tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16221527865991901952024-03-12T18:40:21.089-05:00Leaning on the Love of God"One of the most important lessons for the spiritual life is that we must try to maintain unaltered evenness of spirit. We need to remain constantly fixed in our desire to seek God alone, no matter if everything within us and around us is confused. Our heart must unceasingly lean on the love of
God, its Creator, whether our soul is overwhelmed with sorrow or with joy, with peace or anxiety, with temptation or with repose." St. Francis de Sales Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-86139028444848190872018-10-29T09:44:00.000-05:002018-10-29T09:44:12.845-05:00Colossians 3:12-17<div class="bible-reference-heading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-color: rgb(156, 157, 158); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #9c9d9e; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 28px 0px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. <a data-datatype="bible+nrsv" data-reference="Colossians 3:13" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; display: inline-block; height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></a><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">13 </span>Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord<a data-resourcename="nrsv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/nrsv/Colossians%203.12-17#footnote1" rel="popup" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">f</span></a> has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. <a data-datatype="bible+nrsv" data-reference="Colossians 3:14" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; display: inline-block; height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></a><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">14 </span>Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. <a data-datatype="bible+nrsv" data-reference="Colossians 3:15" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; display: inline-block; height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></a><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">15 </span>And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. <a data-datatype="bible+nrsv" data-reference="Colossians 3:16" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; display: inline-block; height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></a><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">16 </span>Let the word of Christ<a data-resourcename="nrsv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/nrsv/Colossians%203.12-17#footnote2" rel="popup" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">g</span></a>dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.<a data-resourcename="nrsv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/nrsv/Colossians%203.12-17#footnote3" rel="popup" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">h</span></a> <a data-datatype="bible+nrsv" data-reference="Colossians 3:17" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="background: transparent; color: #006ca6; display: inline-block; height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></a><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 10.56px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;">17 </span>And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.</div>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-48901866441548252902014-05-29T12:14:00.001-05:002014-05-29T12:15:34.797-05:00Happiness is an "Inside Job"<a href="http://blog.adw.org/2014/05/happiness-is-an-inside-job-as-seen-in-the-story-of-paul-and-silas/" target="_blank"> Msgr. Charles Pope discusses the source of true Christian happiness. It turn out it's not bound to human and external circumstances. </a>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-91060641658431875912014-05-27T11:45:00.001-05:002014-05-29T12:16:13.227-05:00The Beautiful Struggle<div class="WordSection1">
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<em><span style="color: #1f3864; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“…I am joyful, for example, about you. I see your struggles and do you know why seeing your struggles makes Me joyful? Because you are trying to be good. We, in heaven, observe the struggle for improvement and We send you all manner of little rewards and assistances. We are with you in your struggles, more than you can imagine. My heart beats with such tenderness for you when you struggle. My child, you must not take this struggling as a sign that you are failing, but rather as a sign that you are succeeding. There is little struggle in badness, you see. There is a quiet, ominous acceptance or acquiescence. So do not be afraid. As long as you have the desire to serve Me, I will meet you there, at that initial desire, and I will bring with Me everything you need to succeed. My child, I will make it easy for you. It is not in My nature to confuse, so you must believe that confusion does not come from Me. Bitterness, hatred, deceit do not come from Me. Does that mean you will never experience these things? No. It is part of your earthly cross that you will encounter these things. What I am telling you is that you must bring these things to Me. I will take them from you and you will be free of them. You may encounter these things again, perhaps within the hour. Come back to Me, in your heart, where I remain, and I will take them from you again. You see, My little dear one, your struggles are Mine now. I am stronger, wiser, more able for these things and I want to remove any negative thoughts from you. I seek to heal you and renew you. I can do this if you will let Me. I do not make this promise for now, this moment. I make this a lifetime pledge to you. When you experience a difficulty with your emotions, you bring it right to Me. And that’s where it will end. I do not want My children troubled by obsessions. And because you belong to Me, and seek to serve Me, this is a right I bestow upon you. You may think of it as an advance on your eternal inheritance. I intend to give you a portion of the peace We enjoy in heaven. This is my gift to you and is a special concession for the difficult times you are living. Bring your troubles to Me, little soul of My heart. I, your God, wish to bring you relief.”</span></em><span style="color: #1f3864; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p>-</o:p><span style="color: #1f3864; font-size: 12pt;">Volume Two of “Directions for Our Times As Given
to ‘Anne,’ a lay apostle - Conversations with the Eucharistic Heart of
Jesus.”</span></div>
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</body></html>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-70649149029324309372013-10-09T08:46:00.001-05:002013-10-09T08:46:59.278-05:00 A 25 Year-old's take on Sacrificial Love<a href="http://shirtofflame.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Heather King</a>, mystic and all-around lover of humanity, posts an email she received from a young man who sees himself and others clearly. A quote:<br />
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"...<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">he came to save us. Saved? Saved from whom? In my estimation—ourselves."</span><br />
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<a href="http://shirtofflame.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-25-year-olds-take-on.html?spref=bl">"Every so often, out of the blue, I receive an email so beautiful, so true, so painful, and so.." Read the rest there.</a>:Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-80746244832159693692013-09-26T14:11:00.000-05:002013-09-26T14:11:00.863-05:00What is Pope Francis doing? <div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, Zenit published three really good articles. Two, by Father Frank Pavone and Archbiship Chaput, explicitly address Pope Francis's Big Interview while the first is an address
the Pope himself gave on church unity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pope Francis believes in the unity of the church. He
asks, "Do I live this unity? Or don't I care because I'm closed in in my
small group or in myself? Am I one of those who "privatize" the
Church for my own group, my own nation, my own friends?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all can fall
into the trap of "privatizing" the church, making it a church of our
own image. Whether our priorities are "traditional" liturgy, guitar
masses, pro-life work, women's rights, gay rights, feeding the poor...whatever
it is, there is a danger in making your work the work of "your"
church. I'm reminded of the saying that there are ditches on both sides of the road. We always must remember that the road, that is, the way, is Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The church, as the body of Christy, is bigger than us, bigger than our goals and agendas. It is
the <a href="http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/the-church-the-sacrament-of-salvation.html" target="_blank">Sacrament of Salvation</a> through which Christ has established his field
hospital (in the words of Pope Francis, which is such a terrific image).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">VATICAN CITY, September 25, 2013 (<a href="http://www.zenit.org/?utm_campaign=dailyhtml&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dispatch"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Zenit.org</span></a>) - Here is the translation of Pope Francis' address during his weekly General Audience today held in St. Peter's Square.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dear Brothers and Sisters,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the "Creed" we say "I believe in One … Church," that is, we profess that the Church is one and this Church is, in herself, unity. However, if we look at the Catholic Church in the world we discover that she has almost 3,000 dioceses scattered in all the Continents: so many languages, so many cultures! Yet the thousands of Catholic communities form a unity. How can this be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We find a synthetic answer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states: the Catholic Church spread around the world "has only one faith, only one sacramental life, only one apostolic succession, one common hope, the same charity" (n. 161). Unity in faith, in hope, in charity, unity in the Sacraments, in the Ministry: they are as pillars that support and hold together the one great edifice of the Church. Wherever we go, even in the smallest parish, in the most isolated corner of this earth, there is the one Church; we are at home, we are in the family, we are among brothers and sisters. And this is a great gift of God! The Church is one for all. There isn't a Church for Europeans, one for Africans, one for Americans, one for Asians, one for those who live in Oceania, but it's the same one everywhere. <a href="http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/on-the-unity-of-the-church" target="_blank">Read the rest there...</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1622152786599190195" name="13092511"></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Pope Francis and 'The Interview' <o:p></o:p></span></h5>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">"we need to open our hearts all of us and let God lead us where he needs us to go through the words of the Holy Father"<o:p></o:p></span></h6>
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">PHILADELPHIA, September 25, 2013 (<a href="http://www.zenit.org/?utm_campaign=dailyhtml&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dispatch"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Zenit.org</span></a>) - </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Some people grasped at the interview like a lifeline – or a vindication. One person praised the Holy Father for stressing that the "Church must focus on compassion and mercy, not on enforcing small-minded rules." She added that "we're at last free from the chains of hatred that have ruled the Catholic Church for so many years and led to my unease in bringing my own children into that Church."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">More common though were emails from catechists, parents and everyday Catholics who felt confused by media headlines suggesting that the Church had somehow changed her teaching on a variety of moral issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I heard from a mother of four children – one adopted, another disabled from birth — who'd spent years counseling pregnant girls and opening prolife clinics. She wanted to know why the Pope seemed to dismiss her sacrifices. <a href="http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/us-bishops-mark-50-years-of-sacrosanctum-concilium" target="_blank">Read the rest on Zenit's site.</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1622152786599190195" name="13092510"></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Priest for Life Director: I Am Not Alarmed by the Pope's Interview <o:p></o:p></span></h5>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Says Francis' Comments Strengthen, Not Weaken, Church's Abortion Stance<o:p></o:p></span></h6>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">WASHINGTON, D.C., September 25, 2013 (<a href="http://www.zenit.org/?utm_campaign=dailyhtml&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dispatch"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Zenit.org</span></a>) - Here is a reflection written by Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">[...]</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">From the beginning of his pontificate, I have been encouraged by the approach of Pope Francis to pro-life issues. For him, it is all about integrating the Church's teaching and practice of faith and morals, and it all centers on connecting with the human person as we connect with Christ. His desire to wash the feet of prisoners and walk among the poor is precisely the spirit that connects him and all of us with our poorest and weakest neighbors, the unborn. The Pope's emphasis on "context" and "balance" is precisely what prevents us from saying that his focus on the poor and marginalized means less focus on the unborn. This is precisely the kind of disconnected thinking the Pope opposes. <a href="http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/priest-for-life-director-i-am-not-alarmed-by-the-pope-s-interview" target="_blank">Read more there...</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #006000;">Please consider the environment before printing this email and any attachments.</span><strong> This e-mail and any attachments are intended only for the individual or company to which it is addressed and may contain information which is privileged, confidential and prohibited from disclosure or unauthorized use under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, or copying of this e-mail or the information contained in this e-mail is strictly prohibited by the sender. If you have received this transmission in error, please return the material received to the sender and delete all copies from your system. </strong></body></html>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-85152595674499709122013-09-26T13:41:00.002-05:002013-09-26T13:41:56.320-05:00"Why should we defend ourselves when we are misunderstood and misjudged? Let us leave that aside. Let us not say anything. It is so sweet to let others judge us in any way they like. O blessed silence, which gives so much peace to the soul!" St. Therese of Lisieux<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-55335607129981834952013-02-23T18:00:00.000-06:002013-02-23T18:00:06.535-06:00Edith Stein on the intersection of Truth and LoveSt Teresa Benedicta of the Cross says to us all: <i>Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And do not accept anything as love which lacks truth! </i>One without the other becomes a destructive lie.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-57057382800408226702013-02-22T18:00:00.000-06:002013-02-22T18:00:08.929-06:00"...in the silence of the heart..."<br />
<div style="line-height: 16.8pt; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"God speaks in the silence of the
heart, and we listen. And then we speak to God from the fullness of our heart,
and God listens. And this listening and this speaking is what prayer is meant
to be...."<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.8pt; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-40411664438035917422013-02-12T08:39:00.002-06:002013-02-12T08:39:51.753-06:00Mark Shea at his best......<a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2013/02/attention-world-media-and-all-catholics-loyal-to-the-third-vatican-council.html" target="_blank">drawing a parallel between the relationship between the sacraments and the matter of the sacraments and the faith and the pope in charge of passing on the faith.</a><br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-16977640252424391382012-12-23T22:57:00.001-06:002012-12-23T22:57:51.977-06:00Sacred vs. Secular Music?From "The Chant Cafe":<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/10686215" target="_blank">Sacred vs. Secular Music</a><br />
<br />
What does the church have to say about the music for mass?<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-34067127964002026482012-11-29T12:52:00.001-06:002012-11-29T12:58:19.587-06:00What is Faith? <br />
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<div class="gmail_quote">
St. Paul knows that the Jews, as children of Abraham, are the adopted children of God. Even prior to the coming of Christ and His revelation of God, St. Paul understood that it is through faith, and not through family or tribal lineage nor by adherence to the Mosaic law, that gentiles are justified. This is St. Paul's point in the excerpt from Galatians, below.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Gal 3:7-14</b><br />
Brothers and sisters:<br />
Realize that it is those who have faith<br />
who are children of Abraham.<br />
Scripture, which saw in advance that God<br />
would justify the Gentiles by faith,<br />
foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,<br />
Through you shall all the nations be blessed.<br />
Consequently, those who have faith are blessed<br />
along with Abraham who had faith.<br />
For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;<br />
for it is written, Cursed be everyone<br />
who does not persevere in doing all the things<br />
written in the book of the law.<br />
And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear,<br />
for the one who is righteous by faith will live.<br />
But the law does not depend on faith;<br />
rather, the one who does these things will live by them.<br />
Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,<br />
for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,<br />
that the blessing of Abraham might be extended<br />
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,<br />
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.</blockquote>
Now, all that remains is to define "faith". What does it mean to have faith in Christ? What is the role of good works in one's justification? Do Catholics and Protestants define "faith" in the same way?<br />
<br />
The answers to these questions can help both Catholics and Protestants as we discuss this pivotal question: "Are we justified by faith?" Peter Kreeft turns his lithe intellect <a href="http://catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0027.html" target="_blank">to this question in a chapter from his book, Fundamentals of the Faith. </a>.<br />
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-79878191377444598722012-11-28T12:42:00.000-06:002012-11-28T12:42:00.327-06:00C.S. Lewis: Idolatry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"All that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war,
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prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - [is] the long terrible story of
<br />
man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." C.
<br />
S. Lewis
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-4869044680118086152012-11-27T12:39:00.001-06:002013-05-06T12:52:24.422-05:00Chesterton on Common Sense and the Decay of Society"A society is in decay, final or transitional, when common sense really
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becomes uncommon."
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<br />
<br />
- G.K Chesterton
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-55498530628328053302012-11-19T18:34:00.000-06:002012-11-19T18:36:31.061-06:00My Son's College Application Essay on Abortion<div class="gmail_quote">
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My son wrote this essay for one of his college applications.</div>
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<div align="center" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Honors Essay</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Public opinion is a complex, inconsistent, mutable animal. A society's very definition of "right" and "wrong" are relative to location, era, demographics, and a plethora of other complicated, interrelated variables. We can see with little difficulty the immense changes in American values over the last fifty years. In the midst of all of the social changes that the last half-century has brought us, many of our standards have leaned towards tolerance rather than judgment, usually positively (or at least neutrally) affecting the values of our society. But in one particular area, this permissive philosophy has gone too far. Specifically, the morality of "terminating" a pregnancy based solely on socioeconomics, public image, and convenience needs to be called into question. The ethics of abortion is a complex subject that needs to be analyzed methodically from both sides of the debate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">With <i>Roe v Wade</i>, abortions performed by licensed professionals were legalized in the United States with very few restrictions in response to a variety of arguments made by pro-choice advocates. They argue that a woman has the right to decide what happens within her own body, regardless of the implications. In choosing not to birth a child, a woman potentially prevents a child from being born into a situation in which its parents either cannot or do not wish to support it. Also, this woman avoids the shame of an unwanted pregnancy, preserving her public image. Rationalizing the abortion procedure itself, they state that fetuses are not entirely human because they are not fully developed and are unable to survive outside of the uterus. Fetuses that are less than about twenty weeks old are unable to feel pain, and therefore purportedly, no harm is done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">However convincing these points may initially appear, they crumble under closer inspection. To be considered ethical, abortion must be clearly differentiated from murder, the unlawful killing of one human being by another, especially with premeditated malice. From fertilization, zygotes (and later fetuses) are both biologically living and genetically human. The DNA of a man, from in utero formation to old age, remains unique to each individual and distinctly human. The only physical differences between a fetus and an infant are resultant of developmental stage. No amount of rationalization and euphemisms can refute these facts. Killing any human on the basis of its ability to feel pain is clearly unacceptable, as is killing any human on the basis of its age or physical traits. In choosing abortion over adoption, a woman denies her child any potential to lead a satisfying life by flat out ending it. But perhaps the most chilling motive of all is the decision to kill another human being in order to appear "responsible" to friends, family, and coworkers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In response to Anatole France's question, the foolishness or righteousness of an idea is intrinsic, not determined by the opinion of the masses. When we debate the morality of issues, we need not listen to others, but the truth within the issue itself. </span></div>
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-70000605957555743382012-11-18T15:15:00.000-06:002013-05-06T12:51:49.615-05:00St. Cyprian on the Relationship of the Church toGod'No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as
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Mother' - St. Cyprian<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-81755062717464619472012-11-17T15:15:00.000-06:002012-11-17T15:15:07.299-06:00Earthly pleasures and Christ"No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way.
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I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the
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earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who
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rose for our sakes is my one desire. Do not talk about Jesus Christ as long
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as you love this world."
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- St Ignatius of Antioch (+ a.d. 108)<br />
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-46568014446852355922012-11-15T18:00:00.000-06:002012-11-16T12:38:06.194-06:00Truth Seeks and DestroysIn an address given by Pope Benedict XVI: "Be Witnesses of Our Living Faith", as reported by Zenit, on 11/14/2012:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Continuing from last week's catechesis on the desire for God, the Holy<br />
Father meditated on the paths to knowing God while always keeping in mind<br />
that the initiative of God always "precedes any action of man." The Pope<br />
recalled the words of St. Augustine which says "it is not we who possess<br />
the Truth after "seeking it, rather it is Truth that seeks us out and<br />
possesses us."" </blockquote>
In the spring of 2008, I was not seeking Truth. I felt happy and fulfilled<br />
in my life as a husband and father and, <i>incidentally</i>, as a Catholic. And
<br />
then my wife encouraged me to go to a <a href="http://www.mycrhp.org/MYCRHP/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Christ Renews His Parish</a> (CHRP)
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weekend. I'd heard about it but didn't have any idea what it was. I didn't
<br />
want to go. I gave reasons why I shouldn't go: my wife was expecting, we
<br />
had 5 kids at that time and it would be really hard for her to run the
<br />
house without my help, etc. She said that I should go anyway.
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<br />
And what happened?
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<br />
I went.
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<br />
And my life was turned upside down. Truth worked through my wife to seek
<br />
and posses me. My life has not been the same since that weekend, the
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weekend from which I delineate the two phases of my life; per-CHRP and
<br />
post-CHRP.
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I thank God for loving me enough to seek me, to destroy the old me and to
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bring me to new life, through Him who is Love.
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(I wonder if Francis Thompson was thinking of St. Augustine when he wrote
<br />
the <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/HNDHVN.HTM" target="_blank">Hound of Heaven</a>?)
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1622152786599190195.post-32002715243959283302012-11-13T22:43:00.004-06:002012-11-19T22:51:46.872-06:00Byrd: Ave Verum Corpus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vFZZMF7SRRo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Would it be wrong to listen to this on my ipod during communion?<br />
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The original Latin text:<br />
Ave verum corpus, natum<br />
de Maria Virgine,[2]http://youtu.be/vFZZMF7SRRo<br />
vere passum, immolatum<br />
in cruce pro homine,<br />
cuius latus perforatum<br />
fluxit aqua et sanguine:[3]<br />
esto nobis praegustatum<br />
in mortis examine.[4]<br />
O Iesu dulcis, O Iesu pie, O Iesu, fili Mariae.<br />
Miserere mei. Amen.<br />
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A translation into English is:<br />
Hail, true Body, born<br />
of the Virgin Mary,<br />
who having truly suffered, was sacrificed<br />
on the cross for mankind,<br />
whose pierced side<br />
flowed with water and blood:<br />
May it be for us a foretaste [of the Heavenly banquet]<br />
in the trial of death.<br />
O sweet Jesus, O pious Jesus, O Jesus, son of Mary,<br />
have mercy on me. Amen.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08395084009204719287noreply@blogger.com0