Free Will and Grace-reflections after a talk

Last night, February 7th 2013,  we attended Dr.William Marshner's talk on "Grace and Free Will " at the Institute of Catholic Culture. He explained the very logical and philosophical presentation on the basis of St.Augustine's writings /teachings and analyzed (among other things) John Calvin's Predestination Theories...It was mind blowing. I had thought Islam only , excludes Free Will to the extend that everything is " known or written" by God and nothing can change it .... no effort on human side can change the "God written" destiny.......In fact Calvin had some similar ideas...very interesting I thought... John Calvin’s interpretation of predestination states that not only does God govern all events, but he also has already determined who will be saved, and who will be damned. Dr, Marshner, using St.Augustine's writings explained the difference and argued how Free Will makes the destiny happen. God KNOWS (there is no time in God) what will happen to all, but he always makes Grace and other means available to people , so whoever engages his action and receives the Grace available and furthermore let Grace work in them, in few words let God be the center and in charge of their lives, they are then the governed and the saved by God... . So while God knows our destiny, we DON't. So, why then assume the worst while we can WILL and Act upon it (wanting to happen and will it) and make room for Grace to dwell in us... ? See the difference ....? OUR OWN CHOOSING makes a difference ...... To those who reject God's Available Grace and fall into despair, by not engaging the Free Will to accept Grace well.....God may then say: "be my guest...."
There is Mercy but it also that goes hand in hand with Justice...

Take care friends, and dont waste time worrying, Let God lead you....

Mother Teresa, pray for us!

I had an interesting occurrence, which I would like to share with you. Few weeks  ago, somewhere in  cyberspace, an Albanian (of West) friend of mine, whose academic work I greatly respect and for whose soul I greatly care,  purported some  of Blessed Mother Teresa's words. She did so by providing an out of context sentence in Albanian, without citing the author on  a social issue, hence providing  a confusing  e-feed for many, stipulating that Mother Teresa was a sadist.

The majority of  my friend’s readers, as I have come to know, are not familiar at all with the Catechism or the  teachings of the Catholic  Church on certain issues, especially on human suffering and its meaning. These are important elements of knowledge, as many know, for one to grasp and comprehend that, when some one states something like: "be happy and  accept the state of life you are in,  as that is for your good and for the world’s greater good"-  is a good thing, that person (in this case Mother Teresa)  has some sound reason behind it.  She knows something we don’t know. In such cases we  should research and find out where it springs from, and not just jump into conclusions.

As I entered the e-conversation, I left soon, when I noticed that a couple of people, including the post's author,  which I believe  to be very well educated in certain fields of Liberal Arts/Science, all publicly declared Atheists, were belittling and mocking me  personally. So, figuring that the conversation was really about a stipulation and gossip, not real substance, I  stayed away from that particular conversation, seeing no point  in continuing or arguing, as the conversation about the mountain(mother Teresa), was becoming a conversation about a grain of sand(personal egos ).

But when I noticed that they were making sure  to twist  Mother Teresa’s statements on poverty and discredit her, mock her and insult her , that was hurting me to the core as it was based on false premises. 

Since then, I have been praying what to do about it. I prayed for the conversion of hearts, such as those of the respected human persons  involved in the mockery.  I also  prayed about peace in my heart and to be able to forgive. I wanted to have and keep my  peace but also to keep my "ducks in a row ", when one part of me felt insulted by the men of quite an age and I felt tempted to be angry. I asked for God 's Mercy and Grace.  Then, Padre Pio reminded me when a soul is in temptation (and resists it) , it  is pleasing to the Lord....and hence I received the necessary Sacraments, thank God!

I have also been asking Mother Teresa's intercession to pray for these men and women who insult her words and deeds often,  and as it appears, she is smiling down from Heaven. Low and behold, four times today, within  a ten minutes of time frame, I either received a message, or heard on the national radio  marvelous quotes from Mother Teresa or someone describing  her miraculous deeds and how the nations sang her praises!  Our  Blessed Mother Teresa keeps smiling when people mock her  up there(in heaven) from down here (earth). The praising of Mother Teresa (in my 10 minutes of this story ) came from NON-ALBANIANS. Many  of the people who spoke highly of her, are  lay people, only one is a religious leader of a certain Apostolate/Ministry, all spreading the Gospel and helping people throughout the world, making a real good change, following in Mother Teresa’s  foot-steps. What  do (some )Albanians do? They mock her! I’m sure many have the answer and know why. So, friends, I kindly  ask to please pray for my Atheists friends’ soul, especially for  my Albanian Atheists friends living now in the West,  as not only a nation's unity (Albanian nation) is at stake, but some souls' eternity is also in jeopardy. Many of us (Albanians) are not only a victim of  Communism at home, but sadly  also have been taken advantage of by the Secularism and Moral Relativism in the West. The cracks are wider for such  souls to fall in these circumstances ... There is a double favorable environment for the vice to thrive and there is a double risk of loosing for eternity such vulnerable souls... God bless you and thank you!