CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

THANKSGIVING DAY NOVEMBER 23, 2023

CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD,

HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER

PSALM 107

COMMENTARY

Every day is a day to give thanks to God.  We didn’t need the Government to set aside a special day but it is nice to take a break from work and reflect on our blessings with our family and friends despite living at a moment of extraordinary division, discouragement, uncertainty, and fear in our country.

As we are in another contentious political time, I am reminded of another time in our history where divisions were so severe that military warfare broke out between our states and a President who in the midst of division and bloodshed called for a day of Thanksgiving and repentance to Almighty God.

1863 was the bloodiest year of the Civil War.  By some estimates, more than 200,000 American soldiers died that year.  Our nation was wounded, deeply divided, and angry.  Political leaders were distrusted and reviled, immigrants and minorities were marginalized, and religious practice was waning in many places.

Writing to his divided and discouraged country, President Lincoln issued a proclamation re-calling the many blessings that Almighty God had given our nation.  Lincoln recognized that the United States had been showered with “the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

 ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

 OCTOBER 3, 1863

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed we are prone to forget the source from which they come…the watchful providence of Almighty God.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that the whole American People should solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice our gratitude. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States…., to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens…

 THANKSGIVING PRAYER 2023

 Father in Heaven, Creator of all, Thank you for all the graces and blessings you have bestowed upon us, both spiritual and temporal. Thank you for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness.

Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. For this beautiful earth you gave us as home.  We pray that we do not diminish it by our actions.

Grateful for the country we live in, what a blessing to have opportunities to exercise our right to worship, may it never be diminished by an oppressive government.

Most Gracious God, Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat, especially for this feast today.  Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence.

We give thanks for our family, in good times and bad times.  For our Mothers and Fathers, brothers, and sisters, living and dead, that helped in giving direction and guidance in our formative years.

And For the privilege of being baptized Catholic and given all the resources of Catholic Church teaching and sacramental life to support us on our way home.

And For our health in good times and bad times. We willingly accept the burden of poor health to develop more trust and dependency on you, God our Father.

THANKS BE TO GOD!

 

 

 

DOES GOD EXIST TODAY?

1 Comment / CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

Of course God exists! God is eternal, no beginning no end! I don’t know when it became so trendy or popular to dismiss God but so it seems in this atheistic leaning world.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters Genesis 1:1-2

 In the New Testament, when travelling through Athens, St. Paul remarked that the people were very much into worshipping many gods (temples to Apollo, Poseidon, and Aphrodite) and even had placed an altar to an Unknown god who Paul announced to them is the Christian God.

“Men of Athens I perceive that you are in every way religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” The unknown God of the Greeks is he in whom “we live and move and have our being, the God who made the world and everything in it.” Acts 17:22-32

Throughout history, dependent mankind, noting their limits, attempted to create gods to meet their needs, like a harvest god for crops and fertility god for children.

Mankind makes something out of something that already exists. For example, a chair, the carpenter, uses tools and material to fashion a chair, the cook is dependent on the grocery store or on the ingredients from her garden… Unlike us, God needs nothing. God creates out of nothing.

Man pretends he is god by clinging to the addictions of money, pleasure, and power. These are futile and will fail us always. “our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” St. Augustine

Some people argue against the existence of God because of all the evil in this world.  They argue, if a God exists He would never allow such evil to happen. God never wills sin but He also respects our free will…our choice, not His!

Sin spreads; Sin has consequences.. Some will say I am not hurting anybody when I commit this sin or another.  How so?  You are at least hurting yourself and those closest to you.

When you sin it makes it easier to choose sin the next time…That wasn’t so bad and who did I hurt. You hurt yourself by feeding your selfishness… by choosing your will over God’s will.

Sometimes, the evil, God allows brings a greater good, like conversion, reconciliation and forgiveness.  What some perceived as the humiliating, shameful death of Jesus became our lifeline to eternity….the greatest good ever!

Who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,  of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6.

As we prepare for Advent, a season of waiting on the Lord, we reflect on our need for God more than ever in this world.  In that first Christmas the Christ child was placed in a manger because there was no room in the Inn.

Is there room in our hearts for the Christ child today?

HE WHO SEES ME SEES THE FATHER

CONCLUSION

Some say faith is less reliable than science.  I say what about the daily leaps of faith each day such as when you flush the toilet it won’t overflow..  that you won’t fall and break your leg on the way to your car…there is a road to take you to your destination…that your destination exists…that the bridge you cross will not collapse under you…that your family will still be there when you return…and so forth

How is faith in God any less reasonable than the daily leaps of faith we make?.   When people dismiss or ignore God’s existence they ignore His graces and dismiss His support for times of stress, grief, despair…they reject the inspiration to pray for others in need, especially loved ones who may have taken a wrong turn on their journey “home.”

   CLOSING PRAYER FROM PSALM 145 

I will extol you, my God and king;

I will bless your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise,

whose grandeur is beyond understanding.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in mercy.

The LORD is trustworthy in all his words,

and loving in all his works.

LORD is just in all his ways,

merciful in all his works.

My mouth will speak the praises

of the LORD

and will bless his holy name

forever and ever!

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

National Eucharistic Revival is a three year program sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The first year of the Revival June 19, 2022–June 11, 2023 invited bishops, priests, and diocesan staff to respond to the Lord’s personal invitation. The second year June 11, 2023 – July 17, 2024 is about fostering Eucharistic devotion at the parish level.

Our world is hurting. We are beset with scandal, division, disease, doubt. In the midst of these roaring waves, Jesus is present, reminding us that he is more powerful than the storm. Jesus Christ desires to heal, renew, and unify the Church and the world through the celebration of the Eucharist.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1324 The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”…For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself”

1364 When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ’s Passover… the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever present. “As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which ‘Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed’ is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out.”

1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: “The victim is one and the same…the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an un-bloody manner . . .

PLEASE NOTE THE ACCIDENTS REMAIN…those things that appeal to our senses, touch, sight, taste, etc remain. The “substance” of the Eucharist is changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus and remains in “real presence” as long as the “accidents” remain.

THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN SCRIPTURE

JESUS TOOK BREAD AND BLESSED IT

 “And as they were eating He took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, this is my body.’ And He took a cup and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them and they drank all of it and He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for many.  Mark 14:22-26

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians,”….the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this,,,,For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. I Corinthians 11:23-27

DEVOTION TO THE HOLY EUCHARIST

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving
be every moment Thine
Amen

HOLY HOUR of Eucharistic Adoration

Christ is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament to manifest his great love for us. Christ, the God-Man, is truly present in his divinity as well as his humanity, body and soul before me.

In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” “This presence is called ‘real’ CCC 1374

A Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament may be broken down into 15 minute segments with different types of prayers, Adoration, Thanksgiving, Petition, and Contrition.

Copied below are examples of prayers that may be said for each 15 minute segment.

PRAYER OF ADORATION

Lord, thank you for this hour of Eucharistic devotion. I adore you as the infinite and Holy One of God. You and the Father are one and you promised that one day we will be one in You. May Your Holy Spirit be with me. Send Him constantly… I thank you for this precious gift of faith. Amen.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Thank you, Father, for having created me. Thank you for my family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May I live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to me. Everything I receive is pure gift. Help me to be a grateful giver to others.
!
PRAYER OF PETITION

O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you…if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love, but let my soul hasten to your embrace… This I know that it is not good for me when you are not with me. Everything in this world that is not you is mere rubbish. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONTRITION

O Lord, forgive me my sins; the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul, the sins of my body… the sins that I know, the sins I have concealed so long and which are now hidden from my memory. I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial. I know my sins have wounded Thy tender Heart; O my Savior, let me be freed from the bonds of evil… O my Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been. Amen.

REFLECTION

It takes time to kindle a living, loving relationship and a relationship with Jesus Christ is no exception. That’s why the National Eucharistic Revival allows three years for discernment, encounter, and grassroots response on the diocesan, parish, and individual levels.

Just as we need to nourish our physical bodies in order to have strength; to work; and to live well, so too we need to eat in the House of the Lord to have spiritual strength.

What are we doing to increase and enhance our relationship with the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus in the Eucharist?

Where the Eucharist is so is God. The Eucharist is God’s gift of love to us. Our worthy reception is our gift of love and sacrifice to God. Are we worthily returning God’s gift of love…giving God my all…what am I holding back that keeps God at arm’s length?

TASTE AND SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD
PSALM 34:8

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.

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)

 

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.

 

 

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 salvationc 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

1 Comment / CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

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

IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD IMAGO DEI

1 Comment / CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

WHO SEES ME SEES GOD

Jesus is not made in image and likeness of God. Jesus is God! “Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantialof one Being with the Father.” (Nicene Creed)

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” Genesis 1:27 The image of God (Latin: imago dei) refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended them to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables them to commune with their Maker.

Adam was like God not in his outward appearance but internally. We must remember that God is spirit (John 4:24). Adam was made “in” the image of God. We are like God in many ways, but we are not God in any way. This is only true of Jesus.

It is the spiritual qualities of God that we humans image.  We reflect God’s intellect and free will. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.

Socially, humanity was created for fellowship, God made the first woman because “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Fellowship is a reflection of God’s triune nature in relationship with the Son (the beloved) and the Holy Spirit (the love between them.)  Every time someone marries, makes a friend, or hugs a child, he or she is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God. made for relationships.

Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves, and passed that damaged likeness on to all of their descendants, a clouding of the intellect and weakness of the will. “Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all” (Romans 5:12).

Today, we still bear the image of God James 3:9, but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.

But God was not going to abandon His work that He declared was good.  He sent us a most Holy Redeemer, His only begotten Son, Jesus, who begins to restore God’s image as willed by God in the first place. “Through Christ, we are made new creations in the likeness of God”2 Corinthians 5:17

“We have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Now with our redemption in Christ, we have put on the new man. We have put on Christ, and this now becomes a process of shaping us, making us again into the image of our Creator.” Colossians 3:10

.It is in Christ, Redeemer that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God. CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 1701

REFLECTIONS

Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of history. He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error and to an eternal punishment unless he or she repents of his or her sins. His mercy endures forever! Psalm 118

It is true that as we look at humanity today, we see a great difference between the holiness of God’s character and human character. We have distorted the very nature of God’s character in humanity because of our rejection of God’s holiness and rule in our lives. To sin is to reject holiness.  God made us to be holy, a people set apart, a witness to all nations, to worship God and reject Satan and all his works.

RITE OF BAPTISM

Here a few questions the celebrant ask the parents/adult at their Baptism:

Celebrant: Do you reject Satan?

Parents/Adults: I do.

Celebrant: And all his works?

Parents/Adult: I do.

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

Parents/Adult: I do.

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

Parents/Adult: I do.

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

Parents/Adult: I do.

God hates sin. To make infinite reparation for infinite offense of sin, it took a human and divine nature in the person of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, consubstantial with the Father to make amends and save us from our sins and eternal death separated from God.  Thank our Savior, Jesus Christ every day.

By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which urges him “to do what is good and avoid what is evil.” Everyone is obliged to follow this law, which makes itself heard in our conscience and is fulfilled in the love of God and of neighbor. Do not repress or ignore our conscience.  It is God’s gift to us.

 What does being made in image and likeness of God mean to you?  What steps are you taking to help Jesus restore that image? In union with his Savior, a disciple, which we are, attains the perfection of charity which is holiness. God is love. As we mature in grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory of heaven.

IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE CREATED HIM;

MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM” GENESIS 1:27