tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71054923937404454212024-03-05T02:04:44.394-05:00The CathoholicJmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-55107904839756189892016-12-11T10:05:00.001-05:002016-12-11T10:05:42.773-05:00"Left Behind"Originally posted on Facebook, Dec. 11, 2014<br />
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Watched "Left Behind" last night. Of course this movie is chock-full of terrible theology. But one thing always gets me and it's in virtually every movie or book about the end times using the typical pre-trib, pre-millenial position (pretty much only believed by American fundamentalists and evangelicals).<br />
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Every christian in the movie is always well-versed in what will constitute the "end times" and will use the passage from Matt 24 as their basis that we are in them. As evidences they say that the end times will be accompanied by wars and rumors of wars. But what does it really say?:<br />
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4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.<br />
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.<br />
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.<br />
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.<br />
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.<br />
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.<br />
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.<br />
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.<br />
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.<br />
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.<br />
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.<br />
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Did y'all catch it? Jesus said that these will happen and continue to happen before he comes back. In other words, not only are these NOT signs that "the end is near", He is saying "when these things happen, take a chill pill. It doesn't mean I'm coming back yet. I'll come back when I come back and not a minute before."Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-66853881665497172892016-07-25T08:09:00.003-04:002016-07-25T08:09:26.006-04:00"These Thy Gifts"<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
At Mass yesterday, the Gospel reading was from Luke 11:1-13. Included is a shortened version of the Lord’s Prayer. Father Mike had a lot to say about it. But what really struck home was how he asked us when is the last time that we asked God how we should pray. Often we presume to know the mind of God and what we pray about and for, and it affects how we pray.</div>
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It called to mind something that happened earlier this week. I was getting ready to pray, telling the Lord how thankf<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">ul I am for bringing my family back home from Texas to live nearby. It wasn't during a meal. But it was a silent prayer and out of habit I accidentally started to pray what's commonly called the "prayer before meals".</span></div>
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Bless us, Oh Lord,<br />and these thy gifts,<br />which we are about to receive,<br />from thy bounty,<br />through Christ, Our Lord.<br />Amen.</div>
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I stopped myself about midway through and changed it. I then apologized to God that I prayed so flippantly that I just started to recite it by rote. But then before I was done with that prayer I stopped and thought about this prayer before meals again. It was as if the Lord said "finish it anyway."</div>
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It never really hit me before--the genius behind this prayer, and why it has lasted for so long. It first appears in the Gelasian Sacramentary dating from the late 8th century, but is probably at least 300 years older than that.</div>
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Notice what it doesn't say. It says nothing about meals at all. This is not just a prayer to be thankful for your food. It's to be thankful for all the gifts God has given us.</div>
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"These thy gifts." Just what all can be considered "thy gifts"? The food we eat, the money we earn, the work we do, the church we go, to the friends we have, the lifestyle we live, our family, our friends, our possessions, our opportunities for service.</div>
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So many other things that we could say are all summed up in this little one sentence prayer..</div>
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And notice that this prayer has been associated with food, but in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus says 'give us this day our daily bread.' Obviously he wasn't talking about just flour and water. He was talking about daily sustenance.</div>
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But what else does that include? In John 4:34 "'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.'" Our Christian duty is our "food" also. To reflect Christ in all we say and do.</div>
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Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-74796732998857141462015-05-31T17:24:00.006-04:002016-07-25T08:22:10.626-04:00Trinity Sunday and Christian Unity<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
Today is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is probably the most difficult of all of the doctrines in the Bible. Many have tried to explain it over the years, but every explanation fails to grasp its fullness.</div>
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The most famous example of an explanation is the one that St. Patrick used. He used the illustration of a shamrock--three leaves, yet one plant as a teaching aid. It is fraught with problems as illustrated in this little satirical piece <a href="https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw.">https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw.</a> It also explores other explanations like water, steam, and ice and are all separate and yet all water; and a man who is a son, husband, and father all at once; and the problems with those arguments.</div>
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The best explanation I have heard is from the Catholic apologist, Jimmy Akin. He explains that all objects are "beings" because they all exist, therefore they "be" (are). But a human being can be considered a being that consists of one person existential of that being (we have a body and a soul or spirit). A rock is a being that consists of zero persons, and God is a being that consists of three persons. Still a difficult concept, but this makes it easier for me at least to relate.</div>
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But why is belief in the Trinity so important in Christian, and especially Catholic theology? Outside of Christianity, there is no belief in the Trinity, including in Judaism. Christians find Scriptural basis for the Trinity in the Old Testament, but that is apparent only in retrospect.</div>
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Many denominations require belief in the Trinity as required for salvation. But if a person hears of Jesus and believes and is baptized, but has never even heard of the Trinity, can that person be saved? That's especially problematic for denominations that basically tell you to just say the "Sinner's Prayer" and you are saved forever, but still claim the Trinity as an "essential" Biblical truth, necessary for salvation. But in Catholicism what makes belief in the Trinity a requirement for the fullness of the faith is that the Church as an authority instituted by Christ as his earthly agent, has defined it so.</div>
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An understanding of the Trinity interweaves so well with other doctrines, it makes those doctrines so much more relevant when we can see that they are all similar expressions of Unity. Throughout the New Testament, and the gospel of John especially, Unity is a primary theme of Jesus. He wants his followers to be united together, and be united with him in common purpose, worship, and service.</div>
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All of the Sacraments are expressions of Unity of different degrees. I won't go into detailed exposition of the sacraments, but it is difficult for me to understand how anyone can fully appreciate the Trinity if they are in a non-Sacramental denominations.</div>
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<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Baptism: God claims ownership of the person in the form of a familial covenant</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Confirmation: The Holy Spirit indwells the Christian</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Penance: In which the Christian expresses repentance, a desire to re-enter communion with God, and a desire to make reparations for his wrongdoing.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Anointing of the Sick: Very similar to Penance except that it is often done in emergencies (end of life) or when facing a chronic serious illness</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Holy Orders: When the authority of the apostles is handed down to succeeding generations of priests to administer the sacraments and aid Christians in attaining Unity with Christ.</span></li>
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I left out two. That is because I want to detail them further.</div>
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Matrimony. Notice I did not say marriage. And I will not be drawn into the debate as to whether or not marriage is or is not appropriate for same-sex couples. That is not my purpose here. If anyone makes any comments attached to this post on either side of that debate, I will delete them. But I will use traditional terms so that I maintain consistency.</div>
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Men and women have been getting married since Adam and Eve. So why do Christians regard it as a sacrament, instituted by Jesus? Because Jesus took marriage, which already existed and elevated it. When a husband and wife make their vows to each other they become one flesh. The priest only witnesses the marriage, he does not bestow the status of husband and wife upon them. And contrary to common belief, the marital act which follows is not what makes them married, it fully completes it.</div>
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But the image of one man and one woman coming together as one flesh in Unity together for mutual benefit and the raising, nurturing, and instruction of children is one of the closest relationships that people can have that nearly mirrors the relationship of the members of the Holy Trinity to one another. The husband and wife are individuals, yet are so nearly unified together that they are considered one. <span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Our marital relationship cannot ever be exactly like the Trinity as we, not being God, can never be exactly God-like. But it's about as close as you can get. </span></div>
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Next up is the Eucharist, or the Sacrament of Communion. It has much in common with Matrimony. This is the major difference between Catholics and Orthodox, who believe that the bread and the wine at communion actually BECOME the body and blood of the Lord; with the Lutherans who believe that the bread and wine CONTAIN the presence of the Lord; and most other denominations who believe that the bead and wine are merely symbols of the body and blood of the Lord.</div>
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If the Eucharist is a symbol-only it is stripped of its significance. Jesus becomes the bread and the wine in the same way that God became flesh. He came as a man, so can He come as bread. As I stated before, we humans are a unity of our fleshly being and our spiritual person. After our body dies, or spirit--our very selves are still alive and will later be reunified with our bodies at the resurrection.</div>
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As such, we are also an illustration of the Trinity. We are body and soul united as God is God, three persons, united as one. And it doesn't stop there. As Matrimony and the subsequent marital act unify a man and a woman in Christ, so Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist unify the Christian with each other and with Christ. In matrimony, a woman receives her husband into her body and the two are one. In the same way, in the Eucharist we receive Christ into our body, and we become one. This is exactly why the the Church is the BRIDE of Christ. If one believes that the Eucharist is merely symbolic, then Unity with Christ become a mere symbol also and even matrimony loses some of its luster, and Unity with other believers becomes merely a friendship-like relationship, when it is supposed to be so much more than that. (Incidentally, this is also why Catholics do not substitute grape juice for wine. Jesus used wine and came as wine. He did not come as grape juice. He could have used grape juice and chose not to do it. He chose wine, and so should we.)</div>
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One can see even in nature, that unity is a primary theme. In the way that many animals come together as men and women do. The way that small children put everything into their mouths to learn more about it. The way that people like to give hugs or shake hands, or pat one another on the back. Even, the attraction of gravity. The way that many scientists believe that one day gravity will pull all things together into a singularity that will cause another big bang. Who is to say that at the end of all things, this may be how it will happen? All things that exist coalescing into one.</div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-37541244537397351922015-05-31T17:24:00.004-04:002016-07-25T08:20:48.781-04:00Trinity Sunday and Christian Unity<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
Today is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is probably the most difficult of all of the doctrines in the Bible. Many have tried to explain it over the years, but every explanation fails to grasp its fullness.</div>
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The most famous example of an explanation is the one that St. Patrick used. He used the illustration of a shamrock--three leaves, yet one plant as a teaching aid. It is fraught with problems as illustrated in this little satirical piece <a href="https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw.">https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw.</a> It also explores other explanations like water, steam, and ice and are all separate and yet all water; and a man who is a son, husband, and father all at once; and the problems with those arguments.</div>
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The best explanation I have heard is from the Catholic apologist, Jimmy Akin. He explains that all objects are "beings" because they all exist, therefore they "be" (are). But a human being can be considered a being that consists of one person existential of that being (we have a body and a soul or spirit). A rock is a being that consists of zero persons, and God is a being that consists of three persons. Still a difficult concept, but this makes it easier for me at least to relate.</div>
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But why is belief in the Trinity so important in Christian, and especially Catholic theology? Outside of Christianity, there is no belief in the Trinity, including in Judaism. Christians find Scriptural basis for the Trinity in the Old Testament, but that is apparent only in retrospect.</div>
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Many denominations require belief in the Trinity as required for salvation. But if a person hears of Jesus and believes and is baptized, but has never even heard of the Trinity, can that person be saved? That's especially problematic for denominations that basically tell you to just say the "Sinner's Prayer" and you are saved forever, but still claim the Trinity as an "essential" Biblical truth, necessary for salvation. But in Catholicism what makes belief in the Trinity a requirement for the fullness of the faith is that the Church as an authority instituted by Christ as his earthly agent, has defined it so.</div>
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An understanding of the Trinity interweaves so well with other doctrines, it makes those doctrines so much more relevant when we can see that they are all similar expressions of Unity. Throughout the New Testament, and the gospel of John especially, Unity is a primary theme of Jesus. He wants his followers to be united together, and be united with him in common purpose, worship, and service.</div>
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All of the Sacraments are expressions of Unity of different degrees. I won't go into detailed exposition of the sacraments, but it is difficult for me to understand how anyone can fully appreciate the Trinity if they are in a non-Sacramental denominations.</div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Baptism: God claims ownership of the person in the form of a familial covenant</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Confirmation: The Holy Spirit indwells the Christian</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Penance: In which the Christian expresses repentance, a desire to re-enter communion with God, and a desire to make reparations for his wrongdoing.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Anointing of the Sick: Very similar to Penance except that it is often done in emergencies (end of life) or when facing a chronic serious illness</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Holy Orders: When the authority of the apostles is handed down to succeeding generations of priests to administer the sacraments and aid Christians in attaining Unity with Christ.</span></li>
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I left out two. That is because I want to detail them further.</div>
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Matrimony. Notice I did not say marriage. And I will not be drawn into the debate as to whether or not marriage is or is not appropriate for same-sex couples. That is not my purpose here. If anyone makes any comments attached to this post on either side of that debate, I will delete them. But I will use traditional terms so that I maintain consistency.</div>
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Men and women have been getting married since Adam and Eve. So why do Christians regard it as a sacrament, instituted by Jesus? Because Jesus took marriage, which already existed and elevated it. When a husband and wife make their vows to each other they become one flesh. The priest only witnesses the marriage, he does not bestow the status of husband and wife upon them. And contrary to common belief, the marital act which follows is not what makes them married, it fully completes it.</div>
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But the image of one man and one woman coming together as one flesh in Unity together for mutual benefit and the raising, nurturing, and instruction of children is one of the closest relationships that people can have that nearly mirrors the relationship of the members of the Holy Trinity to one another. The husband and wife are individuals, yet are so nearly unified together that they are considered one. <span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Our marital relationship cannot ever be exactly like the Trinity as we, not being God, can never be exactly God-like. But it's about as close as you can get. </span></div>
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Next up is the Eucharist, or the Sacrament of Communion. It has much in common with Matrimony. This is the major difference between Catholics and Orthodox, who believe that the bread and the wine at communion actually BECOME the body and blood of the Lord; with the Lutherans who believe that the bread and wine CONTAIN the presence of the Lord; and most other denominations who believe that the bead and wine are merely symbols of the body and blood of the Lord.</div>
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If the Eucharist is a symbol-only it is stripped of its significance. Jesus becomes the bread and the wine in the same way that God became flesh. He came as a man, so can He come as bread. As I stated before, we humans are a unity of our fleshly being and our spiritual person. After our body dies, or spirit--our very selves are still alive and will later be reunified with our bodies at the resurrection.</div>
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As such, we are also an illustration of the Trinity. We are body and soul united as God is God, three persons, united as one. And it doesn't stop there. As Matrimony and the subsequent marital act unify a man and a woman in Christ, so Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist unify the Christian with each other and with Christ. In matrimony, a woman receives her husband into her body and the two are one. In the same way, in the Eucharist we receive Christ into our body, and we become one. This is exactly why the the Church is the BRIDE of Christ. If one believes that the Eucharist is merely symbolic, then Unity with Christ become a mere symbol also and even matrimony loses some of its luster, and Unity with other believers becomes merely a friendship-like relationship, when it is supposed to be so much more than that. (Incidentally, this is also why Catholics do not substitute grape juice for wine. Jesus used wine and came as wine. He did not come as grape juice. He could have used grape juice and chose not to do it. He chose wine, and so should we.)</div>
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One can see even in nature, that unity is a primary theme. In the way that many animals come together as men and women do. The way that small children put everything into their mouths to learn more about it. The way that people like to give hugs or shake hands, or pat one another on the back. Even, the attraction of gravity. The way that many scientists believe that one day gravity will pull all things together into a singularity that will cause another big bang. Who is to say that at the end of all things, this may be how it will happen? All things that exist coalescing into one.</div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-4141500292169743092015-01-01T22:20:00.001-05:002015-01-01T22:20:09.643-05:00Why do Catholics call Mary, the Mother of God instead of the Mother of Jesus?<div class="clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; zoom: 1;">
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<span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Why do Catholics call Mary the Mother of God? She is the mother of Jesus. Doesn't the title "Mother of God" put her above God? Why did it take until about the year 300 A.D. for the Church to begin using this name for her?</span></h2>
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The title "Mother of God" is the term that the Church now uses. Originally they used the Greek term <em>Θεοτόκος </em>(Theotokos), or "God-bearer"--essentially the same thing. Many Eastern Catholics and virtually all Orthodox still use this term for her, and it is not all improper for any Chirstian to call her by this Greek title.<br />
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But why do we use this title when it does not appear in Scripture at all? The reason is for the same reason that many Catholic dogmas were finalized at later dates. They often reflect a belief that has been held for a very long time, even from the beginning, and has only been codified because of later controversy. It is very similar to the way that many Christians will use a Biblical principle to shed light on, and even base their behavior on an interpretaion of Scripture that does not necessarily speak on the subject exactly.<br />
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Examples might include:<br />
<ol style="padding: 0px 10px 0px 25px;">
<li>Nowhere in the Bible does it say that abortion is wrong. But it does say that murder is wrong. So if a baby is human from the moment of conception, then abortion is wrong.</li>
<li>Nowhere in the Bible does it say that drinking alcohol is always wrong. It often warns of the overuse of alcohol. It often will show examples of what can happen when you abuse alcohol. Yet many Christians, especially since the Temperance movement in America in the late 1880s, say that every single instance of humans drinking alcohol is always evil. Even to the point of saying that Jesus did not turn water into wine, but that he turned it into grape juice, and used grape juice, not wine at the Last Supper.</li>
<li>Nowhere in the Bible does it mention illicit drug use at all. Yet we often will use the same principles governing alcohol use and abuse as a basis on our opinions on drug use.</li>
</ol>
The title of Mother of God developed in much the same way. The New Testament warns of the beginning of the Gnosticism movement. The Gnostics were people who called themselved Christians (some may have been) who believed that the Scripture was so deep that it took special insight to be able to interpret its true meaning.<br />
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One NT example is "First Timothy 6:20 includes a warning from Paul to Timothy -- an early church leader and lieutenant of Paul's -- to avoid senseless chatter and the "opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge ("gnosis" in the original Greek)." Many scholars believe this was a refutation of Gnostics, who were among the first sects considered heretical. Irenaeus, an influential second-century Christian bishop from Gaul, relied heavily on 1 Timothy 6:20 in his 'Refutation of Gnosticism.'" <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.opposingviews.com%2Freference-gnostics-bible-5168.html&h=nAQG_i5i4&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://people.opposingviews.com/reference-gnostics-bible-5168.html</a><br />
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One of these early Gnostic teachings was that Jesus was not divine, but fully human, and only human. Another was that he was fully God and only appeared to be human. To answer these heresies the Council of Nicea developed the doctrine of the homosious, that Jesus, fully human had two natures--fully human and fully God. The two natures are perfectly united and one.<br />
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This is the reason that we use this title for her. As Mother, she provided the human DNA (at least half of the chromosomes--only God knows how he supplies the other half that would normally come from the father). So he is 100% Man. As God himself provided everything else that was necessary, Jesus is 100% God.<br />
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Every time we say "Mother of God" We are affirming our Catholic faith teaching, and that of almost all Christians, that Jesus is fully God and fully Man at the same time. In this sense, "Mother of God" does not speak of God's origin. Mary did not create God in her womb. God begat the Son, as stated in John 3:16.<br />
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But Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of God, she is the Mother of the entire Church. See Galatians 4:4-7 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE):<br />
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<strong>4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>Born of a woman—not of a man—in fulfillment of Gen 3:15: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”<br />
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<strong>5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>Those that were under the law” This is a specific reference to Judaism, but because Natural Law applies to all people and peoples, it applies to all. This is not to denigrate people, or to erroneously call them “totally depraved” but that they are loved and God desires to save them through Christ.<br />
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<strong>6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>If Jesus is the Son of God, and we have becomes sons of God, then he is our brother, and Mary is also our Mother, the Mother of the Church, exactly as presented in Rev. 12:17 “Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.”<br />
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<strong>7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.</strong><br />
Reiterating that we are children of God, as is Jesus, so Mary is our Mother<br />
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Another passage which proves this is Rev. 12:17 "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on <strong>the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.</strong>"</div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-73677354991867542552014-04-07T16:59:00.000-04:002014-09-06T11:57:04.452-04:00Thoughts on Lazarus, Martha, and Mary<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3d5f0b3f-3dfa-eb09-2889-c77cf507aec3" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My take on yesterday’s homily at church</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Gospel reading at Mass yesterday was on John 11:1-45, the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Father Mike’s main sermon point was in the way that the crowd, and especially Mary and Martha were reacting. They did not know that Jesus came to raise Lazarus. They just knew that their brother, who was also Jesus close friend, had died. They gave Jesus enough notice to come heal him before he died and they may have felt a little betrayed by him that he did not come right away.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">They clearly had faith in Jesus as the son of God, and in the resurrection of the dead at the last day. They </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">believed, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">but did they </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">trust </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">him? By this time he had already raised two people from the dead. Mary was one of the few who understood that when Jesus was speaking of his impending death, that he actually meant it. We know this as here we see that she is the one who anointed his feet with expensive perfume in preparation for his burial back in John 12:3. Thomas shows that he did not fully trust in his statement showing he was convinced that they were all going to their deaths.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">How about you? Do you who believe also trust?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you trust God with your financial condition? Yes?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you contracept because you can’t afford kids?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you give money to your church and to the poor?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Are you swayed by the prosperity preachers of today?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you decry the Church for the “riches” she has at the Vatican that could be sold and </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the money given to the poor?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you trust God that he will lead the Church even when certain doctrines and dogmas are counter-cultural or against your sensibilities?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">Other thoughts about the passage:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">I’ve always wondered just how did Jesus know Lazarus, Martha, and Mary?. Bethany, the town where they lived was only a short distance from Nazareth. Were they relatives? Did they know each other from an early form of Hebrew school? Did they meet during trips to the Jerusalem temple? They may have been well off financially as Mary previously was able to obtain expensive perfume. Whether she bought it because she could afford it, she saved up for years for it, or inherited it, we don’t know.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">Thomas is often given a bad rap. Chiefly because he </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;"> believe that Jesus rose from the dead until he could actually see him. Also here because of his “mopey” statement. But look at what he said here. Yes, there is a modicum of disbelief here. But he said he was willing to die with Jesus and the rest and went to Jerusalem anyway knowing this. He reiterates it again in the upper room with all of the other apostles. Then later when he sees Jesus, he gives one of the best Biblical testaments to the Deity of Christ you will find. Not bad for a “doubter”.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-53942283841401826152014-04-07T10:48:00.003-04:002014-04-07T10:48:33.840-04:00Anthromorphizing animals<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">So tempting when someone says something like "my dog, (or cat, bird, fish, ferret, etc) was not just a dog. He was my baby", to say "Umm, yes, it was."</span>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-92012013738155741532013-06-29T11:11:00.001-04:002014-09-06T11:52:52.971-04:00St. Cinderella<div>
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I was reading in Faith Magazine about the life of St. Germaine Cousin. While reading it, I could not help but think of the story of Cinderella.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Variations of the classical Cinderella story have been around for centuries in many different cultures around the world. But the modern one that most of us know, (before Disney got hold of it and ruined it, like most of their fairy tales) was penned in 1697 by Charles Perrault. Other stories that he wrote that most would know are "The Sleeping Beauty", "Little Red Riding Hood", and "The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots".</div>
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<br /></div>
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As mentioned, Perrault published the story in 1697, 96 years after the death of St. Germaine, also French. One can't help but wonder if Perrault modified any of the details in the variations of the story to make it more or less fit St. Germaine. Perrault was a committed Catholic who wrote Catholic themes into his stories. He did not just write down folk tales as told by the common folk as did the Brothers Grimm some years later. He did embellish them, and many were embellished further in the retelling in the French court.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here are some parallels:</div>
<ul>
<li>Germaine's father died when she was a child</li>
<li>She was poor and raised by a cruel, abusive step-mother</li>
<li>Her step-brothers were clearly the favorites in the family</li>
<li>She would pray the Rosary for God to be kind to her step-mother instead of wanting vengeance</li>
<li>She was fed only scraps but gladly shared them with beggars</li>
</ul>
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No one is completely sure of how much of the story is Perrault's own fancy. A lot likely is. Look at the story and the life of St. Germaine and it is easy to come up with further extrapolations.</div>
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<br /></div>
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1. Cinderella's unnamed, unseen Father is in Heaven, as is our Heavenly Father.</div>
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2. The Fairy Godmother is the Virgin Mary or possibly the Holy Spirit.</div>
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3. The glass slipper is a symbol of the transition of Cinderella's former life of servitude to her new life as the bride of the Great Prince. In the original stories, Cinderella always had a golden or silver slipper. Perrault was going to change it to squirrel fur (hot fashion at the time), but by the time he was ready to finalize the story, squirrel fur was out of fashion, so he changed it to glass, knowing that no one would ever make a pair of shoes made out of glass. This gave it a timeless quality, which transcends fashion.</div>
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4. The symbol of transformation, or conversion, has always been the golden chalice that contains the Precious Blood which cleanses and saves. (The <i>chalice</i> is the symbol--not the <i>Blood</i>, which is actual).</div>
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5. The prince searched high and low for his bride, paralleled by the Parables of the Ten Virgins and the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to look for the one lost lamb.</div>
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6. Cinderella marries the Great Prince and is showered with blessings, as the Church is married to Christ and receives an abundance of blessings.</div>
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7. The prince takes her to his Kingdom to live with him, happily ever-after.</div>
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<br />
But I'm pretty sure there is no St. Gus-gus.<br />
<br /></div>
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Here is the article from Faith magazine so you can read for yourself:</div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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St. Germaine Cousin</div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Feast Day: June 15</span><br />
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St. Germaine Cousin (1579-1601) is the<br />
patron for victims of child abuse and with good<br />
reason. Weak and ill from birth with a deformed<br />
and paralyzed hand, St. Germaine lost her mother<br />
early. She found herself with a cruel and abusive<br />
stepmother.<br />
St. Germaine suffered from malnutrition<br />
and from burns from her stepmother pouring<br />
boiling water on her legs. Predictably, as her<br />
health began to fail, she contracted a form of<br />
tuberculosis that exacerbated her frailty and<br />
increased her susceptibility to illness and disease.<br />
The abuse culminated with St. Germaine’s<br />
banishment to the barn out of fear that she would<br />
pass her sickness to her stepbrothers.<br />
Despite this abuse, however, St. Germaine<br />
remained steadfast in her dependence on God.<br />
With only a basic knowledge of the faith learned<br />
from the catechism, she made a rosary of knots<br />
and prayed simply: “Dear God, please don’t<br />
let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to<br />
please my mother. And help me to please you.”<br />
As she grew in holiness and trust in God, she also<br />
grew in mercifulness. She was known for sharing<br />
her scraps of food with beggars and offering them<br />
shelter in the barn in times of harsh weather and<br />
she grew in the spirit of forgiveness toward the<br />
woman who caused her such pain and suffering:<br />
her stepmother.<br />
Throughout a life of hardship and abuse, St.<br />
Germaine’s devotion to Jesus in the Blessed<br />
Sacrament was unshaken by what assailed her<br />
in life. It was because of her walking humbly with<br />
God that she was able to love mercy and act<br />
justly especially with the one person she had most <span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">reason to not love.</span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-81220088465995948692013-05-30T12:56:00.003-04:002014-09-06T11:36:32.891-04:00If Protestantism Were TrueI just started reading “If Protestantism Were True” by Devon Rose. I am still in the first chapter and so far, this former atheist's conversion to Christianity, and then from Evangelical Southern Baptist to Catholic sounds just like almost every Protestant to Catholic conversion story I’ve ever read. Including my own. I was going to type up a big excerpt, but instead, I’m going for bullet points.<br />
<br />
Here is why Evangelicals when looking at Catholicism honestly and openly, finally see the truth and convert:<br />
<ul>
<li>They love Jesus with all their heart and wish to be as close to him as they possibly can, so that means finding a "denomination" that best serves that purpose.</li>
<li>They look at the various denominations and and realize that:</li>
<ul>
<li>if the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and that it, and it alone is the source and arbiter of faith (sola scriptura), then how can every denomination say they they are following the Holy Spirit’s leading and yet have varying beliefs?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is not this disunity diametrically opposed to the unity that Jesus called for in John 17?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and would not lead people into error, then it must mean that some Christians who THINK they are listening accurately to the Spirit’s promptings are in reality, not.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>They look at their current church/denomination and wonder if it truly is the right one, to the exclusion of all others. Why or why not?</li>
</ul>
<li>Evangelicals believe in “sola scriptura,” which means that they confidently must know which books of all ancient texts comprise the Bible.</li>
<li>Catholics and Orthodox believe their have more books in the Bible than Protestants do.</li>
<li>Historically, who decided which books were to be included in the Bible?</li>
<ul>
<li>Either, the Holy Spirit tried to guide Christians to know which books belong in the Bible, but we still got some of the books wrong.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Or, The Holy Spirit succeeded in showing us the canon of Scripture and the Bible is comprised the exact books that he wanted included.</li>
</ul>
<li>Tried to find Biblical support for belief in sola scriptura:</li>
<ul>
<li>Checked all Bible verses in the church’s Statement of Faith on sola scriptura (Biblical Authority), and found that none of them teach or even shed any light on the subject. </li>
</ul>
<li>If the Bible does not teach sola scriptura, do we believe it merely because we have been told to believe it by our faith Tradition? </li>
<li>Protestants, as a whole, do not claim that their Church holds the fullness of Truth. They don’t have an overseeing hierarchy that can make those decisions, and only some have any kind of hierarchy at all. Many wear this as a badge of honor. Many are only interested in Unity with others of “like” faith, which causes them to separate themselves from other denominations.</li>
<li>Catholics and Orthodox do claim that they have the fullness of Truth.</li>
<li>The pre-Reformation canon of Scripture DID contain all of the books that the Catholics and Orthodox claim that they did. Martin Luther removed the seven books based on an erroneous study of history (so-called “council” of Jamnia), and personal opinion, throwing out books that contained doctrine that he just did not like.</li>
<li>This means that Catholicism or Orthodoxy:</li>
<ul>
<li>Has the full canon of Scripture</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Has the authority to claim it as such</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Has the fullness of Truth</li>
</ul>
<li>Has a desire for Unity rather than “Separation.” 1 Cor. 1:10 “I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and judgement of Christ.</li>
<li>Protestants and Orthodox removed themselves from the Church in violation of 1 Cor 1, and Matthew 18.</li>
<li>Catholics and Orthodox are still working toward reunification which is what Christ commanded for his people in John 17.</li>
<li>What was the early church like? REALLY like, not just what my faith Tradition tells me?</li>
<ul>
<li>Investigate the Church Fathers. ALL of their teachings, not just cherry-picked by a Protestant Bible scholar. </li>
</ul>
<li> The early Church clearly believed in:</li>
<ul>
<li>The Bishop of Rome is the head of the Church </li>
<li>Church hierarchy with apostles, then bishops with a succession of apostolic authority</li>
<li>Believe that the Eucharist is actually the Body and Blood of the Lord</li>
<li>That faith and works must be used in conjunction with one another in order to achieve salvation.</li>
<li>Baptism is necessary for salvation.</li>
<li>Purgatory is real, although that name was not attached to it for quite some time. </li>
<li>Before the Scriptures were compiled and completed (approx 200 years), Traditon and aural apostolic teaching is what led the church.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-79658713408455221652013-05-08T06:49:00.001-04:002013-05-08T06:49:04.737-04:00My Favorite Authors
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I am becoming increasingly convinced
that besides the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the
works of these men are the most beneficial ever written. This is from
a standpoint of revelatory knowledge, not necessarily devotional or
reflective. For those I would add Sts. Francis of Assisi, Teresa of
Ávila, and Thérèse of Lisieux.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
St. Augustine of Hippo</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
St. Thomas Aquinas</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
St. Louis de Monfort</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Blessed John Henry Newman</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
G. K. Chesterton</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
C. S. Lewis</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Pope Benedict XVI/Joseph Ratzinger
(Future Doctor of the Church, I hope)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I am sure there are more, but I only
have less than half a lifetime left. Just Chesterton alone would take
the rest of my life to read, reread, and fully appreciate his
work.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
C. S. Lewis is the only non-Catholic in
this list. Lewis was very Catholic-like, and it has been said that if
he could have gotten past his mental block regarding the primacy of
the Pope, he very likely would have become Catholic. But then, if he had
become Catholic, he would likely not be as popular with Protestants
as he is. A Protestant may not realize it, but when he is reading
Lewis, he is actually reading Catholic theology.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-3657262369438737962013-04-08T07:16:00.004-04:002018-03-26T08:20:46.826-04:00The Annunciation of Our Lord“Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you.”...“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.”<br />
<br />
Mary could not have known that her willingness to fulfill God's plan for her would reach so far. She, in her words, was a “lowly handmaiden” whom all generations would call “blessed”. In this, she became the mother of the Church, the Mother of us all. Rev. 12:17 makes it clear that she is our mother.<br />
<br />
If she is our Mother, then we should give her the respect that she is due or we break the fifth commandment. Eph. 6:1-2 also makes it clear that this commandment refers not only to our biological father and mother, but to our spiritual ones as well.<br />
<br />
Jesus could have come to us in different ways. He can do as he wishes. But he chose to work through Mary, and her cooperation in God's grace to mankind was the beginning of our salvation. Everything before this point is preparatory. Once Mary said “yes” Satan was defeated.Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-87593544598358385742013-03-20T08:30:00.000-04:002014-09-06T11:39:55.540-04:00No Native-born American male Saints?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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At the men’s group at church we have been going over the “Catholicism”
series by Fr. Robert Barron. Last night’s episode was about the Saints. I was surprised
that of the four saints that were covered in the video, all were women. I don’t
have a problem with that. I was just surprised that he didn’t cover any male Saints.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I made a comment that I had heard on the Catholic Answers
that as of now, there have been no native-born American male Saints. It was a
surprise to pretty much everyone I knew, so I thought I’d look into it further to see
if that statement was correct.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it was. There are two who are being considered for Sainthood,
and I have no doubts that it will happen one day. These two are <a href="http://www.fathermcgivney.org/en/index.html">Father Michael McGivney</a>,
the founder of the Knights of Columbus; and <a href="http://www.archbishopsheencause.org/">Bishop Fulton Sheen</a>, the very
first ever televangelist who used to give Milton Berle a run for his money when
it came to ratings on the 1950s.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I looked further and noticed that really very few women Saints
are also native born. There are only three who were born in the boundaries of
what is NOW the U. S. St. Katharine Drexel is the only Saint, female or male to
have been born in the U. S. after the birth of the nation in 1776. The other
two were both born in what is now New York. St. Kateri Takawitha, canonized
only this past year, was born in the 1680; and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was
born only less than two years before the signing of the Declaration of
Independence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it shouldn’t be too surprising. The Church has a 2,000+
year history, and the U. S. has only been around for 237 years. Also the
standards for becoming a Saint are much more stringent than in times past. At
one time, people became canonized by popular support. Later, the Church decided
to formalize proceedings so that all people could know beyond reasonable doubt,
that the person in question is actually in heaven. The best way to do that is by
seeing evidence of their intercession, usually in the form of <i>bona-fide</i> miracles--which is why the Church investigates "miracles"so thoroughly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was reading about today’s Saint, Salvator
of Horta at <a href="http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1328">Americancatholic.org</a>.
The commentator make an important point. In it he says that in times past, some
of the miracles that were wrought, would probably not be considered miracles
per-se today. Some of the miracles performed by this Saint, could no doubt be
attributed to psychological healings by helping people re-prioritize their
lives, reducing stress, leading to better health and a better sense of
well-being.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That in no way belittles the miracles. For the Creator of
the Universe(s), healing cancer is a no-brainer. What is hard even for God, is
changing a person’s life when He is up against human free-will, stubbornness,
and hard hearts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keep in mind that becoming a Saint (with a capital “S”) is
not a title we give them that would bestow anything new on them that they don’t
already have. If Bishop Sheen is canonized, it does not mean that he is NOW
being welcomed into heaven. It is us recognizing that he is already there and
interceding on our behalf. And becoming a Saint also does not mean that NOW
this person is worthy of our attention, veneration, and to be emulated by us. We can
certainly do that before the person is declared to be such. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-73876038339030470122013-03-12T12:04:00.000-04:002014-09-06T12:04:12.913-04:00Thoughts on Eternal Security and Once Saved, Always SavedOne proof text that many Protestants used to “prove” once saved, always saved” is 1 John 5:13. In fact, it is probably the one used most often as the language seems to clearly indicate this. It reads:<br />
<br />
Revised Version-Catholic Edition: “I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”<br />
<br />
King James: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”<br />
<br />
NIV: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”<br />
<br />
As you can see, there are almost no differences between the versions, so you can see that Catholics are not playing semantics when it comes to how to translate this verse.<br />
<br />
The points that I used to make as a Baptist were:<br />
<ol>
<li>This life is “ETERNAL” meaning no end, with some interpreting it as also having no beginning (part of the Calvinist tradition of predestination)</li>
<li>St. John says that you HAVE (currently possess, not a future event) eternal life</li>
<li>You could KNOW that you have eternal life</li>
</ol>
Conclusive, eh? Let's see. As is often the case, the Protestant takes this verse completely out of the context of the chapter, and out of its Biblical and historical contexts.<br />
<br />
What is eternal life, and what does it mean to “have” it?<br />
<br />
Often the Protestant will talk about eternal life as if it is an object that God creates and then hands to you. By accepting Jesus as your personal Savior (a concept found only found in Protestant tradition, not in Scripture) you receive eternal life from God and wrap it around you as if it was a coat.<br />
<br />
In this act you receive eternal life. And because by its nature, eternal life cannot end, it must mean that once you are saved, you are always saved. Note that these words do not exist in the text. It is an extrapolation imposed by the reader in a process called eisegesis (the interpretation of a text by reading into it one's own ideas), rather than exegesis (critical explanation or interpretation of a text).<br />
<br />
The source of eternal life is God. The life is eternal because God is eternal. Eternal life flows from him and this is why water is used so abundantly in the Scriptures as a symbol of life, or in the case of baptism, actually granting eternal life. Many times in scripture, the imagery of a river flowing with living water is used. In Revelation, this river flows from the throne of God. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that he who drinks of this water will never thirst again.<br />
<br />
As this imagery is so prevalent, it is prudent to try to stay within its framework. If eternal life is so often symbolized in Scripture as water and not just a mere covering, it is more like the following illustration:<br />
<br />
One of my favorite summertime activities is going to Grand Haven, Michigan which is on the western coast of Lake Michigan. If I go to the lake and sit by the water, I may get splashed, but the water on my skin will dry up. If I go into the water, I am wet all over. I am immersed in the water and I will stay wet for as long as I stay in. If I leave the water and sit on the beach in the sun for a while, again the water on my skin and suit will dry. When I leave the water, Lake Michigan is still there waiting for me to jump back in when the sun gets too hot. And when I have left the water, Lake Michigan is still Lake Michigan, and it remains unchanged regardless of whether or not I was ever in it.<br />
<br />
Think of the lake as eternal life. Rather than putting it on (getting splashed) it is something that I become-- immersed (baptized) into. As long as I stay in the water (stay in God's river of eternal life), I have this life from God. If I turn away from God and leave that life behind, it is the same as leaving the waters of Lake Michigan. I have “lost” my eternal life, but that eternal life still exists. It is still eternal—right there in the lake, just waiting for me to enter it again.<br />
<br />
So, the Protestant will ask, how then can you KNOW that you have eternal life if it is something that you can lose? This is where we have to look at all of Scripture and not only this verse all by itself.<br />
<br />
Look at all of chapter 3, not just verse 13. The first five verses say:<br />
<ol>
<li>Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God</li>
<li>Everyone who loves the father loves his child (in this case he is talking of each believer being a child of God) as well</li>
<li>To prove your love for God you must keep his commands.</li>
<li>Obedience and faith are equated, just as they are in the book of James.</li>
</ol>
This means to be “saved” you have to obey, because obedience IS faith and to fave faith is to obey. If you stop obeying, you do not have faith, you do not have the love of God in you, and you are still in your sins.<br />
<br />
These concepts are reiterated later in the chapter, with slightly different wording. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” But again we have the word “believe” (faith). Again the biblical definition of faith is closely integrated with obedience. If you do not obey, you do not have faith, you do not have the Son of God, and you do not have eternal life.Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-69921976877043729762013-02-11T18:30:00.000-05:002014-09-06T12:13:52.412-04:00The Popes I have knownI've been meaning to write about Pope Benedict for some time, but have never gotten around to it. Now that he has announced his retirement, it sounds like the perfect opportunity. I can’t write anything without writing a small novel. A lot of this is autobiographical, but it’s necessary to show why I LOVE this man!<br />
<br />
Pope Benedict is the first Pope we have had in my lifetime that meant anything to me spiritually. Not that there was anything wrong with the others, it’s just that I was not in place to appreciate them at the time. During my lifetime, there have been five Popes:<br />
John XXIII<br />
Paul VI<br />
John Paul I<br />
John Paul II<br />
Benedict XVI<br />
<br />
John died when I was but a wee laddie, so I do not remember him at all. I <i>should</i> remember Paul VI better as he did not pass away until I was almost 19 years old, but I really don’t. Why? Largely because of the terrible catechesis of the 1970s.<br />
<br />
I remember when I was in about 6th grade I was visiting a friend down the street. His Dad was the Pastor at Zion Reformed Church in Grandville which is right in my folks’ back yard. While attending a Vacation Bible School class at his house I remember they were trying to convert us heathen Catholics. I remember Mrs. Arnoldink said, “There are only two kinds of people in the world—Christians and…” (she waits for the answer—I was about to say “Catholics”) …“COMMUNISTS.” So I guess Catholics are Communists? I had to ask my Mom. Mrs. Arnoldink would have had a stroke if she knew that we played with Ouija boards with her kids in her basement at other times!<br />
<br />
I remember that she kept harping on how evil this one guy was named “Po Paul.” I had no idea she meant “Pope Paul” because quite frankly, I had never heard of him. I had to ask my Mom who he was too because in my CCD classes we never talked about him. I didn't even know what a “Pope” was, let alone any details about this one.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until I got into high school that I began to look at my faith seriously. Even then, I had been so heavily influenced by attending another friend’s Baptist church that the idea of an over-arching Church rather than just a local church seemed rather foreign to me. I knew that the Catholic Church was worldwide, but to me all that mattered was my local parish.<br />
<br />
So when I began <i>really</i> questioning my faith at about the time that I got married, I had been led so far astray that my fiancée and I were wondering if we should be married in the Catholic Church or not. Because I was still thinking of it as a local individual parish, I convinced myself that as long as I stayed at THIS church (St. James, Grand Rapids, with Fr. Antekier) I could stay Catholic. I liked him because he did not seem to “over-emphasize” Mary, the Mother of Jesus too much.<br />
<br />
When Mary and I got married, in order to not offend our Protestant friends, we decided to not have a Mass. We should have. Hardly any of them showed up anyway. Why I was more concerned with offending our Protestant friends than with offending our Catholic family, shows that we probably should not have been married in the Church. In retrospect, I’m glad we did though.<br />
<br />
Shortly after were married, was the Assumption of Mary, and so there was a special Mass for her. By then I was reading decidedly anti-Catholic materials and I finally said enough is enough, Fr. Antekier was no different than all the rest, so I left and joined a Plymouth Brethren assembly.<br />
<br />
This was in 1980, so as I said before, I did not really know much of anything about Pope Paul as I was growing up. Like most people, I didn't know much about John Paul I either as he lived only such a short time after becoming Pope.<br />
<br />
I did not know who Pope John Paul II was at the time of his election and ordination, but I remember being as surprised as everyone else that he was Polish rather than Italian. My wife’s family is mostly Polish, so it was a pretty big deal in the family.<br />
<br />
I had become a staunch anti-Catholic and so I just assumed that JPII was a typical hell-bound (in my mind) Catholic. I never paid attention to any of his pronouncements, encyclicals, or anything so I did not realize that he was a Saint in the making. I really wish I did, as it is obvious to me now that if I had, my spiritual life, and probably that of my wife and kids would have been much different.<br />
<br />
But JPII did have an effect on me that I did not expect, and he softened my view of Catholicism. Lech Walesa began his Solidarity movement in Poland, and between him, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II, in just a few short years they helped to overthrow the USSR and free Poland and East Germany from their steel fist, and his greatness became apparent to me. He was actually a hero to a huge part of the world. Then his life as a youth and his work against communism in Poland began to be known and I could not help but admire him. Yet my Baptist Church still thought of him as the Devil incarnate.<br />
<br />
This set up a huge conflict in my head. I really believed that there is no possible way that he could be “saved” because of the things that a priest, bishop, or Pope has to believe about themselves. I thought it was blasphemy. Surely they would be damned. But I <i>wanted</i> to like him. I did admire him in the political front, but how can this obviously good man, who says he loves Jesus be going to hell?<br />
<br />
About this time I got out of the Army and came back home to Michigan, returning to my and my wife’s Catholic family and their influence. Over the next several years I saw how my nieces and nephews were becoming fine young Christian men and women, despite being Catholic. It did not occur to me later that it was not in <i>spite</i> of being Catholic, but <i>because</i> of being Catholic that they were turning out so well.<br />
<br />
It look a lot of years yet before I finally saw the light and returned to the Faith of our Fathers. My wife still has not yet. Shortly before I did though, I began to read: first <i>Evangelical is not Enough</i>, by Thomas Howard ((the brother of Elisabeth Elliot (wife of Jim Elliot an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while evangelizing the Waodani people of Ecuador, whose life was depicted in the movie “<i>The End of the Spear</i>”)), and <i>Rome Sweet Home</i> by Scott Hahn.<br />
<br />
Eventually reading these materials and others and investigating the writing of the Church Fathers (the whole writings, not just cherry-picked excerpts as many evangelicals do) that led me back. Shortly after that, I began to read materials by Pope Benedict, and some of his older works written as Joseph Ratzinger and re-released by Ignatius Press. Pope Benedict is quite frankly, one of the finest authors I have ever read. He has a deep understanding of Scripture and I would not be at all surprised for him to one day be declared a Doctor of the Church.<br />
<br />
His latest work, <i>Jesus of Nazareth: the Infancy Narratives</i> is a good place to start with his writings. Please read it, Catholic or not, you will love his insight and the way that he can make everything fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. This book is much shorter than the other two that he wrote in the series, and is a good segue into his other works.<br />
<br />
It is exceedingly unusual to see a Pope resign his office. He says it is because of his health, and he has seemed rather frail of late, so I respect his decision to step down. I do hope though that he is able to continue with his writing and teachings until the Lord calls him home.
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-81517590218181463182013-01-30T12:46:00.001-05:002013-01-30T12:46:23.066-05:00Arguing From a Non-Existent Bible Verse | Catholic Answers<br />
""St. Paul could not be clearer that we can have absolute assurance of our salvation when he said, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.'" Or didn't he? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.catholic.com/blog/tim-staples/arguing-from-a-non-existent-bible-verse#.UQlcEwHV5Lg.blogger">Arguing From a Non-Existent Bible Verse | Catholic Answers</a>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-59677466273857774792013-01-24T06:34:00.000-05:002013-01-24T06:34:11.006-05:00Have Baptists existed in every generation since Christ? Are Baptists Protestants?Have Baptists existed in every generation since Christ? Are Baptists Protestants? <br />
<br />
<blockquote>Baptist Successionists frequently claim that they are not Protestants. To this, Leon McBeth, professor of Church History at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary writes, “Are Baptists Protestants? One sometimes hears the question whether Baptists are to be identified as Protestants. Whether one takes the shortcut answer, or goes into lengthy explanation, the answer is the same: Yes. Such important Reformation doctrines as justification by faith, the authority of Scripture, and the priesthood of believers show up prominently in Baptist theology. Further, the evidence shows that Baptists originated out of English Separatism, certainly a part of the Protestant Reformation. Even if one assumes Anabaptist influence, the Anabaptists themselves were a Reformation people. The tendency to deny that Baptists are Protestants grows out of a faulty view of history, namely that Baptist churches have existed in every century and thus antedate the Reformation”
<br>(The Baptist Heritage [Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1987], pg. 62).</blockquote>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-13200518211874817932012-12-12T18:23:00.001-05:002012-12-12T18:23:14.084-05:00The Advent Season - It's more than presents and Santa<br />
<a href="http://catholicism.about.com/b/2012/12/11/winning-the-war-on-advent.htm" target="_blank">A very good article on the celebration of Advent</a>, something that the secular commercial celebration of Christmas has largely pushed aside.<br />
<br />
When I was growing up as a Catholic, I had heard of Advent, but to me it meant the same thing as Christmas Day. It meant presents, and Santa, and going to Mass, and taking down the tree practically the very next day.<br />
<br />
My wife was also raised Catholic in a much more devout household, but they also celebrated Christmas pretty much the same way I always did. Perhaps it’s a regional thing, but I don’t think so.<br />
<br />
When I came back to the Church many moons later, I was surprised to hear that at least in some parts of the U.S. and the world, Advent is a <i><b>SEASON</b></i> not a <b><i>DAY</i></b>. (I found out the same thing about Easter. I knew of Lent, but I had never heard of an “Octave of Easter”).<br />
<br />
Historically, Catholic households would begin celebrating Advent four Sundays before Christmas. Most of the celebration of this time has to do with anticipation of the coming of the Lord. The Christmas songs that were sung were mostly about Christ about to come (O Come, O Come Emmanuel) rather than the moment of his coming. Using an Advent calendar forces you to focus on a different aspect of the season every day, keeping you focused.<br />
<br />
The decorations and the tree would only go up during the day or evening of Christmas Eve. If you had a manger scene, you could put it up early, but you wouldn’t put the baby Jesus in it until Christmas morning.<br />
<br />
And the decorations didn’t come down the next day. They came down on Epiphany, Jan. 6, or maybe later after The Presentation of the Lord on Feb. 2.<br />
<br />
Perhaps we should go back to celebrating it this way. It might help to force us back into thinking of Jesus at Christmastime, rather than merely buying presents. Although that means that if you want a real tree, buying it in Christmas Eve will guarantee you a Charlie Brown variety. But that's not so bad. Charles Schultz was not only a good cartoonist, but a philosopher, and a poet. The symbolism of that humble tree is significant.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-17647418149069458142012-06-10T23:26:00.000-04:002012-06-16T07:13:33.379-04:00Divine Mercy prayer for "the Katies"<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0">
<colgroup><col width="128*"></col>
<col width="128*"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="50%"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307_39163144672_3435_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307_39163144672_3435_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Michael and Katie McDonald</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></td>
<td width="50%"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/311335_2256913737905_893171900_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/311335_2256913737905_893171900_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Katie Arnson</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="50%">Katie McDonald, my daughter-in-law; and my son, Michael, need your prayers. I cannot go into detail as to why as it is too personal. Most of the family members and close friends are aware of the situation. If you do not, please respect their privacy. The Lord knows fully what is going on, and just what He needs to do physically, spiritually, and psychologically to aid them.</td>
<td width="50%">Katie Arnson, my wife's second-cousin, is very sweet young woman who makes friends with everyone she meets. She has recently received her Associate degree in one of the Nursing disciplines at Davenport University, where her mother is also an adjunct instructor.<br />
<br />
Katie has had a lot of physical difficulties during her life, including a liver transplant at only four months of age.<br />
<br />
Katie has recently been diagnosed with Indolent Lymphoma. At the time of this writing, she does not know the prognosis, although she may need surgery to remove some lymph nodes, and to see just how bad it is.<br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" valign="TOP" width="100%"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
All three, Katie, Katie, and Michael really need your prayers. They all very much need to have the Lord shower them with his Mercy and Grace. <br />
<br />
Will you please commit to saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet
for all of them, over the next nine days? Let us always remember how great a
salvation He has provided to us, through his suffering. They are all going through a very difficult, trying time right now and they all desperately need the Lord to intervene in their situations, and to more fully perfect them.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you are not Catholic, or are
uncomfortable saying the prescribed prayers, just pray in your own
way for God's Mercy for Katie, Katie, and Michael.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you don't have a rosary, you can
count on your fingers.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
God bless you for your concern and
prayer.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Say once per day, beginning Monday,
June 14 to commit them all to Jesus' Most Sacred Heart through June 22.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Divine Mercy Chaplet</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<ul>
<li>Opening Prayer</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.
O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelope the whole world and empty yourself out upon us.<br />
<br />
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us.<br />
I Trust in You!
</blockquote>
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next say the Sign of the
Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
In the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Our Father, Who
art in heaven,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Hallowed be Thy
Name.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Thy Kingdom
come.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Thy Will be
done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
And forgive us
our trespasses,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
as we forgive
those who trespass against us.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
And lead us not
into temptation,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
but deliver us
from evil. Amen.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
I believe in
God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
and in Jesus
Christ, His only Son Our Lord,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
He descended
into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
He ascended
into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father
almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the
dead.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
I believe in
the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and
life everlasting.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Amen.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then on the Our Father Beads
say the following:</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
Eternal Father,
I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly
beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and
those of the whole world.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say
the following:</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
For the sake of
His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">
(Repeat step 2
and 3 for all five decades).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Conclude with (three times):</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.49in;">
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy
Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.<br />
<br />
Closing Prayer<br />
<br />
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless<br />
and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible,<br />
look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us,<br />
tht in difficult moment we might not despair<br />
or become despondent,<br />
but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your Holy Will,<br />
which is Love and Mercy itself.<br />
<br />
<b>AMEN</b> </div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-51195042837644365052012-04-01T10:19:00.000-04:002012-04-24T20:10:33.778-04:00The Communion of Saints and PrayerI left this comment this morning on the <a href="http://divineoffice.org/" target="_blank">Divine Office website</a>: <br />
<br />
A few posts ago someone was asking whether this website was intended for individual or communal prayer. I just wanted to tell you that although I had been raised as a Catholic, I left the Church at age 17, and became a Baptist for 27 years before reverting almost five years ago. I was raised very nominally Catholic and had never heard of the Divine Office before going to a silent retreat about four years ago. There we prayed the Office at every opportunity for a whole weekend. Shortly after this, I discovered this website and made the Morning prayer part of my daily routine.<br />
<br />
Since reverting back to the Church, I understand fully the Communion of Saints, but it was more of a mental assent to the fact. I would pray to the saints but after so long believing that it was not possible to do so, it was hard to make this transition.<br />
<br />
Until two nights ago at my parish. After our last fish fry for the Lenten season I went into the sanctuary to wait for time to do the Stations of the Cross. I was about 45 minutes early, so I brought my Kindle and decided that was was going to do the Evening reading silently. But I wasn't the only one who had that idea. There were a couple of other small groups there praying the Rosary in different areas.<br />
<br />
I went over to where we have a kneeler before a beautiful painting of St. Philomena, next to a statue of St. John Vianney, our parish patron. Never have I had a so much of a sense of the presence of the saints. For so long I had been taught to never prayer to the dead. But THEY ARE NOT DEAD! I prayed the Office aloud asking St. John Vianney and St. Philomena to pray with me. Even though human eyes would have seen only me, I knew that I was not alone but surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses all praising our God together. And coupled with the other two groups praying the Rosary, it truly was a house of prayer.<br />
<br />
After the Reading I sang, quietly (not silently) “Per crucem”, the version that is sung by Melinda Kirigin-Voss that is often posted here for Morning Readings. When I finished it was nearly time to start stations. The other two groups were also just finishing with the Rosary. The priest came into the sanctuary, not quite ready yet as he didn't have his robes on.<br />
<br />
Our parish has been going through a very trying time lately with a former employee who had to be terminated and turned over to the police for embezzling a large amount of cash. It has been hard on everyone involved.<br />
<br />
When Father came into the sanctuary and saw three different groups of people all in prayer all on their own, you could see how uplifted he became. With the eyes of faith he could see all the incense from all of our individual prayers coalescing into one and rising up to the Throne.<br />
<br />
Praise God! This is a very long way of saying, “yes” this is a communal prayer. Even if prayed individually, the Saints in heaven are praying with you, and there are saints on earth praying with you too, even if you never meet them before we all meet together in eternity.<br />
<br />
Let us worship together!Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-15052273759542628582012-02-26T07:25:00.001-05:002012-02-26T09:58:16.020-05:00My Queen, My Mother<b>Morning Consecration to Mary</b><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">My Queen, My Mother, I offer myself entirely to thee.<br />
And to show my devotion to thee,<br />
I offer thee this day, my eyes,<br />
my ears, my mouth, my heart,my whole being without reserve.<br />
Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own,<br />
keep me, guard me as thy property and possession.<br />
Amen.</blockquote>There is so much that I am grateful for since my return to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith. Since I have become Catholic, I have finally begun to break the chains of certain sins that have plagued me for years. I still have a long way to go, but I have had more victory over sin as a Catholic, than ever as a Protestant.<br />
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One of the many graces I have received is due to the intercession of our Mother in Heaven. I re-dedicate myself to her several times every day by saying the prayer above.<br />
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Some of my Protestant friends probably look at a prayer like this and think it sounds like worship. Why do I think this? Because that's what <i>I</i> would have thought. It was prayers like this that drove me from the Church in the first place back when I was 20 years old. I thought it was placing too much emphasis on Mary, if not downright worship.<br />
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But look at this prayer again, and substitute the references to Mary (My Queen, My Mother) to the name of your spouse (My wife/husband, My Love). Does it still sound like worship? Or does it sound like a bride and bridegroom exchanging wedding vows? Do you worship your spouse? This is a prayer of dedication, not of worship.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>© 2012 The Cathoholic - All Rights Reserved.</i></span>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-16165564364152055122011-12-20T09:54:00.000-05:002011-12-20T09:54:12.183-05:00Debunking Christmas MythsI received an email from <a href="http://www.jimmyakin.org/" target="_blank">Jimmy Akin</a> of <a href="http://www.catholic.com/" target="_blank">Catholic Answers</a> today. In it he debunks 7 common myths that circulate around every year. I am only highlighting two of them. For the rest go to his <a href="http://secretinfoclub.com/" target="_blank">secretinfoclub</a> and subscribe!<br />
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This first one is one that especially irks me. I hear this still today form almost every Evangelical, Baptist and Fundamentalist (and a lot of Catholics too!) I meet. It is another case where instead of doing historical research, they just quote each other assuming that the guy at the top of the pyramid did his homework.<br />
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<b>#6 Christmas Is Based on a Pagan Holiday</b><br />
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Sometimes Fundamentalists, secularists, and pagans argue that Christmas is just a pagan holiday that has been "baptized" by the Church. Accounts differ as to which one. Sometimes it is claimed that Christmas is based on Saturnalia or the birth of Sol Invictus ("the unconquerable sun").<br />
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But Saturnalia wasn't celebrated on December 25th. It ran from December 17th to the 23rd. It was over and done with before the 25th.<br />
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We do have records that suggest some pagans celebrated the birth of Sol Invictus on December 25th, but the first such record dates from the year A.D. 354 (on what is known as the Calendar of Filocalus or the Chronology of 354). The trouble is, even this source isn't fully explicit. It just says that December 25 was celebrated as the Natalis Invicti or the "Birthday of the Unconquerable One," without saying who that is.<br />
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We also know that some Christians had been identifying December 25th as Jesus' birthday at least a century and a half before this time. Around A.D. 206, St. Hippolytus of Rome wrote in his Commentary on Daniel that:<br />
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"The first coming of our Lord, that in the flesh, in which he was born at Bethlehem, took place eight days before the kalends of January."<br />
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In ancient Roman time reckoning, the kalends was the first day of the month, and if you count back eight days from January 1, you arrive at December 25.<br />
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It's true that we don't know for sure when Jesus was born, and early Christian writers proposed a variety of dates for his birth, including December 25th. But what is remarkable, in light of modern claims, is that when they write about Christ's birth they never say things like, "Let's schedule his birthday here so that we can convert a bunch of pagans" or "Let's put it here so that we can subvert this pagan holiday."<br />
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When they propose dates for his birth, they use arguments to support their view, and they honestly believe that he was born on the dates they propose.<br />
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<b>#7 It Would Matter If Christmas Were Connected with a Pagan Holiday</b><br />
Even if early Christians had scheduled the commemoration of Christ's birth to subvert a pagan holiday, so what?<br />
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How does that taint the celebration of Christmas today--by people who have never even heard of these pagan holidays? Aren't they honestly celebrating Christ's birth, regardless of the precise day on which it happened?<br />
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Further, isn't subverting a pagan holiday a good thing? Don't many Protestant groups celebrate October 31 not as Halloween (which they wrongly perceive as pagan) but as "Reformation Day" or "Harvest Festival"?<br />
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Helping people wean themselves off of pagan practices by providing a wholesome, alternative celebration would seem to be a good thing rather than a bad thing.<br />
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Still, there's no evidence that this is what early Christians were doing with Christmas, and in fact the evidence is against it.Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-46862183955139095092011-12-14T14:15:00.000-05:002014-09-06T12:55:12.796-04:00How to win converts by insulting them to their facesI had an interesting conversation a little while ago. I was at work and a truck pulled in with a bunch of computer equipment. The truck driver and I right away knew that we knew each other, but we couldn’t remember where from. He asked me what church I go to and I said “St. John Vianney”.<br />
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“Nope,” he said. “I’ve never set foot in there. I go to Grandville Baptist.”<br />
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That’s where I remembered him from. I used to go to Grandville. I was a member there for 25 years. He told me his name. It sounded familiar, but we didn’t know each other well. I think he started to go there about the time I left, but he remembered my boys.<br />
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He asked how long it had been since I left, and I said about five years now. And right way, the next thing out of his mouth is, “I don’t want to get in a discussion about how my religion is better than yours…”<br />
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Not a way to win a convert.<br />
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Anyway—anytime—except at work. I know my faith and why it is biblically-based, instead of looking for individual Bible verses to justify my presuppositions as most Baptists do.Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-69328224618186045252011-12-14T08:41:00.000-05:002011-12-14T08:41:22.097-05:00Creative Minority Report: Blob Of Tissue Gets Honors At CollegeAMEN!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2011/12/blob-of-tissue-gets-honors-at-college.html">Creative Minority Report: Blob Of Tissue Gets Honors At College</a>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-16192558850727621892011-12-08T05:39:00.000-05:002011-12-08T06:14:16.228-05:00Happy Immaculate Conception of Mary!This is one of the happiest days in the Church calendar. The day our Spiritual Mother was conceived, protected from all stain of sin by God to prepare her, a fitting vessel to contain the Word of God. Immaculate, and unstained. This allowed her later to say "yes" to the Holy Spirit, receive God, and start us us all on the road to salvation.<br />
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Praise Him!!!<br />
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When I was in my youth, I did not understand why Catholics teach that Mary had to be sinless in order to bear God's son. After all, a goodly number Protestants do not believe it. But I did not have a proper understanding of the relationship between the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant and the Mary, the New Testament Ark of the Covenant.<br />
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Please see this post from my former blog site. <a href="http://jmcdhome.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/mary-the-mother-of-god/">http://jmcdhome.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/mary-the-mother-of-god/</a>Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105492393740445421.post-84795596866283729842011-11-28T04:58:00.000-05:002011-11-28T04:58:32.849-05:00Thanksgiving ReflectionsI originally posted this on my Facebook page as a note on the day before Thanksgiving 2011, but you only see Notes if you go looking for them. No one knew it was there. I'm giving it a shot here, but I know FB is messing around with the RSS feeds, so who knows?<br />
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I have the day off of work today. I’m cooking the family turkey early and bringing it over to my parent’s tomorrow. It’s in the oven, and my wife is out getting her hair done. I just finished saying the Rosary and am listing to Palestrina on Pandora radio (<a href="http://www.pandora.com/#/stations/share/154755900982355946">http://www.pandora.com/#/stations/share/154755900982355946</a>).<br />
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So, suffice it to say, I have some time this afternoon to take stock of what is going on in my life since last Thanksgiving and to think on what I am truly thankful for.<br />
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During the past year, I got a new (to me) car, and new camera, a new bed (badly needed) and lots of other material things. But am I <i>really</i> thankful for everything that I have, or do I take them for granted? Should I be? Some were necessary and I thank God for them. But there are so many others that I did not need. I have wasted money on frivolous items that could have been better used elsewhere, and yet I have no money at the end of the month for giving to those who need it much worse than I. I am grateful that I do help where I can, but I know I could do so much more.<br />
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It is only just over four years now since I have rediscovered the Faith of our Fathers, the Holy Faith, the Catholic Church, begun by Christ himself. I have come so far in the last few years. There are so many people on the internet, EWTN TV and radio, Catholic Answers radio and the forums, Fr. Robert Barron, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, and of course, probably the best author of our day, Pope Benedict XVI.<br />
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I go to St. John Vianney in Wyoming. This is the parish where I was baptized as a baby. Fr. Mike Alber is literally a Godsend. He is kind, humble yet manly, cognizant of Church Law and proper Liturgy. We now have Fr. Luis Garcia, freshly ordained earlier this year. If you don’t think you need to go to confession, you will after you hear him. He can be hard to understand sometimes as his Columbian Spanish is thick. But God speaks through him and his message is clear. If you can get through one his homilies without laughing a bit (ay, yi, yi!,) you must be daydreaming.<br />
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I am thankful for so many members of the RCIA team at SJV. Barb Scott is one of the most godly women I have ever met in my life. And she knows her stuff! I always learn a lot from her at our training sessions and every member of the team, and ultimately, every person in the parish who is the recipient of some kind of Faith Formation there, learns a great deal because of her love for the Lord, and her dedication to furthering his Kingdom on earth and in Heaven. (Do I win a prize for such a long run-on sentence?)<br />
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I am thankful for the Catholic Information Center and the good instruction I have received from them, even if they can be a bit ‘liberal” for my liking.<br />
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And of course for my family.<br />
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I wish my wife, Mary, would join me in my faith journey and return to the Catholic Church of her childhood. She loves the Lord, but we are not on the same page on this. But we are still very much in love with each other and I wouldn’t trade her for anyone or anything. I would be so incomplete without her. I can be a hot-head at times and she keeps me even-keeled. Every day, I am always amazed at how much she reflects Christ in her actions, her conversation, her sensitivity to sin, her caring for people, her wisdom, and her insight. Even if I do or say something that hurts her, I know that when I see how much I have hurt her, I can see Christ’s face in hers convicting me of my sin and bringing me back to him and her, and his forgiveness covers all.<br />
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I am thankful that even though there have been some rocky financial times and employment issues, our kids and their wives are still together and love each other. Mike and Matt are still be the best of friends. They are both making choices that can scare a parent, but I trust that God is bringing them where they need to be and all will be well.<br />
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Very recently my big sister, Cathi, lost her husband to liver cancer. I am thankful that although he did not lead what many of us would call a “Christian” life, he was a baptized Catholic, and he did receive the Anointing of the Sick before his passing. I do hope that we will all be reunited again one day.<br />
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Which naturally brings me to God’s Mercy. What can I say? If God can have mercy on me, he can have mercy on anyone. There is no sin so powerful, or so heinous, that his Mercy cannot overcome it. Praise Him, our most excellent Redeemer!<br />
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My other sister Vicki, is recently employed after being laid-off from her former job. I am so thankful that she now has some money coming in. Although it is a physically demanding job, I hope she can find something different. I know that she would appreciate a prayer or two about her job situation, and for her husband and children who have also had a lot of trouble finding work.<br />
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I love my brother, Jeff, dearly. It’s hard to believe that as I was growing up, I found him so annoying. Six years his senior, led to a lot of teasing and I used to pick on him incessantly. That is until my dear Aunt Jitter, who lived with us in the last months of her too short life, asked me “Jim, why do you torture him so much?” Here was this sweet woman, literally on her deathbed, in terrible pain, correcting me for my behavior. After she passed, I was never able to pick on Jeff again. I still can picture her scolding me for that and I truly believe that God was speaking to me through her. There is a lot that Jeff and I have in common, and a lot that we don’t. I cannot go into details here, but I know that he would appreciate your prayers for him too. I can’t tell you the situation, but God knows, and He cares. He loves Jeff, and again his mercy and His grace abound for those who wish it.<br />
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During the past year, my mother was hurt badly in a fall while she and my dad were visiting a friend in Boston. She has survived another hip replacement and is on the road to recovery. And this is after almost two years since we almost lost her because of her heart. Praise the Lord that I still have my Mommy!<br />
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And my Dad too. He was in a car accident about a year ago and broke a rib. He has definitely slowed down since then and it’s just hard seeing you parents getting old. In so many ways, I still depend on him for so much. <br />
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I am thankful for my job. I am the Senior ITS Coordinator at the main campus of Davenport University. Right after the first of the year, I will have been in this position for 13 years. I really love my job,. I have worked at other IT jobs before DU, but there is something about working in Academia that is different than just working in a typical commercial environment. Those who know me, know that I like to read and learn. Just being surrounded by those in an academic environment is personally stimulating. But most importantly, I like doing my part to support people who are trying to fulfill their dreams and goals, to begin a career that may lead them to an exciting life, or for older students trying to change their life.<br />
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I don’t teach—I don’t have that kind of patience! But I know that I do my part my supporting them, helping where I can, and by providing an environment where they can achieve their dreams.<br />
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But enough of the DU commercial.<br />
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There is so much more I could write, but it’s already so long that most people are probably not going to read it.<br />
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God’s blessings to you all.Jmcdhomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15810279249354349333noreply@blogger.com0