It All Fits Together - Part Two

My last entry apparently got cut off, so here is the sentence where it leaves off, with hopefully the rest of the comment:

…I have had an intimation during the last few years of my study into the Catholic faith, how often people over the last two thousand years have independently arrived at exactly the same points over and over and over again. Golly – like there was some unseen SPIRIT guiding all these different people to a TRUTH that doesn’t change…. Call me crazy, but that’s my thought.

And then, of course, there is the “coincidence” that I just “happened” to open that particular book which just “happened” to have a bookmark which was just “happened” to be on a topic that I was recently pondering. Again, I suppose that it may be possible that some dim little corner of my brain actually remembered that I had stopped at that part, and was subconsciously “reminding” me, but – to me – that sounds even more far-fetched than to think that some other guiding presence was interceding. I am pretty sure that the last time I read from that book was during Holy Week, when I had shingles and a fine case of exhaustion going. Given that I have actually forgotten my own husband’s name (and not just called him by some other name, either – I mean, I went to say *his* name and I came up with a total blank), I don’t see how I could possibly remember something as vague as a part of a book I hadn’t even read yet.

So my theory (and I think it is a good one) is that the Holy Spirit really is guiding us all to the same truth – if we are attentive enough to recognize it. And as I said earlier, this is not the only time I have noticed this phenomenon. I once did it myself, in fact. I had written this essay on the Lord’s Prayer, breaking it down phrase by phrase. Here I thought I was on the cutting edge, making a contribution to the faith for my brethren… And then I saw a book that had almost every point that I had made – and many more that I had not even thought of. AND it made reference to the Catechism, which had even MORE points, with quotes from Church Fathers across the ages. At first, I was annoyed that I had “wasted my time” on this, and a little humiliated at my small contribution in comparison to these great thinkers. But then I got to thinking a little more about it, and I was really excited and awed by how closely I had been able to match what had been settled over time as accepted doctrine.

Well. That wasn’t too bad for a first message. We’ll have to wait and see if another thought ever enters my head, so that I can write it down, too!! Won’t that be fun?

Have a wonderful day! Kathy Romer