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.