WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

JESUS SEEKS US

God wills the salvation of all. We are created for life not death, Jesus is our Savior, nobody else has the power.  It is through the Mercy of God and his only begotten Son that we are saved! But God respects our free will given as gift by God.  We can reject salvation!  Is it all on Jesus or do I have to do something too?  

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?  So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  For, just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” James 2:14-26

 If you watch any of the Sunday Services on television you are likely to hear a lot of testimonials to being saved. “I am saved, Praise Jesus!”  Yes, Jesus is our Savior.  He laid down his life for us that we might have life.  What does it mean to say Jesus saved me?  Is it any more than fire insurance from Hell and I can do anything I want? I think not!

Many Non Catholic Christians believe that they are saved by making one single act of faith at a single point in time in their lives. Nowhere does Scripture say such a thing. As Catholics, we believe that salvation is a life-long process which begins with our Baptism.

MATTHEW 19:22

A rich young man once asked Jesus what he must do to be saved.  Jesus did not say, “I am your Savior, love me and go on your way. No, he told the young man to keep all the commandments given in the Torah (first five books of the bible) and to detach himself from his possessions and come follow Him…Be like me…share my space…live like me…

God’s love for us is a “covenantal love.”  He gives himself to us, God so loved the world as to give us His only begotten Son. John 3:16 The Law and Old Testament covenants are fulfilled in Christ. At the Last Supper, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” John 13:34

The difference between covenant and contract is profound. It’s so profound that we could almost say that it’s the difference between prostitution (contract) and marriage (covenant). Or between owning a slave (contract) and having a son (covenant.)

When people enter into a covenant, they say: “I am yours and you are mine.” In a contract, you exchange something you have – a skill, a piece of property, money. In a covenant you exchange your very being, you give your very self to another person.

Ques.  how do we show our love for God and Jesus? Ans. By loving our neighbor!  “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” Matthew 25:40

No one saves himself.  Only by the mercy of God are we saved.  We read an example of this in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 7:18.  Paul laments that he does what he doesn’t want to do and isn’t able to do what he knows he should do.  While Paul holds the law of God in his mind the law of sin in his flesh overwhelms him. .

Grace is a gift from God to us, a sinner, earned for us by our Savior, Jesus Christ. “What is impossible for human beings is possible for God.” Luke 18:27   Grace is a share in divine life right now, here on earth and promise of eternal life.  “Where sin increased, grace abounds all the more.” Romans 5:20  

 The more humanity retreats from God the more God comes after them. The intent of grace is to aid us to conform more to Jesus.  Let me cite the example of Zacchaeus the tax collector who climbed a tree to better see Jesus. Luke 19:1-10

ZACHAEUS COME DOWN

I MUST STAY IN YOUR HOUSE TODAY LUKE 19:1-10

Jesus dines with tax collector and public sinner, Zacchaeus. to change him. Jesus succeeds in his mission. The tax collector pledges to make amends for his wrong doing. Jesus’s announcement of salvation follows Zacchaeus’s pledge to set right the things he has done wrong. “

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.” Salvation is not simply about confession, it also involves transformation and restitution.

LET ME SEE JESUS!

LET ME HEAR JESUS!

LET ME KNOW JESUS!

Without God’s help we could never be saved.  We are saved by “amazing grace,” before, during and afterwards. No one can come to Jesus, follow Jesus, conform to Jesus unless, “the Father draws him to me.” John 6:44

Sharing in the life of the Triune God occurs even in this life. Jesus explains that the Father and the Son will dwell with the believer even in this life: “. . . “We will come to him and make our home with him” John 14:23

 CONCLUDING PRAYER

Prayer of St. Benedict

Gracious and holy Father,
grant us the intellect to understand you,
reason to discern you, diligence to seek you,
wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you,
a heart to meditate upon you.

May our ears hear you, may our eyes behold you,
and may our tongues proclaim you.
Give us grace that our way of life may be pleasing to you,
that we may have the patience to wait for you
and the perseverance to look for you.

Grant us a perfect end–your holy presence,
a blessed resurrection and life everlasting.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION

1 Comment / CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION AUGUST 6

 

 THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

…. a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,* then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision* to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”… Matthew 17:1-13

INTRODUCTION

On August 6th, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In this extraordinary event, found in the Synoptic Gospels and the 2nd Letter of St. Peter, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. .

In Caesarea Philippi, (six days before Transfiguration on Mount Tabor) Jesus asks them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds that Jesus is “The Messiah, the Son of the living God” Mtatthew 16:16. Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s response could only be prompted by the Father and designates Peter as the leader of the Church. “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,” Matthew 16:18

Next, Jesus astounds those present, saying he will soon go to Jerusalem where he will be killed and then rise on the third day. His followers couldn’t grasp that such events could possibly happen if he was truly the Messiah. In fact, Peter argues, “No such thing could ever happen to you.”  Jesus offers a stern response: “Get behind me, Satan!(def. adversary) You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Mathewt 16:22-23.

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

 BOOK OF DANIEL CHAPTER 7:12

Daniel had a dream or four beasts which represented the four kingdoms that oppressed the Jews, Babylon, Egypt, Persia, and Rome these all wpold be replaced by the kingdom of God when the promised Mesiah arrives

 …the Ancient of Days took his throne. His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool…  I saw coming with the clouds of heavenc One like a son of man.* When he reached the Ancient of Days…He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away

REFLECTION

On a mountain, for a brief time, the splendor of Christ’s eternal divinity is revealed. The apostles witness how Jesus will appear in heaven and we too, as followers of Christ, will share in his glory. His passion was not the end, so too our suffering, our death. is not the end.

Both before and after the Transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the elders, saying, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Matt 16:22

Do we look at things in this world the way God does or are we caught up in trends and what is popular?

The three disciples who saw the glorified Lord were given a vision meant to strengthen them for the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be arrested and crucified.

It is a foretaste of the glory that will be theirs in the Kingdom of God. This moment, forever embedded in their minds, will help them to endure the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Let us reflect back on the times in which we have caught a subtle glimpse of the glory of our Lord.  Perhaps while reading Scripture where we have encountered the majesty of God. Or perhaps moments that occurred at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour.

Let the Glory of God wash over us and fill us with fortitude to endure present difficulties in order to share in that Glory one day. Jesus is the light of the world. Let him enlighten us so we can radiate to the world as St Paul says in Galatians, I no longer live but Christ lives in me Galatians 2:19-20

 Do not light your lamp and put it under a bushel Matthew 5:15 A popular traditional gospel song may say it best…. This little light of mine

This little light o’ mine, I’m goin’ let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Everywhere I go, I’m goin’ let it shine…

 CONCLUSION

JESUS WELCOMES US INTO HIS GLORY

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…. a holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down from God…, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God..He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain… REVELATION 21:1-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE JOHN 6:22-52

SCRIPTURE

BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE

 “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life” John 6:22–27

Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” John 6:51 The Jews disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” John 6:52.

Many of the Jews found this discourse not only intellectually and religiously problematic but even nauseating. According to the Torah, Blood is the vital principal of life and belongs to God alone, and ought not be brought under the control of human beings.

In the Noah story, we find this divine directive: “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” Gen. 9:3–4

We find the same prohibition among the legal decrees in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy: “It shall be a perpetual statute through your generations, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any blood” Leviticus. 3:17

 “Only be sure that you do not eat the blood; for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat” Deuteronomy. 12:23

At the conclusion of this Eucharistic discourse, Jesus practically lost his entire Church: “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’” John 6:60.

MANY TURNED AWAY AND LEFT HIM  John 6:66

If Jesus were speaking only at the symbolic level, why would this theology be hard to accept?  If Jesus wanted to soften his teaching, to place it in a metaphorical or symbolic sense of the words he was using, this would have been the perfect opportunity

But in this case, Jesus didn’t spiritualize his rhetoric; just the contrary. He said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” John 6:53

Jesus boldly brings this real presence home in the crucial conclusion, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me” John 6:56–57.

The very earliest theology of the Eucharist is found in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, penned probably in the early fifties of the first century.

Paul speaks of the intense identification that is effected between Jesus and his Church precisely through the Eucharist: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” 1 Cor. 10:16.

.When “many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him” John 6:66. Jesus then turned to his inner circle, the Twelve, and asked, bluntly enough: “Do you also wish to go away?” John 6:67.

In response to Jesus’ question, Peter, as is often the case in the Gospels, spoke for the group: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” John 6:68–69.

IS PETER’S RESPONSE MY RESPONSE AS WELL?

THIS IS MY BODY TAKE AND EAT

THIS IS MY BLOOD TAKE AND DRINK

FEAST OF ST, MARY MAGDALENE

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

FEAST OF ST, MARY MAGDALENE JULY 22

 “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”

 “Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, your faith has saved you; go in peace!” Luke 7:44-50

 REFLECTION

Jesus does not acknowledge his critics but addresses the repentant woman and praises her for her great love and faith and sends her on her way sanctified and redeemed.  From that moment, Mary Magdalen became a faithful disciple and witness all the way to Calvary.

“So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little”

Does this mean if I am not a great sinner I will love Jesus less, not necessarily.  I believe Jesus points out to Simon that this woman’s love is so dramatic because her love for God and her desire to be made whole is so strong.

Do we have that desire to be made whole again? Her Faith has saved her not on her own but through the grace of God.  Pray for that faith.

Jesus asks Simon, “Do you see this woman?  I place the emphasis on the word see because Jesus has told us “they have eyes but do not see and ears yet they do not hear” Mark 8:18

Jesus reminds us to focus, to see and listen, less we miss God’s presence especially in others. Do we miss God’s invitation due to noise and clutter in our world?

MARY MAGDALENE IN SCRIPTURE

In the 6th Century, Saint Pope Gregory the Great identified St. Mary Magdalen as the woman who anointed Christ’s feet with perfume in the home of Simon the Pharisee.  In the New Testament Mary Magdalen is mentioned among the women who accompanied Christ and ministered to Him. Luke 8:2-3

Mary Magdalene is named as standing at the foot of the cross. “There were also women who ministered to him, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome” Mark 15:40   

  …by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala. John 19:25

Mary Magdalene was the first to see the resurrected Christ, “When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons” Mark 16:9

Mary Magdalene followed the burial of Jesus to the tomb and saw where He was buried, and came on Sunday to anoint Him. She was rewarded with His appearance and commissioned to go evangelize and spread the Good News.  He is Risen! 

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,”Rabbouni,”which means Teacher

DO NOT CLING TO ME 

Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary then went and announced to the apostles, “I have seen the Lord, and what he told her”. John 20: 15-18

REFLECTION

When Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection, “Do not cling to me.” John 20:17.  Jesus invites us along with Mary Magdalene to enter into the experience of faith which goes beyond what can be discovered by our “senses.”

Remember Jesus’ words to Thomas after the resurrection behind closed doors, “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”  John 20:29

Our first parents, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden spread death where there was life.  Mary in the garden of the Resurrection announced life from the Holy Sepulchre, a place of death.

Saint Mary Magdalene is an example of true and authentic evangelization; she is an evangelist who announces the joyful central message of Easter. ”He is Risen!”

 

1 JOHN CHAPTER 3:1-19

CATHOLIC LETTERS

 

1 JOHN CHAPTER 3:1-19

 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.

 The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.

 We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is…

FOR NOW, WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

1 CORINTHIANS 13:12

[REFLECTION]

We see and hear God through Jesus but even Jesus’s divinity is masked to our limited human brains.  What it must be like when God allows… makes possible one on one relationship, all in all, My imagination is inadequate to even approach that kind of transformation and glory.  What it must be like, Praise God!

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away. Revelation 21:3-4

RESUME 1 JOHN CHAPTER 3:7-18

Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil.

No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.

Do not be amazed, [then,] brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.

 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? WHOEVER NEEDS ME!

 [REFLECTION]

My reflection is the Scripture passage from Letter of James.

 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?

 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. JAMES 2:14-17

 

 

 

 

SAINT MARIA GORETTI JULY 6 FEAST DAY

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

July 6 we celebrate liturgically the feast of Saint Maria Goretti.   I remember this feast because my granddaughter did research on a Confirmation name back in grade school and chose St. Maria Goretti for her Confirmation name.

SAINT MARIA GORETTI

Maria Goretti (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) is an Italian virgin-martyr. Having died at the age of 11, she is the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church’s long and storied history.

She was born on the eastern side of Italy to a farming family, but increased poverty forced the family to move to the western side of the country when she was only six.

When Maria was nine, her father died tragically from Malaria.   This was a terrible time of trial and suffering for the whole family.  The Gorettis had to share a house with another family, the Serenellis, in order to survive. Aside from having the responsibility of caring for her family, Maria had to also cook and clean for her two next door neighbors–Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro–who assisted her mother with the farm tasks.

The Serenelli family was what we would call today a very dysfunctional family. Alessandro Serenelli, the young man (20) who attacked Maria was part of this terrible mess. Giovanni, his father, was an alcoholic and his mother died in a psychiatric hospital when he was only a few months old, apparently after trying to drown Alessandro when he was a newborn.

On July 5, 1902, eleven-year-old Maria was sitting on the outside steps of her home, sewing one of Alessandro’s shirts and watching Teresa, her baby sister, when Alessandro threatened her with a knife if she did not do what he said; he was intending to rape her.

Maria would not submit, protesting that what he wanted to do was a mortal sin and warning him that he would go to hell.  She desperately fought to stop him. She kept screaming, “No! It is a sin! God does not want it!” He first choked her, but when she insisted she would rather die than submit to him, he stabbed her eleven times.

Though, she prevented him from violating her, Maria was mortally wounded. The next day in the hospital Maria died, while looking at a picture of the Virgin Mary and clutching a cross to her chest.   Her last words were, “I forgive Alessandro Serenelli and I want him with me in heaven forever.”

During his prison sentence Maria appeared to Alessandro and forgave him.  That act of mercy and forgiveness—that act of love—filled Alessandro with contrition for his crime.  When he was eventually released from prison, he visited Maria’s mother begging forgiveness, which she readily granted. From that point on, he lived a beautiful and converted life of holiness, eventually becoming a Franciscan lay brother.

Maria Goretti was beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1947, and canonized in 1950 by the same Pope.  Maria’s mother and Alessandro were present at both ceremonies.

COMMENTARY

I share the story of Maria Goretti not only to honor her, but to cite her as an example of one who understood the horror and consequences of sin and preferred to die rather than commit a mortal sin. Today we live in a culture that has lost the sense of sin.  It is the last thing most people want to acknowledge or talk about.

In today’s hardened society, those supporting abortion, a grave sin, avoid at all cost discussing the killing and dismemberment of the innocent, our youngest and most vulnerable human beings.  Killing innocent human beings is a mortal sin against the 5th Commandment.

Sexual sins are not the only sins but they are certainly a battle of our times. Adultery, fornication, masturbation, pornography, contraception, sterilization and abortion are real life struggles for many. These are still GRAVE SINS, despite our culture’s embrace of Moral Relativism.

Moral relativism is the philosophical theory that all morality is relative, different moral truths hold for different people.  We can all decide what is right for ourselves. You decide what’s right for you, and I’ll decide what’s right for me. No authority outside of me. In other words we play God.

Hmmm, wouldn’t that be interesting! What if it was up to each individual driver to choose the speed limit, when to turn, how to turn, when or if to stop at intersection? I suspect there would be a lot of collateral damage. to you and others.  It is the same for sin. We don’t sin alone! What we choose affects everyone in Mystical Body of Christ

“The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “the slavery of sin.” CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH #733

For forgiveness of sins, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance. “Receive the Holy Spirit.  For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

JOHN  20: 22-23

 

REFLECTION

 Saint Maria Goretti, is a model of righteousness and encouragement to avoid sin at all cost and to forgive at all cost as well.   “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions”.  Matthew 6:15

We experience God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Confession.  It is there that we acknowledge who we are, limited, weak, and sinful creatures in need of redemption.  It is there that God forgives us of any and all of our sins.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” John 3: 16-17

The Sacrament of Penance is an enormous source of interior peace.  The priest in the person of Jesus raises his hand, and then with a blessing pronounces those amazing words, “I absolve you from your sins.”  At that moment, we know that God has heard our cry for forgiveness, and we have been pardoned of our sins.

PRAYER TO SAINT MARIA GORETTI

 St. Maria Goretti model of love and forgiveness, Help us all, especially our youth ,to flee  anything that could offend Jesus or stain our souls with sin.

Even at age of eleven you understood what it meant to love God and love your neighbor.  You did not withhold forgiveness from your attacker.  In fact you wanted him in heaven with you.

 Pray for me, that I, too, will be able to love my enemies like you did. Obtain for us victory in temptation, and grace of perseverance that we may one day enjoy with you the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen.

SAINT MARIA GORETTI

PRAY FOR ME!

 

 

 

1 JOHN CHAPTER 2

CATHOLIC LETTERS, SCRIPTURE

LETTERS (EPISTLES) OF ST. JOHN

INTRODUCTION

Saint John the Apostle is considered the author of these letters, written soon after his gospel. The purpose of the letter is to combat certain false ideas, especially about Jesus.

The letter is of particular value for its declaration of the humanity and divinity of Christ as an apostolic teaching and for its development of the intrinsic connection between Christian moral conduct and Christian doctrine.

 1 JOHN CHAPTER 2

My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins…The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his Commandments.

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

 But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him. Whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived.

[REFLECTION

Jesus is the Way, The Truth, and the Life John 14:6 Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus is the fork in the road we must choose.  To do otherwise by choosing any other god of this world is the road to destruction leaving collateral damage in our wake as we pursue our way over God’s.]

BACK TO JOHN’S EPISTLE, 1 JOHN CHAPTER 2:7

 The New Commandment

[“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17]

Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. And yet I do write a new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you, for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

 Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes…

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself 

LUKE 10:27

I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one. Do not love the world or the things of the world.* If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust,* enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world…

SATAN IS A LIAR  JOHN 8:44

I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ; whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the Antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life….

Children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. If you consider that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him.

I AM THE VINE YOU ARE THE BRANCHES

JOHN 15:5

GOD’S LAWS VS MAN-MADE LAWS

CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

“I have today set before you, life and GOOD, death and EVIL.

DEUTERONOMY 30:15

In the beginning our first parents, Adam and Eve, was in possession of Sanctifying Grace and preternatural gifts.  Had Adam and Eve not sinned they would have passed this state of “original justice” down to their descendants.

At the suggestion of the Serpant (Satan), Adam and Eve chose the Tree of Good and Evil to be like God. All they came away with were the consequences of evil.

 God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know* good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

THE LORD GOD BANISHED THEM FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN,

After Adam and Eve committed “original sin,” they lost “original justice” and the preternatural gifts for all the human race. They could only pass on a human nature in a fallen state, one deprived of original holiness and integrity. Adam and Eve’s descendants are subject to ignorance and endure suffering and death.

Like then, today, Moral Relativism dominates the world. Moral relativism is the philosophical theory that all morality is relative. We all can decide what is good and evil. You decide what’s right for you, and I’ll decide what’s right for me.

Essentially, moral relativism says that anything goes. Words like “ought” and “should” are rendered meaningless. There is no absolute goodness or badness. An act may be good for one person but bad for another, but cannot be either good or bad in the absolute.

MAN MADE CHOICES SUPPORTED

BY MORAL RELATIVISM

I want to choose to kill my unborn child because the child is inconvenient to me

Old people are a burden on society and don’t contribute much of anything how about just putting them to sleep so we can get on with our lives

Homosexuality must be taught in our grade school as an alternative life style, because some will grow up to be gay and some may already have gay parents….

Sexual activity outside marriage is all right.  Sex is a good thing to be enjoyed, why put limits on our fun and pleasure just because some old clerics in dresses don’t like sex.  They are just buzz killers…

ABORTION

 “I have today set before you, life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today…you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you…

If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey…and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish… Deuteronomy 30:15-30

 CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2270  Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the 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.

When is abortion permitted?  NEVER! Not when a child is inconvenient …. not when the child in the womb is the wrong sex ….not when child created by God is a result of rape or incest …not when child in womb may be born with some handicap…. KILLING INNOCENT LIFE IS NEVER PERMISSABLE!

 CONTRACEPTION.

Contraception has been around since the beginning in one form or another, despite God’s wishes.  Here is an example from the Old Testament in the first book of the bible, Genesis. 

 “Then Judah said to Onan, “Have intercourse with your brother’s wife, in fulfillment of your duty as brother-in-law, and thus preserve your brother’s line.” Onan, however, knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground, to avoid giving offspring to his brother. What he did greatly offended the LORD, and the LORD took his life too.” GENESIS 38:7-10

Today’s contraceptive society is a very dangerous adversary to Christians attempting to follow God’s will in all things.   So who are we going to serve, God or Man?

The Vicar of Christ, Pope Paul VI,(Humanae Vitae) 50 years ago made several predictions about a society that embraced contraception as their god.

He argued that men will no longer respect woman as a beloved companion but a mere instrument of selfish gratification.  The Pope noted, also, that the widespread use of contraception would “lead to conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality whereas the Church’s teaching on contraception is designed to protect the good of conjugal love.”

GENDER IDENTITY

 We acknowledge and affirm that all human beings are created by God and thereby have an inherent dignity. We also believe that God created each person male or female; therefore, sexual difference is not an accident or a flaw—it is a gift from God that helps draw us closer to each other and to God.

What God has created is good. “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” Genesis 1:27.

We must remain true disciples, rooted in who we are as Catholics and in the anthropology that undergirds our vision of the human person. We need to be able to articulate that and hold to that vision and not be swayed by the various public opinions that are prevalent in our society, today.

We as a Church, want to walk with those struggling with gender dysphoria.  We want those, struggling, to know the unconditional love of Jesus and to bring Him to you in the Sacraments. You are a part of the Church — you belong here and, truly, you are welcome here. …

 SAME SEX MARRIAGE  

Same Sex marriage is the tip of the spear in the “Gay” agenda.  The “Gay” agenda is to establish a new “norm,”… that there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual behavior as far as acceptable behavior.

Let us begin in the beginning in the book of Genesis. Genesis 1:27-28, “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply”

a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh

Matthew 19:5-6

In Matthew 19 when Jesus is challenged over the question of divorce and remarriage, Jesus reinforces what is already in Hebrew Scripture.  “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’  ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 

 Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate….  Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

 Catechism of the Catholic Church 1643 Marital love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter… It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh. Unitive and procreative are the goods of marriage.

 THE HOMOSEXUAL COUPLE CANNOT FULFILL THE GOODS OF MARRIAGE.

The Church teaches that homogenital behavior is objectively immoral, the same as heterosexual activity outside of marriage, The Church makes the important distinction between this behavior and a homosexual orientation, which is not immoral in itself.

 Homosexual persons “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity” These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. (CCC #2358)

 

1 PETER CHAPTER 4

CATHOLIC LETTERS

LETTER OF ST. PETER

CHRISTIAN RESTRAINT 1-6

Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude. For whoever suffers in the flesh has broken with sin, so as not to spend what remains of one’s life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God.

For the time that has passed is sufficient for doing what the Gentiles like to do: living in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and wanton idolatry.

They are surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of profligacy, and they vilify you; but they will give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead

REFLECTION

We must deny ourselves daily and attach ourselves to the will of God.  We must fast from more than food.  We must remove ourselves from any addiction that separates us from God.

If Christ suffered from deprivation why not us his disciples?  We certainly are not superior to the Master.  The flesh is weak and easily manipulated by the devil as he tempts us to choose to be our own gods like he did our first parents. .

The Gentiles (The World) vilifies Christians for not participating in their depravity.  The pressure to go along to get along is immense! Many man-made laws go against God’s laws.  We must choose to love God and His will over the way of the world that subjects us to the latest trends and popular poll numbers.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.   Matthew 7:13-14

SAINT PETER MARTYR

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,  The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18

 TRIAL OF PERSECUTION 12-19

Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer….

And if the righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the sinner appear?” As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will, hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.

REFLECTION

 Peter was a martyr for the faith.  “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”

Persecution of Christians may not be as bloody today as it was in earlier centuries but the un-bloody persecution today is just as severe and prevalent.

“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…            John 15:18-20

….Let us rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us   Hebrews 12:1

OBEDIENCE OF FAITH CATHOLIC CATECHISM #144

 To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself… The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.

 

 

 

1 PETER CHAPTER 2

1 Comment / CATHOLIC LETTERS

LETTER OF ST. PETER

 INTRODUCTION

Christian tradition regarded Peter the apostle as author of this document.  Its themes and concepts reflect Peter’s experiences and his associations in the period of our Lord’s earthly ministry.

Peter’s letters both inspire and admonish. The letters constantly mingles moral exhortation to persevere in the way of the Lord.  As we suffer with Christ we will rise with Christ if we remain faithful, 

 Letters of Peter, together with the Letters of James the three Letters of John and the Letter of Jude are part of the seven so-called Catholic Letters.

As the history of the New Testament canon shows, the Catholic Letters were among the last of the biblical literature to be settled on as canonical.  Peter was martyred at Rome during the persecution of Nero between A.D. 64 and 67, it is supposed that the letter was written from Rome shortly before his death.

1 PETER CHAPTER 2

God’s House and People. 1-12

Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Come to him, a living stone,* rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For it says in scripture: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.” Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall. They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.

But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were “no people” but now you are God’s people; you “had not received mercy” but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners* to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.

 REFLECTION

a cornerstone, chosen and precious,… This cornerstone, Jesus, We build our whole life around. There is no other!  We are motivated, moved, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, the breath of life. Is Jesus your cornerstone or a stumbling block?  In this letter Peter urges us… to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. Our good works give glory to God and work for salvation of all!

 Christian Citizens 13-25

 Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people.

JESUS PAYS TEMPLE TAX

Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God. Give honor to all, love the community, Fear God, honor the king…when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered* for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed.  For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

REFLECTION

 Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake …Obey lawful laws of lawful government.  Jesus obeyed Roman law as it was the will of the Father. Jesus paid the temple tax.

Fear God, honor the king…We are expected to obey laws otherwise there would be division and chaos, the devil’s playground. This does not mean every civil law is moral and as martyrs in heaven have shown we choose God’s law over man-made laws when they are in conflict.

 when you suffer for doing what is good…this is in imitation of Jesus.,,,, By his wounds you have been healed. Jesus invites us to participate in our redemption by uniting our suffering to Christ crucified in gift to the Father.