Mahsheed's Corner

Christianity is based on claims that are very hard to believe. That Jesus was a man and also God. The Trinity. That He died for our sins. That He rose from the dead after three days. That He ascended to Heaven after forty days and will come again in glory at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. That He is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

At the end of the day these are all just beliefs, right? And it's good to believe in something because it helps a person be good and have a nice life.

Well no, any Christian will tell you the only reason to be Christian is because you believe it's true. If it's not true then to hell with it, no matter what the side benefits.

Then you may wonder how Christians can really believe all these strange things? I'll tell you the secret.

Actually, people convert to Christianity after encountering Jesus. The object of faith is not a belief or belief system; the object of faith is Jesus Christ Himself. People then accept all the other teachings on the basis of their faith in Jesus.

Because when they encountered Jesus, He wasn't a ghost or phantom--He was (is) more real than anything, even themselves! That one encounter left them gasping and longing to be with Him forever to the point where they would give up everything in their life to go after Him.

Then the rest of their Christian lives consist of fleeting glimpses of Him interspersed throughout endless days, some of them quite terrible, looking forward to death, the day of their reunion with the Lord.

Sounds horrible? Oh but it's wonderful.