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Sandra Grady
Recently, I had an extensive discussion with a Muslim about the Trinity. His problem with the Trinity was not so much with biblical texts, and obviously so, because he did not accept the Bible in the form it is in today as the word of God. Though I must say that he was remarkably interested in looking at what the New Testament had to say about the topic.
His main problem was conceptual. And I find this to be generally the case with folks who reject the Trinity. They either think Christians are claiming there are three Gods (which is what my Muslim friend actually believed to be so), or that we are teaching something that is a logical contradiction, e.g., 3=1, and 1=3.
In order to understand the concept of person in God, we have to understand its foundation in the processions and relations within the inner life of God. And the Council of Florence, AD 1338-1445, can help us in this regard.
Biblically speaking, we see each of the persons in God revealed as relationally distinct and yet absolutely one in nature in manifold texts. For example, consider John 17:5, where our Lord prays on Holy Thursday:
As St. Augustine points out, we can never know God or understand God completely through this or any analogy, but it can help us to understand how you can have relational distinctions within one being. And we can see this is reasonable.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us another analogy wherein we can see the reasonableness of the Trinity by helping us to see the possibility of distinct persons who possess the same nature. CCC 2205 provides:
When we think of a family, we can see how a father, mother, and child can be distinct persons and yet possess the same nature (human), just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons who each possess the same nature (divine).
The weakness, of course, is that in God each person possesses the one infinite and immutable divine nature, and is therefore, one being. Our analogous family consists of three beings. Again, no analogy is perfect.
But in the end, if we combine our two analogies, we can at least see both how there can be three relationally distinct realities subsisting within one being in the anthropological analogy, and how there can be three relationally distinct persons who share the same nature in the analogy of the family.
You have the right to represent yourself before the IRS. You may also authorize someone to represent you before the IRS in connection with a federal tax matter. This authorization is called Power of Attorney.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) are independent from the IRS and may be able to help you. LITCs represent eligible taxpayers before the IRS and in court. To locate a clinic near you, use the Taxpayer Advocate Service LITC Finder, check Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List PDF, or call 800-829-3676.
Your authorization for Power of Attorney is recorded on the Centralized Authorization File (CAF) unless Line 4, Specific Use is checked. The record lets IRS assistors verify your permission to speak with your representative about your private tax-related information.
When you revoke Power of Attorney, your representative will no longer receive your confidential tax information or represent you before the IRS for the matters and periods listed in the authorization.
Your Tax Information Authorization is recorded on the Centralized Authorization File (CAF) unless Line 4, Specific Use is checked. The record lets IRS assistors verify your permission to speak with your representative about your private tax-related information.
You can appoint on your tax form a person the IRS can contact about your tax return. This authorizes the IRS to call the designee to answer any questions that may arise during the processing of your return.
Your authorization of a third party designee is maintained in your tax record. This lets IRS assistors verify your permission to speak with your representative about your private tax-related information.
I've found the following Web pages to be particularly good for letting others know how to help a hard-of-hearing person hear them. I can't post the URLs right now as a new member, so I've included what these pages say.
Successful communication requires the efforts of all people involved in a conversation. Even when the person with hearing loss utilizes hearing aids and active listening strategies, it is crucial that others involved in the communication process consistently use good communication strategies, including the following:
1. Face the hearing impaired person directly, on the same level and in good light whenever possible. Position yourself so that the light is shining on the speaker's face, not in the eyes of the listener.
6. Keep your hands away from your face while talking. If you are eating, chewing, smoking, etc. while talking, your speech will be more difficult to understand. Beards and moustaches can also interfere with the ability of the hearing impaired to speech read.
11. If the hearing impaired person has difficulty understanding a particular phrase or word, try to find a different way of saying the same thing, rather than repeating the original words over and over.
12. Acquaint the listener with the general topic of the conversation. Avoid sudden changes of topic. If the subject is changed, tell the hearing impaired person what you are talking about now. In a group setting, repeat questions or key facts before continuing with the discussion.
13. If you are giving specific information -- such as time, place or phone numbers -- to someone who is hearing impaired, have them repeat the specifics back to you. Many numbers and words sound alike.
16. Pay attention to the listener. A puzzled look may indicate misunderstanding. Tactfully ask the hearing impaired person if they understood you, or ask leading questions so you know your message got across.
9. Speak to the person, not the interpreter If your listener communicates via an interpreter, be sure to keep your eyes on and speak directly to your listener and not the interpreter. It may seem odd at first, but the interpreter is a tool to help the listener communicate.
10. Be understanding You may feel understandably frustrated when interacting with the hearing impaired, but keep in mind how it must be for them on a daily basis. Be patient. Communicating with hearing loss is a cooperative effort and requires understanding from both sides.
2. When getting into or out of a car with someone, don't talk while you are on opposite sides. Wait until you're both in the car, or until you're close to each other outside the car. And don't talk while the garage door is going up or down.
When I'm on the phone with someone who's speaking too quickly, or who has a foreign accent (which I generally find hard to understand), I always start by saying that I'm hard of hearing, and that I'd appreciate it if they could speak a bit slower (and louder, if I think that would help). Sales people and help line people often forget that sometime during the conversation. If so, I try to gently remind them.
Hi again Larry! The only reason HLAA chapters exist is because people like you (and me) started them in their home regions. I came out of my 'hard of hearing closet' when I was in my late 30s. I had a friend who was a reporter for local news. She wrote an article about hearing loss and mentioned a 'meeting' that would take place at the local library. I called that meeting and was the person they came to hear without having a clue what it would be about other than hearing loss.
I was shocked when 50+ people of all ages showed up. It was the first time most of them had ever talked about their hearing loss. A group of 11 from that group decided to get together to see if we might be able to start a support group. The hearing aid providers in the area thought we were nuts because they knew how much people hid hearing loss. That group of 11 met many times over the next several months. Much of the talk at those gatherings was about our frustrations and experiences with friends, family and jobs. It helped so much to realize we were all having similar experiences. Learning we were not alone was huge. Our ages ran from 18 - 80. Just sitting around the table was therapeutic. Only one person talked at a time. We turned off all the background noise, etc. That is how HLAA Fox Valley Chapter started, and has been going ever since.
Traveling alone was not on my personal agenda then, and I was scared stiff to travel to the first national convention alone. I did though, and found it was the absolute best opportunity for me to experience something positive about hearing loss. It motivated me to get more involved and I ended up on the organization's national board of trustees. Again, people of many ages and from very different walks of life. I was lucky my spouse and daughter supported me even though they were a bit concerned about me traveling alone.
Only mentioning this because I encourage you to consider traveling to that national convention if you possibly can. You will not be disappointed. You will be motivated. It's worth saving for. My spouse and daughter eventually attended a few of those annual conventions. The funniest thing was that they were the ones who felt a bit left out in the crowd.
One other thing; learning to modulate your voice takes practice. Work on it. You don't have to shout to hear yourself. It becomes a habit. Many hard of hearing people speak too softly. Again, it's something that takes a bit of practice.
Last, but not least is learning about assistive tech that goes beyond hearing aids. Having a telecoil in a hearing aid is like having a gold mine at your disposal. It allows the use of hand held microphones, and other technology installed in meeting spaces. It can be connected to the TV at home, or installed around a room. It requires learning how to use. A simple $50 neckloop, used with telecoil equipped hearing aids can connect you to audio devices like computers, radios, cell phones, etc. Yes, BlueTooth can also do some of that, but learning to use both telecoils and BT is most helpful.
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