Can you point me towards a web site, blog or some other source that can help explain the following question/idea? How is it that we Catholics believe that from the beginning of time God knows exactly when he’s going to call us back home, but we still believe in seeing doctors when we are sick and have operations to save our lives, stopping smoking, overeating, over drinking, etc., because science has shown it extends our life? I know your grammar alarm is probably blaring in your head for my horrible sentence structure. Please forgive me.
* Jesus did not shun people who came to him for healing
* God foreknows everything. This would include your decision to go for treatment by a certain doctor. God knows you’re going to do this.
* We treat our bodies well not just purely for health reasons. They are created in the image and likeness of God. They are temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore they should be treated with care and respect.
* Seeking healing is the most natural thing in the world. You’d have to go against the most basic instinct of survival to *not* seek help.
* Going to the doctor is simply another part of the general maintenance we perform on our bodies. Another thing I do to maintain my body is eat and drink to replenish it. If God knows when we’re going to die, should I really try and extend our lives by eating? 😉
Very much, thank you. When I suggested after the untimely death of James Gandolfini that 51 was too young to die and that we should eat less and move more, my mother accused me of not knowing my faith because “God decides when you are going to die, no matter what you are doing, right or wrong.” While I don’t disagree with her, I think that response was more her justification for still smoking after science has proven its harmful effects on our lifespan. She claimed taking care of oneself only improved the quality of our life, not the length of it. I like your eating analogy. She also claimed science has nothing to do with faith, but I was taught that science came from God, too, and was another tool for us to use for our benefit and for his glory. I love learning more about my faith!
Taken to its logical conclusions, her attitude would render nobody responsible for his or her actions. For example, if I decided to engage in a friendly game of “Russian Roulette” and I end up shooting myself in the head, is it my fault? I mean, God knows when I’m going to die…
Her answer to that, because that’s where the free will part of this discussion came up, was that God knows *when* we’re going to die, but he doesn’t necessarily choose how. Her idea is it was your free will to die via Russian Roulette, but it was God who decided that was the time he was calling you home. She similarly responded when I asked about children being killed and people committing suicide. Free will and God’s Providence are one of those mysterious combinations that sometimes makes my head spin. Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief.
Can you point me towards a web site, blog or some other source that can help explain the following question/idea? How is it that we Catholics believe that from the beginning of time God knows exactly when he’s going to call us back home, but we still believe in seeing doctors when we are sick and have operations to save our lives, stopping smoking, overeating, over drinking, etc., because science has shown it extends our life? I know your grammar alarm is probably blaring in your head for my horrible sentence structure. Please forgive me.
Oh, and how free will plays a part in all that. 🙂 Thanks.
I can’t think of another blog off the top of my head but here are a few points:
* We have Biblical precedent (Sirach 38:1)
* We know Luke was a Physician (Colossians 4:14)
* Jesus did not shun people who came to him for healing
* God foreknows everything. This would include your decision to go for treatment by a certain doctor. God knows you’re going to do this.
* We treat our bodies well not just purely for health reasons. They are created in the image and likeness of God. They are temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore they should be treated with care and respect.
* Seeking healing is the most natural thing in the world. You’d have to go against the most basic instinct of survival to *not* seek help.
* Going to the doctor is simply another part of the general maintenance we perform on our bodies. Another thing I do to maintain my body is eat and drink to replenish it. If God knows when we’re going to die, should I really try and extend our lives by eating? 😉
Hopefully this helps 🙂
Very much, thank you. When I suggested after the untimely death of James Gandolfini that 51 was too young to die and that we should eat less and move more, my mother accused me of not knowing my faith because “God decides when you are going to die, no matter what you are doing, right or wrong.” While I don’t disagree with her, I think that response was more her justification for still smoking after science has proven its harmful effects on our lifespan. She claimed taking care of oneself only improved the quality of our life, not the length of it. I like your eating analogy. She also claimed science has nothing to do with faith, but I was taught that science came from God, too, and was another tool for us to use for our benefit and for his glory. I love learning more about my faith!
Taken to its logical conclusions, her attitude would render nobody responsible for his or her actions. For example, if I decided to engage in a friendly game of “Russian Roulette” and I end up shooting myself in the head, is it my fault? I mean, God knows when I’m going to die…
Her answer to that, because that’s where the free will part of this discussion came up, was that God knows *when* we’re going to die, but he doesn’t necessarily choose how. Her idea is it was your free will to die via Russian Roulette, but it was God who decided that was the time he was calling you home. She similarly responded when I asked about children being killed and people committing suicide. Free will and God’s Providence are one of those mysterious combinations that sometimes makes my head spin. Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief.
Fair enough, but the interplay of those two mysterious really should be enough to stop her rebuking your “not knowing” your faith.
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