Father Barron on The God Who Doesn't Need Us

Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Father Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture.

For more please visit http://www.wordonfire.org/

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Father
• robert
• barron
• christ
• catholicism
• god
• Saint
• Irenaeus
• pagan
• love
• jesus

[MrCamus1960]

Father Barron, why should I love God? The only reasons that I can come up with is He gave me everything, which seems like a selfish reason on my part to love Him. But I know that real love is the opposite of selfishness, can you help me with this dilemma?

[wordonfirevideo]

@MrCamus1960 You should love him because he's the ultimate good, that which will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart.

[MrCamus1960]

Father Barron, isn't it wrong for God to command me to love him, and obey his commandments in order to get a reward that is Heaven? I understand that the glory of God is a human being fully alive, but wouldn't it be wrong on my part to "love" God and do what he says for my own personal gain?

[wordonfirevideo]

@MrCamus1960 Don't think of heaven as "reward" or "personal gain." Heaven simply means love to the highest degree and love is its own reward.

[fancullo]

Father Robert Barron, what does it mean to say man is fully alive? how can man be fully alive?

[wordonfirevideo]

@fancullo He is fully alive when he has realized his deepest longings through union with God.

[wordonfirevideo]

@ideasforfeeling No divisions at all? How about the division between right and wrong? The division between Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and decent people? How about the division between a child molester and someone who would never dream of harming a child. Some divisions--those based on violence and hatred--are indeed wrong, but not every division is of that nature.

[wordonfirevideo]

@tmyersable There is no contradiction at all! To say that God has no need of us is by no means equivalent to saying that he is "indifferent" to us, just the contrary. His compassion for us can be total, precisely because he has no need of us. To love, as I explained, is to will the good of the other as other. God can do this to an infinite degree.

[jayyy689]

When he said that to have or experience the glory of God is not to submit but to share in God's goodness. One must fully submit to the ten commandments correct? Did God not give us these commandments out of his Goodness and so therefore by following them we are sharing in his Goodness and expressing our love? Is this man not a priest who practices abstinence in order to submit to God? Is being fully alive not just showing absolute love and appreciation for God and his guidance?

[warzoneG5]

@wordonfirevideo Could you make a video talking about your testimony and also a video about the experience of knowing Christ personally showing the viewers its not a delusion but a real relationship? thank you and all your videos are great

[Komnenos1234]

@wordonfirevideo

I know I'm replying to this long after the fact. I was just wondering how it is resolved, what St. Paul says that, "no one is desiring God, not one, etc." and Augustine saying "our hearts are restless until they rest in you". It seems like Augustine isn't the only one who discusses the individual as on a quest for God, Anselm does a similar thing in the Monologion, how can th heart searching for God be resolved with what St. Paul said in Romans?