"Our earthly liturgies must be celebrations full of beauty and power: Feasts of the Father who created us—that is why the gifts of the earth play such a great part: the bread, the wine, oil and light, incense, sacred music, and splendid colors. Feasts of the Son who redeemed us—that is why we rejoice in our liberation, breathe deeply in listening to the Word, and are strengthened in eating the Eucharistic Gifts. Feasts of the Holy Spirit who lives in us—that is why there is a wealth of consolation, knowledge, courage, strength, and blessing that flows from these sacred assemblies." unknown source possibly YOUCAT Mal.1.11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith theLord of hosts.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

glory of God

http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2009/03/draft-soli-deo-gloria-a-catholic-perspective/

read at the link above--  here is a quote: 
  to participate in that which is caused by another does not steal glory from the cause, particularly when the participation itself is caused.

also

 Now it is no more difficult for God graciously to give man the ability to chew his eggs in the morning than it is for God graciously to enable him to merit salvation through cooperation.  God does not do 20% of the work while enabling men to eat breakfast and 100% of the work when offering them salvation.  What God does in each, He does 100% and what man does in each, he does 100%.  Man’s real cooperation in salvation does not steal God’s glory any more than does the fact that a man truly eats his own breakfast.
and
  If submission is an act of the will and the subject does not contribute in any way to the origin or power of that to which he is subjected, then that sort of cooperation does not result in any stolen glory. If man set himself up beside God as the author of his own salvation, this would be stealing glory from God.  But to reiterate, that is not Catholic soteriology, which teaches that even our opportunity to cooperate with grace is itself a gift from God. If we understand Soli Deo Gloria as allowing that cooperation gives greater glory to God, then Soli Deo Gloria is compatible with the Catholic doctrine of justification.

and

 Now there is indisputably a Biblical sense in which God’s glory is shared with His redeemed.21 We see this particularly in Romans where Paul says, “and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him,”22 and in 2 Thessalonians, “God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”23 And so there is some sense in which God’s glory is shared in a way that does not detract from it.  In other words, Soli Deo Gloria must be understood in such a way that it is compatible with the sharing of glory as described in these verses, and insofar as we wish to affirm it, we must also clarify it in the light of what the Scriptures say about the redeemed sharing in God’s glory.

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