How Does In God's Love relate to the Catholic Church?

How does In God's Love 
written by Janet Hurlow
relate to 
the Catholic Faith ?

  Chapter 2 We Believe in One Triune God : 1/12

 Part 1 God is One

41           As an introduction to Chapter 2 I would encourage you to reread passage # 48 “Litany of a Wondrous, Wonderful God” from In God’s Love.  It makes you smile at what a great God we have.  The Catholic Church professes that we believe there is only one God who is Lord of all.(1)    Throughout In God’s Love, the authors assert that “God is so wonderful.  Only one God is seen. This is the only Creator of all things.”(2)  “God of all, one God”.(3) 

Part 2 Titles and Descriptions of God 
Section 1 Father

42           We give God the title of Father which Jesus reveals to us in a profound way.(4)   The authors of In God’s Love give this title to God as well: “God is an honest God who understands the smallest of His creation.  The signs of God’s love are true and blessed.  Father is His title, and gentle is His voice.”(5)  They use the title, “Father”, more than any other title for God, a total of 308 times (not counting the invocations at the beginning of each passage). 

43           Indeed, they seem to find it a little humorous that we often call God, “God”, for they say, “Father they call God.”(6)  They encourage us to get to know God as our Father: “Songs of life, rise up, pray and understand that God is your Father.”(7)   “God is real.  He is your Father who loves you, real and true.”(8)   He is a “God who cares and reaches for all spirits with a Father’s reaching.”(9)

44           The Catholic Church believes that God created all things: “For You created all things and by your will they existed and were created.”(10)   In God’s Love states, “Father of all creation, sacred Father.  Such a God in one.  Sign of sign, author of life.”(11)

45           God is the Father of all creation.  Therefore, God is also the Father of the messengers of In God’s Love: “God is our Father and Creator….Take our Creator who is also your Creator.”(12)  

46           The Church asserts, this Father who creates everything does so in wisdom and love for “his compassion is over all that he has made.”(13)    The authors of In God’s Love agree: “The blessed love of God rests in all that He has made….very worlds that have been created in God’s love.”(14)

Section 2 Almighty King
 
47           The Church professes that God is almighty.(15)   In God’s Love asserts that God sees all,(16)  and that “Nothing is impossible with God.  He can do anything He desires.”(17)   The Church agrees with this.(18)   When we think of an “almighty” being who is able to do “anything,” we think of the role of a King.  King and Kingship are not used much in today’s society, but King is a title that the Church uses for God. 

48           King is also a title that the authors of In God’s Love like to use a lot.  It is the second most used title for God.(19)   The authors state that “King is His name.”(20)   They proclaim that “God is a wise Father.  Blessed is His name: King.”(21)  In one of their praises to the King, they chant, “Long live the King.  Dear ones, the King is God, and He shall live forever.  His reign shall be for eternity.  Come, join in the celebration.  Come, play your music forever to the King, the mighty King whom you love with all your heart.  The King gives all good things because all good comes from His heart.  Welcome to the King, who lives forever.”(22)  They proclaim God as the King of Kings,(23)  who is king over all of His creation: “This is our God.  So sacred is His name.  King and Father.  King of all Earth creatures.  King of all creation.”(24)   “King of saints.”(25)   “Kind is our God in all ways.  His power is reserved for the wicked, and His might is sent on the spirits of Satan.”(26)

  Section 3 The Creator

49           The Nicene Creed begins “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.”   The Apostles Creed begins “I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” The first book of the Bible begins, “In the beginning, when God created...”(27)   All of these core statements affirm that God created everything, and God Himself was not created. Proclaiming God as the Creator is central to our belief. The title “Creator” is also at the heart of In God’s Love, for it is a title that is used 64 times.  The authors of In God’s Love proclaim, “In all such wonders, never have you seen such a being as this God who is the uncreated Creator.”(28)  “God is the Creator of all things”(29)  “He is a God of endless creation.”(30)  God’s ability to create is unlimited.  “He can create anything.  His creations are limitless. Worlds are His.”(31)  

50           What God creates is good and beautiful.(32)   Indeed, “God is the creator of all that is good and beautiful.”(33)   “All good things, every delight, every happy moment, every joyous day comes from God.  He is what makes life worth living.”(34)  “Such wonders are in God’s Creations.  This is seen.  O righteous saints of Earth, bless such a God who sets such mighty worlds in place and order and furnishes in many such righteous people in rest and beauty.”(35)   It is not just worlds that God creates, but homes.(36)  God’s creation goes on forever: “His Spirit goes on forever.  Search as you desire, you will not find the end of the universe.  This is all God’s territory.  It is so well planned.  There is nothing that He has not put together.  Worlds are created at His bidding.”(37)

51           The authors even speak a little of how God creates: “God is such a Spiritual Creator, blessed and true.  In such sacred music are our spirits inscribed.”(38)   “His singing is in His creation. His Spirit is in this beautiful music. Music is God’s child. She is both soothing to God’s creations and a delight to God. God’s creatures are created in music.”(39)

52           I find it interesting that the Scriptures speak of God creating with His breath(40)  and with His voice(41)  and therefore, we have no problem saying that God created with His Word(42)  or His Breath. 

53           When we put together breath and voice, what we have is singing.  This is certainly a new way of speaking about creation, but since the music is coming from God and has God as its source, then God is still the first cause of creation.(43)   Therefore, I do not see how this way of describing the action of God’s creating goes against anything that the Church has proclaimed. Furthermore, we have already noted how the authors have identified “life” with “song”.(44)  So, in the authors’ way of speaking, if all life, or all song, comes from God, the author of all life or song, how else could creation be created, but in God’s own marvelous song?  Perhaps Saint Augustine was onto something more than we know when he said, “He who sings prays twice.”(45)   This new way of expressing creation does not change or improve our traditional ways of expressing creation, and neither does it contradict it, for God is still the first cause and the uncreated creator of all.   

54           God does not just create, but God blesses His creation.(46)   God continues to be with His creation: “He loves all His creations.  We are so delighted with our Creator.  His Spirit reaches out to everything He has made.”(47)   This echoes the Psalms noted in the Catechism: "The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made."(48)

55           The Nicene Creed states, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.”   The authors of In God’s Love agree.  They hold that “Only one God is seen. This is the only Creator of all things.”(49)  “In God, there is no limit to life and creations.  Vast is God’s spiritual reaching.  In all things is our God.”(50)   “He is the author of life.  Nothing lives without Him.”(51)   Our utter dependence on God is clearly expressed with the comments that “Without God, creation would not exist.  Without creation, where would you be?  You would not exist.  This is the Spirit of all life.  He is why things are.”(52)   “Songs of life are in your spirit.  In God is life.”(53)   If God created all things living, then God also created the authors of In God’s Love: “In this, understand: God created the saints of special quality,  and righteous did He create us.”(54)   They love their God: “This is written: ‘Sign of signs, light of light, blessed, not made, true God of true God.’  This is written: ‘We love you.’  Such love is not measured.  We love our God who is the one and only God.  In God’s love do all things rest.”(55)   They want us to realize that we both have the same God, the same Creator, who gives us our life: “Take our Creator who is also your Creator.  In this one Being was all life created.”(56)   God’s gift of eternal life is so important because it is only after we are given this gift that God can give us all the other gifts He wants to give us: “This is your gift of eternal life.  When you were conceived, this gift was given…. (In) all these gifts, the one, true gift is life.  Without life, the other gifts of God could not be given.  Such a very precious gift in all things.”(57)   So, there exists one God who creates all and creates all things living, and that includes us and the messengers.

   Next section in Part One Chapter 2 : 2/12