Thin Blue Papist

Authority is service to one another for the good of the other.  A good authority has the best interests and well being of those they have authority over as their primary concern.  Whether elected, appointed or anointed, authority is a call to service.  Authority can be defined as, “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.”  In Matthew’s Gospel, Christ is asked by local authority figures, “By what authority are you doing these things?  And who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).  An interesting internal dialogue among the chief priests and elders ensues weighing their options of response to Jesus’ rebuttal.  Ultimately they admit that they do not know.  This questioning of authority, particularly of Jesus, during his ministry was not uncommon.  Questioning authority existed before Christ and exists up through the present day.  Accountability of authorities to the governed or ruled or most importantl...

We as followers of Christ know in our hearts what we believe as Christians, and the faith that has been passed on to us over the last two millennia.  It has been easier to know faith in your heart than it has been to articulate in through a formal means.  So great has the difficulty been, that it took nearly three centuries after Christ’s resurrection to put it in to words for the first time.  The venerable bishops of the early church convened at the behest of Constantine I in Nicea in the year 325.  From this council, came the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, known simply as the Nicene Creed.  While its deeper origins are up to debate, its truths came from the heart of our early church fathers, guided by the teachings of Jesus passed down by the Apostles and guided by the Holy Spirit.  Its text would be altered over time, even within short time of its inception, and as recently as this very century, but the message remains true.  This creed is such a ...

Our reasons are a lie.  We act on impulses and instinct with a false sense of purpose.  We believe we act for ourselves, for our families, for our neighbors or for our fellow man.  We believe we act for people.  We believe we act to please individual human beings to make them proud, to show them respect, or for reward.  To act on these reasons is not the truth behind our human actions.  We act for God. We have all been given this precious gift of life not so that we may please one another and leave behind a lasting presence, but so that we may leave this life knowing that we have pleased our creator.  Our purpose is in God’s trust and confidence in us as his children.  We are all stewards of this creation and God gives us the gift of free will to make better both this gift of the earth, but also this gift of life.  All of God’s children receive different callings in our lifetimes.  Though two may be called to the same profession or v...

At the time I wrote this I was heavily discerning vocation and had really gotten into JPII.

This could very well be the first spiritual writing I ever did.  It was written back when I was a teenager in high school, so keep that in mind as you read it.  I didn't go back and edit anything as I wanted to preserve it in its originality.