Why it is I do what I do

I've only just realised how deficient my description of my work is :(. Usually I say something along the lines of "I want to help women make sense of the Bible so they know how to follow Jesus in their everyday lives". Which is fine as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough. I fail to say why I want to do this - which leaves my listeners free to pick their own explanation. And what worries me - perhaps especially in a Catholic context - is that they'll assume that it's to win God's favour. The very last thing I wish to convey :(.

So yesterday over lunch, I worked out just why I do what I do. I want to help women make sense of the Bible and follow Jesus in their everyday lives because...

• God commands it and he is to be feared;
• He is above all else and deserves to be honoured and glorified;
• He is loving and good and his ways bring life, joy and wholeness;
• He died for me, so how else could I respond but to obey and please him.

[Interestingly, I reckon that Catholics would be understanding of the first one, and perhaps the second and fourth (please let me know if this is right, any Catholic readers), whereas secular Australians would hate all four...]

So now I just have to come up with an explanation that captures some or all of these four! Here goes... I want to help women make sense of the Bible so they can obey and bring honour to the Almighty God with their lives (reasons one and two). Or, I want to help women make sense of the Bible so they can lead beautiful lives (reason three). Or, I want to help women make sense of the Bible so they can follow their Lord Jesus who died for them (reason four).

My natural inclination is to go for the last one because it speaks of the heart of our faith. But I also need to consider the Catholic/post-Catholic context I'm in. My way of understanding Catholicism (a sweeping generalisation) is this: God is distant and powerful, Jesus is dead, and Mary is close and powerful. I yearn for people to see that, in truth, it is the risen Lord Jesus who is mighty and intimately connnected with his children, and that, through him, the Father God has also come very near.

So how about I switch my explanation round a bit... I want to help women make sense of the Bible so that, with the help of the risen Lord Jesus, they can grow closer to God each day (hinting at reasons three and four). Google Translate tells me that in Spanish this is: Quiero ayudar a las mujeres a entender la Biblia para que, con la ayuda del Señor Jesús resucitado, pueden acercarse más a Dios cada día. Looks right to me (but please feel free to correct me, any Spanish-speaking readers). Now I just have to remember it!