I am a CHILD OF GOD and now I have to live like one!!!

"And opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

2011-12-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

I used to wonder what it would be like to be with the wise men and the shepherds as they lay down their gifts in adoration before the infant Jesus. Then, a beautiful thought came to my heart... "Why can't you?" The three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh offered to Him as king, prophet, and priest were not just supposed to be given to Him by the wise men. All of us as God's children are invited to the do the same.

As we enter this advent season for the 2-fold coming of Christ, now would be a great time to prepare with your family for the coming of Christmas and to think and pray about the gifts we desire to offer the infant Jesus who waits for us to adore Him and to thank Him for His coming to us in the flesh and offering Himself as a living sacrifice for us so that we can inherit eternal life with Him.

Prepare three empty gift boxes in your home and wrap them in gift wrapping paper and with bows. Make sure you wrap the boxes separately from the box tops so that they can be lifted and easily available for all to put their gifts into during the Christmas season up until the Feast of the Epiphany. Label each box individually as GOLD/(money), FRANKINCENSE/(prayers), and MYRRH (sacrifices & sufferings).

Once Christmas Eve arrives, explain to your children/family what the meaning of Christmas is and why we are celebrating it. Then explain how the wise men came from a far distant country to worship and adore the Christ child, and to offer their gifts to Him. Explain what each of the gift boxes stand for and how we can offer Jesus these same gifts to Him throughout the Christmas season in order to thank Him for all the many gifts He has already given to each one of us.

The money collected in the gift box marked as "GOLD" can be given to Jesus throughout the Christmas season and finally offered to Him on the Feast of the Epiphany by laying this offering in the collection basket at church or given to the poor box or a Christian charity. If you know of a very poor family perhaps you could offer an anonymous donation to them or find some other way to offer this "gold" to the infant Jesus on this day.

The "FRANKINCENSE" or prayers can be written down as you would as a spiritual prayer bouquet. For example, each day write down what prayers you offer to Jesus for someone who is deep spiritual need (i.e., anyone who is suffering from addiction, someone who has left the Church or no longer practicing, etc.,) out of love for Him. Jesus tells us, "That which you do to the least of your brethren you do to Me." It could be as simple as writing down on a piece of paper: "Jesus today I offer you a rosary, or 3 Hail Mary's, or 3 Our Father's, or I offer you my going to Mass for... N... for someone in most need of your mercy. Then just lay the piece of paper in the gift box to Jesus. You can offer to Jesus these prayers each day or whenever you like.

The "MYRRH" can be daily sacrifices, sufferings, or acts of service that you offer to Jesus for the conversion of sinners. For example, you can write down on a piece of paper: "Jesus, today I will clean my bathroom (or help my mother do dishes, or help my dad shovel snow, or help others at the local soup kitchen) as an offering and sacrifice for someone most in need of my prayers. Then just lay this piece of paper in the gift box with your gift mentioned.

There are so many gifts, prayers, sacrifices, and ways we can help Jesus in the poor and suffering that are wasted because we fail to offer them up to Him. During this upcoming Christmas season, teach your children and family how to offer these gifts by laying your own gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh before Him.

180 Movie.... If you are a supporter of abortion rights... please watch this!

2011-11-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Are you willing to fight the government to keep your parental rights over your children?

2011-11-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.overruledmovie.com/

Defending the Faith or we are arguing with others about it?

2011-11-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

Jesus never argued or debated the Faith... He gave it, explained it, and left it for others to either accept it or walk away. For example, when Jesus gave us the teaching on the Eucharist in the Holy Gospel of St.John Ch. 6 He explained His teaching about the Eucharist being His true Flesh and Blood and unless we eat of His Flesh and drink of His Blood we do not have Life within us. When others rejected His teaching, He let them walk away. He didn't argue with them and say... "Wait, perhaps you didn't understand it completely." He let them go. In other words, all of us have to make an act of Faith to either accept His teaching or reject it and walk away. We also need to allow others to do the same.

By the way, I especially chose this photo of the sword of St. Galgano who was a soldier and relinquished his sword into the ground (embedded in solid rock) and entered into the monastery which holds his name. Pretty apropos considered many Christians are like St. Peter wanting to cut someone's ear off with the sword of their words to try to persuade them to accept the truth. But "Then Jesus saith to him: Put up again thy sword into its place: for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword." (Mt. 26:52)

Is there anyone who does not believe in Hell?

2011-11-10T09:21:00.001-08:00

If there is anyone out there who still does not believe there is a Hell... just continue to walk away from God and watch it begin to appear on earth. If we do not turn back to Him soon and repent for what we do in this life it will be for all eternity.

Why don't we put it to a vote?

2011-11-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

In regards to recent voters overturning a measure in Mississippi that would have defined the beginning of human life at the moment of conception and several other states allowing homosexual marriage while also redefining marriage which was established by God... I have this to say: Wow... why don't we just throw God's commandments out the window with a vote too. Our souls are in serious jeopardy if we do not live and act out on our Christian Faith and vote accordingly. We have to stand before the living God for our actions and our decisions. Our vote DOES have eternal consequences.

Your time is almost up.... are you ready???

2011-11-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:1-13.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Most of us do not want to think about death even though it happens just about every day to someone in our local community... a suicide, a murder, a car accident, cancer or a serious illness, drinking and driving, death as a result of an accident. We go to a funeral and think about what their life was like... but, sadly, must of us are not prepared for our own death and we should be.

None of us can escape it. We can't run away or hide from it. Eventually DEATH will come knocking on our own door and we do not know the day nor the hour when it will happen, but it will come. In fact, it may come for you in just a few minutes.

Our Lord asks us to be prepared like the wise virgins who kept their lamps burning, in waiting for the Bridegroom to come. This is in reference to the Light and grace God has given to each of us as His children in our Baptism. In fact, your parents and godparents held your baptismal candle which was lit from the Easter Candle when they heard the words:

"Receive the light of Christ. Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He/she is to walk always as a child of the light. May he/she keep the flame of faith alive in his/her heart. When the Lord comes, may he/she go out to meet Him with all the saints in the heavenly Kingdom."

Most of us are so caught up in this world in all the parties and sports, the gambling and drinking... the fooling around and acts of impurity that we do not make room for God on Sundays or Holy Days by going to Mass nor follow Him in our daily life. We are like the foolish virgins who let their light die out and all that remained was darkness and they found themselves locked out of the Heavenly Banquet where the Bridegroom's only reply was "I DO NOT KNOW YOU."

"I DO NOT KNOW YOU." This reply could come if we do not take time to pray daily and open our hearts to Him... if we make excuses on the Lord's Day and make other things like hunting, fishing, camping, sporting events, or trips more important than making time to be with Him... if we do not take time to follow Him by reading the Gospels and putting into action what He asks of us as His disciples... or if we do not take the time of day to care for Him and His needs in the least of our brothers and sisters: "For I was hungry and you gave Me no food. I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. I was naked and you did not clothe Me... in prison and sick and you did not visit Me."

I have already had several brushes with death in my own life and I do not want to postpone my travel arrangements with Our Lord any longer. I want to be ready with my bags packed. I want to leave you with the word of Thomas A'Kempis from his famous work "The Imitation of Christ" to help us be prepared...

VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come!

Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow?..

What good is it to live a long life when we amend that life so little? ... Blessed is he who keeps the moment of death ever before his eyes and prepares for it every day.

If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may not live till the evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have quite a different opinion of the life that is now entirely past and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss.

How happy and prudent is he who tries not in life to be what he wants to be found in death...

The present is very precious; these are the days of salvation; now is the acceptable time. How sad that you do not spend the time in which you might purchase everlasting life in a better way. The time will come when you will want just one day, just one hour in which to make amends, and do you know whether you will obtain it?

See, then, dearly beloved, the great danger from which you can free yourself and the great fear from which you can be saved, if only you will always be wary and mindful of death. Try now to live in such a manner that at the moment of death you may be glad rather than fearful. Learn to die to the world now, that then you may begin to live with Christ. Learn to spurn all things now, that then you may freely go to Him....

Ah, foolish man, why do you plan to live long when you are not sure of living even a day? How many have been deceived and suddenly snatched away!... Death is the end of everyone and the life of man quickly passes away like a shadow...

Do now, beloved, what you can, because you do not know when you will die, nor what your fate will be after death. Gather for yourselves the riches of immortality while you have time. Think of nothing but your salvation. Care only for the things of God. Make friends for yourself now by honoring the saints of God, by imitating their actions, so that when you depart from this life they may receive you into everlasting dwellings...

Plenary Indulgence for All Souls Day...

2011-11-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

Indulgences for the Poor Souls
Current regulations in force by Pope Benedict XVI

I On All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2) a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit any parish church or public oratory and there recite one Our Father and one Credo.

II On all the days from November I though November 8 inclusive, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray even if only mentally for the departed.

Conditions for both indulgences:

1. Only one plenary indulgence can be granted per day.

2. It is necessary to be in the state of grace, at least by completion of the work.

3. Freedom from attachment to sin, even venial sin, is necessary; otherwise the indulgence is only partial. (By this is meant attachment to a particular sin, not sin in general.)

4. Holy Communion must be received each time the indulgence is sought.

5. Prayers must he recited for the intentions of the Holy Father on each day the indulgence is sought. (No particular prayers are prescribed. One Our Father and one Hail Mary suffice, or other suitable prayers.

6. A sacramental concession must he made within a week of completion of the prescribed work. (One confession made during the week, made with the intention of gaining all the indulgences, suffices.)

Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory...

2011-10-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Holy Souls Will Repay Us
A Thousand Times Over

Now who can be in more urgent need of our charity than the souls in Purgatory? What hunger, or thirst, or dire sufferings on Earth can compare to their dreadful torments? Neither the poor, nor the sick, nor the suffering, we see around us, have such an urgent need of our help. Yet we find many good-hearted people who interest themselves in every other type of suffering, but alas! scarcely one who works for the Holy Souls.

Who can have more claim on us? Among them too, there may be our mothers and fathers, our friends and near of kin.

Prayer of
St. Gertrude the Great

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

St. Gertrude's life was the mystic life of the Cloister – a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and Our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the Blessed Virgin and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory. She died in 1334. Her feast day is November 16th.

Approval and recommendation (sgd.) M. Cardinal Pahiarca at Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, 1936.

A Very Thorough Examination of Conscience...

2011-10-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

(I wrote this one in 2009 but thought it would be good to re-post as we draw near to the Feast of All Saints to which your soul is called to be as well)

This examination is very long, but also very thorough.
Great for a monthly examination of conscience and for a yearly general confession:

10 COMMANDMENTS:
~“Since they express man’s fundamental duties towards God and towards his neighbor, the Ten Commandments reveal, in their primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally immutable (cannot be changed), and they oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them. The Ten Commandments are engraved by God in the human heart.” (CCC#2072)

~ “Jesus summed up man’s duties toward God in this saying: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This immediately echoes the solemn call: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord.”
God has loved us first. The love of the One God is recalled in the first of the Ten Commandments. The commandments then make explicit the response of love that man is called to give to his God.” (CCC#2083)

THE LOVE OF GOD
1ST Commandment:
“I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.” {Love of God}
~ You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
~ …It follows that we must necessarily accept His words and have complete faith in Him and acknowledge His
authority.

FAITH: Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all He has said and revealed to us, and the Holy Church proposes for our belief, because He is truth itself. (CCC#1814)
~ The 1st Commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of sinning against faith:
~ Neglect of our faith is a sin against the 1st Commandment (not taking time to know our Catholic Faith, reading the Bible, studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church, not living the faith through prayer and going to Mass and Confession regularly).
Voluntary doubt: about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. (example: rejecting a teaching of the Church or of Jesus).
Involuntary doubt: refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness.
Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the refusal to assent to it.
Heresy: is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same. (example: denial of the Immaculate Conception of Mary that she was conceived in the womb without sin).
Apostasy: is the total rejection of the Christian faith. (example: leaving the Christian faith and joining a non-Christian church).
Schism: is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff (the Pope) or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him. (example: Lefeberist Church)

HOPE: is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. (CCC#1817)
~When god reveals Himself and calls him, man cannot fully respond to the divine love by his own powers. He must hope that God will give him the capacity to love Him in return and to act in conformity with the commandments of charity. Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear of offending God’s love and of incurring punishment. (CCC#2090)
Despair: is when man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to His justice~ for the Lord is faithful to His promises~ and to His mercy. (suicide is a sin of despair of God).
Presumption: There are two kinds of sins of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities (hoping to be able to save himself without the help of God) or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or His mercy (hoping to obtain God’s forgiveness without conversion from sin and glory without ever changing one’s life).

CHARITY: is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. (CCC#1822)
Indifference: is the refusing to reflect on the existence of God’s goodness and the power of God’s love (example: not caring about Jesus’ suffering and dying for us on the Cross and not caring to follow Him and change one’s life).
Acadia (complacency): is refusing to accept the joy that comes from God or being repelled by God’s goodness. Basically, the person guilty of spiritual sloth is too lazy to return God’s love.
Lukewarmness: is hesitation or neglect to respond to God’s love. “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)
Hatred of God: is denying God’s love out of pride and cursing God for forbidding sin and inflicting punishment due to one’s sin. This is one that will damn a person who fails to repent.
Ingratitude: is the failure to acknowledge God’s love and return it. When you receive a gift from someone, there is an obligation to thank the person who gave it. (Example… not going to Mass which means “thanksgiving” to God for all He has given us and giving back to Him in return).

VIRTUE OF RELIGION: requires us to give to God the worship, honor, devotion, and service He deserves from us who were created and are loved by Him. We fulfill this virtue when we do those things (Confession, Mass, Adoration, Prayer, reading the Bible) formally directed to worshipping God. The virtue of religion also includes rendering honor to Mary and the saints, as well as venerating sacred images.
Idolatry: putting a thing or person in the place of God. Idolatry includes honoring Satan, pleasure, power, money, the state, or drugs and alcohol in place of God (example: going to the casino or bingo but not to Sunday Mass or watching a football game/going hunting instead of going to Mass… when doing this, we make these other things/activities more important than being with God and worshipping Him).
Superstition: attributing magical power to certain created things or practices. It includes belief in and use of so-called “good luck charms,” such as rabbits’ feet, chain letter prayers that claim to bind God to an answer, and similar practices.
Divination: the attempt to predict the future based on the assistance of Satan or the dead. It also includes belief in the power of horoscopes, fortunetellers/palm readers, astrology, ouija boards, and omens. These are false attempts to control one’s future and deny the power of God to care for us directly.
Magic: the desire to know and control demonic powers in order to place them at one’s service. Attempting to make a deal with the devil or asking a demon’s help in order to place a curse on someone are examples. Though sometimes called magic, slight-of-hand and card tricks do not apply here.
Irreligion: disrespect for God or sacred things. Examples are testing God in word or deed, like asking God to condemn a person… or sacrilege, which is the disrespect for sacred persons, places, or things (like when Sinead O’Conner ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II). This includes disrespect for Mary, the saints, sacred images, and places of worship.
Simony: the buying or selling of spiritual powers or works of God.
Atheism: the denial or rejection of the existence of God.

2nd Commandment:
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” {Love of God}
~ The Second Commandment prohibits taking God’s name in vain, forbidding it’s use for irreverent purposes- such as calling upon God to damn a person- while at the same time requiring us to speak with reverence of God, the saints, and holy things.
~ A persons name contains his very identity, and therefore, the meaning of his life. This means that if someone reveals his name to you, he is partly revealing who he really is to you.
Blasphemy: consists in uttering against God- inwardly or outwardly- words of hatred, reproach, or defiance; in speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward Him in one’s speech; in misusing God’s name. The prohibition of blasphemy extends to language against Christ’s Church, the saints, and sacred things.
~The Second Commandment forbids false oaths. Taking an oath or swearing is to take God as witness to what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine truthfulness as a pledge of one’s own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord’s name.
A person commits perjury when he makes a promise under oath with no intention of keeping it, or when after promising an oath he does not keep it. Pledging oneself by oath to commit an evil deed is contrary to the holiness of the divine name.

3rd Commandment:
“Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.” {Love of God}
~ Sunday is expressly distinguished from the Sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the Sabbath. In Christ’s Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and announces man’s eternal rest with God. (CCC#2175)
~ The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship “as a sign of His universal goodness to all.” (CCC#2176)
~ The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and His Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life. “Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal church.”
“Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas Mass on December 25th), the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), the feast of Mary the Mother of God (January 1st), her Immaculate Conception (December 8th), her Assumption (August 15th), the feast of St. Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints (November 1st).” (CCC#2177)
The Sunday Obligation: The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” “The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.” (CCC#2180)
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin. (CCC#2181)
Sunday as a day of Rest: On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service (for example a police officer, fire department, hospital) can legitimately excuse one from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits harmful to religion, family life, and health. (CCC#2185)
Care for those less fortunate and the poor: Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety (goodness) to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life. (CCC#2186)
Avoid making unnecessary demands on others: Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day (for example: making others work for you, going shopping). Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.) require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees. (CCC#2187)

THE LOVE OF NEIGHBOR
Jesus said to His disciples: “Love one another even as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
4th Commandment:
“Honor your father and mother.” {Love of others}
~ God has willed that, after Him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with His authority. (CCC#2197)
~ The Fourth Commandment is addressed expressly to children in their relationship to their father and mother, because this relationship is the most universal. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship between members of the extended family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude towards elders and ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties to the duties to pupils to teachers, to employees to employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their country, and to those who administer and govern it.
This Commandment includes and presupposes the duties of parents, instructors, teachers, leaders, magistrates, those who govern, all who exercise authority over others or over a community of persons. (CCC 2199)
The Christian Family: The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s work of creation. It is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ. Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in charity. The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary task. (CCC # 2205)
The family should live in such a way that its members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor. There are many families who are at times incapable of providing this help. It then passes on to other persons, other families and society to provide for their needs. (CCC# 2208)
The Respect Due to Each Person: The Fourth Commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brother and sisters we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; n the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called “our Father.” In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. The neighbor is not a “unit” in the human collective; he is “someone” who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect. (CCC# 2212)
Duties of Children: Respect for parents derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. “With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?” (CCC# 2215)
Filial respect is shown by true docility and obedience.
As long as a child lives at home with his parents, the child should obey his parents in all that they ask of him (apart from sin) when it is for his good or that of the family. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Children should also obey the reasonable directions of their teachers and all to whom their parents have entrusted them. But if a child is convinced in conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, he must not do so.
As they grow up, children should continue to respect their parents. They should anticipate their wishes, willingly seek their advice, and accept their just admonitions (warnings). Obedience toward parents ceases with the releasing of the children from the home; not so respect, which is always owed to them. This respect has its roots in the fear of God, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Obligations of grown adults to parents: The Fourth Commandment reminds grown children of their responsibilities toward their parents. As much as they can, they must give them material and moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress. Jesus calls this duty of gratitude.
“O son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; even if he is lacking in understanding, show patience and restraint; in all your strength do not despise him… Whoever forsakes his father is like a blasphemer, and whoever angers his mother is cursed by the Lord.” (CCC#2218)
~ This commandment also concerns relationships between brothers and sisters.
Duties of Parents: The fruitfulness of intimate love of spouses cannot be reduced solely to the procreation of children, but must extend to their moral education and their spiritual formation. “The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.” The right and duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable. (CCC#2221)
~ Parents must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human persons. Showing themselves obedient to the will of the Father in heaven, they educate their children to fulfill God’s law. (CCC#2222)
~ Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for the education in the virtues. This requires training in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery- the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the “material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones.” Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will better able to guide and correct them:
“He who loves his son will not spare the rod… He who disciplines his son will profit by him.” (Sirach 30:1-2)
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) (CCC#2223)

~ Through the grace of the sacrament of marriage, parents receive the responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children. Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the “first heralds” for their children. They should associate them from their tenderest years with the life of the Church. A wholesome family life can foster interior dispositions that are a genuine preparation for a living faith and remain a support for it throughout one’s life. (CCC#2225)
~ Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechism precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents. (CCC#2226)
~ Children in turn contribute to the growth in holiness of their parents. Each and everyone should be generous and tireless in forgiving one another for offences, quarrels, injustices, and neglect. Mutual affection suggests this. The charity of Christ demands it. (CCC# 2227)
~ Parents should provide their children through care and attention for their physical and spiritual needs.
~ Parents are the first ones responsible for the education of their children, parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions… As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. (CCC# 2229)
~ When they become adults, children have the right and duty to choose their profession and state of life. They should assume their new responsibilities within a trusting relationship with their parents, willingly asking and receiving their advice and counsel. Parents should be careful not to exert pressure on their children either in the choice of their profession or in that of a spouse. This necessary constraint does not prevent them- quite the contrary- from giving their children judicious advice, particularly when they are planning to start a family. (CCC# 2230)
The Family and the Kingdom of God: Family ties are important but not absolute. Just as the child grows to maturity and human and spiritual autonomy, so his unique vocation which comes from God asserts itself more clearly and forcefully. Parents should respect this call and encourage their children to follow it. They must be convinced that the first vocation to the Christian is to follow Jesus: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (CCC#2232)
~ Becoming a disciple of Jesus means accepting the invitation to belong to God’s family, to live in conformity with HIS way of life. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Parents should welcome and respect with joy and thanksgiving the Lord’s call to one of their children to follow Him in virginity for the sake of the Kingdom in the consecrated life or in priestly ministry.
~ This Commandment also covers those who exercise authority as civil authorities. (See Catechism)
~ Duties of Citizens: Those subject to authority should regard those in authority as representatives of God, who has made them stewards of His gifts. “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution…” (CCC#2238)
~It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community. (CCC# 2239(
~Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country:
“Pay to all them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to those whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (CCC#2240)
~ The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel (example: in China, parents are required to abort some of their children… this directive of the government cannot be followed). Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” “We must obey God rather than men.” (CCC# 2242)

5th Commandment:
“You shall not kill.” {Love of others}
Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end: no one can under any circumstances claim for himself the right to directly destroy an innocent human being. (CCC#2258)
“For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning… Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in His own image.” (Genesis 9:5-6)
Anger, hatred, and vengeance: In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, “You shall not kill,” and adds to it the prescription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks His disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies. He did not defend Himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath. (CCC#2262)
Legitimate defense: The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. “The act of self-defense can have a double-effect: the preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of the aggressor… The one is intended, the other is not.” (CCC#2263)
Love of oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect of one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow… (CCC# 2264)
Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good (for example, military or police) requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility. (CCC# 2265)
Death penalty: Assuming the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete decisions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.
Today, if fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm- without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself- the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.” (CCC#2267)
The Fifth Commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. (CCC# 2268)
The Fifth Commandment forbids doing anything with the intention of indirectly bringing about a person’s death. The moral law prohibits exposing someone to mortal danger without grave reason, as well as refusing assistance to a person in danger. (CCC# 2269)
Unintentional killing is not morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from grave offense if, without proportionate reasons, he has acted in a way that brings about someone’s death, even without the intention to do so (for example, drunk driving).(CCC#2269)
Abortion: Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the first moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person- among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. (CCC#2270)
Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense (helping someone else to get an abortion). The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. (CCC#2272)
Euthanasia: …direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of the handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.(CCC# 2277)
Suicide: Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. (CCC# 2280)
Scandal: is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense by itself by deed (what we do) or omission (what we fail to do), another is deliberately led into a grave offense. (CCC#2284)
Respect for health: Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them… Idolization of the body is an evil. Idolizing physical perfection and success at sports (CCC#2289). Abuses of excess of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness of a love of speed, endanger their own and other’s safety on the road, sea, or in the air. (CCC#2290)
The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.(CCC#2291)
Also covered under this Commandment are:
The respect of the person and scientific research
Kidnapping, torture, terrorism.
Respect for the dead
Anger and revenge.
Deliberate hatred.
Need to maintain peace.
Avoidance of war.

6th Commandment:
“You shall not commit adultery.” {Love of others}
“You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt.5:27-28)
Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man’s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift. (CCC# 2337)
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. “Man’s dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he passes forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end. (CCC# 2339)
Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes. (CCC# 2351)
Masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. “Both the Magisterium of the Church and in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.” “The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.” (CCC# 2352)
Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young. (CCC# 2353)
Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. (CCC# 2354)
Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Prostitution is a social scourge. (CCC# 2355)
Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the children entrusted to them. (CCC# 2356)
Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction towards persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (CCC#2357)
Love for husband and wife, faithfulness in marriage, the gift of a child, artificial insemination and fertilization are all covered under this Commandment.
Adultery refers to marital infidelity. When two partners, of whom at least one is married to another person, have sexual relations- even brief ones- they commit adultery. Christ condemns even adultery of desire. (CCC# 2380)
Adultery is an injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He does injury to the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the rights of the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and the welfare of children who need their parents’ stable union. (CCC# 2381)
Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce does injury to the covenant of salvation, of which sacramental marriage is the sign. Contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law, adds to the gravity of the rupture: the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery. (CCC#2384)
Incest (intimate relations between relatives or in-laws) and sexual abuse also fall under this Commandment.
In a so-called free-union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy. The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion. (CCC# 2390)

7th Commandment:
“You shall not steal.” {Love of others}
The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labor. For the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal destination of goods and respect for the right to private property. Christian life strives to order this world’s goods to God and to fraternal charity. (CCC# 2401) Also under this commandment falls the need to care for the poor and the needy. (CCC#2443)
The seventh commandment forbids theft, that is, usurping another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. There is not theft if consent can be presumed or if refusal is contrary to reason and the universal destination of goods. This is the case in obvious and urgent necessity when the only way to provide for immediate, essential needs (food, shelter, clothing…) is to put at one’s disposal and use the property of others. (CCC# 2408)
What is also covered under STEALING: deliberate holding on to goods lent or of objects lost, business fraud, paying unjust wages, forcing up prices by taking advantage of the ignorance or hardship of another, work done poorly, tax evasion, forgery of checks and invoices, excessive expenses and waste, willfully damaging private or public property. (CCC# 2409)
There is a need to pay back what is owed and return that what was stolen, or make restitution in proportion to that what was taken.
Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant. (CCC# 2413)
Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless Him and give Him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. (CCC# 2416)
God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom He created in His own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. (CCC#2417)
It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer and die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons. (CCC#2418)
8th Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” {Love of others}
The Eighth Commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. This moral prescription flows from the vocation of the holy people to bear witness to their God who is truth and wills the truth. Offenses against the truth express by word or deed a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness: they are fundamental infidelities to God, and in this sense, they undermine the foundations of the covenant. (CCC# 2464)
Man tends by nature toward the truth. He is obliged to honor and bear witness to it: “It is in accordance with their dignity that all men, because they are persons…are both impelled by their nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth once they come to know it and direct their whole lives in accordance with the demands of truth.” (CCC# 2467)
False witness and perjury. When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the truth takes on a particular gravity. In court it becomes false witness. When it is under oath, it is perjury. Acts such as these contribute to condemnation of the innocent, exoneration of the guilty, or the increased punishment of the accused. They gravely compromise the exercise of justice and the fairness of judicial decisions. (CCC# 2476)
Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty:
~ of rash judgment who, even unspokenly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
~of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them (for example, gossiping about the faults of others);
~of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them. (CCC#2477)
To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:
“Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if that person understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.” (CCC#2478)
Boasting or bragging is an offense against the truth. So is irony aimed at disapproving someone by malicious mimicking some aspect of his behavior. (CCC#2481)
A lie consists in speaking falsehood with the intention of deceiving. The Lord renounces lying as the work of the devil: “You are of your father the devil…there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (CCC# 2482)
The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity. (CCC#2484)
Every offense committed against justice and charity entails the duty of reparation, even if its author has been forgiven (for example, telling the truth to the person lied to). When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong, it must be made secretly. If someone who has suffered harm cannot be directly compensated, he must be given moral satisfaction in the name of charity. This duty of reparation also concerns offenses against another’s reputation. This reparation, moral and sometimes material, must be evaluated in terms of the extent of the damage inflicted. It obliges in conscience. (CCC#2487)
Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information and communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict carefulness in speaking. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it. (CCC# 2489)
The secret of the sacrament of reconciliation is sacred, and cannot be violated under any pretext. “The sacramental seal is unbreakable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray the penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason.” (CCC#2490)
Professional secrets- for example, those of political office holders, soldiers, physicians, and lawyers- or confidential information given under the seal of secrecy must be kept, except in particular cases where the keeping the secret is bound to cause every grave harm to the one who reveals it, to the one who received it or to a third party, and where the very grave harm can be avoided only by divulging the truth. Even if not confided under the seal of secrecy, private information damaging to another is not to be revealed without a grave and proportionate reason. (CCC# 2491)
The means of social communication (especially the mass media) can give rise to a certain submissiveness among users, making them less than watchful consumers of what is said or shown. Users should practice moderation and discipline in their approach to the mass media. They will want to form enlightened and correct consciences the more easily to resist unwholesome influences. (CCC# 2496)

9th Commandment:
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife/husband.” {Love of others}
“Everyone who looks at a woman [or man] lustfully has already committed adultery with her [him] in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)
The sixth beatitude proclaims, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” “Pure in heart” refers to those who have attuned their intellects and wills to the demands of God’s holiness, chiefly in three areas: charity; chastity or sexual morality; love of truth and orthodoxy of faith. There is a connection between purity of heart, of body, and of faith: “The faithful must believe the articles of the Creed so that by believing they may obey God, by obeying they may live well, by living well may purify their hearts, and with pure hearts may understand what they believe.” (CCC#2518)
Battle for purity: Baptism confers on its recipient the grace of purification from all sins. But the baptized must continue to struggle against concupiscence (any intense form of human desire) of the flesh and disordered desires. With God’s grace he will prevail:
~ by the virtue and gift of chastity, for chastity lets us love with upright and undivided heart;
~ by purity of intention which consists in seeking the true end of man: with simplicity of vision, the baptized person seeks to find and to fulfill God’s will in everything;
~ by purity of vision, external and internal; by discipline of feelings and imagination; by refusing all involvement in impure thoughts that incline us to turn aside from the path of God’s commandments: “Appearance arouses yearning in fools”;
~ by prayer: “I thought that continence arose from one’s own prayers, which I did not recognize in myself. I was fooling enough not to know…that no one can be continent unless You grant it. For You would surely have granted it if my inner groaning had reached Your ears and I with firm faith had cast my cares on You.” (CCC# 2520)
Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves towards them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their harmony. (CCC# 2521)
Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet. (CCC# 2520)
There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies. (CCC#2523)

10th Commandment:
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.” {Love of others}
The tenth commandment unfolds and completes the ninth, which is concerned with concupiscence of the flesh. It forbids coveting the goods of another, as the root of theft, robbery, and fraud, which the seventh commandment forbids. “Lust of the eyes” leads to the violence and injustice forbidden by the fifth commandment. Avarice (greed), like fornication, originates in the idolatry forbidden by the first three prescriptions of the Law. The tenth commandment concerns the intentions of the heart; with the ninth, it summarizes all the precepts of the Law. (CCC# 2534)
The sensitive appetite leads us to desire pleasant things we do not have, for example, the desire to eat when we are hungry or to warm ourselves when we are cold. These desires are good in themselves; but when they exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him. (CCC# 2535)
The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods: “When the Law says, “You shall not covet,” these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another’s goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: “He who loves money never has money enough.”” (CCC#2536)
Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin. (CCC# 2539)
Jesus enjoins His disciples to prefer Him to everything and everyone, and bids them “renounce all that they have” for His sake and that of the Gospel. Shortly before His passion He gave them the example of the poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on. The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. (CCC# 2544)
It remains for the holy people to struggle, with grace from on high, to obtain the good things God promises. In order to possess and contemplate God, Christ’s faithful mortify their cravings and, with the grace of God, prevail over the seductions of pleasure and power. (CCC#2549)

My Relationship to God
"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart. "
1. - Is my whole life directed toward loving God and seeking his Kingdom and plan for humanity?. Or are personal greed and the things of this world my basic object of devotion?
2. - Do I accept with my whole heart the revelation of God's love through Jesus and do I respond fully to the call of his Spirit in my life?
3. - Do I pray sufficiently each day and seek to have a continuous spirit of prayer? Do I turn to God in good times and bad and in times of temptation? Do I listen with an open and humble heart and am I ready to accept the inner conversion to which he invites me? Do I praise and thank him for his gifts?
4. - Do 1 worship God as an active member of the faith community that Christ founded, the Church? Am I conscious of and responsive to the Body of Christ, local and universal? Do I participate fully in the Mass each Sunday and in the whole sacramental life of the Church? Do I accept Church teaching and authority in a spirit of faith and cooperation?
5. - Do I take steps to deepen and increase my understanding of the faith? Do I profess and live it courageously?
6. - Have 1 shown reverence for God in my speech and in my attitude toward religious symbols? Have I elevated things like money, status, superstition or occult practices to the level of false gods?

My Relationship to Others
"Love one another as l have loved you. "
1. - Do I truly love my neighbors-as myself? Do I aid or obstruct their progress toward God and fuller life? Have I used or exploited others for my own selfish interests?
2. - Am I caring toward my family? Do I show fidelity, patience, reverence and love to my spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters? Have I shown good example? Fulfilled my respective role?
3. - Do I deal honestly and truthfully with others? Have 1 harmed anyone by deceit, rash judgment, detraction, calumny or broken agreements? Have I worked honestly, upheld contracts, paid fair wages?
4. - Have my relations to others been faithful and chaste? Have I sexually exploited or demeaned another? Am I guilty of such violations of chastity as adultery, fornication, or conversation that is indecent or cheapens human dignity?
5. - Have I hated others, shown prejudice or discrimination toward them? Have I stolen or damaged the property of others? Have I returned or paid for stolen or damaged goods? Do I share what God has given me with those in need?
6. - Have I injured the life, limb or reputation of others? Have 1 upheld and protected the right to life at all levels? Have I procured or cooperated in abortion or not revered the human dignity of the aged, the retarded, deformed or mentally ill? Am I violent? Do I strive to reduce violence around me?
7. - Do I bring the good news of the gospel to others? Do I promote Christian values and the life of the Church on all levels of human society? Do I work and pray for Christian unity? Do I try to heal the wounds of the Church or do I inflame them? Do I support and involve myself in the Christian community or parish to which I belong?
8. - Do I obey legitimate authority? Do I exercise leadership and authority in a spirit of Christian service?
9. - Do I work for the betterment of human society? Do I try to be informed and actively concerned about social and political issues that affect the common good whether on the local, national or global level.
10. - According to my role in life, do I seek to eliminate from the world whatever keeps my brothers and sisters from the full human development intended by their creator: poverty, disease, hunger, injustice, discrimination, oppressive laws and structures, unequal distribution of world resources? Am I-is my country-wasteful or using up an unjust amount of the world's resources (food, fuel, minerals, etc.)? Do I support according to my means and abilities, organizations which work for social improvement?

My Personal Growth in Christ
"Be perfect as your Father is perfect."
1. - Is Christ and his way of living the basic goal of my life? What inclinations and attitudes within me are hindrances to my growth and development as God's son or daughter? Am I
too self-centered? Do 1 work on controlling dangerous attitudes like pride, arrogance, jealousy, avarice, lust, intemperance, self-sufficiency, prejudice? Do I explore my motives and overall pattern of conduct? Do I make full use of my talents and gifts?
2. - Do I try to keep a cheerful, positive disposition? Do I give in to depression and self-pity? Do I put myself down? Do I let unfounded fears limit my potential and personal freedom? Have I let fear prevent me from following my conscience? Do I seek counseling, spiritual direction and other aids to personal growth, when needed? Do I take care of my health? Overeat, over-drink, take harmful drugs?
3. - Do I have a wholesome attitude toward my own sexuality? Have I willfully indulged in thoughts, actions, reading, entertainment that are contrary to the dignity and proper meaning of sex?
4. - Do 1 take time .for my spiritual growth? Do I have a wholesome spirit of penance and self-denial as taught by Jesus? Do I observe the days of penance established by the Church? Is personal renewal and on-going inner conversion a priority in my life? Am I open to change and the call to fuller life prompted by God's Spirit in my heart?

PARTICULAR EXAMEN ON THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
Before applying the particular examen to my own spiritual life, it is well to first ask myself, "What are the virtues that I know from experience I most need to develop?"

The reason why this question should first be answered is that no two of us are equally prone to commit the same kind of sins. Nor are we personally always tempted in the same direction. There is wisdom in first knowing enough about myself, to be able to get to the root of my own moral weakness. Otherwise, I may be ignoring what really needs attention in my spiritual life and concentrating on what is not so necessary for me at this time in my service of God. Moreover, it would be a mistake to suppose that by attending to my moral failings, I am being "negative" in my pursuit of holiness.

On the contrary. In God's providence, He allows us to fail in those areas in which He especially wants us to grow in virtue. We can fail in the practice of these virtues either by commission, omission, or by tepidity, in not acting as generously as we might in responding to the grace we have received from God.

FAITH
1 Do I make an honest effort to grow in the virtue of faith by daily mental prayer on the
mysteries of the faith as revealed in the life of Jesus Christ?

2. Do I make at least a short act of faith every day?

3 Do I pray daily for an increase of faith?

4 Do I ever tempt God by relying on my own strength to cope with the trials in my life?

5 Do I unnecessarily read or listen to those who oppose or belittle what I know are
truths of my Catholic faith?

6 What have I done today to externally profess my faith?

7 Have I allowed human respect to keep me from giving expression to my faith?

8. Do I make a serious effort to resolve difficulties that may arise about my faith?

9 Do I ever defend my faith, prudently and charitably, when someone says something
contrary to what I know is to be believed?

10. Have I helped someone overcome a difficulty against the faith?

HOPE

1 Do I immediately say a short prayer when I find myself getting discouraged?

2 Do I daily say a short act of hope?

3 Do I dwell on my worries instead of dismissing them from my mind?

4 Do I fail in the virtue of hope by my attachment to the things of this world?

5 Do I try to see God's providence in everything that "happens" in my life?

6 Do I try to see everything from the viewpoint of eternity?

7 Am I confident that, with God's grace, I will be saved?

8 Do I allow myself to worry about my past life and thus weaken my hope in God's
mercy?

9. Do I try to combine every fully deliberate action with at least a momentary prayer for
divine help?

10. How often today have I complained, even internally?

CHARITY

1 Have I told God today that I love Him?

2 Do I tell Jesus that I love Him with my whole heart?

3 Do I take the occasion to tell God that I love Him whenever I experience something I
naturally dislike?

4 Have I capitalized on the difficulties today to tell God that I love Him just because He
sent me the trial or misunderstanding?

5 Do I see God's love for me in allowing me to prove my love for Him in the crosses He
sent me today?

6 Have I seen God's grace to prove my love for Him in every person whom I met
today?

7. Have I failed in charity by speaking unkindly about others?

8 Have I dwelt on what I considered someone's unkindness toward me today?

9. Is there someone that I consciously avoid because I dislike the person?

10. Did I try to carry on a conversation today with someone who is difficult to talk to?

11. Have I been stubborn in asserting my own will?

12. How thoughtful have I been today in doing some small favor for someone?

13. Have I allowed my mood to prevent me from being thoughtful of others today?

14. Am I given to dwelling on other people's weaknesses or faults?

15. Have I been cheerful today in my dealings with others?

16. Do I control my uncharitable thoughts as soon as they arise in my mind?

17. Did I pray for others today?

18. Have I written any letters today?

19. Have I controlled my emotions when someone irritated me?

20. Have I performed any sacrifice today for someone?

Happy Halloween... I pray it does not last for all eternity!

2011-10-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

I ponder a lot during Halloween... all the ghosts, demons, witches and grotesque monsters. It makes me think of what I would have ended up with for all eternity without having eternal life in Christ and following Him. I understand God gave us the 10 Commandments to protect us and one of them is keeping the Lord's Day and receiving Holy Communion so that I can be both spiritually and physically united to the Body and Blood of Christ. This is why I cling to HIM and the Light of God and will NEVER miss Sunday Mass and go to confession regularly !!! I don't want any form of darkness clinging to my soul!!!

IS GOD CALLING YOU ????

2011-10-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.societyofourlady.net/contact.html

God always knocks on the door of your heart... are you listening??? If your heart is pulled to the missionary life or to being set apart for the work of God or to a particular vocation, do not delay or put God on hold. He waits for your answer.

The Biblical Story of the Mass....

2011-10-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_6Z-dUWons

Please watch this video about the Scriptural and historical origins of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Christianity and the Catholic Church...

Are you seeking the Truth and want to know more about the Catholic Faith?

2011-10-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.aleteia.org/

Here is a new website which will launch tomorrow (Saturday 10/22/2011) set up for those seeking the Truth and want to enter into discussions on matters of the Faith and the truths of the Catholic Church.

2011-10-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

GI JOE w/ a kung-fu grip is a joke, right?

2011-10-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Now many people thought this was just a joke... nope... it is real. Too bad our current situation with abortion, Obamacare with us having to pay for abortions and sterilizations, loss of our Christian principles and the foundation of the family and marriage in the United States couldn't just be a bad joke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quEfi5IVD1Q

If Jesus were to look for the fruits of God in your daily life, would He find any???

2011-10-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. And he said to the dresser of the vineyard: Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down therefore: why cumbereth it the ground? But he answering, said to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig about it, and dung it. And if happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. (Luke 13:6-9)

If you are not following the Way of God in your daily life, turn back to the Tree of Life away from every form of darkness.

There is a line in the sand place by Our Lord... either you are with Him or you are against Him.

2011-10-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

We have fallen a long way from our original Christian roots in the United States. If all Christians in our great country do not make a firm stand against government policies stripping away our freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and making law in accordance with God's Law, we will fall.... HARD.

Beautiful

2011-10-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Beautiful short film on the gift of each and every human life... no matter what our circumstances.

http://youtu.be/y_MCwlY6zzg

Help!!! I need 2 volunteers

2011-10-04T11:48:00.001-07:00

Help!!!

St. Michael's in Dunseith, North Dakota near the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is in serious need of 2 volunteers. We are looking for 2 males over the age of 21 to help out in two areas of ministry: Youth ministry and general maintenance/parish administration.

We offer a basic monthly stipend along with room and board. There is daily Mass, opportunity for adoration, praying the Liturgy of the Hours in community, community life with other volunteers and members of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, praying the Rosary. Position for youth minister should be a Catholic passionate about one's faith and able to assist in working with Jr. High/High School/College age students and assist in teaching the Faith. If you seek to discern your vocation in the religious life or just need a year to grow in your Faith, please give us a call....

Fr. Scott Brossart, SOLT
(701) 244-5738
serveatstmichaels@gmail.com
or just leave me a message w/ your phone # on Facebook.

IS GOD CALLING YOU ????

2011-09-28T08:04:00.001-07:00

I would like to encourage each and every young adult to take a year after high school, during college, or after college to serve as a volunteer in a Catholic mission. The time you give to Our Lord is NOTHING compared to what He has already given to you. Furthermore, this time will bring healing and growth, strengthen God's gifts, and deepen your life with Him. It will also help you to discern the way of life He is calling you to follow and what you receive will strengthen you no matter what you will do with the rest of your life.

Please be open and LISTEN to God's voice daily by taking time to remain in silence and ask Him to reveal to your heart the path and vocation He has chosen for you. When He calls, do not fear. Remain in His peace and take time to remain before Him at least one hour a week in Adoration, seek opportunities to go to daily Mass, have recourse to frequent confession, and pray the Rosary and ask Our Lady to protect your calling.

Start taking the initial steps to find out where God is calling you... diocesan or religious, missionary or contemplative life... seek and you will find.

Padre Pio and How to Pray....

2011-09-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW>>>

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=471916852436

Please feel free to share your own experiences and stories of how Padre Pio has affected your life....

Facebook Groups....

2011-09-21T12:56:00.001-07:00

Here are a few Facebook groups that may help you in the spiritual life and will allow you to journey with others following the same road in life:

For those who desire to grow deeper in conversion and learning how to live as a child of God:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/IamaCHILDofGOD/

For those who need help in the area of spiritual warfare:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/warriorsoflight3/

For those who want to learn more about your relationship with your guardian angel and angels in general:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/myguardianangelrocks/

For those who want to know how to have hope in the midst of pain and darkness...
http://www.facebook.com/groups/journeyofhealingandforgiveness/

For those who desire to know more about the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/societyofourlady/

Interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith... have questions about it, or just desire to grow with fellow Catholics...
http://www.facebook.com/Catholicsglobal

Interested in growing in Christian unity and entering into the unity Christ prayed for at the Last Supper as One Church?
http://www.facebook.com/groups/onechurchonefaithonebaptism/

Pray for your own vocation....

2011-09-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Prayer to Know One's Vocation:

Lord Jesus, up until now you have been quietly preparing me to be your disciple. Now the time of preparation is ending. I seem to hear you say to me as once to Peter: "Will you also go away?" You were saddened then by friends who failed you. But Peter did not fail. "Lord," he said, "to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

I stand with Peter. Through prayer and counsel, show me, Lord, where it is in your vineyard that you want me to serve. Then give me strength to be faithful.

Mary, Mother and Model, help me to respond in generous love to the call of your divine Son. Amen. (CCC 1603-04, 1583, 1907)

Fishers of Men.... Are YOU called ???

2011-09-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/991648 6

First click on the link and watch the video. Then I would encourage you to "Come and see" with Our Lord at a religious society or your local diocesan vocations office. If God is calling you, DON'T put it off. When Our Lord called His first disciples they left their nets and immediately followed Him. May you do the same!

Never travel alone....

2011-09-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

When you drive or take a trip somewhere... never go alone. When you go, ask Our Lord to make Himself present to you spiritually as if you were before Him in Adoration... then do a Holy Hour with Him wherever you may be. Take up the Rosary and pray it with Our Lady who is with you... when you journey with Our Lord and Our Lady, time will fly by.

2011-09-17T13:40:00.001-07:00

I watched a pretty hard movie last night and it helped me to realize two things:

1) For those who continue to plunge themselves into sin and do not turn away from the darkness, there is NO HOPE...
2) The more you dive into sin... the uglier your life gets.

I wonder why so many don't do anything to change the ugliness of their lives?

Let us pray for for those stuck in the ugliness of life and in darkness that they wake up from their slumber before it ends where the roads of this life always lead for those who do not follow God... a DEAD END.

Why are so many Christians afraid of drawing close to Mary???

2011-09-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

You cannot honor, love her, or even come closer to her than Jesus, her own Son did.

He took His own flesh and blood from her and she carried Him in her womb.
He nursed at her breasts and learned to walk with her by his side.
He learned how to serve by watching her give and sacrifice herself for others.
He learned how to heal when she nurse His wounds when He fell as a little child.
He learned how to pray by imitating her silence and reflection.

Reflecting on all the Holy Scriptures, the heart of the Scriptures are the Gospels, and the heart of the Gospels is the Gospel of St. John. I used to wonder how St. John could take us so deeply into the Mystery of Christ who is the Lamb of God and the Word who became flesh and dwelt amongst us until I pondered the words Our Lord uttered to him so sweetly from the Cross: "Behold your Mother".... And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (John 19:27)

He took Mary into his home. I ponder how much Mary revealed to St. John about her Son, how she led him into the depths of the mystery of God. Oh how I yearn to hear their conversations which were always about HIM and Him alone. Praying and listening to Mary is like this. She will only lead you deeper and deeper into the mysteries of her Son and prod your soul to make you follow Him more closely. Now who would dare to be Christian and be afraid of that???

Happy Birthday MARY!!!

2011-09-08T19:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Mother Mary! As I used to love to speak and to come to know all of my best friends' family members, and I learned the most about them through their mothers... may I come to know by Best Friend Jesus by coming to know and honor the Holy Family and sit with His own Mother listening to stories about Him so that I may come to follow Him more deeply!!!

Converting our friends is impossible...

2011-09-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

How is it possible to convert friends? For us it is impossible to convert anyone, but for Christ it is as easy as water as long as the person is open to receive Him. And Christ can do it through you the more you are open to His influence in your thoughts and words and allow Him to direct you. I find the easiest way to do this is to bring them to Him... in Adoration, the Mass, for retreats... Let Him take care of the rest. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abideth in Me and I in him bears much fruit for apart from Me you can do NOTHING." (John 15:5)

The Silent Scream... Silent No More!

2011-09-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

I write this with fear and trembling because of the accountability I have before God as His priest and as a shepherd of souls. Our Lord says to those who speak on His behalf: “Thus says the Lord: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear Me say anything, you shall warn them for Me. If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.” (Ezek. 33:7-9)

As called by God, those who have authority in the Church have a responsibility to be a watchman for the flock entrusted to their care and to warn them when there is an imminent threat to their immortal souls. We have an accountability to forewarn. We can’t say God did not warn us. We can’t say that we didn’t hear. We can’t say this before God.

Let us place ourselves in Germany in which the National Socialist German Workers’ Party was VOTED into power by the people through a democratic election just like we have here in the United States. We must remember that the people voted for this party in a free and fair election process. Hitler was appointed as the head of this party which we now know as the Nazi party. He was appointed Chancellor in January 1933. Again, remember Germany was a democracy at this time.

This was a party that did not recognize the Jewish people as human beings worthy of life. They made decisions of who was worthy of life and who wasn’t. Because the Jews were not wanted and were seen as an annoying problem to the life of Germany, the result was that they sought to exterminate them all… through a plan they called “The Final Solution”. For thirteen years they planned and destroyed over six million Jewish lives... millions of them. They literally threw their bodies into huge pits and buried them in mass graves.

They were not only responsible for the death of the Jews, but they also put to death those they deemed unworthy of human life. Among these included the mentally disabled, the handicapped, those with Down’s Syndrome… and so they killed them. The interesting thing is that their screams went unheard by the German people who voted this party in, while they were being tortured, dismembered, and gassed to death. This is horrible but this was the reality. I went to Dachau, one of the concentration camps and saw pictures of people literally being skinned alive and dismembered. They cried… people were screaming, but their screams were never heard. No one paid attention to their screams. People thought other things were more important, they didn’t care, or they didn’t really know what was happening. Unfortunately, those who did know remained silent. By the way, it was predominately Christians who voted this party into power.

My point is, if the Christians living in Germany had understood in advance what was going to happen through the Nazi party with the extermination of millions and millions of lives… the extermination of the unwanted… the extermination of those deemed unworthy of life, would a Christian have voted that for party? Could Christians, in good conscience, sit back and do nothing, say nothing, and remain silent when millions and millions of screams went unheard by their executioners? Could they, in good conscience, vote for the Nazi party and say “Well, they may be allowing the destruction of millions and millions of lives, but I like what they stand for on other issues?” Remember that it was the Christian vote that put the Nazi party into power that made a difference and set into motion the annihilation and destruction of whole human race within Germany.

Again, we have an election coming up, and there is another “Final Solution” on the floor… the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision. There is an opportunity to overturn this decision. There are those politicians who seek to destroy it, and there are others who seek to protect it at all costs. They say that we can decide who is worthy of life and who is not… and that we have the right to kill any developing child who may be seen as an unwanted problem. Does this sound familiar?

What happened in Germany to human beings is HORRIFIC… ABOMINABLE. We said, “We would never want that to happen again!” We screamed in horror when we found human lives in mass burial graves and the condition of the men, women and children who were stick and bones because they were being starved to death. When we found countless bodies of those who had been tortured and mutilated beyond recognition, we said, “NO MORE! NEVER AGAIN!!!”
In 1984, Dr. Bernard Nathansan made a documentary film called “The Silent Scream” in which he showed through ultrasound the destruction of a human life in the womb. The film clearly shows a developing baby in the womb with hands moving, feet kicking, a well-formed head and face, eyes, and you can even see its little heart beating. There is one part in the film where the baby turns and looks right at the camera. It is a baby, and it is a human life that God has created.

A doctor goes on to perform an abortion on this baby while the camera is still rolling. The baby begins to move away from the suction tube, the tube that was probed into the woman in order to literally dismember the baby piece by piece. In a last effort, the baby begins moving with its open mouth away from this tube. It literally begins to shake and tremble violently as the doctor is trying to dismember it. Finally, the baby opens its mouth in a scream… a silent scream as it is being tortured, dismembered and put to death. This silent scream goes unheard by the baby’s own mother, who is allowing this to happen and has consented to it. We have a political party and politicians who endorse this.

What is happening in our country is FAR WORSE. Eleven million people died in Germany. World-wide, since Roe vs. Wade, over ONE BILLION babies in the womb were told their lives were not worthy because they were going to be deformed or were unwanted, so we have a “right” to KILL YOU. This is what the Nazis did to the mentally handicapped, the disabled, to those who had Down’s Syndrome, and the unwanted. They said, “You are not worthy of life” and they killed them. Roughly nine out of ten children in America today who have been prenatally diagnosed as having Down’s Syndrome are seen as unworthy of life and are put to death… nine out of ten. Remember the Germans justified their actions by saying “They weren’t human” and so we have a right to kill. What are we told in America about the baby in the womb? We are told, “It’s not a human life” and, therefore, we can be justified in killing it.

The REASONING of those who support “pro-choice” and abortion is the same reasoning as the German Nazi’s made for killing a whole race of people… the Jews and the unwanted. In the United States, there have been over 50,357,095 abortions and counting. Worldwide, there has been over 1,442,400,645 and counting... literally, by the second. By the time I finished writing this, there will have been over 250,000 babies killed by abortion. Literally, just now another two, and now another one, and another… You can get onto the Silent Scream website and they have a counter of how many children are being put to death. You are just watching the numbers go up before your very eyes. You want to yell out, “STOP IT!!! STOP IT!!!” Again, my point is, we can and our vote matters. WE CAN STOP IT!

We believe in God who is the LORD OF LIFE… all HUMAN LIFE which is SACRED, PRECIOUS, and UNREPEATABLE. This is our Faith. We are CHRISTIANS. Can we sit back and remain silent… and vote… knowing that our vote could cost the lives of these children who have a silent scream in the womb of their mothers as they are being put to death??? I don’t know how we can vote for that and remain a Christian. I don’t know what in the heck we can give as an excuse before God when He comes to judge us. I don’t see how we can say, “Well, they had all these other issues that I support.” Can we really stand before God and vote knowing this is a reality? If you can, God help your soul. You can’t say that a priest never told you. You can’t stand before God and say you didn’t know… because NOW YOU DO.

And what does God in the Person of Jesus Christ say about this… the One who comes to judge the living and the dead? He will come to judge our soul. What does He have to say about all of this? These are Jesus’ words, not mine:

"And he that shall receive one such little child in My Name, receiveth Me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy hand, or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:5-10)

What does the founder of Planned Parenthood have to say on this issue?
"The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." Margaret Sanger, Founder of Planned Parenthood, Women and the New Race (Eugenics Publ. Co., 1920)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus and His 12 Promises:

2011-09-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary and revealed devotions to His Sacred Heart. She was favoured with many apparitions, the most special ones took place between 1673 and 1675.

Jesus appeared as St. Margaret was praying before the Blessed Sacrament and revealed the Love of His Sacred Heart for humanity.

He requested her to receive Him in Holy Communion of the first Friday of every month and to meditate the passion on Thursdays between 11 and 12 p.m.

"And He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men."

As Good Catholics, we should honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus by doing this devotion for 9 consecutive Fridays and then by attending Holy Communion as often as possible, daily if our gift is such, we must enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our homes as Our King and also an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary our Mother and Queen.

We should also practice devotions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the First Saturdays of the months as she has requested through Sister Lucy.

THE 12 PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS:

"I promise you, in the excessive mercy of my heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they shall not die in my disgrace nor without receiving the sacraments; my divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in that last moment."

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.

St Margaret Mary Alacoque

You are not a wart on Christ's Body...You are a LIVING MEMBER of Christ's Body... the Church!

2011-08-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

"May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call." (Gospel Acclamation for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A)

Many of us do not reflect enough on the lives of the saints and how we are called by God to literally join in their number. I mean, could you imagine any of the angels saying "I don't need to sing at Mass or in Heaven... there are enough of other angels doing this for God" or a saint sitting back and saying "I don't need to give or sacrifice myself for others." That would be not only insane but also very much against everything Jesus said and taught us by His own example. He said very clearly: "Follow Me!"

I used to sit on the pew watching everyone else around me serve in the Church... the readers, the ushers, the altar servers, the extra-ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, those who helped clean and serve... and thought, in what way have I served the Church and given back to Christ for all that He has given to me? I gave so little... if at all. I then read in the bulletin how the pastor was asking help on a weekend to help put in landscaping for the parish. I finally got off the pew and decided to help. I had so much joy when I began to serve that I began to look for other opportunities.

Again, we are not a wart on Christ's Body~ No, we are living members called to give and serve~ each in the measure and according to the ability we have received from God for building up His Kingdom and serving for it. What would happen if your finger said: "I don't need to be a part of this body and serve it. There are enough fingers on this hand to do the job. There are other fingers who can do this." The moment the finger stops living as part of the body and separates itself from the rest of the body it will begin to die. The same is true of each of us.

Every single one of us has a role and function and work to do within the Church according to the ability God has given us! No one has an excuse... as much as every single part of your body has a function and purpose. God made the body this way to teach us about how we are to live and act as members of His Body... the Church.

Every single hair on your head has a purpose and function... it isn't just there for looks. It protects your head and keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer's heat. Every toe on your foot has a function... it helps to balance the whole body and helps your footing so you don't fall or loose your grip while walking along a precipice. Every vein has a function... it gets rid of harmful waste in the body ... every artery which provides health, nurishment and healing. Every single part of you has a purpose... except the wart. The wart is just a lump of flesh and just sits there. It is disgusting and has no purpose. It is a deformity.

But what about you? Are you merely existing as a wart on Christ's Body or do you serve in your church in at least one ministry? Even if you are young, you can go to a doration and intercede for other children that they may turn to God. If you are old and home-bound... you still have a function and God has still given you the gift of life for a purpose. Perhaps He is calling your soul amidst your aches and pains and arthritis to suffer and sacrifice as a living member of Christ's Body to suffer and intercede for the rest of the Body, the Church as Christ did from the Cross. But there is NO single person or parishioner who has an excuse not to serve and to give.... to share our time, talent, and treasure for the Kingdom of God! Don't sit on the bench.... the saints are calling out to you to join in their number!!!!

Are you looking for the treasure buried in a field???

2011-08-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

"Jesus said to His disciples: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13: 44)

What is this field like that Our Lord is speaking about and how do we find it? We must understand that this treasure is hidden and that we have to look for the signs to find the field where Our Lord has buried this treasure. This field, if we are to find it in this world, would be rejected by the vast majority of those living in it. It is barren, found in the desert, and off the beaten path and there are only few find it. It is full of thorns and thickets, and in the center of the field you would find a cross which marks the site of where the treasure is hidden. To this world, this field is not only worthless but it is also useless. To those who seek the Kingdom of God, it costs us everything and even if we had all the treasures of this world, it would not be enough to purchase this simple piece of dirt with a cross.

What am I talking about? SUFFERING and TRIBULATION... TRIALS and THE CROSS. We can find it every day of our life for those who know how to recognize it, but most of us toss it away and reject it. We don't want it and we throw it away as if it was just a dirty rag fit for garbage. Jesus clung to it and the soldiers could not pry His Body from it. I hunger for this in my soul because I know its fruits and how good it is for my soul, yet my flesh wants to run as far away from it as possible and wants nothing to do with it. I want to cling to Christ and to Him crucified. Apart from Him I find only ashes... but when I cling to Him and the cross He sends me, I find LIFE. The Tree of Life is the Cross.

The saints spent their life pursuing this field daily and toiled in it. They ask us to join them so that we can also share in the spoils of the treasure of grace found hidden here. St. Rose of Lima knew this field well and it quietly, sweetly beckoned her soul still deeper:

"Our Lord and Savior lifted up His voice and said with incomparable majesty: "Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to Heaven."
When I heard these words, a strong force came upon me and seemed to place me in the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud voice to people of every age, sex, and status: "Hear, O people; hear, O nations. I am warning you about the commandment of Christ by using words that came from His own lips: We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul."
That same force strongly urged me to proclaim the beauty of divine grace. It pressed me so that my breath came slow and forced me to sweat and pant. I felt as if my soul could no longer be kept in the prison of the body, but that it had burst its chains and was free and alone and was going very swiftly through the whole world saying:
"If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! Without doubt they would devote all their care and concern to winning for themselves pains and afflictions All men throughout the world would seek trouble, infirmities and torments, instead of good fortune, in order to attain the unfathomable treasure of grace. This is the reward and the final gain of patience. No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men." (From the writings of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin)

So, let's go back to our original question: Are you looking for this treasure buried in a field or are you avoiding it?

Read the Word of God daily!!!

2011-08-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

‎
"Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths."(Psalm 118:105)

Read more of Holy Scripture daily and meditate on it day and night so Our Lord can lead you by His Light.

Honor your Mother...

2011-08-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

If Jesus honored His own mother... shouldn't we!

Powerful prayer to the Holy Spirit... pray it daily!

2011-08-17T21:32:00.001-07:00

Come, O Holy Spirit!
Enlighten my mind to know your commands;
strengthen my heart against the snares of the enemy;
inflame my will…
I have heard your voice, and I don’t want to harden myself and resist, saying “Later…, tomorrow.”
Nunc coepi! Now I begin! In case there is no tomorrow for me.

O Spirit of truth and wisdom, Spirit of understanding and counsel, Spirit of joy and peace! I want whatever you want. I want because you want, I want however you want, I want whenever you want.

(From the writings of Josemaria Escriva)

ABBA!!! Yes, God is your Father and you must turn to Him in all things...

2011-08-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Take one step at a time with God the Father and do not focus on your weakness. You are but a little child and are weak. Lean on Him at all times and surrender to His Mercy if you fall along the way. He will strengthen you but you must do your best to avoid every form of darkness and to live in His LIGHT which He gave you in your Baptism.

Grow up and be a MAN

2011-08-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am really getting annoyed with all those "men" out there who continue to act like they are in middle school. You can tell by the type of photos they have of women on their Facebook accounts, by their comments, and how they treat them... with very little dignity and respect which is truly owed to them. They will sleep with just about any woman without even a blink of thinking of the responsibility that this holy act actually needs along with the commitment it entails when a child is a result.

Every child deserves a father who will be there for them along with a family to help them to grow in their spiritual life and in their basic needs as a human being. Not only this, but every woman deserves MORE from you... NOT less. Never treat a woman like they are cheap.

Women never let a man treat you less than you really are worth. You and every woman is worth the total SACRIFICE of a man who will lay down his life for you. Don't settle for less. The next time a man wants to be with you and is not willing to wait till marriage... tell him this: "HONEY! Do I LOOK like I am cheap? I am not the type of woman that you can get a cheap thrill with and then throw me away like I am a piece of toilet paper. I am worth a lot more than that and if you don't want something more but are willing to settle with something less with me, then you better best find someone else to waste your time with!"

The next time a man hits on you (if you are single), ask him this: "SO, what type of diapers do you prefer?" You will know exactly where he stands to his level of commitment and responsibility (and what he is really looking for) by the way he responds. You will know if you are dealing with someone who is merely a playboy and an act or if you are dealing with a real man who is seeking something more and is willing to make the commitment a real lasting relationship takes to keep.

At the same time, I don't just blame all the men out there. Women, you need to hold men accountable for the way men treat you. Be modest in your dress. Don't reveal anything of yourself that is meant for your future spouse and HIM ALONE!!! Don't bear yourself to all and have nothing left when you find the right man. Don't be like someone who gives out every rose petal of themselves to every person who comes across their path and then when they find the pearl of great price, they have nothing left to give but an empty and dead stem with thorns. Give the right person the whole YOU and don't settle for less. You are not cheap and you need someone who has grown up and is a real MAN!

2011-05-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

Divine Mercy Sunday

2011-04-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

How should we prepare for this great Feast of Mercy?

Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when "all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened". (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic Church.

Jesus promised that "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."(Diary 699) He went on to say "I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy." (Diary 1109)

We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy "Divine Mercy Sunday". We want you to benefit fully from these promises, and we also want you to notify all of your family and friends about them too and urge them to return to the practice of their faith!

The Image of The Divine Mercy, which Our Lord requested to be solemnly blessed and venerated on this day, will be on display in our church. Pope John Paul II said that the image portrays the Risen Jesus Christ bringing Mercy to the whole world. Our Lord said "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish". (Diary 341, 48) Please take the time to visit with this Image of The Divine Mercy and venerate Jesus.

Jesus said to St. Faustina "I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You". (Diary 327) "The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the cross. …Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him." (Diary 299)

About the feastday "Divine Mercy Sunday", Jesus said "…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy". (Diary 699)

Our Lord said "When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul…" and "Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy" (1602) Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is… only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest that I am making use of; open your soul in confession to Me, and I will fill it with My light." (1725)

It is required of all Catholics to confess their serious sins at least once every year. If you haven’t yet met this obligation then take advantage of this outstanding opportunity to receive an outpouring of an ocean of graces that Jesus promises on this day. Those who have already confessed their sins should make room for others.

The Church allows for one to go to Confession for up to about 20 days, before or after Divine Mercy Sunday.

Bulletin insert taken from the www.DivineMercySunday.com website and may be copied and re-produced without permission.

IF JESUS WERE TO APPEAR BEFORE ME, HOW MUCH WOULD I OFFER HIM AS MY LORD AND GOD?

2011-01-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

"And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:11)

It is interesting to note the dispositions of the three Magi when came before Our Lord's presence as a child: they prostrated themselves in adoration and opened their treasures. They didn't just bow down as if before an equal... they "adored Him" and then offered the best they had to give in recognition of who He is as Lord and God.

The gold offered to Christ the King revealed that they truly recognized Him as a King who deserved the best, not just some trinket or token of honor. Frankincense reveals the prayer and adoration that is owed to Him as God as the prophets of old would offer to God in the Temple. Myrrh, the bitter perfume, foretells of the bloody sacrifice that Christ will offer as Priest and Victim which will ultimately bring about His own death. They offered gifts appropriate to the thanksgiving and homage owed to the One they were coming before.

The question then arises of how do I repay the Lord in return for what He has given to me in my life? Is the offering I give Him in my weekly church offering or what is offered to the poor equal in degree to what I should truly give to Him?

The measure that we give is the measure of how thankful we are to Him and grateful for what He has already done for us.

I find that the majority of Christians offer Him merely our "leftovers". Serving as a priest on an Indian Reservation I see so many who run to the casino and waste hundreds of dollars or more each week, but when they come before the Lord who frees them from sin and offers them eternal Life... they give just a few bucks, or perhaps if they are really generous, a five dollar bill. But this isn't just something that goes on here... it is everywhere. How much do we spend on gifts at Christmas time and shopping for others or even for ourselves in a month on things we really don't need... but how much less we offer back to God in comparison. And we think He doesn't notice.

Jesus notices everything we offer Him. When He frequented the Temple, His Father's House, He watched the people putting their offerings into the collection:

And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living. (Mark 12 :41-44)

Again, it is interesting to note how the majority gave the "leftovers" from their abundance but the poor widow offered Him all that she had, even her whole living. I find that we give to the same degree that we recognize and love God and are thankful to Him. I also recognize how much I have to grow in this area as well. I need to be more like the woman who was a sinner who came before Our Lord's presence in the Pharisees house and washed Our Lord's feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and then kissed His feet and anointed them with a costly alabaster jar of ointment. Our Lord reproached Simon and told Him:

A certain creditor had two debtors, the one who owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most? Simon answering, said: I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him: Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. (Luke 7:41-47)

May we learn on this Feast of the Epiphany how to give and to be thankful to Our Lord in return for how much He has already graciously given to each of us.

HE IS A LIGHT THAT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS... BUT DO WE STILL PREFER THE DARKNESS OVER HIS LIGHT???

2010-12-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone." (Isaiah 9:1)

I have been reflecting on this particular reading from Midnight Christmas Mass and what it means in my life. God the Father sent His Son to take the darkness out of our lives. He sent His own little child into this dark world and into those who walked in darkness. He even sent His angels to proclaim this good news of His Son's coming not to those who were living holy and Godly lives but to the outcast... to those who actually lived in darkness.

Holy Scripture tells us that these angels appeared to the shepherds who were tending their flocks at NIGHT:

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord."

Now, in Holy Scripture everything has meaning... every word has significance. Notice that the shepherds were "keeping night watch". Shepherds were not nice men and pleasant to be around for the most part. People didn't like being near them and didn't want to associate with them so they put them in charge of their animals. They were crude and the outcasts of society... and yet God chose to reveal His most powerful message to them. Why?

I think it is because God wants to reveal His deep love for each and every single one of us. He wants to reach down right into our darkest night and reveal His Light and Glory! He comes to each of us to take away the darkness of our lives so that we might live in His Light.

He did not create us to be chained in prison. He did not create us for garbage and to eat scraps. He did not create us for us to remain in darkness. He came to give us Life that we might truly be free and no longer walk in darkness but walk now in His Light.

Oh how the darkness likes to cling to us... those terrible thoughts we might have of others, especially our enemies or those who hurt us. How we hold on to resentment. How easily we turn to the delights of this world and the things of the flesh that really only bind us in chains. But He came to free each of us from all of this. But do we really want to be free? Do we really want to live in LIGHT rather than darkness?

I had enough darkness and I don't want it anymore. I don't want even one spot of it in my mind, my heart or my soul. I want His Light to SHINE in me. But for His light to shine, I have to let go of the darkness.... all of it.

I remember going to a particular home for a house blessing here on the Indian Reservation where I serve and I walked into their son's room. There was half naked picture of a young woman on one wall and a crucifix on the other. I looked right at the young man and told him: "You can't have BOTH! You need to make a choice of what you really want but one of these has to come down. You can't be a Christian and still choose to live in darkness!"

Oh how easily we can make compromises with our own Faith just like that young man. We let the darkness in... the TV shows we watch, the movies that are not pleasing to God, the music about death and destruction, the impure images we let into the light of our eyes.... and thinking that nothing is wrong. We have to make a choice. Either we live in the light of God or we live in darkness, but WE CAN'T HAVE BOTH!!!!

As we approach New Year's Eve where the world turns back to darkness and away from the Light of God... to drunkenness and carousal... to the sins of the flesh... may you turn more to the Light of God all the more. This New's Year's Eve I will be celebrating a Mass at 11:00pm and will complete it with a Holy Hour before Our Lord's True Presence in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I will spend the first hour of the New year before HIM and I will be praying for you.

If you are still playing with darkness, turn away! Go back to the Light of God... go back to what this past Christmas is all about! You were made to be a light bulb... but what good are you if you choose to remain in the darkness and refuse to let His Light shine in you?

I pray that you begin to let His Light shine more and more each day in you until no more darkness remains.

Hey great is God's love for us shown through the Universe...

2010-04-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

Padre Pio

2010-03-05T13:02:00.001-08:00

COME BACK HOME!!!

2010-01-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

This note is for those who fail to go to Mass and Church on Sundays on a regular basis, for those who have turned away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation and haven't been in a long time and for those who have walked away from God and His Church:

"For from the days of your fathers, you have departed from My ordinances, and have not kept them: Return to Me, and I will will return to you, saith the Lord of hosts." (Malach.3:7)

Do not be afraid to come back home to your Faith. That connection that you need and that you desire that alone completes you can only be found in Christ... "Abide in Me and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me" (Jn 15:4). He waits for you to come back.

There was a long time where I had turned away from Him and the Church & Sacramental life. My life had really turned more than sour... actually more like dark vomit and I didn't realize what was missing in my life until I had a serious car accident after drinking and driving. I realized where my life was going without Him and it literally scared the HELL out of me because He revealed to me that this is where I was headed if I continued to run away from Him. I cried out that if I loved Him why would I be going to Hell. He let me know that I was choosing Hell by not letting Him deeply into my life. He told me that if He dwells in Heaven and I choose not to let Him in... what am I left with? There is only one other option if we aren't aiming for Heaven with God in our life. Christ reaches out to you with His Wounds to heal you and to forgive you but you have to WANT this. He won't force you to Heaven and won't pry open the door of you life with a crowbar. He waits for you to invite Him in and to come back to His Church. All it takes is for you to go to Confession and be absolved from your sins. One simple step... and it is nothing in comparison to what it cost Our Lord to make this available to you. There is an OCEAN of His Mercy waiting to be poured upon you... you just have to dive in.

Are Catholic Doctrine & Dogma REALLY that important???

2009-11-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

~ These aren't just "nice" words in a book.

This conversation came from a question started by a friend from a Catholic group on Facebook who is seeking to join the Catholic Church but was wondering if all the doctrine was important to believe or if some of it could be rejected. I think the question is important enough to share with others...

From my own perspective, doctrine and dogma were dry chaff to me for the most part of my life until I went through a major conversion. It just seemed like "stuff" I had to know but it had very little meaning for me. But after a serious car accident and realize where my life was going without a real relationship with God and being serious about following Him (the ominous and dreadful thought that I would be headed there if I died without seriously changing my way of life), the Faith really came together and actually started to make sense. Doctrine and Dogma isn't there just for the fun of it or just because it is man putting it out there to point to what they think we should believe. It is based on REALITY and therefore we really do need to pay heed to it. There might be a lot that you don't agree with at first or struggle with, but be patient and ask Our Lord to increase your faith and understanding.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
170 We do not believe in formulas, but in those realities they express, which faith allows us to touch. "The believer's act [of faith] does not terminate in the propositions, but in the realities [which they express]." All the same, we do approach these realities with the help of formulations of the faith which permit us to express the faith and to hand it on, to celebrate it in community, to assimilate and live on it more and more.

Let me give you a concrete example of what I am talking about...

The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is a Divine Person who had 2 natures, human and divine. Let's take a look at what happens if we just say, "Well, that is find and dandy but that doesn't mean a hill of beans to me or my walk with Our Lord." But ACTUALLY it does mean a lot if you are Christian and we need to understand WHY this is important and that this must be a reality or we are really doomed.

If Jesus was just a human person, then we don't have a Redeemer... but only a fallen man just like the rest of us who just lived a good life. Heaven could not be opened by a someone who only had a fallen human nature. Furthermore, the pains of sin not only offend others... it greatly offends God who is infinite and so the punishment due for those sins... is well.... DEADLY and ETERNAL (Sin separates us from God forever). So, the only antidote would be for God to pay our debt because we are talking about an offense that has eternal consequences and infinite debt that we on our own could not possibly pay back what is due. But there is another problem, God doesn't owe any debt to Himself and He did not cause the offense... we did it and we need to pay it. So, we are in a terrible fix. We did it but cannot pay back the debt we owe God for our offenses to Him, and God alone can pay the debt but that is a cause for injustice because we are the one's who did the damage. So, God in His Wisdom became one of us... took on the fullness of human nature, was born as a child and became man. This man who is a Divine Person (Jesus) had the human nature to pay the debt that we owe and had the Divine Power and Authority to actually pay the debt that was due through His own suffering and death so that we could pass from death to life.

All the doctrine and dogma are like this... they fall on top of one another like dominoes and are based on reality. We can't just pick and choose which aspects of the Faith we want to accept or reject... because the moment we begin to pick and choose, we are following what we want and are no longer walking by faith according to what God has revealed and asks us to believe. We would be living in our own opinions.

1814 Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith "man freely commits his entire self to God." For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith "work[s] through charity."

"In short, what I'm wondering, would my agnostic character prevent me from being accepted in the congregation of the Catholic Church?"

~ Does your agnostic character prevent you from being accepted into the Catholic Church? Well, if you don't believe in God would it really matter? I mean you wouldn't want to live a lie and say I am part of a Church and a Faith but I don't believe in it. God knows you heart and whether or not you desire to follow Him. If you are seeking Him even if you don't know Him yet but you want to, then by all means join us. But if you have no interest in believing and don't want to, then really there is no point.

If you have a desire to believe in God and want to follow Him but aren't there yet, then you already have the beginnings of Faith and you can build on this by entering into the Catholic Church. You don't have believe everything in the beginning of your journey, but you do need to be open to not rejecting it outright and begin to cultivate your Faith. There is no harm in just going to the Catholic instructional classes called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) and learning about what the Catholic Church teaches and believes. If you don't want to accept it, you can always leave and not join. If you want to believe it and seek understanding it, you can join and grow with us as long as you never knowingly reject anything we believe.

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TRICK or treat ???

2009-10-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

"Happy Halloween!" ...so the saying goes but is it? What is the focus? Seems to me by just a reflection on my own experiences of Halloween and the images given during this time of the year that the focus is death, the macabre, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and, of course, the demonic. Of course all of this focus is hidden underneath a sweet and seemingly innocent fun atmosphere of getting candy, dressing up, and going crazy.

By the way, I randomly picked this picture up from a google search and I don't think what I find hidden in this picture was done intentionally by any means and this only emphasizes my point all the more.... there is something hidden underneath which we must be very wary of. Notice whose image is at the center of the photo, which no one here realizes of who they are in the midst of while they are just having "fun".

I am not saying all of Halloween is completely evil. It gives me food for thought of what I would really be left with if I did not have a life in Christ... impurity, seemingly "good fun", partying, ghosts, ghouls and goblins... death, decay, and of course demons. I used to party like that before my conversion and thought nothing of it. Now it is crystal clear of what my life without God would be like... Halloween. But there is a trick but no treat at the end of this game.

I don't think it is a mere coincidence that Halloween occurs on the eve of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (the day after). It is like looking at a coin and figuring out which side we really want to be focused on... heads or tails. One way leads up and the other... well. I will keep my eyes focused on Christ lest I fall where many have before me.

"I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you."

2009-10-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

“The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John looked towards Him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’ And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned, looked at them following and said, ‘What are you seeking?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi’ ~ which means Teacher~ ‘where do you live?’ He replied, ‘Come and see;’’ so they went and saw where He lived, and stayed with Him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Immediately Andrew found his brother and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ ~ which means the Christ~ and he took Simon to Jesus.” (John 2:35-42a)

~ How can we witness and teach about having a relationship with God if we don’t really take the time in our own daily life to really know Him personally? Notice I didn’t say taking time to get to know ABOUT Him, but really, personally know HIM. We have been called by God to teach and to catechize others so that they can come to know Him and encounter Him in their own lives.

I could read a book about a person and tell you all about their life history and their teachings, but it is still pretty much dried out chaff in comparison to if I shared my own personal experiences with this person, if I really took the time and effort to actually meet and come to know them personally. It becomes real ~ Living and Effective~ when I share my own personal witness to what I am teaching. This is when others could say, “Wow, I really wish I could come to know this person and meet them personally like you have.” How excited would they become if, in the middle of your teaching and class, you said, “Would you like to meet this person I have been talking about? Would you like me to introduce you to my Friend?” But how do we open ourselves to really come to know Him and encounter Him?

A friend of mine takes his lunch break from his office in order to go to confession and Mass. One time a homeless man came up to him and asked him for some money. My friend told him this, “I will give you ten dollars, but I will only give it to you if you come to Mass with me.” The homeless man quickly followed my friend and sat next to him in the pew and remained silent throughout the Mass. Once the Mass was over, my friend pulled out a $10 bill and was getting ready to hand it over to the homeless guy, but the man, with tears in his eyes, said, you already gave something to me worth more than $10. I don’t need the money anymore. My friend came to find out that this homeless man used to be a practicing Catholic and had left the Church a long time ago. This one act of kindness and openness to God, brought this other soul back to Him. Every day after that my friend would see that homeless man at that same Mass with a smiling face.

There was another time when my friend would go at three in the morning in downtown Houston to an abandoned warehouse to do ministry with the hardcore homeless. Some Baptist preachers heard about my friend and asked one day if they could join him. My friend told them they could on one condition: they could not bring their wallets and no expensive jewelry. The Baptist ministers met my friend and the designated place and they proceeded into the warehouse. On the way out they were held up at gunpoint. The man asked them to take out their wallets and take off their watches. The ministers proceeded to give the man their wallets and reluctantly their gold Rolex watches as well. My friend began to laugh because he knew God was testing these other men and at the situation they had placed themselves in by their disobedience to what was asked of them. The ministers began cursing and swearing at my friend and they all departed. A few weeks later one of the Baptist ministers called up my friend and began to apologize for the way he and the other ministers had acted. He pointed out that my friend had acted in a Christian manner in letting them come but they did not. After speaking on the phone for a while, the minister asked this: “Do you mind me asking you a simple question? Something in Scripture has been bothering me and I can’t figure it out. Jesus says, ‘Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you do not have life within you.’ What does He mean by this?”

Now my friend, very easily could have instructed this minister all about the Eucharist, the Mass and what this teaching was, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked at his watch and said, “Do you have about an hour to spare right now?” The minister did. He then told him to get into his car and proceed to St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church which was close to where he was and go inside for the Mass. After the Mass, he told him to go into the Perpetual Adoration Chapel and spend time there in silence. My friend said he would only speak to him about this passage after he did this. About 2 hours later the minister called back, crying, asking what it would take for him to become a Catholic.

My friend very easily could have just taught and instructed the minister but he didn’t. He stepped out of the way and let this man encounter the living presence of God. There is no teaching as powerful as experiencing God in our own life, of opening ourselves up to meet Him and draw others towards Him too. But where can we come to encounter Him???

PRAYER ~ We need to have a time to get away from everything and everyone and to go into deep silence. This is not the time to add your own prayers where you are talking and making interior noise… but SILENCE… complete and total silence.

“When we sit quietly in private prayer, we eventually face our true selves and the living God. This can be frightening for someone who has not faced himself and is afraid of what he or she might find out. It is also frightening for someone is afraid of God. Some of us, we might be afraid to admit, are afraid of coming into His Presence.

We might not pray because we are afraid that past hurts and pains buried in our own hearts will surface. We have to face ourselves. It is no accident that the spiritual masters have said that the spiritual journey begins with self-knowledge. When the mess that lies within each one of our hearts surfaces, it is painful to deal with. {This is why so many are terrified to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.} But facing ourselves is essential for a deep inner healing. We can’t begin our journey with the Living God without it.” (from “The Joy of Priesthood” by Fr. Stephen J. Rossetti, pp. 37-38)

In prayer we have the capacity to make a free and total gift of ourselves before God. When we come before Him as we are, we allow Him to touch us, to heal us, to prune us, to guide us, to give us a new heart and a new spirit. We allow Him to love us completely and entirely so that we can learn to love others in the same way.

When I pray vocal prayers, do I really place my complete and entire self into them? Do I pray from my heart to Him and know that He is listening or am I just repeating words?

ADORATION ~ We need to realize that He REMAINS IN HIS TRUE PRESENCE for us to come to Him. We waits for you. It is Him!

CONFESSION~ Open your wounds, let Him touch and heal the ugliness we hold back from Him so that He can forgive and heal our soul. Do not deprive Him of this joy. Could you imagine your own child falling off their bike or seriously hurting themselves and then run away from you when you have the desire to comfort them and heal them and protect them from hurting themselves again?

SCRIPTURE~ Take the Bible off your bookshelves… wipe off the dust and open it. Sit at Our Lord’s feet and listen to Him speak to you. Let Him teach you.

EUCHARIST~ Do you know WHO it is you are receiving? How do we receive Him? Story of paralytic receiving Our Lord on his knees. Ex opere operato/ex opera operantis Do we offend Him by receiving Him in a state of serious sin? If we don’t forgive, hold on to riches, anger, resentment, lust… we can block Him out.

KEEPING HIS COMMANDS, LISTENING TO HIS VOICE AND ACTING UPON IT~

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me. And he that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas saith to Him, not the Iscariot: Lord, how is it, that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered, and said to him: If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make our home within him.” (Jn 14:21-23)

Reflection Questions:

Do I find that spend more time trying to convince and teach others about God rather than drawing them to encounter Him in their own life? Do I honestly allow God to love me as I am… warts and all? Do I hide from Him or am I afraid to reveal myself to Him? Do I seek to encounter Him in my daily life? How? Are there other ways He is asking me to come to Him in a deeper way? After I avail myself to be loved by God, do I honestly try to love others in my life in the same way, even my enemies? Do I pray for my enemies and suffer for them? When I pray vocal prayers, do I really place my complete and entire self into them? Do I pray from my heart to Him and know that He is listening or am I just repeating words?

"Lord, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing..."

2009-10-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

“And it came to pass, that when the multitudes pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Genesareth. He saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon's, He desired him to put back a little from the shore. And sitting He taught the multitudes out of the ship. Now when he had ceased to speak, He said to Simon: Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch. But Simon answering said to Him: ‘Lord, we have worked hard all night, and have caught nothing: but at Thy word I will let lower the net.’

And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking.” (Luke 5:1-8)

~ What would it be like at the end of your life when you stand before Our Lord and He asks for you to lower the net of your life to see what is inside… what souls you have brought to Him throughout your life? Would that net be empty or full? I remember one priest sharing with me what it would be like going into Heaven into this huge auditorium and seeing Our Lord with the angels and saints greeting me at my first entrance in (assuming I make it there, of course). But as I look around, will I see any empty seats? Will I say: “Hey, where is my spouse and children, where is my brother or my sister, where are my friends, my students, my co-workers?” Will Our Lord respond: “I gave you the opportunity to bring them towards Me but you didn’t. You chose not to let Me into your relationship with them.”

Again, it is impossible for us to catch a soul. We can’t touch or move souls, but God can. For Him it is easy. He knows how to touch each and every soul and draw us closer to Himself. He knows our wounds and how to heal them. He knows what we are really long for and how to satisfy the deepest thirst and desires within each one of us. He knows how to catch souls. He can teach us how to do it, or rather, will we allow Him to touch them through us?

“But at Thy word I will lower the net.” To catch souls we need to be open to listen to the voice of the Master. He is THE TEACHER. Remember and heed these words: “Apart from Me you can do NOTHING.”

Reflection Questions:

Do I take time to put a little out from shore by getting away in solitude on a regular basis with Our Lord and allow Him to teach me? Do I make time in my life to go on retreats, for at least one weekend a year? As a disciple, do I allow Our Lord to instruct me and teach me from Holy Scripture? Do I ever allow myself to go out into the DEEP in prayer and silence before Our Lord? Do I listen for His direction and wait for it? Do I work for Him and under His direction or do I see someone else as my boss? Do I seek the salvation of souls and pray those whom God has placed in my life? Do I honestly try to draw souls closer to Him and am I open to allow Our Lord to work in and through me?

Nunc Coepi! Right Now!

2009-10-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Kingdom of God is at hand! It is within you!
"In Heaven my soul" ~ Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). And He saith to them: Come ye after Me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. And they immediately leaving their nets, followed Him.” (Matthew 4:17-20)

It is very important to realize that God is calling you, calling your soul, to come CLOSER to Him. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is not yesterday in what you could or should have done… it is not tomorrow so that you can put it off later… it is NOW. Right now… and God is waiting for your response. To enter into the Kingdom of God which lies within your soul, you have to respond right now… every moment that God calls you and guides you, every time He knocks. Our Lord means what He says in Scripture:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man shall hear My voice, and open the door to Me, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and He with me.” (Rev. 3:20)

Repent… in other words, open yourself up to change and draw closer to Him. Turn away from darkness and sin and turn closer towards Him. What are the obstacles in your heart that are keeping you from letting Him enter? Is there any anyone you haven’t forgiven from your heart… no matter how far back in the past this happened? Something you can’t seem to let go of? Any sin you don’t want to let go of? This blocks Him from entering in through the door of your soul. You need to remove it or let it go. Sin is NOT an obstacle for Him but you holding on to it can be. Remember, He came to dine with sinners. He can move through walls. But you alone can keep Him out by keeping the stone shut tight across your heart. He won’t force Himself in. He won’t pry the door open with a crowbar. He has to be invited. If you don’t make room for Him in your life He can’t enter:

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

It is interesting to note that when Our Lord states the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, that He immediately begins to call His disciples. He says, “Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men.” It is as if He his telling them, come after Me, let Me teach you and form you, and I will show you how to touch souls. I will make you fishers of men.

Look at the person next to you right now. Can you touch their soul? You may help them grow in knowledge, you can teach them about many things, but can you touch their soul and impact their soul deep enough for them to desire Heaven? Can you touch any of your students’ souls, your spouses’, your children’s? This is key… to know that we can’t. For us, it is impossible but for God it is so easy… easier than drinking water. But how can this happen?

Notice what happens in this Gospel passage right after He says “Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men”. What happens? The disciples immediately left their nets and followed Him. In other words, Our Lord needs from you complete docility and openness, to be like a sponge… open and ready to receive from Him. He asks for a complete and total surrender. He says to you… “COME”. You cannot wait or be hesitant. The Kingdom of God is at hand… nunc coepi… RIGHT NOW!

Please spend the rest of this hour in silence. Open your heart to Him.

Reflection Questions:
What are the obstacles you have in your heart that may be shutting Him out? Are there any sins you have not let go of, is there anyone you have not forgiven from your heart? Are you open and docile to responding to Him immediately when He calls you? Is your heart open like a sponge to receive His instructions and direction? Do you make time to listen to His voice? Is the “inn” of your heart too full of materialism, the TV, the radio, the computer and internet, too much business, doing too many things, too much time on my cell phone to make time for Him? Is there room in the “inn” of my heart for Him? Is my heart empty of these things so He can fill them with Himself?

Do you wish God would say something to you???

2009-09-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

"In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son." Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect, and unsurpassable Word. In Him He has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:

In giving us His Son, His only Word (for He possesses no other), He spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word~ and He has no more to say... because what He spoke before to the prophets in parts, He has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending Him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church #65)

How to make a good choice: relationships, jobs, or other....

2009-07-31T09:18:00.001-07:00

"I seek to do God's will in my life and to surrender to it especially in the realms of relationships. My question, how does one truly discern that a particular relationship or even the choice of a career path is what God wants for us? How can I truly differentiate between my desire and how 'it all appears to be working as if it were God's desire' and it truly being God's desire for me?"

~ First of all, if one honestly and sincerely desires to grow in holiness and do God's will, there is no substitute for spiritual direction. A good and holy spiritual director can help you cut through the deceptions that arise from self and from the deceptions of the evil spirits. It is very, very easy to deceive ourselves and there have been countless saints, Doctors of the Church, and Popes who continually encourage souls to seek this means of growth in holiness.

If you cannot find a good and holy spiritual director, we need to turn to the rules for discernment of spirits. First of all, you can know a tree by its fruits. Does this decision help you to grow in holiness, closer to God, help you to grow in virtue and will it hinder you soul at all from these?

Here are three occasions when a wise and good choice can be made (by St. Ignatius of Loyola):

The FIRST OCCASION is when God Our Lord moves and attracts the will so that the devout soul, without question and without desire to question, follows what has been manifested to it. St. Paul and St. Matthew did this when they followed Christ our Lord.

The SECOND OCCASION is present when one has developed a clear understanding and knowledge through the experience of consolations and desolations of diverse spirits (evil vs. good spirits, self, the world).

The THIRD OCCASION is in a time of tranquility. Here one considers first for what purpose man is born, which is to praise God our Lord and to save his soul. Since he desires to attain this end, he chooses some life or state within the bounds of the church that will help him in the service of God our Lord and the salvation of his soul. I said "a time of tranquility," when the soul is not agitated by diverse spirits, and is freely and calmly making use of its natural powers.

~ If a choice has not been made on the First or Second Occasion, below are given two methods of making it during the Third Occasion:

THE FIRST METHOD OF MAKING A WISE AND GOOD CHOICE CONTAINS SIX POINTS:

1) To place before my mind's eye the thing on which I wish to make a choice. It may be an office or an benefice to be accepted or refused, or anything else that is the object of a mutable choice.

2) I must have as my aim the end for which I am created, which is the praise of God our Lord and the salvation of my soul. At the same time I must remain indifferent and free from any inordinate attachments so that I am not more inclined or disposed to take the thing proposed than to reject it, nor to relinquish it rather than to accept it. I must rather be like the equalized scales of balance, ready to follow the course which I feel is more for the glory of praise of God our Lord and the salvation of my soul.

3) I must ask God our Lord to deign to move my will and to reveal to my spirit what I should do to best promote His praise and glory in the matter of choice. After examining the matter thoroughly and faithfully with my understanding, I should make my choice in conformity with His good pleasure and His most Holy Will.

4) I will use my reason to weigh the many advantages and benefits that would accrue to me if I held the proposed office or benefice solely for the praise of God our Lord and the salvation of my soul. I will likewise consider and weigh the disadvantages and dangers that there are in holding it. I will proceed in like manner with the other alternative, that is, examine and consider the advantages and benefits as well as the disadvantages and dangers in not holding the proposed office or benefice.

5) After having thus weighed the matter and carefully examined it from every side, I will consider which alternative appears more reasonable. Acting upon the stronger judgment of reason and not on any inclination of the senses, I must come to a decision in the matter that I am considering.

6) After such a choice or decision has been reached I should turn with great diligence to prayer in the presence of God our Lord and offer Him this choice that His Divine Majesty may deign to accept and confirm it, if it be to His greater service and praise.

THE SECOND METHOD OF MAKING A WISE AND GOOD CHOICE CONTAINS FOUR RULES AND A NOTE:

THE FIRST RULE is that the love which moves me and causes me to make this choice should come from above, that is from the love of God, so that before I make my choice I will feel that the greater or lesser love that I have for the thing chosen is solely for the sake of my Creator and Lord.

THE SECOND RULE is to consider some man that I have never seen or known, and in whom i wish to see complete perfection. Now I should consider what I would tell him to do and choose for the greater glory of God our Lord and the greater perfection of his soul. I will act in like manner myself, keeping the rule that I have proposed for another.

THE THIRD RULE is to consider that if I were at the point of death, what form and procedure I would wish to have observed in making this present choice. Guiding myself by this consideration, I will make my decision on the whole matter.

THE FOURTH RULE is to examine and consider who I shall be on the day of judgment, to think how I shall then wish to have made my decision in the present matter. The rule which I should then wish to have followed, I will now follow, that I may on that day be filled with joy and delight.

NOTE: Taking the above mentioned rules as my guide for eternal salvation and peace, I will make my choice and offer myself to God our Lord, following the sixth point of the first method of making a choice.

Immaculate Heart of Mary... Pray for us

2009-06-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

The 15 Promises of Our Lady to Christians Who Recite the Rosary

Whoever shall faithfully serve Me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
I promise My special protection and the greatest graces to all who shall recite the Rosary.
The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
The soul which recommends itself to Me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful in reciting the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
I shall deliver from purgatory, those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
You shall obtain all you ask of Me by the recitation of the Rosary.
All those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by Me in their necessities.
I have obtained from My Divine Son, that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors, the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
All who recite the Rosary are My sons, and brothers of My only son Jesus Christ.
Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus and His 12 Promises:

2009-06-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary and revealed devotions to His Sacred Heart. She was favoured with many apparitions, the most special ones took place between 1673 and 1675.

We should also practice devotions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the First Saturdays of the months as she has requested through Sister Lucy.

THE 12 PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS:

St Margaret Mary Alacoque

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free"

2009-06-19T14:49:00.001-07:00

A lot of us play games in our lives with God and do not live in the truth. The lies in prison us and we will never know true freedom until we truly begin to confront ourselves with the fullness of the truth. Here is a scene from Shawshank Redemption that testifies that the truth will indeed set us free... (foul language)

The way "The Carol of the Bells" was meant to be played...

2009-06-17T21:08:00.001-07:00

Give Me Your Eyes So That I Can See...

2009-06-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

2009-06-16T20:12:00.001-07:00

Bring It On Home To Me...

2009-06-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

The INVITATION...

2009-03-26T10:45:00.001-07:00

Let's say that the Most Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit~ Three Divine Persons in one true God~ sent you an INVITATION to spend the entire day with them. Let's suppose that God desired to spend the day with you just like when He did with His first children, Adam and Eve, before the fall into sin, where He was accustomed to walking in the garden with them.

Deep inside us we have a yearning for this to happen. There is a reason why we have this burning desire. We are made in the image and likeness of God. He completes us and there is a deep hole, there will always be something missing in our lives until this takes place.

The thing about this reality of our desire to walk with God in our daily life and God's desire for us, is that it isn't just a matter of walking with us for one day. Nor is it about Him walking with us EVERYDAY. It is all about God's burning desire to LIVE within us every moment of our lives... every second of every day.

This INVITATION is REAL and God waits for your response. You can dismiss the invitation and say "this can't be real". You can turn away from daily Mass and even Sunday Mass where God desires to give you His Life through the Body and Blood of His Son in the Eucharist. You can even choose to remain in darkness, sin and the mire of our wounds by turning away from His Mercy and Forgiveness. God won't stop you, but His INVITATION is still there for the taking for whoever wants it.

How do we know this invitation is real? Let's see what God says to us in Scripture. Remember this isn't some apostle's or disciple's version of what they think God is saying... this is Jesus speaking directly to us in Sacred Scripture:

"He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me. And he that loveth Me, shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him." (John 14:21)

"Jesus answered, and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our home within him." (John 14:23)

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, in her Last Retreat says this about God's desire to REMAIN in us:

"Remain in Me." It is the Word of God who gives this order, expresses this wish. Remain in Me, not for a few moments, a few hours which must pass away, but "REMAIN..." permanently, habitually, Remain in Me, pray in Me, adore in Me, love in Me, suffer in Me, work and act in Me. Remain in Me so that you may be able to encounter anyone or anything; penetrate further still into the depths..."

This invitation, this communication of God's own life within the Most Holy Trinity is called GRACE. It is a free gift. Again, we can deny it, run away from it, throw it away and dismiss it, but it there for those who want it. Grace won't leave you either. It is always there waiting for you in your daily life to respond to.

For most of my life, I ran away from this invitation and denied it was there. I thought I could be happy with other things... with drugs, with alcohol, with sleeping around and lusting after women. But the more I sought these things, the emptier I became. There was a deep hole within me that longed to be filled and I thought the things of this world could fill it, but the more I tried to fill it with these things, the emptier I became. There came a point in my life where I had become so empty that I was getting drunk every night. Well, on one particular night I remember sitting at a bar and was waiting to hit on a woman... but that never came. So I got in my car to leave. I remember being so drunk that I blacked out. The next thing I knew I was lying on the floor of my room in pool of my own vomit and wondered how I got home. I had the keys of my dad's car in my hand but I didn't remember making it home. But here I was.

I was thinking of where my life was headed without God. My life was completely empty. I knew in the depths of my being that if I had died on that very day that I was going to Hell. I cried out to God on why He would reject me... why would He send me to Hell??? He responded. He told me, "I am not sending you. You are sending yourself to Hell. I gave you an invitation and wanted to be a part of your life, but you are the one who is rejecting My invitation. You are sending yourself to Hell."

I realized what it was that was missing in my life and I wanted it back. The thing about all of this is that I grew up and was raised Catholic. I used to go to a Catholic grade school, I received all the Sacraments. I even remember serving as an alter boy at Mass and as the priest would elevate the Eucharist I KNEW that this was truly JESUS and that He wanted to LIVE IN ME. But as I grew up, I started to seek other things in this world and made them more important than Him in my life. Once I started to skip one Sunday Mass... it was such an easy step after that to stop going to Confession, to start missing every Mass... and eventually to let go of God completely in my life. When you start letting go of God... there is a real darkness and emptiness that starts coming in and until we let go of the darknesss in Confession and invite Him back in... that emptiness will only continue to grow until eventually it destroys you completely. That was where I was headed without God and wanted it to stop.

So, I ran to the Confessional (I didn't want to postpone it and die in that state of darkness) and let it all go. I made a comitment to God that I would NEVER miss a Sunday Mass ever again. I don't want to miss Heaven and my life with God anymore. Eventually I wanted more and more of God. Once you accept the INVITATION, He invades your soul and makes His HOME with you and you want more and more and more.... So I started to go even to daily Mass, started praying the Rosary, I got all the things in my room and my life that were opposed to my life in God and I put them in a barrel and burnt them all. All the "girly posters" that I used to be fond of, all the music that was disturbing peace in my soul, all the music with lyrics that were opposed to my life with God, all the books that brought darkness into my life... I destroyed it all. I had a new life within me and I also knew that my former way of life had to die completely too.

After I had my conversion, I had this realization that I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Either I am a Child of God or I am not... I can no longer live a lie. If I am a Child of God, then I need to start living like it. I also realized that if I am God's Child than I also need to start coming to know Him in a real with and have a REAL relationship with Him. It is no longer good enough to pray thinking God being so far away and just waving to Him from a distance.... I need to pray in order to come to know Him in a real way and allow Him to come to know me as His Child. I also came to understand that what kind of Father who really loves His child doesn't want to speak with them? If God does love me, I need to be open to allowing Him to speak with me. So, I began entering into prayer as a Child waiting to LISTEN. I continued to wait and wait and wait... God desires me to approach Him with FAITH and to BELIEVE that He truly desires to speak to me... so He patiently waits for my Faith to grow so that He can respond. And HE DID.

This INVITATION isn't just for me... it is there for you. God always gives you His grace... He doesn't stop. But it is up to each one of us to RESPOND. We can ignore it or deny it... but it is always there waiting for YOU. God waits for your response.

Why is there a HELL???

2009-03-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

I will explain my views on Hell from my own experience with God and from my Catholic upbringing. The answer lies off of belief in God. If you don't believe in God, Hell will probabaly never make sense, but then again, neither will life that is really messed up. For example, just a few days ago I was sent to the hospital for a little tiny 3 month old baby that was in critical condition. When I got to the Emergency Room they were doing shock treatment to try to get it's little heart beating again. The little baby had severe bruising on its head, both ears and arm. I was wondering how could such a little one have suffered so much. The baby's mother was crying hysterically... the father was no where to be found. After they called the time of death... then steps in the father who looks very coldly to his own dead baby from a distance, and then simply walks out with no emotion. It was one of the few times in my life where I literally fealt "complete darkness" within another person. It then hit me like a ton of bricks of what had happened and I was hoping that this was just my own imagination at work. I came to find out that the father had indeed crushed his own little baby's skull. How can there be a Hell? I think the answer lies in how can something like this take place on earth where a little baby is supposed to be loved and protected by its own father.

As a Christian who is Catholic, I don't believe we were created to live "Hell" on earth either. I see so many lives ruined by suicide, alcoholism, drugs, sex that is supposed to be love between two people turned into something violent and grotesque... and worse. Why the rapes, the abortions, the murder, the hatred of self and others, the vulgarity and hatred in words and actions, beating the hell out of others, and on and on and on. This is the beginning of Hell on earth and I don't think those who choose this as a way of life will see a good place unless they desire to change.

God did not create us for death, darkness, and a hell bent desire for destruction. But when we take Him out of the picture and out of our lives, what are we left with but misery? God sent His only Son to suffer and die to take this darkness out of our lives and to give us life... the option is there for the taking for those who want it which means there is another option for those who don't.

God never sends anyone to Hell and does not condemn anyone. We condemn ourselves but shutting Him out of our lives. If we shut the light out... we are left with darkness. If we are sick and choose not to go to the Physician, how can we ever expect to be healed?

I was thinking about my own life and where I was headed with my drinking problem and disordered desire for sex without ever thinking about the dignity and respect of the other person I was with... it left an emptiness in me and it grew the more I did it. After my car accident I realized I was going to a very bad and dark place forever if I had died without changing my life. I was literally headed for destruction. God spoke to my heart and I asked Him why...why would I be going to Hell if He loved me? He answered with this... "I am not sending you... you are cutting me out of your life and I am the source of life. When you cut yourself off from the very source of your life and happiness, what do you expect to be left with? I sent My own Son to suffer and die for you but you don't want Him in your life... you are chosing death... I chose you for life."

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."612 Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren.613 To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."

Why did God make you?

2009-03-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

What are the greatest wonders of the world???

2009-03-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

I just love thinking about this.

Dedicated to lukewarm Catholics and Christians...

2009-02-26T23:04:00.000-08:00

I used to (before my conversion and calling to the priesthood) go to bars on the weekends, get drunk, try to sleep with a lot of women and then go to Mass like nothing was wrong. "I am a Christian who has faith", I thought to myself. I love God and want to go to Heaven. Funny thing was, I wasn't serious enough about my faith to change my life and I did not smell the burning sulpher underneath the lie I was living before God and others. God did love me and He wanted me to go to Heaven, but my life's choices said something else.

God takes our free will seriously. He does not force us to change, to turn away from sin, and follow Him. We can take it or leave it. Thing of it is, when we choose not to take God seriously we have to understand there is only one other place to go... and it is NOT HEAVEN.

The Lenten Journey....

2009-02-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

"Jesus turned and said: 'Follow Me.'"

My thoughts on the Lenten Journey:

Let's say that you had the opportunity to really walk with Jesus through the desert for 40 days... but on this journey, He asks you to follow Him... really and truly.... and not just for these Forty Days. This is the BEGINNING of your journey with Him. Would you be serious about it or just brush it off and say, "Well, I can change my life anytime. I will offer something up but if You are REALLY asking me to FOLLOW YOU, well, I am not ready to that just yet."

Jesus will wait... He is very patient. But as a Christian, as a Catholic, a Christian literally MEANS one who follows Christ. It isn't just a nice word. He means what He says: "Follow Me."

This is what Lent is ALL about. Really and truly taking these 40 days to be off alone in the desert with Jesus... to deny ourselves, take up our cross and to follow Him. Jesus was very serious when He said, beginning His ministry... "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." We need to seriously take that call to no longer hold on to the way of the world and beginning the only Way, God's Way, to eternal life. This means, no more getting drunk, no more sleeping around, no more pornography, no more cursing or swearing, no more being disrespectful to our parents or anyone with authority, no more fighting or arguing...and to truly begin to love others with Christ's love. This is not easy.... but then again... this is Lent and this is what it means to be a Christian.

Lent is not just about turning away from sin and darkness in all its forms. It is primarily aboud doing this so that we can come CLOSER TO GOD. This would include but not limited to:

~ Taking more time every day to be alone with God in prayer. Prayer is not primarily speaking to God, but more caught up with LISTENING to Him, being led by Him in our daily life. Remember this when you are going to meet Him. He desires to speak with you.

~ Take time to adore Him and literally be before Him in His True Presence in Adoration. Take at least one hour each week to be with Him in this most unique way of being before Him face to face. Jesus asks us at His agony in the garden... "Can you not spend one hour with Me?"

~ Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and unless we eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood we do not have Life within us. Seek Jesus in the Eucharist and receive Him every day if possible by going to daily Mass. Remember, that literally, we can do NOTHING with Him living in us and giving us His strength.

~ Go more frequently to Confession. We can't come closer to God if we remain in sin and in brokenness. Also, remember Jesus doesn't just want your sins that He suffered and died for, He also wants you to open up your wounds to Him so He can heal you. Lay before Him any wounds that you carry in life... bring them before Him in Confession, surrender them to Him and let it go forever. It truly is a Sacrament of Healing and Reconciliation.

~ He is also present before you and speaking to you every time you read the Bible. The Bible literally is the Word of God. Jesus can speak to you every day if you want. Just open up the Word, the Gospels, and listen to Him speaking to you. Sit at His Feet and learn from Him.

~ Be more aggressive in turning away for the world and what is of it during Lent. Place your heart on the things of God and eternal life in Heaven. Turn off the TV, the radio, get away from the computer and computer games... Jesus desires to be with you, will you let Him?

~ Remember that when Jesus began His journey in this world He did it in the solitude of a lowly manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. He says to us, "That which you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do to Me.... When I was hungry, you game Me food. When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink. When I was sick or alone, you comforted Me. I was in prison and you visited Me." Seek Jesus in the poor, the lonely, and the desititute during Lent. Make this the beginning of your service to Him through the poor and the needy.

These are not demands... Jesus asks us to Follow Him, to deny ourselves and live for Him. We can take up the invitation or turn away from it. Start small... and build on it little by little. Take what you can do and do not worry about the rest. If we take on too much we won't be able to do any of it. But make this a new beginning of your new life with Our Lord.... this IS what Lent is about.

Forgiveness Prayer by Fr. De Grandis

2009-02-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

To forgive another is a very difficult task and because of this fact, many people choose not to forgive. Unforgiveness is death to the soul and this death is reflected in the lives of those who are unforgiving. When we are unforgiving we store up hatred and revenge and this is what makes us unhappy, depressed, filled with anxiety, full of self-hatred, loneliness, hatred and unkindness towards others, the inability to love, and finally, we are unpleasant to be around. Once we forgive we will find that this weight is lifted from us. We are able to love--we are free!

Q): How do we forgive if we are unable to forget the wrong that was committed against us?

It is nearly impossible to speak the words "I forgive" and expect all the hurt and pain to vanish. The hurt and pain will remain until you are healed. One must be very careful not to let the hurt and pain stir up feelings of unforgiveness. Instead, one should be on constant guard to pray to God every time the hurt resurfaces and beg God to heal the memory and pain. Do not become discouraged with yourself when you want to forgive but feel as if you cannot. Just the fact that you want to forgive is pleasing to God. The rest will come in time with God's help and by our constant prayers asking for the grace to forgive. Healing a memory is much like healing a wound-it takes time.

In Mt. 18:21, Jesus proclaims we should forgive "seventy times seven." Then in Mt. 18:23-34 Jesus states that God's kingdom is a matter of forgiveness and those who do not forgive are handed over to torturers. Jesus then teaches the apostles how to pray. He told them to pray that they be forgiven as they forgive (Mt 6:12). Jesus repeats: "If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you."(Mt 6:14-15) It is clear to see that Jesus insists on forgiveness.

Q): Why do we refuse to forgive?

Some people do not forgive because in their mind they believe they are getting even with the individual(s) who hurt them. By not forgiving, they feel that they are in control and now have the power to punish those who have hurt them. What they do not realize is that the unforgiving person suffers far more than the "enemy" does. If Jesus were not to forgive those who crucified him, would they have suffered from his unforgiveness? Of course not! Jesus' response to those who hurt him was: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Find out below if you have forgiven those who have hurt you
1. Are you able to pray for the person(s) who hurt you?
2. Do you still feel revenge toward the person(s) who hurt you?
3. Can you see the person(s) who hurt you in Heaven with you?
4. Do you forgive yourself?
5. Will you let God forgive you?

THE FORGIVENESS PRAYER
by Fr. Robert DeGrandis

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask today to forgive everyone in my life. I know that You will give me strength to forgive and I thank You that You love me more than I love myself and want my happiness more than I desire it for myself.

Lord Jesus, I want to be free from the feelings of resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness toward You for the times I thought You sent death, hardships, financial difficulties, punishments and sickness into our family.

Lord, I forgive myself for my sins, faults and failings. For all that is truly bad in myself or all that I think is bad, I do forgive myself. For any delvings in the occult; Ouija boards, horoscopes, seances, fortune telling, lucky charms, for taking Your name in vain, for not worshiping You, for hurting my parents, for getting drunk, for taking dope, for sins against my purity, for adultery, for abortion, for stealing, for lying. I am truly forgiving myself today. Thank you, Lord, for Your grace at this moment.

I truly forgive my mother. I forgive her for all the times she hurt me, resented me, was angry with me and for all the times she punished me. I forgive her for the times she preferred my brothers and sisters to me. I forgive her for the times she told me I was dumb, ugly, stupid, the worst of the children or that I cost the family a lot of money. For the times she told me I was unwanted, an accident, a mistake or not what she expected, I forgive her.

I forgive my father. I forgive him for any nonsupport, any lack of love, affection or attention. I forgive him for any lack of time, for not giving me his companionship, for his drinking or arguing and fighting with my mother or the other children. For his severe punishments, for desertion, for being away from home, for divorcing my mother or for any running around, I do forgive him.

Lord, I extend forgiveness to my sisters and brothers. I forgive those who rejected me, lied about me, hated me, resented me, and competed for my parents' love, those who hurt me, who physically harmed me. For those who were too severe on me, punished me or made my life unpleasant in any way, I do forgive them.

Lord, I forgive my spouse for lack of love, affection, consideration, support, attention, communications, for faults, failings, weaknesses and those other acts or words that hurt or disturb me.

Jesus, I forgive my children for their lack of respect, obedience, love, attention, support, warmth, understanding, their bad habits, falling away from the church and bad actions which disturb me.

My God, I forgive my in-laws, mother, father, son or daughter-in-law and other relatives by marriage. For their lack of love, words of criticism, thoughts, actions or omissions that injure and cause pain, I do forgive them.

Please help me to forgive my relatives, my grandmother and grandfather who may have interfered in our family, been possessive or my parents, who may have caused confusion or turned one parent against the other.

Jesus, help me to forgive my co-workers who are disagreeable or make life miserable for me. For those who push their work off on me, gossip about me, won't cooperate with me, try to take my job, I do forgive them.

My neighbors need to be forgiven, Lord. For all their noise, letting their property run down, not tying up their dogs who run through my yard, not taking in their trashcans, being prejudiced and running down the neighborhood, I do forgive them.

I now forgive my clergyman, my congregation and my church for all their lack of support, pettiness, bad sermons, lack of friendliness, not affirming me as they should, not providing me with inspiration, for not using me in a key position, for not inviting me to serve in a major capacity and for any other hurt they have inflicted. I do forgive them today.

Lord, I forgive all professional people who have hurt me in any way: doctors, lawyers, policemen, hospital workers, for the things that they did to me, I truly forgive them today.Lord, I forgive my employer for not paying me enough money, for not appreciating my work, for being unkind and unreasonable with me, for being angry or unfriendly, for not promoting me and for not complimenting me on my work.

Lord, I forgive my schoolteachers and instructors of the past, as well as the present. For those who punished me, humiliated me, insulted me, treated me unjustly, made fun of me, called me dumb or stupid, made me stay after school.

Lord, I forgive my friends who have let me down, lost contact with me, do not support me, were not available when I needed help, borrowed money and did not return it, gossiped about me.

Lord Jesus, I especially pray for the grace of forgiveness for that one person in life who has hurt me the most. I ask to forgive anyone who I consider my greatest enemy; the one who is the hardest to forgive or the one who I said I would never forgive.

Thank You, Jesus, that I am free of the evil of unforgiveness. Let Your Holy Spirit fill me with light and let every dark area of my mind be enlightened.

Judge not...

2009-02-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

I was recently reviewing a discussion on Facebook about Fr. Marciel and what people thought about him. Here is what I have to say on this matter:

I wouldn't go near judging any priest or any person for that matter. I do not know all the facts and I do not believe you do either. I wouldn't tread in these waters.
God is very harsh on those who judge His priest's wrongly. If you were personally abused or know for sure of someone who was, that is a different matter. Seems to me there is more need for serious prayers here than condemnation or accusations anyway. There is one who is the Accuser and it is not Our Lord. Be very careful of which side of the fence you are standing.

"36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. 38 Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." (Holy Gospel according to St. Luke ch.6)

Ever wanted to know how you can love God more? Here you go...

2009-02-08T20:04:00.001-08:00

Whoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer the eternal pains of Hell...

2009-02-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

Here is an additional story on the Brown Scapular and the promise of those who wear it will not suffer the eternal pains of Hell....
This actually took place last month at a parish our community serves in the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. One of our priests received a phone call from a distraut woman whose husband had just passed away. He had no pulse, and was obviously not breathing. The priest, when on the way to the home, continually praid to God to revive him so he could receive the Last Rites. When the priest arrived at the home, the husband was alive and conscious. The priest heard his confession and gave him the Anointing of the Sick along with the Apostolic Pardon. The man died "again" shortly thereafter that same day. What we came to find out was that his wife was worried about the salvation of her husband's soul because he had stopped going to Mass and frequenting the sacraments of the Church. So, after he had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, she immediately ran to her bedroom and grabbed a brown scapular of Our Lady and put it around his neck. He immediately got up and was revived. It was then that the priest entered the house and administered the Sacraments to him.

Are you afraid to share your Faith with your friends, co-workers, family???

2009-02-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

"Using the words of St. Peter, the Church has often reminded the faithful that God calls them to make use of every opportunity to spread Christ's doctrine everywhere.

Saint John Chrysostom anticipated all the possible excuses for not carrying out this most gratifying obligation. There is, he wrote, nothing colder than a Christian who is unconcerned about the salvation of others... Do not say 'I am unable to help them', for if you are truly a Christian it is impossible for you to make such an admission. The properties of natural things cannot be denied them: the same thing happens with this affirmation, for it is in the nature of a Christian to act this way... It is easier for the sun to fail to give its light and warmth; it would be easier for light to be darkness. Do not say that the thing is impossible; what is impossible is the opposite ... If we order our conduct aright, everything else will follow as a natural consequence. The light of Christians cannot be hidden; a light that shines so brightly cannot be concealed. (From "In Conversation with God", Vol. 3, Fifth Sunday Year B)

We are to be "the SALT of the earth." This is not very easy... it is bitter and unpleasant. But if we end up losing the flavor for which we are called to "season" every aspect of our lives (including our relationships with others), can we really say we ARE a Christian? We might be in name, but we won't be in substance.

GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU....

2009-02-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

How much do you think you love God? Now think of being on the sand by the shore of the vaste sea. Look down and note the tiny grain of sand, just one speck. That, I think, is about how much we love God in comparison to His love for each of us. How much does He love us? A whole LOT MORE.

Look past that grain of sand into the depths of the ocean, and way out beyond the stars of the night sky... past the last little speck of light at the end of the Universe. This still isn't even close to how much God loves you... personally, as well as each and every person He has created. He created all of this and MORE to share it with you. So, how much does God love you in comparison to how much you love Him???

Eternally more, infinately more... deeper then the vastness of the entire Universe. Munch on that for a while.

Our Lord's own thoughts on the unborn...

2009-02-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

For it was you who created my being,

knit me together in my mother's womb.

I thank you for the wonder of my being,

for the wonders of all your creation.

Already you knew my soul,

my body held no secret from you

when I was being fashioned in secret

and molded in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw all my actions,

they were all of them written in your Book;

every one of my days was decreed

before one of them came into being.

To me, how mysterious your thoughts,

the sum of them not to be numbered!

If I count them, they are more than the sand;

to finish, I must be eternal, like you.

O search me, God, and know my heart.

O test me and know my thoughts.

See that I follow not the wrong path

and lead me in the path of life eternal.

(Psalm 139:13-18,23-24)

Our Lady and Souls in Purgatory

2009-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of the living and those who have passed on in Christ and there is nothing to stop her from comforting them if we ask her to. So... when I am at funerals, I always say that when we pray the Rosary, we must realize we are not only turning to a real mother who loves us immensely, but we can spiritually hold her hand while praying to her and ask her to reach out to the ones who have passed on and to hold them while we pray to her and her Son, Jesus. All one has to do, when praying the Rosary, is close your eyes and picture yourself holding her hand and then ask Mary to hold the hand of the one who passed on. This way, we are not only praying for them, we, in a true sense, can be with them in their suffering in a very REAL way.

The Scapular... I really recommend wearing it!!!

2009-02-06T03:13:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine who I was ordained with in SOLT had a friend in college that this happened to. He was at a party with his friends and they pulled out a OIJA board and began conjuring up what they believed (VERY WRONGLY) was the spirit of a dead person. It scared him to death. The hairs on his arms literally stood straight up and he fealt a truly evil presence in the room... So, he ran out to his car and got his scapular (he was a wayward Catholic at the time) which he chose not to wear but merely kept on his rear view mirror. He put the scapular on underneath all of his clothing (so no one would notice and think him a freak) and went back into the house. When he opened the door, everyone stopped and glared at him... they went back to the OIJA board and asked "Why won't you come back, why did you stop".... and the board spelled out slowly and clearly: "I SMELL GOD."

Are you interested in the demonic???

2009-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

I would avoid ALL curiosity in this area. It is very real. Seek the salvation of your soul and know that the demons seek to destroy it for all eternity. I wouldn't worry to much about the rest.

As a friend of mine very wisely replied to this statement: "I suppose i always knew. Interest in demons is interest in something not God. I should be more interested in God."

And for the sake of arguement why should we not be curious in this area?

If one begins playing in Satan's sandbox... be prepared to not only get his "kitty litter" all over you, but he will sift you like wheat:

"And the Lord said: Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:" (Luke 22:31)

Many don't understand what Our Lord is saying here.... when wheat is "sifted"... literally all that is good is taken from the shaft and all that is left is an empty shell which is to be burned up. Our Lord is saying that Satan desires to do this to you. He is extremely cunning and has been around for thousands and thousands of years. He could eat you up as an appetizer and still be famished. What Our Lord is saying here in blunt terms... "Stay the Hell away from him."

My Conversion... "Hot or cold or I will SPEW you out of My Mouth."

2009-01-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have to say I have pretty much been a LUKEWARM Catholic for good portion of my life. I mean when I was younger, I really loved God and loved Jesus too. I remember going to Catholic grade school and going to Mass and I KNEW Jesus was in the Eucharist and that He wanted to make HIS HOME in me. I also used to pray before the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and would talk with her from my heart. I used to talk with God every day too.

But, as I grew up, our family stopped going to Mass regularly. I started to learn formal prayer (prayers written by others) and found it boring. I thought my old way of praying was just make-believe and eventually I just slowly but surely started to lose my Faith altogether. I would still go to Mass because I had to and because I wanted to go to Heaven but nothing more... I then later didn't even care too much about Heaven either.

In high school, I used studied hard and really didn't have too many friends. Towards my junior year, I wanted to have more of a social life so I started to go to parties and started drinking. In my senior year, I started doing Exstacy and going to clubs in downtown Houston. I started to listen to more hard core alternative music and getting towards the darker side of life. I remember one club in particular called "Numbers" where I would be dancing to what I now realize was satanic music and in the music videos on the TV monitors they would be blowing up live animals and everyone didn't really care. Another club my sister went to had someone dressed up as Jesus hanging upside down on the Cross and someone else playing as a "slutty" Blessed Virgin Mary and everyone just kept dancing to the music with no care in the world that they were blaspheming God directly... and neither did I.

On the weekends I would get drunk or do Exstacy with all my buddies and we would go to clubs looking to have sex with women. I would even go to Mass with my parents on the following Sunday all hung-over and sick and would still receive Our Lord in the Eucharist. One Sunday Mass I was so sick and hung-over, after receiving Holy Communion I ran outside the front of the church and puked out the Body and Blood of Our Lord. I just covered up the Eucharist with dirt, and walked back into Mass next to my parents and didn't think anything of it. It is amazing to me that Jesus says: "Hot or cold, or I will spew you out of My Mouth!" because, I realized He doesn't have to do it to us, we do it to HIM.

In college, the darkness grew even colder and darker in my life. I started getting depressed and didn't care about my studies anymore. I got a job at Outback Steakhouse and was moving towards management (just when it was starting to expand out of Florida and had the first store in Texas in my hometown). I was geared towards a degree in International Business and Marketing. Just about that time, Outback went onto the stock-market and all those involved with starting the company were instant millionaires. The owner of the story I was working for was headed to Colorado to be a district manager for the area stores and he wanted me to work with him. I was headed for great success in the world.

My situation continued to get worse... I moved away from home and stopped going to Mass altogether. My roommate at the time was a cocaine dealer and I actually went on a run with him to sell an 8-ball. We partied every night and got drunk...and the darkness was pulling me down even more. I started to feel it in me. Well, one night I really had a lot to drink at the local bar we used to hang out in after work. I remember getting into my car and starting it... but nothing more....

I woke up in my room on the floor in a pool of my own vomit with the keys to the car in my hand and wondering how in the heck I got home. But, then I realized I still had the keys to the car in my hand.I walked outside to see if anything happened and I saw the car (my dad's minivan by the way) was all smashed in on the passenger side in the front all the way to the engine. I don't see how I could ever have driven it after wrecking it.

I retraced my path (after a few flashbacks in memory) and realized, thankfully, I didn't hit any other car or person... I hit a huge garbage bin which was just outside of the parking lot at the bar I was at the night before. Next to the garbage bin was a huge electric pole and on the other side was a huge ditch. If I had swerved just a little more to either side of the garbage bin, I would not be living. Also, I was more than thankful I didn't kill or even hit anyone else on the road. I still have no clue how I could have missed anyone on the road... but I guess I will have to leave that to my Guardian Angel (Nathaniel) and his protection over me and everyone else on the road that night.

Well, I knew that if I had died that night where I was headed... and it wasn't Heaven or even Purgatory. I KNEW I would have gone to HELL. No Doubt. It scared the Hell out of me (literally)! I got on my knees and knew that I wanted to go HOME to Heaven and the road I was taking in life was headed in the opposite direction. I told God that for the rest of my life, I just wanted to be headed Home and knew that I had to have a REAL relationship with Him in my life and I also had a deep desire to help everyone else that was lukewarm like me to come back to Our Lord.

I went to Confession with a priest I knew back at home with my parents, and started going back to Mass on Sundays (without missing... because I DID NOT want to MISS HEAVEN). I eventually started to pray the Rosary every day (as Our Lady asks of us as her children) and even started going to daily Mass. It was soon afterward that I received my calling in the Priesthood… but that is a whole other story.

From the voice of demon at an exorcism:

2009-01-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

"The Devil fears the Virgin Mary more, not only than men and angels but, in a certain sense, than God himself. It is not that the wrath, the power and the hatred of God are not infinitely greater than those of the Blessed Virgin, since Mary's perfections are limited: it is because, in the first place, Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being overcome and punished by the little, humble servant of God, her humility humiliating him more than the divine power; and secondly, because God has given Mary such great power over devils that, as they have often been obliged to admit, in spite of themselves, through the mouths of possessed persons, they are more afraid of one of her sighs of grief over some poor soul, than of the prayers of the saints, and more daunted by a single threat from her than by all their other torments." (Resource - Evidence of Satan in the Modern World by Monsignor Leon Cristiani, Roman Catholic Priest)

DOUBTS... about Faith and God

2009-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

I find it helpful to begin with the fundamentals/foundation of where you do not have any doubts and build up your faith from this. If you have at least a foundation, the rest makes perfect sense and the doubts can easily be removed. This is partly why Our Lord says, "Resist the devil solid in your Faith."

Do you believe you have an eternal soul? If you can at least believe this, all the other doubts can easily be removed. If you do not, then we have a problem.

"I keep going back to the fact that I am a soul within a body and I am incapable of fathoming myself as solely a biological being."

Because you at least have a foundation based upon knowledge that you have a soul, I can help build your faith back up that I think will make all of your doubts crumble.

You have an eternal soul. But there is a problem, isn't there? Something is not quite right... something is broken inside you. You understand what I am saying. This is the result of SIN which is a rupture between the union that is supposed to exist between our soul and God who created us. You were made for the Light... and yet you remain in darkness, fear and doubt. Why is this? The answer has a name and it is already on your lips.

If you look out into the world, you notice something is terribly wrong. People are killing one another, in fact, we have come to the point in society where we make it lawful to literally murder an innocent child (both in the womb and outside of it...) when it is so helpless and vulnerable. We are supposed to safeguard and protect the most helpless and innocent in our society, and yet we are literally HELL bent in destroying this life. Something isn't just WRONG... It is terribly, horrifically wrong. How can this be fixed???

This is where God steps into the picture. We are broken, weak, sick and something is wrong inside of us... so we CANNOT fix it. How can we have a sick surgeon who is blind and lame fix somthing broken? Not only will we fail to fix it, we will inevitablly make the problem worse. God is the Divine Physician... He comes to heal the sick, to proclaim liberty to captives, to give sight to the blind, to cure the lame, to literally bring the dead back to Life.

But how does He do this? To fix something broke, to heal, to restore... there has to be price paid... a sacrifice. A fall from God who created us demands a heavy price. Do you know how much your soul is worth in God's eyes? The price paid is the Blood of His only Son. This is how much was paid for our debt. And yes, God who created you as His child, loves you so much that He did send His only Son to die for you so that you may have Life.

We broke it but could not fix or pay the debt in our human nature. Human nature was responsible, but there is nothing we can do to repair it as the amount is incalcuable. Only something infinite..without limit could pay it... repair it... again we are dealing with a broken eternal soul that has been left in darkness as a result of sin.

Again, this is where God steps into the picture. God the Father sends His only Son to "take upon Himself" our broken and sick human nature. He "robes Himself" in flesh in order to pay the debt that we owe. He did suffer, die, and was buried. God pays the debt that we owe and pays it back with the same instrument that orginally caused this great, Hell-bent destruction within each one of us... our human nature... with His own Blood.

Please listen to the words of the Prophet Isaiah God sent among us way before this plan came to be fulfilled:

"And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him: Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin..." (Isaiah 53:2-6,10a)

I think your eyes have been opened enough by now to see with the eyes of Faith. The rest of your Catholic Faith lies upon this foundation. God is very real... and your state of sin and darkness of soul can detect this now. If not... you are doomed.

"Every one that cometh to Me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like to a man building a house, who digged deep, and laid the foundation upon a rock. And when a flood came, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and it could not shake it; for it was founded on a rock. But he that heareth, and doth not, is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:47-49)

I think the above will shake your doubts to the core and make you realize that logic can only go so far... there is something else that has to take you out into the Deep. It is called Faith.

COMING BACK TO CHURCH...

2009-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

HE MEANS IT.

A friend of mine recently asked me: "I have to admit I have I have been away from the church for a long time. My family and I are looking to start going to church again. Any suggestions?"

Just a fair warning... I don't hold any punches. lol

I am not only going to give you suggestions, but I am also going to give you reasons why you really need to "RUN" back as soon as you can and NEVER let go.

When we begin to turn away from the Church, we actually begin to lose touch with reality. We lose sight of the price that was paid for our eternal and immortal soul and what exactly it was paid with. You really need to come back to this reality. Jesus takes the salvation of your soul (and your childrens' and your wife's that He created in the womb, called by name, and gave to you to care and protect as the head of the family...) very seriously and He knows exaclty how much it would cost Him. God your Father also knows how much you will lose if you don't respond, if we choose not to seriously turn back to Him and repent what we have done... FOREVER and EVER and EVER...... is a very, very, very long time and it won't end.

The questions you need to ask yourself are these: Do I really want to go to Heaven? Do I really want to say that this is "my true home"? Do I really want this for my family even if I do not care enough to go?

"1 Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be. 4 And whither I go you know, and the way you know. 5 Thomas saith to him: Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me." (Holy Gospel According to St. John Ch.14)

How do I get there?

"21 Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. 24 Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof. (Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew Ch.7)

There are alot of other realities you need to take into consideration but these need to be the foundation for how you are going to live for the rest of your life.

So, you need to start taking God's will in your life VERY SERIOUSLY. It isn't just a matter of going back to Church as if all you need to do is go to Confession and all will be wiped away... and then start receiving Holy Communion again. That is a shallow way to have a relationship with God who created you, calls you by name and does indeed love you as His son and child. In other words, you need to realize WHO YOU ARE in God's eyes and His love for you. You also need to seriously begin to take the time to LISTEN TO HIS VOICE in your daily life.

Here are my suggestions on how to get this in your life:

1) Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation...and continue going regularly. I would recommend at least once every other week. Why? If you could see with the eyes of your soul at what one sin does to the image and likeness of God within you, you would not need to even ask. Get rid of this crap as soon as you can. The longer you hold on to it, the more you become disfigured. Think of Smiegal in the "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King". In the beginning of the movie Smiegal was an innocent child, playful and loving... but he wanted a ring that did not belong to him... and the longer he held on to it the more he became disfigured and distorted until he finally lost his "true identity". Sin DOES this to the soul.

Approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation like this:

Then He said to his disciples:

“There was a man who had two sons.

The younger one said to his father,

“Father, let me have the share of the inheritance that will come to me.”

So the father divided his property between them.

A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had

and left for a distant country

where he squandered his money on a life of corruption.

“When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine,

and now he began to feel the pinch;

so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants

who put him on his farm to feed the pigs.

And he would willingly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating on

but no would let him have them.

Then he came to his senses and said,

“How many of my father’s hired men have all the food they want and more,

but here I am dying of hunger.

I will leave this place and go to my Father and say:

“Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son;

Treat me as one of your hired servants.”

So he left that place and went back to His Father.

While he was still a long way off, His Father caught site of him and was moved with pity.

He ran to the boy, embraced him in his arms and kissed him.

Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you…

I no longer deserve to be called your son.”

But the Father said to his servants,

“Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him;

put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast.

Because this son of mine was lost and now is found,”

And they began to celebrate.

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 15:11-23

Your Heavenly Father loves you no matter what you have done in your past.... don't keep Him waiting!!!

So, when you go to confession, realize and confess all the ways you have turned away from God who loves you, how you have lost sight of your inheritance and squandered it... and how you did this. Don't hold anything back... let it all go. As I say to a lot of those who come to me... "Vomit it out of your mouth... just spew it out. It is making you sick and God wants to heal you."

2) When you go to receive Holy Communion, you need to realize that unless you "REMAIN" united to Christ in the Eucharist you do not have LIFE within you. Jesus tells you this very clearly:

"Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the Flesh of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, you shall not have life in you." (John 6:54)

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine: you the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing."

(John 15:4-5)

3) We pray in the "Our Father" that we want God to "give us this day our Daily Bread."This is the Bread of Life which came down from Heaven. Jesus says "I am the Bread of Life". Seek Jesus in the Eucharist DAILY or whenever possible. Why do you need to go daily? Well, what can you really do on daily basis without God literally dwelling within you? Can you do the work of God daily without Him giving you the strength to do it? Think about it.

4) You really need to start bearing the FRUIT OF GOD in your daily life and you need to take this seriously. Jesus means it...

"I am the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and case him into the fire, and be burneth." (John 15:1-6)

Learn the lesson of the fig tree which is a parable of your soul which God comes to seeking His fruit in your daily life:

"And when he had seen afar off a fig tree having leaves, he came if perhaps he might find any thing on it. And when he was come to it, he found nothing but leaves. For it was not the time for figs. And answering he said to it: May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee any more for ever. And his disciples heard it... And when they passed by in the morning they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter remembering, said to him: Rabbi, behold the fig tree, which thou didst curse, is withered away." (Mark 11:13-14,20-21)

5) As I said before, you also need to seriously begin to take the time to LISTEN TO HIS VOICE in your daily life. There are many different ways that God speaks to our soul. Take up the Scriptures, especially the Gospels and listen to what Jesus is saying to YOU. You are His disciple (follower)... and when Jesus speaks to His disciples He is teaching you. If you are not His disciple, if you do not consider yourself one of His sheep that He leads by His Voice, you can just skip this whole note, skip all of the Bible... and go to Hell, because this is what, in essence, you are doing to yourself.

"My sheep hear My Voice: and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27)

"Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me." (Rev.3:20)

"Every one that cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will show you to whom he is like." (Luke 6:47)

Jesus spoke for a reason and it is necessary that you know that. He speaks to you... when I read Scripture, I close my eyes and picture myself at His Feet. When He speaks in the Bible, I listen because I know these words are coming from Him to me.

You also need to begin listening to God's Voice in daily prayer. Turn off your phone, cell phone, TV, and radio... there is nothing more important or any other person more important in your life than LISTENING TO HIM. Many don't think God will speak. It is not that God doesn't want to speak... people are afraid to listen because they don't want to change. If you do listen, your life will change.

6) Take time to go to Adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist. I have so many people say that they go to Adoration, spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, and don't get anything out of it... that nothing is happening. I reply with this simple fact... lets say you are sitting before an atomic bomb and it goes off. Even though you may not "feel" like anything is happening to you, do you really believe that it won't effect your life in a very dramatic way? When you come before Our Lord in His True Presence, you are literally sitting before the most powerful force in the Universe... in fact God created it... remember? You are literally sitting face-to-face before God who created you, gave you life, and calls you by name. Remember what happened to Moses when he went into the tent of the Meeting Place where God's presence was. He went in there to speak to God and listen to Him. When He came out of the tent, people hid their face from Moses because his face was so bright with the Light of God. Moses didn't know this happened to him, but others did. The same holds true when you go to Adoration. Go once a week for an hour. Within a month's time, I guarantee you will be changed... literally. You may not notice the difference but others will. God's presence will shine upon you.

"And when Moses went forth to the tabernacle, all the people rose up, and every one stood in the door of his pavilion, and they beheld the back of Moses, till he went into the tabernacle. nd when he was gone into the tabernacle of the covenant, the pillar of the cloud came down, and stood at the door, and he spoke with Moses. And all saw that the pillar of the cloud stood at the door of the tabernacle. And they stood, and worshipped at the doors of their tents. And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend...And when Moses came down from the mount Sinai, he held the two tables of the testimony, and he knew not that his face was horned {shining with rays of light comng forth from it} from the conversation of the Lord. And Aaron and the children of Israel seeing the face of Moses horned, were afraid to come near." (Exodus 33:8-11, 34:29-30)

7) Root out, dig out, and put an axe to things in your life that are blocking the life of God out of it:

"And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire: Where there worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished. And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire: Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished." (Mark 9:42-47)

"The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it. And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And they by the way side are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved. Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away. And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit. But that on the good ground, are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience." (Luke 8:5-8,11-15)

8) Remember your Baptismal Promises... you cannot be a child of Light if you accept darkness into your life:

Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God's children?

I do.

Do you reject the glamor of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?

I do.

Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?

I do.

9) Forgive and do not judge. If you choose not to forgive everyone... God will hold you accountable for all of your sins down to the last penny. If you do not judge... you will not be judged by God... this is His Promise.

"For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences." (Matthew 6:14-15)

"Then his lord called him; and said to him: Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts." (Matthew 18:32-35)

"Judge not, that you may not be judged, For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. Any why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye; and seest not the beam that is in thy own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold a beam is in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

10) Remember Our Lord's new Commandment and take it seriously:

"This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:12)

WARNING... this WILL happen when you are judged by Our Lord when He comes:

"And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting."

(Matthew 25:31-46)

MY LITTLE MARIPOSA By Christy Wall

2009-01-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

The technician's hand is poised over my swollen belly like a child standing with a net, waiting to catch the butterfly. The baby flutters and turns in the warm water, I can almost see her pretty face laughing. There is a wild trail of goo on my skin marking the dance of my daughter as she cavorts within my womb. I am breathless with her beauty. My daughter. My daughter, Clara. It is music to my ears to say her name. She pauses for a moment and the technician starts measuring with clicks and whirls of the machine. I am so enamored with her pretty little round head that I do not see the horrendous cysts taking up the space where her brain ought to be. Her arms wave in front of the camera like a sweet greeting and my heart swells with love, but I do not see that the other one lies floating in sea, for it has no bones. The misty floaty thing, the technician says to me, as I admire her curved spine, is her bowels. I can not even process this information, for she has taken off again in a flight of fancy, swirling and leaping in joy. And finally, the technician mentions the heart that is doing nothing because it is broken. I look at the technician with wide eyes "But my heart is all she needs." "Yes", she agrees slowly. "But your baby will die once she leaves your womb." Tears well up and in a moment I am sobbing. I am overwhelmed. My little daughter is alive and rejoicing in life. She knows my voice, the beating of my heart, the measure of my step. She knows the deep voice of her father, the laughing voices of her nine brother and sisters. She is home and has a family. My womb gives her the only life she will ever know. Every moment within my womb is a moment of joy and love and comfort that she would not otherwise have. Because the minute she is born, the world will kill her. What mother does not wish to protect her child with her very body? And I am given the unique privilege of giving her the only life and protection she will ever know. But there is more. With God's grace, I will carry this baby in my womb for 20 more weeks. 20 weeks to know her better, for the children to talk to her, for her to kick with her two good strong legs, for her to laugh as she plays in the waters which belie her floating intestines and arm, for her to love because she does not need a brain to love. And after that, I will bring a priest and the family to the hospital. And I will deliver this baby into the arms of the priest who will baptize her. She will be born into Life, then. Eternal life. What greater blessing can a parent know?

I am a CHILD OF GOD and now I have to live like one!!!

"And opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

180 Movie.... If you are a supporter of abortion rights... please watch this!

Are you willing to fight the government to keep your parental rights over your children?

Defending the Faith or we are arguing with others about it?

Is there anyone who does not believe in Hell?

Why don't we put it to a vote?

Your time is almost up.... are you ready???

Plenary Indulgence for All Souls Day...

Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory...

A Very Thorough Examination of Conscience...

Happy Halloween... I pray it does not last for all eternity!

IS GOD CALLING YOU ????

The Biblical Story of the Mass....

Are you seeking the Truth and want to know more about the Catholic Faith?

GI JOE w/ a kung-fu grip is a joke, right?

If Jesus were to look for the fruits of God in your daily life, would He find any???

There is a line in the sand place by Our Lord... either you are with Him or you are against Him.

Beautiful

Beautiful short film on the gift of each and every human life... no matter what our circumstances.

Help!!! I need 2 volunteers

IS GOD CALLING YOU ????

Padre Pio and How to Pray....

Facebook Groups....

Pray for your own vocation....

Fishers of Men.... Are YOU called ???

Never travel alone....

1) For those who continue to plunge themselves into sin and do not turn away from the darkness, there is NO HOPE...2) The more you dive into sin... the uglier your life gets.I wonder why so many don't do anything to change the ugliness of their lives?

Let us pray for for those stuck in the ugliness of life and in darkness that they wake up from their slumber before it ends where the roads of this life always lead for those who do not follow God... a DEAD END.

Why are so many Christians afraid of drawing close to Mary???

Happy Birthday MARY!!!

Converting our friends is impossible...

The Silent Scream... Silent No More!

The Sacred Heart of Jesus and His 12 Promises:

You are not a wart on Christ's Body...You are a LIVING MEMBER of Christ's Body... the Church!

Are you looking for the treasure buried in a field???

Read the Word of God daily!!!

Honor your Mother...

Powerful prayer to the Holy Spirit... pray it daily!

ABBA!!! Yes, God is your Father and you must turn to Him in all things...

Grow up and be a MAN

Divine Mercy Sunday

IF JESUS WERE TO APPEAR BEFORE ME, HOW MUCH WOULD I OFFER HIM AS MY LORD AND GOD?

HE IS A LIGHT THAT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS... BUT DO WE STILL PREFER THE DARKNESS OVER HIS LIGHT???

Hey great is God's love for us shown through the Universe...

Padre Pio

COME BACK HOME!!!

Are Catholic Doctrine & Dogma REALLY that important???

TRICK or treat ???

"I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you."

"Lord, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing..."

Nunc Coepi! Right Now!

Do you wish God would say something to you???

How to make a good choice: relationships, jobs, or other....

Immaculate Heart of Mary... Pray for us

The Sacred Heart of Jesus and His 12 Promises:

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free"

The way "The Carol of the Bells" was meant to be played...

Give Me Your Eyes So That I Can See...

Bring It On Home To Me...

The INVITATION...

Why is there a HELL???

Why did God make you?

What are the greatest wonders of the world???

Dedicated to lukewarm Catholics and Christians...

The Lenten Journey....

Forgiveness Prayer by Fr. De Grandis

Judge not...

Ever wanted to know how you can love God more? Here you go...

Whoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer the eternal pains of Hell...

Are you afraid to share your Faith with your friends, co-workers, family???

GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU....

Our Lord's own thoughts on the unborn...

Our Lady and Souls in Purgatory

The Scapular... I really recommend wearing it!!!

Are you interested in the demonic???

My Conversion... "Hot or cold or I will SPEW you out of My Mouth."

From the voice of demon at an exorcism:

DOUBTS... about Faith and God

COMING BACK TO CHURCH...

1) For those who continue to plunge themselves into sin and do not turn away from the darkness, there is NO HOPE...
2) The more you dive into sin... the uglier your life gets.

I wonder why so many don't do anything to change the ugliness of their lives?