The Christian Faith is the Faith of Millions. Like a small seed it started with a group of
people called ‘Apostles’ (12 of them).
Hence, it is called the ‘Apostles’ Creed.’ After
more than 2,000 years, this Faith has grown into a big tree sheltering about
1/3 of the world’s population, numbering more than two billion adherents.
by: Buddy Cagurangan
April 25, 2013
Since time immemorial men have been
searching for answers to some basic questions of life here on earth. Up to this time the following questions
remain unanswered:
1. When
and how did this world begin?
2. When
and how will it end?
Some theories have been propounded,
such as the Theory of Evolution by Rev. Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, SJ. No theory, however, has been universally
accepted by men.
On man’s existence here on earth,
the universal search has narrowed down to his origin, purpose and destiny. Some
so-called prophets have deigned to share their insights on these
questions. Among them was a Man called
JESUS CHRIST, who claimed to be the Begotten Son of the Living God. He said: “I
am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) He lived here
on earth for only 33 years. His words
and deeds became the foundation for what men consider the CHRISTIAN FAITH.
How come that I am now one of the
more than two billion believers of the Christian Faith? There are two reasons for my decision to
embrace the CHRISTIAN FAITH.
First, is the Witnessing of
countless Christian Believers on this foundation of the Christian Religion,
2000 years ago. Many of them gave up
their life and died as martyrs for this Faith.
The most recent who was canonized a Saint is a Filipino, Pedro
Calungsod. Many, too, who were gifted
with outstanding intelligence, such as St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Thomas
Aquinas, and Rev. Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, were adherents of this Christian
Faith.
Second, is my own personal experience. At first, my Christian Faith consisted of
simply believing certain Christian Doctrines taught by my parents, priests and
friends. On January 31, 1977, however, I
had a personal experience of God’s loving mercy for me during a celebration of
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at St. Paul University, Tuguegarao. Life for me then was meaningless. But somehow
as I was sharing my insight on the Gospel of that day I felt a loving touch of
Our Lord Jesus Christ which brought me back to my senses and made me
spiritually alive. It was a special
grace bestowed on me during a ‘Life in the Spirit Seminar’ (LSS) conducted by a
Charismatic Group of 24 members headed by a Catholic priest, who came to
Tuguegarao all the way from New York, USA.
This personal experience is for
me the fundamental reason for my Faith in the Reality of JESUS CHRIST as the
Begotten Son of the Living God, the Savior of Mankind.
Today, I am one of the more than two
billion believers of JESUS CHRIST, one third of the world’s population. I believe, however, that the time will come
when the whole world will eventually become united with CHRIST in His Mystical
Body – the Unification of Men which Rev. Fr. Teilhard de Chardin in his book
‘The Phenomenon of Man’ has called “CHRISTOGENESIS”.
April 25, 2013
