{"id":41415,"date":"2013-09-03T00:17:39","date_gmt":"2013-09-03T05:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=41415"},"modified":"2013-09-03T00:22:34","modified_gmt":"2013-09-03T05:22:34","slug":"got-house-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/got-house-car\/","title":{"rendered":"She Got Her Own House And Her Own Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

In case you didn’t catch the reference, the title of this post refers to a song by a rap artist named “Webbie.” In his song titled “Independent” he states that he is attracted toa \u00a0girl because she isn’t, what one would refer to as, a “gold digger” because she works or something. (I do not endorse the lyrics of the song or find the song appropriate I am using them to make a point.) The girl in the song is independent by the worlds standards.<\/p>\n

In the movie\u00a0The Avengers,\u00a0<\/em>there was a moment that I found quite profound. In the midst of all of this fun action, there was a moment of truth that, surprisingly, came from the antagonist, Loki. He states:\u00a0“Kneel before me. I said…\u00a0kneel!\u00a0Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” \u00a0<\/em>Loki is demanding for those he is trying to conquer to give up their independence and free will and to be ruled. We see this in the way that we view public office, often treating public officials like royalty or have the assumption that they alone will bring the country in the direction that you desire it to go.<\/p>\n

There is this great lie in our society that one is able to be truly “independent” or a “non-conformist”. There is an innate desire in every person to lose their identity to something bigger than themselves. We simple choose what to conform to and what not to conform to. \u00a0The few party situations that I have been too I have experienced the idea of \u00a0“losing myself to the party” and “just feeling the music”. It is a distorted image of giving up your identity to something “good” but in this false goodness shame and desolation are the only “gifts” we have.\u00a0We try and prove our independence with our careers and labels and things that, in relation to eternity, do not matter.<\/p>\n

In reciprocal, a religious binds himself to rules and to ritual to stave off the sin in his life. As Loki states, free will blinds us to what truly brings us happiness: falling on our knees in adoration. The difference of course between Loki, who was going to unlovingly force his almost-subjects to conform to his will, our God loves us so much that for a human to even attempt to be whole he must set aside all the things of this world and strive for goodness. When we strive for goodness we can truly find our identity: we exist as God intended us to exist, totally dependent on Him.<\/p>\n

One of my favorite examples of this is the example of a newborn baby. When I hold a newborn baby in my hands, the phrase “I could eat you up” comes to mind. We see the baby for who he or she is: a divine creation whose infinite beauty points us to eternity. A baby exists in one of the most perfect ways our souls should rely on the Lord. A newborn baby is just that: a \u00a0newborn baby. The child has not developed a personality, the child is happy upon sight of those who give him or her life, the child is truly free to live in the love of his or her parents.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Just<\/a>

Just some awesome college students giving their identities to the Lord. No biggie.<\/p><\/div>\n

To truly find purpose and meaning in our lives is to give up on sin. In fact we are called to violently give up on sin for there is nothing there for us. There is no hope in sin, there is only despair. To truly find our identity is to give up our free will and the semblance of an identity that we have made for ourselves to our sweet Jesus. True joy is found not in worrying, but in being totally dependent on Jesus.<\/p>\n

So abandon sin! We ask so little of a God that offers us infinite joy in a tiny piece of, what appears to be, bread. Pretty awesome that God would pursue our depenence in such a humble way. Gladly, in the end, I desire to be ruled. In the end, I will kneel. Viva Cristo Rey.<\/p>\n

Thanks and Gig’em,<\/p>\n

Joshua<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In case you didn’t catch the reference, the title of this post refers to a song by a rap artist named “Webbie.” In his song titled “Independent” he states that he is attracted toa \u00a0girl because she isn’t, what one would refer to as, a “gold digger” because she works or something. (I do not… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[1950,1952,1953,1951],"class_list":["post-41415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","tag-avengers","tag-lossofidentity","tag-strivingforholliness","tag-webbie","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":313318,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/rap-music-and-christianity\/","url_meta":{"origin":41415,"position":0},"title":"Rap Music and Christianity","author":"Zachery Algaze\u200b","date":"October 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most amazing ways to connect to God is through music and to praise his name and to worship him with lyrics. Some of the most popular Christian artists that a lot of people know are Hillsong United with wonderful songs such as Oceans, and Matt Maher who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Youth"","block_context":{"text":"Youth","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/youth\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"lecrae","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Lecrae-550x328.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Lecrae-550x328.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Lecrae-550x328.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":308041,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/the-song-and-the-priesthood\/","url_meta":{"origin":41415,"position":1},"title":"The Song and the Priesthood","author":"William Rooney","date":"October 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, thanks to my Old Testament Writings class, I have spent a lot of time reading, meditating on, and writing about the Song of Songs. It is a marvelous book which I highly encourage you to read. In some ways, the Song is a remarkable book to find in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ACNM"","block_context":{"text":"ACNM","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adam and Eve and the desire for something other than God","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Adam-and-Eve-reaching-for-apple.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":141565,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/asking-back-asking-jesus-his-own-question\/","url_meta":{"origin":41415,"position":2},"title":"Asking Back: Asking Jesus His Own Question","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"August 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We are sitting in a bar on a hot summer day. I stare at my dejected feet on the bar stool, then out the door at the hot day, the burning sidewalk, the occasional overheated human being passing by. I don't want to look at him, though I am relieved\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo by Renee Bork","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11143179_10205054495455907_3510032705709859374_n-525x700.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11143179_10205054495455907_3510032705709859374_n-525x700.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11143179_10205054495455907_3510032705709859374_n-525x700.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40415,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/the-theology-of-sound-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":41415,"position":3},"title":"The Theology of Sound","author":"David Casper","date":"July 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A question for your consideration: Why does music hold such power over the human heart? Let that percolate for a minute, then read on. As a Catholic musician, I am particularly enamored with two things: theology and sound. I dive passionately into the depths of the Eschaton just as eagerly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sudden clarity clarence","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/sudden-clarity-clarence-300x168.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4009,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/08\/the-issue-of-kneeling\/","url_meta":{"origin":41415,"position":4},"title":"The Issue of Kneeling","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"August 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"There are many different arguments among the faithful about the issue of kneeling. In fact, this argument has been around since the time of the Greeks and Romans, and it has been described as barbaric, demeaning, and enslaving. Most often it is said that we are past that and that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kneeling Angel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/kneeling-angel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25449,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/a-creation-liturgy-cd-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":41415,"position":5},"title":"A Creation Liturgy [CD Review]","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"October 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This month, the Denver-based Christian-collective, Gungor released a new album entitled A Creation Liturgy. This past Spring, I wrote a review on an EP released by the band The Brilliance, also based in Denver, after a concert I attended here in Austin featuring both bands. I've wanted to write a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Creation Liturgy - Gungor","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/A-Creation-Liturgy.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41415\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}