There are several key claims which are implicit to Christianity.
The fundamental claim is that God is real and that he is the author of all being.
If this is true we may expect to find that in some mystical sense everything that exists is pointing to God.
The Christian understanding of reality is that God has revealed himself to the human race through the Jews.
This insight offers a possible explanation for the hatred shown to Jews throughout history as arising from an infernal desire by the forces of evil to hurt those whom God has loved most.
Christians purport to have an understanding about the nature of God.
That is to say, they claim that God is one and that there is only one God, but that somehow God is three persons in one God, the Trinity.
Christians also claim that God has intervened in human history by becoming a man in the form of his son Jesus Christ, whom Christians claim is the second person of the Trinity that is God.
The third person of the Trinity is said to be the holy spirit.
I would maintain that Jesus commissioned the Catholic Church to serve himself in human history.
The message Christians claim to have received from Jesus is what they refer to as the proclamation of the kingdom of God, to wit that the kingdom of God is at hand, sometimes translated as "the kingdom of God is in your midst," sometimes translated as "the kingdom of God is within you."
The gospel or good news which Christians claim to be speaking is that Jesus has died for all of us.
They call for people to be baptised with water, to turn away from wrong doing, and to seek the forgiveness of God which will be given to them.
They claim that all mystical wisdom, the Jewish Talmud, the New Testament accounts of Jesus, the Bible itself, is summed up by two commandments. The first and greatest commandment is: Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. The second is: Love your neighbour as yourself.
The gospel witnesses claim that Jesus said these two commandments are all of the Law and the Prophets.
Christian understandings of reality insist that God hears prayers and answers them.
There are said to be holy ones on earth who get particularly wondrous answers to prayers, say in the matters of healing.
The laying on of hands and prayer over the sick is recorded by the Gospel witnesses as are the wonderous results.
Jesus himself is recorded saying: "If you have faith, you will do greater miracles than I have done."
The immortality of the soul is implicit to all forms of Christianity so the tradition has arisen particularly within Catholicism of asking departed souls, saints in heaven, to obtain favours for us from God.
The saints are regarded as real and accessible to us in prayer.
They are a gift from God.
Their work is seen as an extension of the healing ministries many of them carried out in mortal life on earth.
The actuality of saints interceding for us with God is seen as a beautiful part of existence and a glorious affirming testimony to eternal life.
Among many Christians, Mary the mother of Jesus, is considered the highest of all the saints.
Christian understandings of reality also advocate the reality of spritual messengers of God who are beings of pure spirit, and are known as angels.
We have names for three of the great ones, Gabriel who brought the news of God's favour to Mary before the birth of Jesus, Michael who is the warrior angel captain of God's army, and Raphael who brings healing from God.
These understandings of reality if true, do not distract from God but testify to his limitless goodness, joyfulness, and creativity!
