Feast of The Holy Family JMJ Makes Sister Emerita Smile

One fond memory I have from my years as a student of St. Joseph and St. Anne School on the Southwest Side of Chicago is the fact that if you wanted to really please Sister you would place squarely in the center of your paper the legend JMJ.  This of course stands for "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" the Holy Family.   

Today the Church reminds us that Jesus came to earth to serve and not be served. The Gospel reading for today is the story of Jesus being found in the temple.  Can you imagine the fear that Joseph and Mary felt when they could not find the Child that had been placed into their care?  Like any parent they probably thought the worst.  Then can you imagine the relief and maybe just a bit of parental anger they must have felt.  Mary asked Him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been searching for you with great anxiety?"  Jesus then responds by giving a reply that at the time could only be understood by Mary and Joseph when He told them that He had to be in His Father's house.  The incident closes and we are told that Jesus became obedient to them and advanced in wisdom before men and God. 

A human being is born dependent on a family.  If a baby was born and ignored and left to his/her own devices they would soon die. The human family is the unit God has decided will be the way a human child will learn how to live in the world. The family will teach by example.  The child will learn the "who to's" of life while under the protection of their mother and father.  The parents are also responsible for teaching their child about God and the Kingdom of God and the child's place in it.  The latter is probably more important that the former. 

Today the concept of family is under attack on many fronts. To begin with the concept of marriage being between one man and one woman has come under attack.  Today in the United States and other countries marriage has been re-defined and now includes people of the same sex.  There are a couple of things wrong with same sex marriage.  First and foremost a same sex union can never procreate. Same sex families with two daddies or two mommies are not good for the child.  The ideal family, such as was Our Lord's contains both contributions from the female and male point of view. Sure, a same sex couple can be loving and nurturing to a child but the dual points of view are missing and they are very important in growing a child. 

There are other problems that assault the family as well. Even in those households where there are a traditional mother and father sometimes career and social lives take precedence in life and while the children are cared for physically they lack the care of their psyche that children from previous generations received from their parents. 

When I was growing up my mother, God rest her soul, made sure that dinner time was a time where family came together.  The television, which was visible from the kitchen where we took our meals together, was turned off.  The radio was silent and we ate our meals and actually talked to one another.  Attendance at dinner was mandatory in our household and we remained in each other's company until the meal was completed by all.  We never thought much about it, it was just how it was done and our family was not the exception, almost all of the neighborhood families followed the same ritual. 

Today when people gather around the dinner table they are most often accompanied by their smart phone. These electronic masters serve as distraction and conversation between is thus limited at best.  People feel less loyalty to their family and more to friends and organizations. 

We will eventually reap the results of our letting the family disintegrate.  We see some of the results already today. In former times aging parents were helped by their children. Today aging parents are seen as a problem to be conquered and we place Dad or Mom into the care of others and we lose the great assets that they could give us, namely their wisdom. 

People are also putting off having families later and later in life while they pursue their career and because of this we are losing the cohesion of inter-generational relationships by placing our old out on an figurative iceberg to await their call home to God because we have to sacrifice to the new god of retirement. 

Finally, we can see the results of our assault on the family and family values in any mall or store in America.   You can see many fine examples of children whining, crying, demanding, and even striking their attending parent.  These children are crying out for discipline and to be shown what to do.  Unfortunately, in many cases the parent has not a clue because he/she did not receive instruction by example from his/her family. 

Is it hopeless? Are we doomed?  For the near future I fear things will get worse but eventually their will be a revival of family values.  Someone will discover what is missing and being a family will become popular again.  On this Feast of the Holy Family resolve to show real love to your children and teach them how they should walk. 

Go with God this day and may He, through His Son Jesus bring love into your heart and through the Holy Spirit, light to follow him day by day.   

On The Feast of Stephan

THE STONING OF ST. STEPHAN

Here we are on this day after Christmas, December 26, 2015 which is celebrated in the Catholic Church and many of the main line denominations as the Feast of St. Stephan. We are all at home warm and fuzzy, presents proudly displayed under the Christmas tree.  Christmas dinner is a fond memory and inside us there is a gentle feeling of peace.  Then it happens. The Church sends us to read about Stephan in the Acts of the Apostles.  Stephan is talking to the same people that not too long ago had Jesus crucified.  Yet Stephan is proclaiming the Gospel to them.  They can hardly keep their anger in check.  But then Stephan goes to far. He tells them that he sees Jesus ruling at the right hand of God.  This is too much for them to bear.  Stephan is snatched up and taken outside of the town and stoned to death as a blasphemer.  The accusers had the duty of throwing the first stone so they took off their cloaks and laid them at the feet of one named Saul of Tarsus who of course later would become Paul. 

The feast of Stephan reminds us that being a Christian is not something that will be easy. We have to proclaim the Gospel and yes, we care called to back up the story with our very lives. Today, in the middle east Christians of all sorts are being martyred for being a Christian.  Sometimes they are being killed outright and sometimes they are being forced to flee the homes their ancestors have occupied for a thousand years or more. 

We have to pray to the Lord our God for the persecution to end, for peace to be restored in the troubled area, and we have to pray for the people undergoing the ultimate test of their Christian faith. 

I  would also suggest that we pray for ourselves that we not be placed into the situation we find our brothers and sisters of the middle east in and for the courage to shout out for justice wherever we see injustice and to give love back to those who hate us as Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord has taught us to do. 

God bless you and yours during this Christmas season.

Thirty Thousand different denominations make up the Christian community in America.  The largest of these is the Roman Catholic Church.  The Convert-a-Catholic Challenge is still going on.  I am challenging my Protestant brothers and sisters to convert me to their denomination.  Click here to get the ball rolling.  Convince me and  maybe next Sunday I will worshiping at a church that bears your denominations name. Prove to me that the Catholic Church is wrong in any one belief and that will be enough for me. 

Sentimental Christmas

About twenty centuries ago there occurred in a little sleepy town called Bethlehem an event so improbable that it defies belief.  It is said that one night the God who created the universe came to earth to live among His people.  It happened on a day that was otherwise unremarkable as people went about doing their daily tasks.  Not to far away on the Temple Mount priests were offering sacrifices to the God. That night God humbled Himself and took on our human body with all of its limitations.  The God who created everything was now dependent on a young girl, said to both virgin and mother. 

We sentimentalize God's coming to earth and sometimes through it all we forget to contemplate what this meant for us.  The first lesson taught by the Nativity is humility. Look at it this way; Fulton Sheen describes it as if you yourself loved dogs and you wanted to improve their life so you became a dog and took on all of the characteristics of a dog and in the end they turned on you and tore you apart. 

Yes, the Nativity is a beautiful feast day but we have to remember  it is the first step on a road that leads to the Cross.  Does this cast clouds on our joyous feast?  No, because we rejoice in the humility of our God.  After His birth he spent the next thirty three years teaching us how to live.  He live the early part of His life in complete obedience to his human parents. He spent the last three years of His life breaking Himself open and showing us how to live with one another. 

So, a Merry and blessed Christmas to you and may this day plant the seeds of peace and mercy in our land.    

Christmas Wish

Tony stirred restlessly in his bed. He glanced to the right and looked out of the window in his room.  The snow was still coming down, this was surely going to be a white Christmas. His brothers all had sent letters to Santa, although they knew that Santa was the man known as Dad.  Tony did not submit a list this year.  He longed for peace, he longed for quiet, he longed for rest. He wanted to go home for Christmas. None of these things could be delivered by Santa or even that most powerful man in his life, Dad.  

He stared out the window and found joy in the white snowflakes that were hitting his window. Tomorrow was Christmas day.  He remembered last year. He had joined the other kids in presenting a Christmas Play, he proudly played Joseph. He smiled as he remembered how he had spent hours mastering the dialogue.  How he recited it for Mom and Dad over and over again until he had it perfect.  He was nervous that night but Dad came over and put his hand on his shoulder and told him that he knew he could pull this off. And he did! Ms. McMahn, his teacher, told him that he was the best Joseph she had ever had in her Christmas play. The crowd applauded all of the players but when he was introduced the audience got to their feet and gave him a standing ovation. There was no way he could bow since he was confined to a wheel chair but he bowed his head in humble acceptance of the crowds acclimation of his performance.  A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he remembered that most happy of his life. He wiped the tear away and once again turned his attention to the window.

The snow was hitting the window and the lights from the street were changing the water drops into a colorful display of red, green, orange, and white.  He closed his eyes and with thought of the beautiful display of colors on the window he fell into a deep, deep sleep,  Not long after he closed his eyes he saw a beautiful vision, a land filled with light and colors. He slowly looked around and he knew the people that were standing in front of him even though he had never seen them before. They were all smiling. Young people, old people, boys and girls, all had a look of joy and peace on their face. He began walking forward, yes walking, the wheel chair was left behind.  As he got closer he saw everyone was smiling at him and then a great noise thundered as all of the people applauded for him.  A cheer rang out.  He began running toward the people and a very gentle looking man stepped in front of the crowd and Tony did the only thing he could think of, he leaped into the man's arms.  The man held him in his strong but gentle arms and whispered to him, "My name is Jesus, welcome home."  Tony was home for Christmas.

I felt compelled to write this short story, call it an inspiration but I believe someone out there needs to read this story which is designed to bring comfort.  God bless all of you this day.  Please remember to pray for all those who are going home to heaven this day. Pray that they feel the warm embrace of the Lord and that they are not afraid.  And for those who are losing a beloved mother, father or son, or daughter, remember we are made for heaven and those that we love will greet us there someday. 

Watching Their Flocks By Night

The gospel tells us that the birth of Jesus was first made known to shepherds watching their flocks by night.  This presents us with an interesting fact about the birth of our Savior, he was born in the spring or summer time. Shepherds would not have been out in the fields in the cold of winter.  But it really does not matter when the birth of Jesus took place, summer, winter, spring, or fall, He came to earth to save us, one and all.  Let's look a little at these people who first were told about the birth of Jesus. 

To be a shepherd in ancient Israel was not a good thing.  Shepherds were considered chronically unclean. Due to the nature of their work they were unable to visit the temple or synagogue. They were not the most educated of men in a country that prized learning. In short if you were a shepherd in ancient Israel you would be considered a second class citizen, certainly higher than the lepers but not too much so. 

In spite of your lowly estate as a shepherd the announcement that the Messiah had indeed arrived was made to you.  What does that say about the Messiah? It shows that the Messiah was coming for all.  He did not appear on a golden cloud in front of the high priest or the Roman governor, no, he chose the lowest class to be the ones that would hear of His birth first. 

This is the first sermon preached by Jesus and He preached it without using words, just an example.  The King of the Universe, the Author of Everything came down as a very dependent infant, in a stable, placed in a manger, where animals came to get their food in a town called Bethlehem which means House of Bread. 

The sermon on the manger preaches volumes in it's silence about God's love for the poor. Pope Francis has spoken about this fact time and time again. We need to take care of each other and we have to realize that no matter how rich we are, no matter how well off we are, that in God's eyes we are but children.  

In this last week of Advent as we rush about maybe we should take time and make some provision for those who have nothing.  After all the Good News was made known to the lowest first. 

33,000 Protestant Denominations are out there each proclaiming that they possess the true message of salvation.  Against that you have one cradle Catholic that has thrown down the gauntlet and has challenged the Protestant to CONVERT-A-CATHOLIC. No one has picked up the challenge. Seriously, tell me where the Catholic Church has got it wrong, prove to me that I should be in your denomination and I will convert.  Click Here to get the ball rolling.   

Gaudete Sunday or We light the pink candle

Our wait is approaching its end. This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent and is called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means "joyful" and the Church reminds us today that our Advent season is approaching the end and that which we were waiting for is just around the corner. 

For the secular world the road to Christmas is paved with greenback dollars!  I remember back in August one of our local food stores put up their Hallmark Christmas ornament display and most other stores start the avalanche of advertising for Christmas in early November before Thanksgiving Day.  The Christmas Carols are piped in as you shop in the mall before the first frost. 

Advent at one time was a time, just like lent, of fasting and repentance.  When I was a child I watched that wreath in church grow brighter and brighter, knowing full well that Christmas presents were getting ever closer. 

On this Sunday we light the pink candle. The intention of this candle is to make our hearts warmer, to brighten our souls, to feel the joy of expectation that soon Christ will be with us.  Of course this marks our progress towards the feast but it also reminds us that the day of the Lord, the day he returns, is getting closer too. 

On this Sunday, my heart is filled with joy, I know I am loved so much that Jesus came to earth and died for me and for my sins,  I am joyful this day because deep in my heart I know that I am what God wants me to be or at least progressing towards that goal.  I am joyful because I know my ultimate fate and destiny is to be with God and the saints in heaven,  How can I keep from singing!

My Protestant friend, I invite you to take the Convert-a-Catholic Challenge. With 33,000 Christian denominations out there someone must know where the Catholic Church has gone wrong, why won't anyone tell me why I should leave the Church and join up with your denomination?  Don't you want to save me?  Click on the link below and tell me why I should quit being Catholic and join your church, which I will do if you can convince me.  

Hey Michael! Let's get you out of the Catholic Church and into my Church.  (Click Here to Email Michael)

Destiny

Okay, Lorne Green was great on Bonanza but I have to say that as a singer he probably not make it on "The Voice."  But aside from entertainment value I chose this song to introduce the topic of destiny.  Please note that I do not agree with the principles put forth in this song.  For me the principle it espouses sounds too much like John Calvin to me.  But aside from that I do have to agree that we have a destiny but it is not set in stone as Lorne would have us believe. 

In the distant past God decided he would like Michael The Lesser to be born.  He loved the very idea of Michael and when the time was right He moved His hand and I was conceived.  After a stay in the womb, in my case only seven months, I was born kicking and crying into the world. I was a tiny thing and the fourth attempt my mother had at having a child, the other three ended in two miscarriages and one still birth. I survived two months in an incubator at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and was brought home on Christmas Eve in nine-teen hundred and fifty two.  

I have seen sixty-two summers in my life and I am not sure if I will see another because we are never sure we are going to even take another breath, it is not guaranteed.  As I have gone through life I have come to forks in the road and have made conscious decisions as to which road to take. Sometimes my choice was good, in my eyes anyway, other times things didn't turn out so good.  But no matter which road I took, no matter the results of my decisions, I was propelled towards my ultimate destiny. 

As a human being I have an ultimate destiny but unlike Mr. Calvin says it is not written in stone.  This is because I have been given free will to choose my destiny.  I can live a life worthy of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and my ultimate destiny will be heaven.  I can live a life of unrepentant dissolution, caring only for myself and my ultimate destiny will be hell. The point I am trying to make here is that our destiny, unlike the destiny portrayed in the song, is in our hands. We make the choices in life in accordance with the free will that God gave us.  He does not want puppets to be with Him in heaven, He wants people who have decided that they want His friendship.  

So, what do you think of destiny?  Is it something that is written in granite and can never be changed?  Or is it something that we can design as a sculptor changes a square piece of marble and through work and dedication changes it into a beautiful statue? 

CONVERT A CATHOLIC challenge is still open. I am inviting my Protestant brothers and sisters to prove to me that I should abandon the Catholic Church and join their denomination.  33,000 different versions of the truth against the Catholic Church...what are you waiting for?  The challenge has been made.  Click on the link below to send me an email.

Michael, my denomination has got it all together - you just gotta join it and here is why 

 (Click Here)

Infinity

When I was a boy you could be sure of a couple of things in life. First you could be sure that on a summer day you would find all of the neighborhood boys playing baseball in Winslow's vacant lot.  The other sure bet would be that when the show Ben Casey came on you would find my mother glued to the TV set.  Mom did not watch much TV but she had her favorite shows and Ben Casey was one of them.  If you've watched the You Tube video that is attached you know how it started.  A voice while drawing symbols is heard saying "Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity."  

Today we are going to talk a little bit about the concept of infinity. Numbers are said to be infinite but that just means for any number you can think of you can add one to it and have a larger number. This concept is useful for mathematicians.  In photography you can set your camera to infinity. That does not mean you can actually see into infinity, no, it just means that you are using the lens at its highest capability. Time is said to be infinite, but that is simply the number concept dressed up in a new suit of clothes. By its very nature time had a beginning and it will have an end.  I want to talk about infinity as it applies to us and as it applies to God, our heavenly Father. 

For us humans infinity began at conception when God breathed  life into us and created us in material form, the body, and us in our true form, the soul.  Our material form, our body is very finite indeed. When you compare the time our human form exists against the thousands of millenniums before we existed and the thousands of millenniums yet to come, our existence is but a dot on the timeline.  When we die it will be the material part of us that will stop working and decay back into the dust that it was formed of.  Our soul on the other hand will continue to live.  We will know who we are and where we have come from.  We will be completely aware and we will remember every detail of our life. It will then become time for the judgement.  We will stand before God and Jesus.  If we were friends with Jesus, took up our crosses and followed Him, if we had mercy, if we fed the poor, housed the homeless, visited the sick and the imprisoned, if we endured persecution for the sake of the Kingdom, then Jesus will be our savior. If we did not do any of these things He will be our judge.  The judgement will be rendered as either; "Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the kingdom prepare for you by the Father since the beginning of time." Or we may may hear those dreaded words; "Depart from me, I never knew you."  

Either way our souls will be propelled to the eternal destiny that we ourselves worked for during our life. We will either be in heaven as one of the saints or suffering in hell as one of the damned.  (I am leaving purgatory out of this discussion as it is a temporary place where we are purified if necessary.)   We will be in either heaven or hell forever.  This infinite amount of time makes the seventy, eighty, or even one-hundred years we lived on earth very short indeed.  Therefore, I recommend that in this year of mercy we avail ourselves of giant portions of God's mercy keeping in mind just how long infinity (forever) is. 

God is Infinite. God always was and God will always be. Everything about God is infinite, especially His love for the creatures he created in His own image and likeness, the human race. God has infinite powers and has set the universe in motion and has written all of the laws that keep it in motion. God is not held in check by anyone or anything except Himself. He chooses in His infinite wisdom to be incapable of un-love. Every action he takes or has taken or will take, flows from the fountain of His love. Everything that he allows to happen in our life, either good or bad will eventually help us to attain eternal life with Him in heaven. 

God knows each of us by name and loves us and hopes we come to love Him and join Him in heaven.  As powerful as God is, he will never violate our free will. We can choose to be His friend or not by the decisions we make every day.   

God IS infinity. 

The Convert-a-Catholic Challenge is still on.  There are 33,000 or more Christian denominations out there each claiming to have the truth. There must be one brave man or woman able to step forward and "save" this poor cradle Catholic.  Prove to me where the Catholic Church has got it wrong and I will convert to your denomination.  Leave a comment below or click on the link to contact me by email. 

Michael, You gotta join my denomination  (Click Here) 

In this second week of Advent, I pray that Jesus Christ splits the darkness in your life and you come to Him as his friend and brother.

Feast of The Immaculate Conception - And No We Don't Worship Mary

People that are not Catholic are horrified that we Catholics have such a great reverence for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. They think that we actually worship Mary but nothing could be farther from the truth. Mary is but a created being and read her words in holy Scripture, they are always most humble and always point to Jesus and never to her.   In recorded history the first person to show such great reverence for Mary was Elizabeth and her baby St, John the Baptist who was developing in her womb. St. Elizabeth said that her baby leaped in her womb at the site of Mary who was carrying God the Son, Jesus in her womb. 

Prior to this visitation of Mary to her kinsman something wonderful happened to Mary.  The angel Gabriel came to her and spoke with her telling her first that she was "full of grace."  Remember that this is BEFORE she accepted the challenge to become the mother of Jesus. The angel Gabriel did not bring the grace to Mary, she already had it by gift of God.  Remember that this is at least thirty three years before the death of Jesus on the Cross.  We were all under the disadvantage of the original sin of Adam and Eve.  So then how could Mary be "full of grace?"

Mary was full of grace because of God.  God does not live in time or space, He has no limitations as to what He can do.  He knew that His Son Jesus would die on the Cross for the sins of all mankind and he applied the saving death of Jesus to Mary before the physical death of Jesus in anticipation.  So, Mary too was saved by the death of Jesus just as you or I was when Jesus died on the cross.

How can this be?  Maybe this little story will make it easier to understand. When you or I was born we had the stain of Adam and Eve's sin upon our soul. In effect it as if we were walking on a path and fell into a pit from which there was no hope of climbing out and where we were stained with mud and dirt from our fall. With the death of Jesus we were lifted from the pit and cleaned up and restored to grace by Jesus.  

Mary faced the very same challenge except for one thing.  Upon her birth she was carried over the pit in anticipation of the death of Jesus on the Cross. She never came into contact with dirt and dust and mud of the pit.  Mary was saved by Christ just as we were except she never had the taint of that original sin.  This was granted to her as a special favor of God for the woman that He hoped would become the Mother of God.

It is very important to realize that Mary was not robbed of her free will. She could have told Gabriel to "be gone."  This would mean that another would have had to be found to the mother of Jesus.  But Mary was predisposed to say yes. Her soul, her whole being was turned to God and she wanted with all her heart to do His will.  

So on December 8th every year we Catholics gather to honor the Mother of God.  With the great honor heaped upon her you would think that she could get a swelled head.  But no.  Mary speaks infrequently in scripture but when she speaks her few words speak volumes in proving her love for God and how very humble she is. Her most erudite speech comes at the Wedding Feast at Cana.  Recall that the party would end almost before it began because they had run out of wine.  Mary brought the matter to the attention of her Son and he asked; "What concern is this of mine?"  He wasn't quite yet ready to begin his public mission.  She looked at him and told the servants to "Do whatever He tell you to do." These words are the wisest ever written in the Bible. 

So on this day, even if you are not a Catholic, it might be a good idea to think about Mary, the Mother of God and her humility.  We Catholics honor her today because Jesus who lived a perfectly sinless life, who obeyed all the commandments, including the fourth commandment, "Honor thy father and thy mother."  As adopted members into the Household of God, Mary is our mother too and like Jesus we honor her as mother just as Jesus did.  If you non-Catholics out there have any problem with revering Mary, I suggest you that you take it up with Jesus because he started it. 

Still no takers for the "Convert a Catholic" challenge.  Certainly there must be one person out there, a member of one of the thirty-thousand plus denominations that can convince this cradle Catholic to give up the Church.  Accept the challenge by leaving me a comment or you can reach me by email by clicking on the link.

I Want To Convert You Michael

On this great feast of the Immaculate Conception which celebrates Mary being born without original sin, my hope for you is that you find the light of Christ in your life and that He may guide you to your heavenly home.  God bless you! 

With Great Sorrow - The San Bernardino Attack - The Christian Response

May the souls of those killed in San Bernardino rest in peace and enjoy the bliss of heaven. 

Normally I do not use this blog to comment on news stories. I prefer to speak about my faith, my Church, and my God. It is with burning sorrow that I reflect on the events that transpired in San Bernardino this week.  

Among the creatures that God loves the best are those that are those that disadvantaged in some way. The deaths unleashed by two  misguided and crazed followers of the prophet are made even more horrible because of the identity of the victims, people who were handicapped in some way.

I was awake very early this morning and watched the sun change the sky from dark black to beautifully bright.  The sight of this transformation reminded me of the hope we as Christians have.  No matter what happens the seeming victory of darkness is at best only temporary because Christ has won the victory when he spread his arms out between heaven and earth and died on that Holy Cross for all of humanity. 

Jesus charges us to be very counter culture. My mother, God rest her soul, died in 1990 of lung cancer. Her disease did not start as lung cancer, it started as a growth on her shoulder.  She worked at a doctor's office and part of her employment benefits included care free care from the doctor.  Her doctor looked at the growth and without a second thought, without a biopsy, she gave my mother some medicated salve to put on it.  Six months later there had been no improvement.  My mother consulted her former employer and close family friend, another doctor, and he recognized it for what it was and immediately had my mother hospitalized.  She was diagnosed with lung cancer, pronounced terminal, and was placed on a course of chemotherapy to extend her life.  At her real doctor's suggestion she consulted a renowned surgeon who offered her hope and soon she was operated upon and the cancer was seemingly removed.  The doctor told her that there was no way that this surgery would cure the cancer, it would just buy her time.  The day came for the surgery and me, my two sisters, and my brother arrived at the hospital just as they were taking her down to surgery. We kissed her and she went into surgery knowing that she was loved.  They surgery was successful and the doctor told us that she probably had about a year to live, which was double the previous prognosis.  We went into the room where mom was awake and alert.  She could not talk as she was hooked up to a ventilator but she could write on a dry erase board that they had given her.  She was full of hope and so were we. Unfortunately, from that day she began to slide downhill and on post op day four she passed away, quietly with her family around her.  My heart filled with a rage against the doctor that had initially misdiagnosed her disease. For the very first time in my life I felt hate, raw, unrelenting hate of another human being.  Although I did not recognize it at the time I slid into a deep depression.  My symptoms included not really caring about anything.  Going through my day as if I were a robot. Not taking care of my personal business matters, reading the same book over and over again.  In essence I shut down the thinking part of my brain because it hurt too much.  

As a Catholic I believed, and still do believe, that the Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, the Resurrected Jesus.  I was in the habit each day as I was going to work to make the sign of the cross as I passed this Catholic church on my way to work because I knew what was inside that Tabernacle and that brick walls could not separate me from Jesus.  One day as I did this in a mindless manner, just by habit, God in effect sent me a message.  He told me to release that hate I held in my heart for that heartless doctor that killed my mother because He forgave me my many sins. I released the doctor from bondage and from that very moment a weight was lifted from my shoulders and I snapped out of the depression that was strangling me for over six months.  I forgave that doctor.  I still did not like her or what she had done, but I had forgiven her and granted her a full and complete pardon. I would not eat dinner with her, but I would not raise my hand against her.  From that moment on it has been impossible for me to hold a grudge.  If you've killed my mother and I have forgiven you, what more could you do to me that would be worse?

Okay, I've been going on for a while here and I want to get to the point of this blog entry.  There is a power in Christianity that does not exist in any other religion. That is the power to forgive.  When we are slapped it stings, it hurts, but when we do not retaliate and we turn our cheek and offer it up for further insult we give pause to our tormentor even if for a nanosecond. Christianity is able to break the cycle of hate, the cycle of an eye for an eye that most of the world thinks is what is mandated for us. 

In our present day where Muslim treachery is a fact of life we have to ask what we can do.  As Christians we must bring out our most powerful weapons.  Our weapons cannot be resisted by any force on earth.  These weapons are the weapons of peace.  We need to pray and pray hard for those afflicted by ISIS terror.  We must pray for the conversion of Muslims - yes - Jesus wants us all to be one flock.  We must forgive and live our lives in a manner worthy of a child of God.  We must ask God to move his hand and restore peace and tranquility to this wonderful garden He has given us to tend. 

The Convert A Catholic Challenge has not been taken up by anyone yet. 30,000 denominations out there against the Catholic Church - surely someone will take up the cause and attempt to convert this cradle Catholic to your denomination. You can begin the process by leaving a comment here or you can email me at 

michaeljspoula@outlook.com 

Thank you for dropping by and may the light of Christ light up the darkness in your life. 

Been away from the Church for awhile? Don't know what to do to come back, help is available.  You ARE missed.  For help go to this website: CATHOLICS COME HOME

Answers To Prayer

What do you think is the definition of prayer?  Is it when one of God's children approaches the throne of grace and asks for something that they need?  Perhaps it is not that, perhaps it is when we simply immerse ourselves in God and tell Him how much we love him?  Is prayer when you pray for a friend undergoing surgery that he is returned to health?  Prayer is all of these things and more.  Mother Angelica said something once that I have always remembered. She says, and I am paraphrasing here that prayer, no matter what kind of prayer is asking God if He loves us and his answer to our prayers is always; "Yes, I do."  But what about His answers to prayer? Does God actually take the time to listen to what you (I mean you personally) have to say to Him and then take the time to respond?  The answer to this is yes, God answers all prayers. Every prayer that we send up to heaven is carefully considered in the light of what will be best for us and for our salvation. God wants all of us to be with Him in heaven. If you pray for something and this something will be of value in the goal of getting you into heaven the answer will be "Yes" one hundred percent of the time.  If what you want does not aid in your journey, the answer will be "No." We all like when the answer is yes and we all are mighty disappointed when the answer is no. But there is a third answer to prayer that is probably the hardest one of all and that answer is "wait."  Let's face it we live in an age when the push of a button will get us whatever we want at the moment we want it. The word "wait" has very little meaning in our life and we have the devil of a time dealing with it. But God knows best what will help us and what will hinder us and He answers every prayer with one of those answers. The wait response is sometimes why prayer appears to go unanswered.  We want what we want when we want it.  God wants to give it to us when we are ready to receive it. So trust in God to know what is best for you.  Keep praying, keep asking for sure but remember that God will do for you what it takes for you to make your ultimate goal and that goal is eternal life in happiness with Him in heaven.

During this season of Advent, the nights get longer and darker until the Light of Christ arrives in our lives on Christmas day.  May the light of Christ guide you to Him this day and may the example you give in your life bring your family and friends with you.  

The Convert A Catholic Challenge is still open. There must be some reason why you are not a Catholic, tell me about it, make your best case, who knows, you may "save" me yet!  You can start by making comment below or send an email to michaeljspoula@outlook.com

Thanksgiving - Should God Continue to Bless Us?

Thanksgiving Day is a lot of things to us Americans. It is: 

• A day off from work or school.
• A day of eating, drinking, and making merry. 
• A day to watch parades with large balloons. 
• A day to be sit and watch football games. 
• A day to stuff a turkey and ourselves.

This day should also be a day to think very carefully about the blessings we have received from God, both the blessings we have received in common as a nation (supposedly) under God and for the blessings we have personally received. 

The very fact that the United States has lasted over two hundred years so far shows that God is still blessing us.  Why He continues his benevolence to such wayward children as we are is a mystery to me. We are very disobedient to Him.  America today is not the same America our ancestors could look up to.  In the olden days abortion was recognized as a repugnant evil by not only the Catholic Church but also by most main line denominations.  Today The Catholic Church stands almost alone in opposition to the murder of babies in the womb.  We also have forsaken the seven capital virtues for the seven capital sins.  Our Supreme Court has stepped in and reinvented marriage. No longer is marriage between a man and a women, a sacred covenant instituted by God. No, now it is a question of "equality."  Sadly, this same court has decided that even those of us who are opposed to birth control must furnish it for everyone who wants it in spite of the fact that we consider it sinful.  So I guess one thing we should be thankful for is for the fact that God continues to bless us in spite of our evil ways. 

As far as personal blessings go, I thank God for all of the things he has placed in my life, both the good things and the things that I view as not so good which are there to help make me strong.  I also thank Him for the things He has chosen to withhold from me because His wisdom is supreme in all things. 

The challenge is still open...Convert The Catholic - tell me why I should leave the Catholic Church, make your strongest case. Who knows maybe you will convince me!  

God bless you this day. 

Christ The King - Can I Say it Better than John?

Jesus Christ is The Faithful Witness,
the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the Earth,
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him,
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega." says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

On this the last Sunday of the Church Year, I silence my voice, put down my pen, and adore the King of Glory.

A Crusade To End ISIS

Some time ago, when Christians were united in one Church there arose a scourge in the land that called itself Islam.  Islam itself is said to be a religion of peace but through the generations the followers of this religion have spawned many men whose only desire was to plunder, rape, and savage people in the name of their god.  They robbed and killed Christians who were making pilgrimages to the Holy Land.  The Pope called for the faithful to rise up and mount a crusade to protect the pilgrims and to take the Holy Land back from the pagans. 

Today we face a similar gang of ruffians who in the name of God are killing Christians, both Catholic and Protestant.  The soil of the killing fields are being enriched daily by the blood of the martyrs. The cowards have now declared war on unarmed innocent civilians that have done no wrong to them.  Hundreds have been killed in the name of their moon god. 

Like our ancestors, it is time to call for a Crusade to wipe out the cowardly killers.  We must not however resort to violence ourselves. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit waits on his children to call on His Name.  Our crusade must be a prayer crusade and we all must be Knights of the Holy Cross of Prayer.  Our sword is sharp and our enemies are defenseless against the Son of God. 

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we can defeat the Isis and Al Qaeda menace if we use a weapon that is more powerful than the hydrogen bomb, more deadly to them than anthrax spores.  That weapon is the weapon of prayer.  Fall to your knees and pray that God moves his mighty hand against the devilish murderers. Pray that our Christian brothers and sisters are protected from these heathens,  Prayer, fasting, sacrifice, are what is needed.  If we storm heaven with our cries, can our Father ignore them?  God's uses the weak, us, to show His strength.  He waits for our request and He will act and the enemy will be confused and will be routed. 

Join the Great Prayer Crusade against the evil of ISIS! 

The Cornerstone of Faith

In the time of Jesus as you know there were two parties in the Temple, The Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees were the conservatives of the temple. They also represented the rich people of the time and had more seats in the Great Sanhedrin than their rivals.   They believed only in the written word of God and disavowed Oral Tradition. They did not believe in the afterlife and said that the soul died when the body died.  They therefore denied that the body would be resurrected on the last day.   Generally the High Priest was taken from this caste.  They were more concerned with politics and not so much with religion.  When the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. they ceased to exist.

The Pharisees on the other hand were more middle class and were more respected by the people.  They believed in both the Word of God and in Oral Tradition, spiritual life, and angels.  They also believed that God did have control of life and had a hand in history.  After the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. they were the first to make peace with the Romans. So we can see that battle lines were drawn even in the ancient times and importantly in the time that Jesus was on earth. 

We Catholics believe in the Bible.  The Bible is revered, taught and loved by Catholics.  If you don't know the Bible it is very hard if not downright impossible to know Jesus. If a person were to attend Mass daily eventually he would hear most of the Bible proclaimed to him over the course of four years.  As a matter of fact there are some denominations that use the same readings as the Catholics do on a weekly basis.  

The "reformers" decided that Scripture Alone should be the basis of Christian life. This sounds like a really good idea.  That the words of Scripture, the inerrant, infallible Word of God should be the guide of the followers of Christ is a great idea.  Unfortunately, it does not work and it never did.  The issue with Sola Scriptura first of all is that it is not taught in the Bible.  Another issue we have is that what about those poor people in the first century church?  The only written scripture was what we call the Old Testament.  The teachings of the Apostles were handed down orally until they were eventually written down.  The next problem we have with Sola Scriptura is that the Bible does not list which books are supposed to be in it and which books are not.  The Church under the inspiration and protection of the Holy Spirit made the decision as to which books belonged in the Bible.  They decided, for example, that the the Gospel of Matthew was inspired and belonged in the Bible while the Gospel of Thomas was not.  

One principle of Sola Scriptura is that the Bible can be interpreted by everyone and they will interpret it truly. Since the 1500's we have seen what fruit this has grown because of Sola Scriptura.  The Christian Church once one as Jesus prayed it to be was torn asunder. Today there are thousands of denominations each believing a separate version of "the truth." 

I thank God that I have the Catholic Church that is able to tell me just what scripture means. I can be one hundred percent sure that the Church's interpretation is true. 

But just what is Sacred Tradition?  Sacred Tradition cannot be confused with mere human tradition.  Sacred Tradition begins with the Bible and all that the Bible teaches. That is kind of ironic, isn't it?  Sacred Tradition is the handing down from one generation to the next the teachings of the Church.  But doesn't the Bible specifically condemn traditions?  Here are some examples of traditions (note lower case "t".) 

-Christmas Tree

- Rosary 

- Priestly Celibacy

- Lighting votive candles 

- Statues

- Stained Glass Windows

Notice that the above are traditions that do not represent doctrine of the Church. Each of the above could be changed.  For example, it is not a requirement of the Church for her members to pray the Rosary. Priestly Celibacy is a discipline of the Church and there is no reason why the Pope, if he wanted to, could not dispense with it.  A Catholic Church is still a Catholic Church no matter if it has votive lights, statues, or stained glass windows.  All of these things are traditional in the human sense. 

Sacred Tradition, on the other hand is Doctrine of the Church. It can be identified because it is the beliefs handed down by the Apostles.  The Bible itself is part of the Sacred Tradition of the Church.  In the first century the teachings of Jesus were carefully passed down from one generation to the next. The Bible as we know it today did not exist, only the books of the Old Testament existed in writing.  So it was not possible for most of the people in the first century to follow Sola Scriptura, as it did not exist. Paul in 1 Cor. 11:2 says "I commend you because you remember me in everything and and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you."

Okay, but lets get into the chapter and verse that Fundamentalists and Evangelicals use to defend their condemnation of the Catholic Church. "So by these traditions of yours you have made God's laws ineffectual.  You hypocrites, it was true prophesy that Isaiah made of you, when he said, "This people does me honor with its lips, but its heart is far from me. Their worship is in vain, for the doctrines they teach are the traditions of men. " (Matthew 15 6-9) 

Jesus was not condemning Sacred Tradition here, but if you take the text in context, he was condemning the tradition of the Pharisees dedicating their possessions to the temple so they could avoid having to use them to support their aging parents, violating the fourth commandment that states we are to honor our mother and father.  (Exodus 20:12)  

Why do we have a Church?  Why did Jesus feel the need to start one?  He knew that his return was going to take some time.  He knew that his Apostles would be called home to heaven.  Sacred Tradition is nothing more or less that the handing down of the teachings of the Apostles by the Church who is protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching error.  

Finally, if you ask any Protestant what the pillar of faith for a Christian is he will no doubt tell you that it is the Bible.  This is not correct. The Bible itself does not make this claim. As a matter of fact in 1 Timothy 3:15 we learn that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth.  I just wonder how my Protestant friends can gloss over this declaration.

Remember, I am challenging the Protestant World to convert this cradle Catholic.  Challenge any and all of Catholic beliefs.  Prove to me unequivocally any one piece of Catholic Doctrine wrong and I will convert to the Protestant denomination you recommend. 

May the light of Christ lead you home to His most Sacred Heart where you will find mercy and rest. 

With Great Sorrow but With Hope

The cowardly attacks that took place in Paris fill me with great sadness.  Innocent people were cut down in the prime of life, their contributions to the common welfare cut off from those that remain on this troubled world.  The perpetrators of this atrocity, those that were killed or those that killed themselves have already stood before God and have rendered an explanation for their actions. God has pronounced his sentence which I will not comment upon.  The innocent too have had their moment of judgement, each standing before the judgement seat of God.  I suspect that their interview may have went differently then that of their murderers. 

The world we are living in is sliding towards lawlessness. In America we have allowed the cancer of disobedience to God's law to creep into the fabric of our society.  We murder babies in the womb.  We approve of and have made legal "marriage" between people of the same sex, showcasing our disobedience with parades and presidential speeches.  We have allowed our egos to edge God out of our world. 

Is ISIS a punishment or plague sent by God as a chastisement? No, I don't believe so.  But I do believe that it is a result of the lowering of our morals so as to the lowest common denominator rather than trying to raise our brothers and sisters up. 

The people of Paris have endured the unendurable and have come together as a people united against ISIS and all that it believes. This fills me with hope for the future.  Someday we will realize what we have done.  We will turn back to God and we will once again, after wiping Isis from the face of the earth enjoy the peace that comes with the obedience to the Word of God. 

There will be trouble ahead, ISIS will attack again.  I believe that they are already planning a strike against us here in the United States.  To defeat these blasphemers we need to bring out our greatest weapons.  We must pray that God moves His mighty hand against them.  When we do this, when we turn back to God, He will step in and defeat ISIS.  It is good to remember that no matter what, the victory is already won and that any gains that the ISIS marauders achieve will be temporary. 

Be at peace Paris for the Lord God is on your side. 

Be at peace America for the Lord is waiting for your return. 

Be at peace our world for the victory is already ours. 

   

Trusting In Jesus - His Mercy

My Jesus I Trust In You

We put our faith into many things over the course of our usual day. We trust that the others on the road will in fact obey the red light so we can enjoy using the green light.  We bury our noses and out attention into our smart phones and trust that when the elevator door opens that the elevator will certainly be there.  We trust that the doctor has a diploma and that he or she has prescribed the correct medicine.  We trust that the electrician has wired the house up properly and that we will not get electrocuted the first time we turn on the dishwasher. So you see that we place our faith into many things routinely every hour if every day.

Through Sister Faustina, a Polish nun who spoke to Jesus we are told to trust in the mercy of Jesus. We are being given an extraordinary time to accept the mercy of Jesus as the final sunset draws nearer every second.  Jesus loves you so much and He wants you to be happy with Him in heaven. He died for our sins, His Sacred Heart was pierced because of them. Mercy flows from His Sacred Heart and we need to accept it.  Each of us has to look at how we are living our lives and we have to give up those things that offend God. We have to turn to God now while there is still time to do so.  If we do not repent and accept the mercy of Jesus then we will have to accept His justice when he comes again. 

I myself am a poor sinner.  I do not mean that my sins can compare with some of the most offensive behaviors in the world today.  For example, I have not murdered anyone, I have not counseled any person to seek an abortion, I don't even read the horoscopes, since I believe in Christ and not in some goofy Greek and Roman gods. I have sinned in the past, I have repented in the past, and I have been forgiven in the past because I professed both my sorrow and my firm resolution to mend my ways. I've confessed my sins to my pastor who gave me absolution acting in persona Christi in accordance with Jesus' instructions in John 20:23, "Whose sins you forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you retain, they are retained." 

So, if this is the case, why am I crowing about trusting in Jesus? I believe that all sin, no matter what sin we are speaking about, has its origin in a basic lack of trust in the providence of God.  We set up false god's because we don't trust in Him to give us all of the good things that we need. The best example we find in the Bible is that of Adam and Eve, they had everything they needed.  Yet they did not trust God enough to stay away from what was not allowed. In our world today we touch enough forbidden fruit to make a snazzy fruit salad!  We kill children in the womb in the interest of making our own life easier.  Our families are but a shadow what they were in previous generations.  We do not take care of our children,  we put them in day-care and put their early nurturing into the hands of strangers because we are afraid that the sacrifice of caring for them will cost us too much financially and our lives will be less comfortable than they could be.  We do not honor our father and mother anymore but we send them to nursing homes where strangers care for them on a daily basis and we console ourselves that this was for their own good while it makes our life easier.  In previous generations parents would be cared for and loved in person by their sons and daughters.  We steal, we cheat, we look to take advantage of our neighbors, we envy and allow greed to control our lives.  I think you get the idea here. Each sin we commit or cause to come into being by omitting a good demonstrates a lack of trust in Jesus. 

We have to Trust in Jesus.  We have to repent and flee to Him for He wants us with Him. There is good news here.  THE MERCY OF JESUS IS GREATER BY AN INFINITE FACTOR COMPARED TO OUR SINS!  There is no need for a soul to choose hell over heaven.  Whatever we have done or failed to do we can throw ourselves on the mercy of Jesus and we will be forgiven. Think of some of the most terrible people on history.  Do you realize that in their last moment they may have converted in their heart and begged for forgiveness and thus became eligible to an eternity in heaven?  St. Stalin?  St. bin Laden?  don't laugh, while it is improbable you have to admit that it is possible. 

Every sin on our soul is important, those small white lies, stealing that box of paperclips, walking past the beggar, going to the game rather than to worship all these sins are important and if you don't think that they are, then simply look at a crucifix: 

Do you see the Man on the cross? He died for YOU in reparation for the sins you committed.  He died for perpetrators of the Holocaust, for the people ensnared in ISIS, for the child that disobeys his parents, for the young girl who had an abortion, for the man who stole the paperclips from his employer.  The arms of Jesus were stretched out on the cross for every human that ever lived and for every human that will live after our turn on earth is done.  The Sacred Heart of Jesus in an inexhaustible well of mercy that was and is being poured out on His children.  The nails were not needed because Jesus would have held himself on the Cross because of His great love for us, his children. 

The time to rely on the Divine Mercy is NOW.  If we refuse the Divine Mercy, committing the one sin that cannot be forgiven, the refusal of God's mercy, than be ready for eternal darkness, sorrow and suffering. But, if we accept the Divine Mercy, make a firm commitment to repent, now our sins will be forgiven and we will be shown to our place in Heaven next to others who will love God and be with Him forever. 

Challenge:  Remember my Protestant friends, I am waiting for you to tell me where the Catholic Church is wrong and why I should convert to your denomination.  So far, no one has been brave enough to take on the challenge.  I will take on all comers.  Bring your evidence that the Church is wrong and that Protestantism is the way to go.   I am waiting, ready and willing.