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LETTER OF JAMES CHAPTER TWO

SAINT JAMES APOSTLE

BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. AND EVANGELIST

INTRODUCTION

James wrote to a very partial age, filled with prejudice and hatred based on class, ethnicity, nationality, and religious background. In the ancient world people were routinely and permanently categorized because they were Jew or Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor…..

A significant aspect of the work of Jesus was to break down these walls that divided humanity, and to bring forth one new race of mankind in Him Ephesians 2:14-15

The unity and openness of the early church was shocking to the ancient world. But this unity didn’t come automatically. As this command from James shows, the apostles had to teach the early church to never hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ… with partiality.

MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT JAMES 2:1-13

My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?^*

Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor^* in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor person….

However, if you fulfill the royal^* law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not kill.” Even if you do not commit adultery but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law…For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

REFLECTION

James’ use of the term partiality reminds us of the caution not to judge others, Judge not lest you be judged! Matthew 7:1

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite,^* remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Matt. 7:4-5

We should not choose on appearances. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart 1 Samuel 16:7 God looks at the heart and so should we.

We should recognize all our brothers and sisters who are all made in the same image and likeness of God as we are. God is one God but three persons in love with each other in the Most Holy Trinity. We are made to love and be loved.

When we assume that the rich man is more important to God or more blessed by God, we put too much value in material riches. When God came to earth he came to a little known part of this earth, born in poverty.

QUESTION TO PONDER

Why did God choose to come into this world in poverty?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE MERCY WE SHOW TO OTHERS WILL BE EXTENDED

TO US AGAIN ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

FAITH AND WORKS. JAMES 2:14-26

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 if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.

Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God…. For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

REFLECTION

By Faith we mean our complete submission of intellect and will to God. If we really believe something we will follow through and act upon it. God cannot and will not deceive. There is a difference in believing in a God and believing God.

I could say I believe in God and Jesus as my Lord and Savior and not be saved because I chose my way of doing things over God’s will. “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven Matt.7:21

The faith that saves is never alone. Works must accompany a genuine faith, because genuine faith is always connected with conversion, becoming a new creation in Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17

God is beyond anything we can say about him or think about him. God is always more. God in his love for us and his desire for relationship has revealed himself in His Creation and Divine revelation thru Scripture. God is mystery. We will never understand the Most Holy Trinity fully. In our faith journey, doubts will come and go. A million doubts do not mean a denial of faith in God who is truthful, trustworthy, and beyond deceit.

“LORD I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF.” MARK 9:24

CATHOLIC LETTERS OF NEW TESTAMENT

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LETTER OF JAMES CHAPTER ONE

JAMES THE LESSER

INTRODUCTION

This letter, which was accepted as canonical from the second century onward, is attributed to James, the son of Cleophas and of Mary, the Blessed Virgin’s sister or cousin.

To distinguish him from the other James, the son of Zebedee Matt. 10:2-4, this James is called “the less” and, also, “the brother (cousin) of the Lord” James the younger” here has also been translated “James the less”

From the Book of Acts we know that James enjoyed great authority in the church of Jerusalem Acts 15:13-19.

Paul also describes him as one of the pillars of the Church and gives him a prominent place among those to whom our Lord appeared after his Resurrection. 1 Cor. 15:7

James the apostle (the less) was, then, bishop of Jerusalem until his death in the year 62. He wrote his letter around the year 60. In it he shows himself to be steeped in the Old Testament and in the teachings of Jesus deriving from the Sermon on the Mount.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER ONE

PERSEVERANCE IN TRIAL

VERSES 1-4

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing^* of your faith produces perseverance….. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

VERSES 12-13

Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.^*No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

REFLECTION

James speaks of himself as a slave to God. The word slave today has many bad connotations. James means he is committed to God’s will. How committed are we?

Sometimes we fail. Our will, wishes, desires will get the best of us. God tempts no one. Satan tempts God tries.. God will never tempt us to evil but sometimes He allows it as a test of our faith as in the case of Job (Book of Job)

A faith untested is not much of a faith, God wants us to choose freely to love him and serve him

God respects our free will and will never force us to choose Him…..An enormous responsibility on our part… we must pray that we choose God’s will every day and avoid anything that would separate us even for a moment. Our intention is to live all eternity with God why not start now!

DOERS OF THE WORD.

VERSES 19-25

Know this, my dear brothers….Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.

REFLECTION

Peers into the perfect law. The perfect law refers to the Old Testament Mosaic law and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Faith Without Works Is Dead. James 2:14 At the time of Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther proclaimed Faith alone can save you so he left Epistle of James out of his bible. Luther was wrong then and still wrong today. Only doing the will of Father can save me. Moved by grace, we submit our intellect and will to God.

We need faith and works. What good is it to say I believe in Jesus Lord and Savior then act like we don’t? There is a difference in believing in a God and believing God.

A belief in a God is faith of intellect but does not bring about change or conversion. I can still acknowledge the Lord and not be saved by going about my merry way like the old Frank Sinatra tune “I did it my way!”

We are reminded by the words of Jesus, Himself, “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father” Matthew 7:21.

MARCH FOR LIFE POST ROE V WADE

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

CHOOSE LIFE

“I have today set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life that you and your descendants may live.”

DEUTERONOMY 30:15

The earliest Christians used as their “moral guide of behavior” the admonition God made to his chosen people, through Moses, His Prophet, I am offering you, life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live… Deuteronomy 30:19.

INTRODUCTION

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the United States in its companion decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Since that time, millions of children have lost their lives, and millions of women and families have been wounded by abortion.

In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.

When is abortion permitted? NEVER! Not when it 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….DELIBERATE ABORTION IS NEVER PERMITTED. NOTE: In an attempt to save a mother’s life, the life of the child in her womb may be lost in unintended consequences.

CATECHISM OF THE 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.

Today, many consider pregnancy a disease to be preemptively attacked. Some politicians aggressively defend the right to abortion. Just because it is legal does not make it RIGHT!

Women claim it is their body and free to do what they want. “My Body, My Choice,” betrays a tragic misunderstanding of what is taking place inside the womb.

The DNA of the child that determines sex, facial features, physique, and the color of the skin, hair, and eyes is different from the Mother’s. Every cell of the baby in the womb is genetically distinct from every cell in the mother’s body. The gift of life is God’s choice not a woman’s!

On June 24, 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade. While God, in His mercy, ended the nearly fifty-year nationwide regime of abortion on demand, right now state and federal laws, in many instances, are still hostile to pre-born children.

The landscape has changed, but our mission to create a culture of love and life where abortion is unthinkable remains the same. At this year’s march, we will take the time to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision and acknowledge all that went into our 50 years of work toward ending Roe in the courts.

We must now wage war in Congress, in our statehouses and in our communities. Through our continued advocacy and witness at the national level, we plan to hold the line protecting life-saving policies such as the Hyde Amendment

We must not only care for the unborn but also the already born who may be so adversely affected by an unplanned pregnancy that in her pain and despair may consider killing the life of the baby growing inside her womb. It so refreshing when I encounter a newly pregnant woman proclaim proudly, “I am having a baby!”

Thousands of pregnancy resource centers and hundreds of maternity homes exist across the country giving women an alternative to abortion and letting them know that they are not alone.

These centers and homes provide everything a mother might need, including housing, financial assistance, education, counseling, clothing, diapers, child care and more.

These organizations rely heavily on us — both in terms of volunteer hours as well as donations — and it is up to us to be a beacon of hope for them and the women they serve.

If we have learned anything from the recent Dobbs decision, it is that we can accomplish anything we set our mind to. With a lot of hard work, courage and prayer, we will build a world where every life is valued and loved and abortion is unthinkable!

MARCH FOR LIFE

EPILOGUE

At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love. The presence of an illness, disability, or other challenging situation never diminishes the value of a human life. God does not call us to perfection of appearance or abilities, but to perfection in love.

Christ came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” John 10:10 May our culture experience the power of God’s transforming love, that all eyes may be opened to the incredible beauty of every human life.

“Children truly are the family’s greatest treasure and most precious good. Everyone must be helped to become aware of the intrinsic evil of the crime of abortion. In attacking human life in its very first stages, it is also an aggression against society itself. Politicians and legislators, therefore, as servants of the common good, are duty bound to defend the fundamental right to life, the fruit of God’s love.” Pope Benedict XVI

PRAYER FOR RESPECT FOR EVERY HUMAN LIFE

Heavenly Father, thank you
for the precious gift of life.

Help us to cherish and protect
this gift, even in the midst of fear,
pain, and suffering.

Give us love for all people,
especially the most vulnerable,
and help us bear witness to the
truth that every life is worth living.

Grant us the humility to accept
help when we are in need,
and teach us to be merciful to all.

Through our words and actions,
may others encounter the
outstretched hands
of Your mercy.

We ask this through
Christ, our Lord. Amen.

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY DECEMBER 30, 2022

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH

REFLECTION

As I look at this picture of the Holy Family, many themes come to mind. Love and faithfulness stand out… Mary’s words of obedience to God’s messenger, “Be it done to me according to thy word,” without understanding the consequences of her fiat. Her submission to God’s will says so much about the trust Mary had in a benevolent God that only wishes us well.

Mary conceives a Son by the Power of the Holy Spirit….the Son Mary conceived was no ordinary Son but the Son of God…Mary will bring God to the world… the Word Incarnate…God will dwell once again among His people…The Garden is refreshed with a NEW ADAM…

Joseph had his own qualms to deal with when his wife to be became pregnant and not by him. Joseph was already a righteous man in relationship with God and did not want to do anything to embarrass or jeopardize his spouse to be so he was going to separate quietly.

Then God intervened, “behold, the angel of the Lord^* appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Matthew 1:20

Because of the love of Mary and Joseph, the Christ child in the picture is able to hold out his arms and embrace the whole world in blessing. A child lives what he experiences. A loving family attached to God their creator and source can only spread the love and embrace of God the Father to others.

At one point Jesus got separated from Mary and Joseph and when found teaching in the temple he willingly left His Father’s house and went back to his earthly home in Nazereth. “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man” Luke 2:49-51

Jesus went home with His earthly parents and was obedient to them…He obeyed the Father’s will in honoring Mary and Joseph….How am I honoring God in my daily duties…

Not much is known about Jesus’ child hood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood in his home town of Nazareth. We do know the Holy Family were all devout Jews honoring and worshiping God according to Jewish practices, especially holy days like Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, and Pentecost.

Mary and Joseph would have provided for their family in traditional roles of feeding and caring for their child. In his human nature Jesus would be learning and not taking any “divine” short cuts as he assisted his earthly foster father, Joseph, in his carpentry trade.

Loving parents, loving child, the core of God’s plan for salvation of mankind, imaging the relationship of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

In the cultural change taking place in the present-day, models are often presented which conflict with the Christian vision of the family. Christianity proclaims that God created humanity as male and female, and blessed them to form one flesh and transmit life Gen 1: 27-28; 2, 24

The mystery of life’s creation on earth fills us with wonder and delight. The family, founded on the marriage of a man and a woman, is splendid to behold and irreplaceable in an interpersonal loving relationship which transmits life. The act of generation, must be understood in light of the parents’ responsibility and commitment to the care and Christian upbringing of their children, who are the most precious fruit of conjugal love

According to our faith, the difference between the sexes bears in itself the image and likeness of God Genesis 1:26-27. “This tells us that it is not man alone who is the image of God or woman alone who is the image of God, but man and woman as a couple who are the image of God.

To families with homosexual members, the Church reiterates that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his/her dignity, while carefully avoiding “every sign of unjust discrimination”…Regarding proposals to place unions of homosexual persons on the same level as marriage, “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”.

Marriage is a gift and a promise of God. The witness of couples, who faithfully live their marriage, highlights the value of this indissoluble union and awakens the desire to constantly renew their commitment to fidelity.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY

Heavenly father, you have given us a model of life

in the Holy family of Nazareth

Help us, O Loving Father to make our family another Nazareth

where love, peace, and joy reign

May it be deeply contemplative, intensely Eucharistic,

and vibrant with joy.

Holy Family Pray for us.

St. Terese Kolkata

IN JESUS’ NAME WE PRAY

DISCIPLESHIP COME FOLLOW ME

CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

TO HAVE LIFE WE MUST GIVE IT AWAY

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25

There are many calls to discipleship throughout Scripture. I will cite just a few examples because of the circumstances of the call, the manner of the call, and the reaction of the one called.

CALL OF MATTHEW

The first one is the call of Levi, the tax collector whose name was later changed to Matthew. When you encounter the Lord your name is often changed, .Simon/Peter.

And he saw tax collector and said follow me. Matthew points at himself with the expression-Who me? Leaving everything behind, he got up and followed HIM

Do we ever ask God if He got the wrong person, Who Me! OR DO WE FOLLOW ANYWAY?

BLIND BARTIMAEUS

As Jesus was leaving Jericho, he came across a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. The beggar when he heard who was passing by kept calling out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.”

Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see. Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:50-52

Why did Jesus ask the beggar what he wanted from him? In prayer, Are we specific in telling God what we want? Do we persevere in that prayer?

ZACCHAEUS

Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”

And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over. Jesus said to him,

“Today salvation^c has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:1-10

DO WE CHANGE WHEN WE ENCOUNTER JESUS? HOW SO? ARE WE LOOKING FOR CHANGE WHEN WE ARE LOOKING FOR JESUS?

We are all familiar with these kinds of stories in the Gospels where once confronted by Jesus that person gets a sense of healing, physically/spiritually…a movement towards wholeness… THEY leave whatever state they were in…. to follow Jesus down the road…along the WAY. We may stumble along the way but Jesus is there to pick us up if we only ask,

As followers,(imitators of Christ) we share with others as Jesus did.-love our enemies, forgive that we may be forgiven, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, be merciful that mercy will be shown you… The only thing we take with us when we die, is what we have given away….so leave that suitcase behind…

JESUS’ DISCIPLES BEARING GIFTS FOR OTHERS

One teaching of Jesus I always had trouble with was giving my life away that I might have life. It’s my life, isn’t it? Don’t I have the right to live it as I want? I do have free will, after all. The choice is mine. What about my choices? Choices have consequences.

There is both an Ego drama and a Theo drama being played out. One is my plan (Ego drama) the other is God’s plan for bringing me into excellent existence. Life is a gift from God. God has a plan and purpose for my existence.

Do I stick with God or do I separate myself with sin. Uh-Oh, No sins allowed in heaven. Be holy as I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 Well, I better begin now to become what God envisioned when he breathed life into my soul and body if I want to end up there for all eternity.

To have Heaven and a share in Divine life I must set aside this world, its pomp, transient glories, and passing pleasures. I must help the needy and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

CATHOLIC ESCHATOLOGY END TIMES

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

“I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness…. I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. John 12:46-47

Welcome to Catholic Eschatology- the theology concerned with end times, death, judgment, heaven, hell. the Second Coming of Christ, The Resurrection of the Dead, and the Final Judgment.

During the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, after the consecration the people are invited to acclaim the Mystery of Faith. (Mysterium Fidei ) This simple acclamation proclaims the belief in the resurrection of the Lord. We acknowledge His death and we also proclaim our faith that He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.

This month of November when we remember the Saints in Heaven and the Holy Souls in Purgatory is a good time to reflect on our own end times. Life on earth will come to an end for all of us. We know not when, nor how, but God does. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Matt. 25:13

We are reminded throughout Scriptures to be ready to welcome Jesus at all times. We know from Scripture there will be a final end time but our end time may come first. Our short lives on earth are a sowing time.

St. Paul writes “What is sown is perishable, but what is raised is imperishable; what is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; what is sown is weak, but what is raised is powerful; what is sown is a natural body, and what is raised is a spiritual body” 1 Cor. 15:42

Let us not be like the foolish virgins who missed the bridegroom through lack of preparation and when they approached the wedding feast the door was shut as they cried out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. Matt.11

Let us not be the rich fool with a rich harvest either, I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry! But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong then? Luke 12:18-20

After we die, according to Church teaching (Magisterium), each person faces a Particular Judgment before God. Death puts an end to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either immediate entrance into the blessedness of heaven or through a purification in purgatory or immediate and everlasting damnation. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1022.

THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT

The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each person will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. i.e the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, “Amen, I say today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42.

Those who die in the grace and friendship with God and who are perfectly purified from sin will see God face to face as He really is and live with Christ forever. This perfect life with the Blessed Trinity, Mary, and all the saints is called heaven, a state of supreme and definitive happiness forever.

To die in grave sin, without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love, means remaining separate from God for all eternity. This place is called hell. God respects our free will and will not force us into beatitude and life eternal.

RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

Jesus came to dress our perishable nature with imperishability and our mortal nature with immortality 1 Corinthians 15:53.

The resurrection of all the dead, the just and unjust, will occur just before the Last Judgment. This will be “the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear the Son of man’s voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” CCC 1038

In the resurrection we will have spiritual bodies. Our natural bodies came from Adam, our spiritual bodies come from Christ. “as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man [Adam], so we shall bear the likeness of the heavenly one [Christ]” 1 Corinthians 15:49

LAST JUDGMENT

Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him. . . . Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” CCC 1038

The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour. In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life.

Then, through his Son Jesus Christ, God will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death.

NEW CREATION NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH

At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign forever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed: Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and the world, “new heavens and a new earth.”

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away.” Revelation 21:1 “It will be the definitive realization of God’s plan to bring under a single head “all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth.” CCC 1043

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, now we walk by faith and not by sight, but one day we hope to see you face to face, we pray our bodies will rise in glory on the last day through the merits of your only begotten Son, Jesus, who goes before us to prepare a place in His heavenly Mansion, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

ABORTION IS MURDER CHOOSE LIFE

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CHOOSE LIFE

“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…

I have set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life that you and your descendants may live.” DEUTERONOMY 30:15

BACKGROUND

October is Respect Life Month, a time for Catholics to reflect more deeply on the God-given dignity of all human life. All lives are Sacred and gift from our Creator. I repeat, ALL LIVES!

CATECHISM OF THE 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.

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.

COMMENTARY

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….DELIBERATE ABORTION IS NEVER PERMITTED. The end never justifies an immoral means. KILLING INNOCENT LIFE IS NEVER PERMISSABLE!

NOTE: In an attempt to save a mother’s life, the life of the child in her womb may be lost in unintended consequences of saving the mother’s life.

Today, those who support abortion on demand use words to draw sympathy and support. There are many euphemisms. Some will call it Women’s Reproductive Rights. Where does the right come from? I know it isn’t God. Nor is women’s right to an Abortion in the Constitution of the United States. A person does not have a right to something just because they think they do. Think about that one and the chaos in the world that would follow.

Calling Abortion, a woman’s health issue is like calling euthanasia, death with dignity or calling same-sex marriage, marriage equality. All of it is shameful marketing to develop sympathy for deeply flawed practices.

Women claim it is their body and free to do what they want. Nonsense, the slogan, “My Body, My Choice,” betrays a tragic misunderstanding of what is taking place inside the womb.

Check out on internet the growth of the baby in the womb. By 12 weeks the baby has eyes, ears, hands, feet, toes, functioning brain and other organs apart from their mother’s.

At no point in pregnancy is the developing embryo or fetus simply a part of the mother’s body. Every cell of the baby in the womb is genetically distinct from every cell in the mother’s body. Human embryos did not originate only from the woman. The baby would not exist without the man’s seed.

Often the blood type of the baby is different from the mother’s and half the children are born male, a different sex than their mother. If a pregnant woman is killed, the murderer is charged with two homicides. It is illegal to execute a pregnant woman on death row because the fetus living inside her is a distinct human being who cannot be executed for the crimes of the mother.

Today, many consider pregnancy a disease to be preemptively attacked like a flu vaccine. Some politicians aggressively defend the right to abortion.

Just because it is legal does not make it RIGHT! Today, like so many things, just because you say it over and over again, doesn’t make it true.

The Holocaust of Germany authorized by the Nazi Government in power was a horrific ethnic cleaning of more than 6 million Jews. Over 60 million unborn babies in the US, alone, since Roe V Wade have been slaughtered due to Legal abortion of the United States Government

If a government, on its own authority, can authorize citizens to take the life of a child legally, all sorts of excesses are possible. Who has the right to live?

Stay tuned as those who favor thinning out the masses come up with new ideas for thinning the herd and who shall live and who shall die!

PRAYER CELEBRATING SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE

God, you are the Lord and Creator of Life. You have blessed men and women with the privilege of bringing new life into the world.

You have imparted in our hearts the desire to nurture and protect life at all its stages. I accept these gifts as a sacred trust.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Grant me the wisdom and courage to speak out and defend human life, made in Your image and likeness from conception to natural death. Amen

FATIMA MIRACLE OF THE SUN OCTOBER 13, 1917

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS, MARY MOTHER OF GOD

ANGEL OF PEACE

BACKGROUND

Some months before the Blessed Mother appeared to the children, an Angel of Peace appeared to them with this plea to the playing children: ‘What are you doing? Pray! Pray much!…Constantly offer prayers and in every way you can, offer a sacrifice to the Lord as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and for the conversion of sinners…As the Angel of Peace gave them Holy Communion she taught them the prayer: ‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee.

FATIMA CHILDREN LUCIA, JACINTA AND FRANCISCO

Beginning May 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared, six different times, to these three children in Fatima Portugal. The message of Fatima may be lost sometimes in the mysterious and the spectacular: The simple message is the Blessed Mother asks for prayer, reparation, and sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world…..an abandonment of sin.

These entreaties of Our Blessed Virgin Mary concern our day to day activities as we make our way to our eternal home. They are as valid today as they were in Fatima 105 years ago.

APPARITION AT FATIMA

The everlasting consequence of un-repented mortal sin is Hell; knowing this, we should live our lives according to the laws of God, not according to latest trends in secular society. This world is temporary and transitional, very small compared to the eternal spiritual world that awaits us all. The central message of Fatima was an urgent plea to stay on the narrow path to Heaven.

In each of the six apparitions, Mary instructed the children to pray the Rosary every day, especially for peace in the world and an end to war. During the apparition on July 13, Mary encouraged the children to make sacrifices for sinners and requested that the children add a simple phrase after each mystery of the rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need.”

To this day we add that phrase while saying the rosary keeping in mind our salvation and the salvation of others especially those most in need of forgiveness and mercy. We must never forget pursuit of salvation is NOT a game of solitaire but a communal activity, a mystical body of Christ. No one gets to heaven alone.

THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN

What occurred on Oct. 13, 1917, the final public apparition, validated the apparitions in the eyes of many. At the designated time, Mary revealed herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. Afterward, as she began to ascend back to heaven, St. Joseph appeared with the Christ Child and Mary. Then Jesus appeared with Our Lady of Sorrows and lastly Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And then the great solar miracle happened,

Nearly 70,000 people witnessed this miracle, when it seemed the sun was plunging toward the earth, only to return to the sky. Not everyone reported the same thing; some present claimed they saw the sun dance around the heavens; others said the sun zoomed toward Earth For the onlookers, this confirmed what the Fatima children claimed. The whole event took about 10 minutes.

REFLECTION

In one of her apparitions, Mary confirmed the existence of hell. She gave the children a very brief glance but it was enough. The children saw the suffering of those detained there. Today so many want to deny sin, the devil, and the existence of hell. With those consequences swept away why are we surprised at the evil in this world? So many say what difference does it make what I do. They ignore the evil consequences of their sinning on others…no one is an island to themselves. Our acts have consequences.

Fatima calls us to conversion, and a daily turning away from sin. Mary told the children that our prayers can help save souls, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them.” Are we doing our part?

As faithful disciples, we are called to be holy, and to be intercessors for each other. Fatima is a wake-up call. In the midst of a passing world, we need to get right with eternal things: penance, Confession, the Eucharist, prayer, especially the Rosary for Mary’s intercession.

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

MATTHEW 7:13-14

Jesus, lead the way!

EPILOGUE

Francisco and Jacinta Marto were canonized by Pope Francis. The brother and sister died of pneumonia two years after the apparitions at the ages of 9 and 11. Lucy, their cousin, died in 2005 is awaiting Beatification

The children say the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times above an olive tree in 1917 and told them three secrets.

The first secret was a vision of hell confirming its existence. “It revealed a very terrifying scene as the children were shown a vision of hell! It was only for a brief moment that they saw the fires of hell, the ugliest demons, and the poor charred and transparent burning souls of people suffering tremendously.

Lucy said later she was thankful the Blessed Mother had promised in her first visit the children would be going to Heaven or we would have died of fright.

The second secret was request of devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart in prayer in reparation for sins, peace in the world, and conversion of Russia. Our Blessed Lady said to the children, “You have seen hell where souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.”

The third secret was to remain a secret at the Blessed Mother’s instructions, and it did for decades until Saint John Paul II revealed it after the assassination attempt on his life in 1981. Lucy who later became a Carmelite nun wrote the secret in her diary and described a vision of many threats and attacks on Church figures including the Holy Father.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

“I am the Lady of the Rosary.

I desire that people continue to recite the Rosary every day.”

GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTER 1

GOSPEL OF JOHN

GOSPEL OF JOHN

SCRIPTURE JOHN 1:1-16

in the beginning was the word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.

JESUS IS LIGHT OF THE WORLD

But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God…From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him

REFLECTION

John’s Gospel makes clear that the Son of God, the Word, existed from the very beginning. The Word is God. The name of God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Word we will see later becomes Incarnate in Mary’s yes to the Father’s will. Nothing is made that did not come through Jesus, the Word. Jesus will come to judge the world at the right hand of the Father at the end of time.

John’s Gospel foretells the coming of John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness to make way for this coming Messiah. John came to testify to the light. Jesus is the light of the world but so many shutter that light and prefer darkness to cover their deeds. Let the Light of Jesus shine in us that we may glow to others and breathe the Spirit of Christ on others. The Spirit goes where it wills. John 3:8

The Law cannot save us. Only Grace merited by our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ can empower us to seek God’s mercy and repent of our sins. Jesus is the revelation of who God is. If we want to share in that divine life, imitate Jesus. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

SCRIPTURE JOHN 1:19-28

john the baptist’s testimony to himself.

And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites [to him] to ask him, “Who are you?” he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Messiah.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?”^* And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert, “Make straight the way of the Lord,”as Isaiah the prophet said.

VOICE CRYING OUT IN DESERT

Some Pharisees^* were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water;^* but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,^* where John was baptizing.

REFLECTION

John the Baptist asserts he is not the Messiah, the expected one. John could have out of pride taken their adulation and sycophancy, but no, he told the truth. John was all about truth, repent, the kingdom is coming, be ready, prepare yourselves, your salvation is at hand.

There was no deceit in John the Baptist. I think of all the false prophets even today, the con men, those who build cults of personalities. John the Baptist was not about himself but pointing to others. Do we ever try to insert ourselves into situations for attention and recognition? Let God’s will be done, not ours.

John the Baptist tells us one is coming for whom he is not even worthy to untie the sandals on His feet and that we may not even recognize. Do we miss Jesus in this world? He is present you know. Jesus said it best to Saul, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me! Lord I am not worthy to receive you but say the word and I will be healed. Take away our blindness and deafness that we may hear your word and see you in other people.

SCRIPTURE JOHN 1:29-34

john the baptist’s testimony to jesus.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God,^* who takes away the sin of the world He is the one of whom I said, A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him,^* but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove^* from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

REFLECTION

“Behold the Lamb of God.” With these words John the Baptist points to Jesus as the one who is to come, the Lamb who will be sacrificed for our sake. John could have put himself into the picture with a Howdy, Cousin. Jesus and John were cousins, after all. Luke 1:39 John the Baptist knew his place in the Divine Plan. Do we know our place? Do we accept it? Or do we stretch it into more about me than about God and others?

John the Baptist witnessed the Spirit of the Lord affirming Jesus as the one sent by God. John then testified to the others gathered, this man is the Son of God. How are we doing with recognizing Jesus in others? How are we in testifying to others that Jesus is the Son of God, there is no other to follow. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTER 2-3

GOSPEL OF JOHN

SCRIPTURE JOHN 2:1-

the wedding at cana.

On the third day there was a wedding^* in Cana^* in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”^*

So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. After this, he and his mother, [his] brothers, and his disciples went down to Capernaum and stayed there only a few days.^*

REFLECTION

My first thoughts are our trip to the Holy Land back in 2010 and our Mass and exchanging marriage vows in the Wedding Church at Cana. Marriage as covenant invaded my consciousness. My love exchange for my spouse grew and I knew it was God’s will we spend our time on earth mirroring God’s relational love.

What a great God to create man and woman in His image. “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female* he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply…” Genesis 1:27-28 This image is for now and all eternity, when we see God face to face.

In Scripture, the kingdom of heaven is often compared to a wedding feast, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. Matthew 22:1; “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.” Matthew 25:1

I know now why there are so many references in Scripture to Marriage and Wedding feasts. Marriage is an imitation of the relationship of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father the lover, the Son the beloved, and the Most Holy Spirit the love between them.

In the Last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation, we find a conclusion to the metaphor of the wedding feast. “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride( The Church) has made herself ready…. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”Revelation 19:7-9

WEDDING CHURCH AT CANA WITH SIX WATER JARS

The Gospel of John is often referred to as a “Book of Signs,” where “the Word reveals himself to the world and to his own in seven signs. The first sign is the changing of water into wine at the Marriage Feast at Cana.

The seven signs are:

Changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11);

Healing the royal official’s son (Jn 4:46-54);

Healing the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (Jn 5:1-15);

Feeding the 5,000 (Jn 6:5-14);

Walking on water (Jn 6:16-21);

Healing the man born blind (Jn 9:1-7); and

Raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-45).

His Mother, Mary tells her son, Jesus, they are out of wine. It could have just been a comment anyone might make, but Jesus did not let it go unnoticed. He tests his mother, is she asking him to intervene? Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.

A strange response from a son, addressing Mary as woman, not mother or Mary. Perhaps Jesus foreshadowed Mary was more than his Mother but Mother of us all and intercedes on behalf of us all.

“My hour has not yet come.” What hour is he waiting for??? Is it too early to make wine available? Waiting for more guests to arrive or leave? No, His hour is when He reveals the kingdom of God is at hand.

Mary understands through divine revelation that her Son will act when it is the Father’s will so she tells the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

SCRIPTURE JOHN 3:22-30

final witness of the baptist.

After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned.

Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew^* about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.”

John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven.^t You yourselves can testify that I said, I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”

HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE

REFLECTION

Jesus and John are both baptizing. We don’t know what Jesus’ disciples thought but we do know John’s disciples complained about Jesus baptizing. I am going to take a guess if Jesus was confronted about John baptizing, he would say something like good for him. He is preparing the people for conversion and pointing the way.

John rebuffs his disciples, No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. John again affirms his role and Jesus’ role. Do we accept our roles in the salvation plan? Is it God’s will or ours?

John further advises us, “He must increase; I must decrease.” Jesus tells us as much in Matthew 10:39The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it. Which is more precious your things on earth or eternal bliss in heaven? God never disappoints. His promises are guaranteed by an all loving God who knows no deceit!