A Lesson in Public Relations ?

Jesus said to the crowd: "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance, you will secure your lives."

Okay, I have to say that if I were an average Hebrew and was standing in the crowd that was listening to this talk that Jesus was giving, I might be tempted to continue to look for my messiah elsewhere.  I mean, just listen to what He says.  He says that they will seize you and persecute you, take you to court and even your parents, friends, and relatives will turn you over to the authorities and you will be hated by all because you believe in Jesus.  Where do I sign up?  

Look at today's world and this is what Christians face every day.  In the East our brothers and sisters, Catholics and Protestants alike have endured years of persecution due to the madness of ISIS.  In the United States, we watched during the Obama years as our religious freedoms were eroded and laws and regulations were passed that were completely contrary to Christian teaching and morals.  I include in this abortion under the guise of woman's health, mandatory provision of contraception under the HHS mandate, and the debasement of marriage with the adoption of same-sex marriage and the marginalizing of Christians nationwide. In Canada, a Catholic bishop was taken to court for preaching against same-sex unions under a commonwealth hate law. So, the law was being honed and shaped to disenfranchise and silence Christians and to make null and void the morals we have been living under for centuries. We should expect nothing less.

Our founder came into the world and teaching with authority He scared the powers that ruled His time. The chief priest knew that the Romans had a dim view of a coming Messiah and to protect themselves they had to distance themselves from any of these street preachers that might anger the Romans.  It never occurred to them that one day the real Messiah might appear as promised.  Thus, when Jesus appeared on the scene there was only one road that he could be placed on and that road led to the Cross and Calvary. 

Today, in the United States we are getting a short respite from the evils perpetrated during the Obama years.  But we must remember that it is only a respite and that the hatred of Christian values remains just below the surface and is ready to erupt again once the conditions are ripe for it to do so. We must be ready to bear our burdens cheerfully.  We must trust in the Lord to fill us believers with wisdom that will counteract the evil teachings of the enemy and we must remain strong in our faith and attract as many people as we can to become one with us.  Let our cry be, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad."  Let our cry be heard in a cheerful voice even as we carry our crosses.  Remember the promise of the Lord, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life." 

Please remember the poor souls in Purgatory today. Challenge yourself to take two minutes to pray for your friends and relatives that might be there.  Please say a special prayer for the soul that has been there the longest and has no one to pray for him or her.  

Do Nor Be Deceived About The End of the World ! ! !

Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen?  And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,

"See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'  Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."  Then he said to them,

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

In this last week of the church year, we are reminded that one day all of the things that we are familiar with, all of the things of this world will end. Jesus tells us that there are those out in the world that do not have our best interests at heart and who will attempt to tear us away from Him.  They will spend their lives proving that the time set for the end by God is now and many of them will say that they know this to be true because they are God or that they are Jesus in the flesh. Do not believe them even if the display signs and wonders. We must not allow them to drive us out of our flock for what awaits those that leave the side of the Good Shepherd is spiritual death. 

But how will we know what is true?  How will we know who to follow?  How can we keep ourselves safe from being drawn away from Jesus by a false prophet who seems to be mighty in words and deeds?  We have been given our anchor, our solid rock.  We have the Catholic Church. The Church operates under the protection of the Holy Spirit. She holds the keys to the kingdom of God and where Peter is, there is the Church.  But doesn't the Bible say that the Church will be the home of the antichrist?  No, it doesn't.  As a matter of fact, it says the exact opposite, Jesus Himself founded the Church and said that the gates of hell will never prevail against her.  But how do we know where the "real Church" is?  Where there is Peter, there you will find the Church. Listen to what she says, listen to her through the Pope and the Magisterium. It is through Rome you will get the truth about the end times and nowhere else. 

The Poor Souls have the assurance of heaven and that fills them with a joy that is greater than anything we can experience here on earth.  But they still have to make amends and purify themselves before they can see God face to face. They cannot do a thing to help themselves and they depend on us to pray and sacrifice for them. Please, pray for the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers who are in this place. They will be forever grateful.  Rember too, that as they are now you may one day be. 

More Thoughts about the End TImes

Tick Tick Tick 

There are only two kinds of people in the world today.  There are the believers and the non-believers.  It is much easier to be a non-believer, life is much less complicated for those that pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.  A non-believer does not have to wrestle with something that appears all the rage among many of the subsets of believers today and that is they do not have to think about the end times, the time when this world stops.  As a believer I sometimes think about the end times. Someday, maybe today, maybe tomorrow maybe a thousand years from now the Lord will return to the earth.  That day will be both a day of great jubilation and a day of great fear and trepidation.  The just will welcome that Day of Days with open arms.  Those without belief will say to the mountains, "Cover us."  The choice of what we will do on that day is completely ours.  Each of us in our own way and in our own time will make a final choice of who we will serve.  We will take a step from which we cannot return, at least not by ourselves, the grace of God can do anything.  

What are some Catholic thoughts on these end times we are living in.  First of all, look at what our world has become. In this country our hands are stained with the blood of untold millions of babies killed in the womb.  In the United States abortion is a right.  No one has the right to take life except God.  By calling abortion a right we throw the blood of the children into the face of God.  If God thought like humans we would have passed into non-existence a long time ago.  In this country we gave taken the sacred act of marriage and have profaned it by allowing those of the same sex to join in "marriage."  In the United States we have decided to legislate God out of public life.  Christians, especially Catholics, are castigated when they remind others that we are not a law unto ourselves but are expected to follow the laws of the Lord.  These are just a couple of examples on how we have turned our backs on God and yet many of us get misty eyed when we sing "God Bless America."   These acts point to a great apostasy that is growing in our land.  Even Catholics, arguably the ones that should be leading the way, have members that call themselves "pro choice."  There are cafeteria Catholics that pick and choose what they will believe and what they won't based on

what is convenient to them.  These very Catholics are ones that see no need to go to Mass every week.  They have decided that they do not sin so what is the use of confession?  Some even do not believe that the Eucharist is the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus.  They go to communion not out of love of the Lord, but because if they stay back in the pew others may think that they have committed a sin. 

Our Protestant brothers and sisters are no better off.  First of all they have separated themselves from the unity of the Church.  They claim to believe in sola scriptura but they too embrace the pro choice :option", pay lip service to the Word of God, accept gay marriage and lots of other things too. 

So, I think we can cut short our discussion of the great apostasy of the church - our behavior, both Catholic and Protestant alike speaks for itself.  The truths we once held dear have in some measure given ground to the secular view of life. 

Next we have wars and rumors of wars.  Well, that is the human condition. If it were just wars we were speaking about I do not think that we could make much of it, where human beings are, war generally follows.  But, the type of war we are experiencing is different. The cowardly but bloodthirsty followers of ISIS are waging a campaign that is generating more martyrs in the Church than in the time of the Roman persecutions.  Christian communities in the east are being wiped out or being forced to immigrate to other countries.  Families who have peacefully lived  with Muslim neighbors for centuries are now seeing their churches being desecrated and are being

 told to convert to Islam or die.  In the meantime, the furious conquerors are exploiting the girls and young women of the area and making them into sex slaves.  These followers of the prophet and their so called holy book are a scourge and plague upon the land.  They not only kill and brutalize Christians, they kill other followers of the so called prophet as well. These people could be one of the four horsemen of the book of Revelation without a doubt. 

Further proof is offered in the form of earthquakes and storms in diverse placed.  In California drought is occurring, while on the east coast torrential rains are causing flooding.  The ring of fire in the Pacific is becoming more active.  So perhaps this is another sign that the return of Jesus is near. 

What about the Antichrist?    Has he happened on the scene yet?  I saw one documentary on You Tube where the Catholic Church is accused of being the Antichrist.  That of course is foolishness. The Catholic Church is the Church Jesus Himself began, placing Peter at the helm and promising that the Holy Spirit would protect her until the end of the age.  Calling the Church the whore of Babylon borders very closely to blasphemy because the Catholic Church is the Bride of Christ, Jesus is the bridegroom.

 Those looking to the Antichrist have nominated many men for the job, including various popes, Ronald Regan, and others but unfortunately none fill the bill.  But we have to remember that the winner of the 666 lottery was the emperor Nero and the end of the world forecast in the Book of Revelation has already taken place when Jerusalem was sacked, ending the temple which to the Jews was the world. 

So, with all that is happening in the world today what can we say about the return of Jesus?  What we can say for sure is that the time and place of His return is known only to the Father.  We must use this time to continue to be Jesus to people who do not know Him.  We should not waste time worrying about "the when" but we should trust in the Lord to keep His promise.  

Jesus loves you very much.  He wants desperately to be your friend and He wants us to Trust in Him.  If we trust in Jesus then the end of the world will hold no terrors for us. The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is our rejection of the love of God and His mercy at the time of our death.  So do not watch the skies, watch instead your neighbor and then to the needs of others.  The end of the age, the return of Jesus will be here before you know it.  May He find you with your hands busy and your mind lifted to Him.    

Catholic Church Exposed ! ! ! !

At long last here is the absolute truth about the

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church bases her teaching upon one source: The word of God. This divine revelation is transmitted in two ways: through Scripture and apostolic tradition. Many assume that only the writings of the apostles are the word of God. However, their oral transmission of the faith is also considered the word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). Few Protestant groups today accept the validity, let alone the authority, of tradition. In fact, many believe that Scripture is the only definitive source of divine truth. For this reason, they are critical of certain doctrines of the Catholic Church, which, according to them, have no basis in Scripture. In fact, those who embrace the theory of sola scriptura attempt to use the Bible to contradict, to prove baseless, certain Church teachings, such as the Real Presence and the existence of purgatory. However, these teachings are reflected in Scripture, as the passages we will look at illustrate.

Our purpose here is not to dissect the opposition. Rather, our purpose is to provide a scriptural evidence for these doctrines. Under each Catholic doctrine in the list that follows are passages from Scripture that witness to the doctrine’s divine origin. For the Catholic, what follows will make clear the harmony of Scripture and tradition: truth cannot contradict truth. Whether God speaks to us through the Bible or through the voice of tradition, the word spoken is always a true and steadfast guide.

Please note that all scriptural citations are taken from the Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible.

Scripture and Tradition

"I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2).

"Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us" (2 Tim. 1:13-14).

"So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter." (2 Thess. 2:15)

"You, then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:1-2).

"First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20-21).

"‘Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete" (2 John 12).

Faith and Works

"‘Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’" (Matt. 7:21).

"‘Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and not do what I tell you?’" (Luke 6:46).

"For he will render every man according to his works . . ." (Rom. 2:6-8).

"For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified" (Rom. 2:13).

"For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgments . . . (Heb. 10:26-27).

"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?" (Jas. 2:14).

"So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (Jas. 2:17).

"But some one will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. . . .Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? (Jas. 2:18-20).

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (Jas. 2:24)

The Trinity

"Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .’" (Gen. 1:26).

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

"But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’" (Acts 5:3-4)

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Cor. 13:14).

Christ’s Divinity

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’" (Is. 9:6).

"Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven’" (Matt. 16:16-17).

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).

"Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58).

"‘I and the Father are one’" (John 10:30).

"For in him [Christ] the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily" (Col. 2:9).

"In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power . . ." (Heb. 1:1-3).

"But of the Son he says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy kingdom. . . . And, "Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands." (Heb. 1:8, 10)

Real Presence in the Eucharist

"‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed’" (John 6:47-55).

"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which 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 of my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27).

The Papacy

"And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter . . ." (Matt. 10:1-2).

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’" (Matt. 16:18-19).

"‘Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren’" (Luke 22:31-32).

"He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter)" (John 1:42).

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep’" (John 21:15-17).

Purgatory

"For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin" (2 Macc. 12:44-45).

"Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny" (Matt. 5:25-26).

"Each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:13-15).

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey . . ." (1 Peter 3:18-20).

"But nothing unclean shall enter it [heaven] . . ." (Rev. 21:27).

Honor Due to the Virgin Mary

"And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’" (Luke 1:41-43).

"And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name’" (Luke 1:46-49).

"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor. 12:26).

Praying to the Saints

"‘And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? He is not God of the dead, but of the living . . .’" (Mark 12:26-27)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely . . ." (Heb. 12:1).

"And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8).

NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004

IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004

Source for this page is: http://www.catholic.com