. They just took God and split Him up and called Him a bunch of different names. They didn't know any better."

I thought that (pace, Dante) this was such a profound place of compassion to start from. I pointed out to him that we did not have that luxury because God did reveal Himself to us clearly, but that ancient peoples had only partial glimpses of God and that all the powers of Earth would seem godlike to someone who did not understand the revelation of God.

It's wonderful to hear these things when they come up. I suspect that they are a result of our conversations about Japanese anime, where so many gods and spirits are featured. Of course, I want Samuel to have a thoroughly Catholic understanding of God and His revelation, but I also want him to have a spirit able to speak to anyone from where they are and guide them as gently as possible to where they should be.

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About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Samuel category from October 2007.

Samuel: June 2007 is the previous archive.

Samuel: November 2007 is the next archive.

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