MysticWays

The word "liberal" comes from the Latin word for "free." We strive to be free and generous in our thinking and our actions. We try to let you be as free as we are, so we try to avoid bigotry and divisive dogma.

We are taught that if you want to receive love, you have to give it. Some people use the word "karma" to describe this attitude. We would say that we receive love through the very act of giving it. We receive love, not as the result of something, but during the very course of giving love. The love we receive is not a kind of after-the-fact reward. The love we receive occurs in the moment ? in the Eternal Now.

CATHOLIC

The word "catholic" is often translated as "universal," and that is a fairly good definition. It actually comes from the Greek word that means "whole."

There is a subtle difference between being universal and being whole. If you are Universal, you can be many different things all at the same time, like a Universal Wrench would be a wrench that tries to fit every imaginable bolt. The word Universal is a way of saying something is a generic fit for everything.

If something is whole, it is a healthy fit, a fundamental fit. A universal church can divide believers from nonbelievers, while a whole church sees God?s hand at work everywhere. A universal wrench may destroy some innocent bolts as it tries to force itself into the project. A whole church would say, "Oh, you?re a nail not a bolt, so why don?t you just use this hammer?

PRAYER

Prayer is our conversation with God. Prayer is the basis of our faith. The Mass is the greatest prayer of the church.

Use prayer to ask for things, to seek guidance for problems, to express gratitude and love. Be careful not to confuse God with Santa Claus! God does not need instruction, but it is perfectly okay to appeal to God?s gracious nature.

In prayer, we become more conscious of God?s power and our own needs. One of the best examples of prayer is when your back is up against some wall, and you close your eyes and say "Help!" It is fine to ask God to keep us away from danger and evil. Almost any physical, emotional, or spiritual affliction is valid for mention in prayer.