The question is, the sister would like Dr. Dillsaver to elaborate on using the faith as a protection against reality,
and could he please give some specifics and not just generalities?
Two types of religion.
I think there's a false religion and a true religion.
And of course.
A false religion or religiosity is where we, if you will, bind God to us.
God exists for us.
He's here to give me what I need.
He's here to protect me from the vicissitudes of life.
And the other, the true religion is where I am bound to God, I exist for God.
So oft times, now Catholicism, of course, is true religion.
And Protestantism is where, you know, God exists for the.
And it's something, is it a defense against reality?
I'm saved and I'm going to prosper.
That's a huge offense against reality, isn't it?
And, you know, I don't have to.
You know, I'm not wretched, I'm, you know, God loves me and I'm doing fine.
Well that's a defense against reality because the fact of the matter is...
We have to the rallies makes me feel my humiliation my wretchedness and so I have to open myself up to that first
So that I can actually then
Have that joy
of the fact that it is all about God,
it's all about Christ, it's not about me.
Now, there's an openness there.
Now, give me some specific examples,
what I like to call some of this private revelation
sometimes is a defense against this reality
because we're so concerned about
when the world's gonna end.
And we're trying to get a handle on
what is it that's threatening me?
When I always tell people, I say, you know, I know.
the fact the world's going to end here in, at the most,
you know, maybe 75 years for all of us, you know.
So, you know, we've got 75 years, that's about, that's it,
and the world's going to be done.
And I'll tell you that right now, I prophesize.
Yes. Yes, definitely. Confirmation. No, I'm not that proper of a revelation. I'm not the one you ascribed to.
And so, no, but it is, isn't it?
The world's going to end for all of us.
And that's the death that we have to face.
And of course, as Catholics, you're
supposed to contemplate the four last things of death,
judgment, heaven, or health.
So that's the reality. But when you try to put a label on it, what is it?
You know, it's everything. Is there conspiracy? Absolutely.
You know, and we know that at the bottom of that conspiracy is Satan.
So there is all that evil out there.
I have to accept the threat of my own life, you know, the fact that I'm dying, the fact that I, my own sinfulness,
the humiliation of my sinfulness, the humiliation of other people's sins against me.
Now as Catholics, we don't ascribe to that Protestant idea, it's not a defense against reality.
As Catholics, of course the church is always about binding us to God, about by decreasing and Christ increasing,
about me opening myself up to reality.
But sometimes, even traditional Catholics have what I call,
And they get stuck, you know, and I pray all the time.
I just pray all the time.
Really, what do you pray?
Well, there's no Venus, and why ask God for this?
I'm asking God for that.
It's all a partitionary prayer, right?
So they're trying to say, I want to control God.
And the same thing the Protestants do with the word.
I have Jesus in me, I have it.
And it's a defense mechanism, a way to control God.
And so too, in the mean eyes, we're always asking him.
To protect you from all these things that you're afraid of you know this and that's of course a real fear-based religion a paranoia
If you will
And so that they get we then as Catholics have the test you want to get stuck in that petitionary prayer and
and of course Thanksgiving too because if you do have a petition answer you want to make sure you
Thank the Lord profusely so that he next time he he gives you something. He may be even more of course
so this
self-interest there. It's still about protecting, be still about protecting the
pride and self-love. And that's what we're talking about, really. That's the
defense. Is this good for my pride and self-love? Is it protection for that? But
then, as Catholics, and of course these are the four ends of the Mass, too,
So we go into that next realm, and the next realm is the atonement of the propitiation
or the contrition.
That is the actual, now there's reality for sure because I don't feel good about myself.
I'm a sinner.
that breaks down those defenses that's reality I'm not saved and life is
overwhelming and I am wretched that is reality and that leads to the and that
is really the penultimate reality
But that leads then to adoration, which is the ultimate reality of God and the ultimate
reality of our faith that the good news, it's about Jesus Christ.
It's about Jesus Christ, it's not about me.
Well, praise God, there's your joy, it's all about Him.
That's that Christ esteem, and this is the reality, this is the spiritual life about
this openness to reality.
We say yes. That is the pure prayer. That's the prayer of our Blessed Mother. That yes.
Yes to reality. Yes to everything. She always said yes to God. And that's receptivity.
And that's, we know that's the feminine care.
But that's the charism of all of us as creatures.
Men have that creaturely, if you will, feminine aspect to their nature where they must say
yes to reality.
So is that?