Catholic Faith Sharing

Prayer to Saint Nicholas

2013-12-06T01:50:00.000-05:00

A Prayer of Impetration to Saint Nicholas

Glorious St. Nicholas, my special patron, from thy throne in glory, where thou dost enjoy the presence of God, turn thine eyes in pity upon me and obtain for me from our Lord the graces and helps that I need in my spiritual and temporal necessities (and especially this favor [mention your request], provided that it be profitable to my salvation). Be mindful, likewise, O glorious and saintly Bishop, of our Sovereign Pontiff, of Holy Church, and of all Christian people. Bring back to the right way of salvation all those who are living steeped in sin and blinded by the darkness of ignorance, error, and heresy. Comfort the afflicted, provide for the needy, strengthen the fearful, defend the oppressed, give health to the infirm; cause all men to experience the effects of thy powerful intercession with the supreme Giver of every good and perfect gift. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be

V. Pray for us, O blessed Nicholas.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O God, who has glorified blessed Nicholas, Thine illustrious Confessor and Bishop, by means of countless signs and wonders, and who dost not cease daily so to glorify him; grant, we beseech Thee, that we, being assisted by his merits and prayers, may be delivered from the fires of hell and from all dangers. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Just offer it up!

2013-11-18T23:41:00.000-05:00

We have all heard the Catholic mantra "Just offer it up"

For someone with a chronic pain disease that is fairly easy. For a normal person, not so much. I find myself telling other people to do it all of the time, and about 85% of the time they dont know what I am talking about. Sure they have heard of the concept before, but they dont know how to do said offering.

Well here's how!

You are standing in line at the grocery store with only one lane open. The checker is 16 and has no idea what he is doing, and its an old man who has 100 items and fusses at the poor kid about the price of every other item. Then a glass jar breaks. This is going to take forever and you just wanna get home to see your favorite tv show and eat dinner that is waiting for you. You are getting really annoyed, and here is the perfect opportunity to offer up your frustration. There is nothing you can do about it, so what you do is take your frustration and turn it into a prayer. something like this, "Lord, i know there is nothing i can do in this moment, so by your Divine power, enable my suffering to help others" And its a simple as that. And you can do this with just about anything.

So now, when someone tells you to just offer it up, you know what to do!

Our Lady of Manaoag - Pray for the Philippines

2013-11-09T13:11:00.001-05:00

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF MANAOAG

Virgin Mother of God, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Thou who hast chosen to raise thy throne of mercy in Manaoag, to be the beloved protectress and patron of the Province of Pangasinan, and therefrom to bestow thy graces on us thy children, banished in this alley of tears, look down with Thine eyes of mercy upon me, who am beset with so many dangers of body and soul. Despise not my petition O dearest Mother, but intercede for me before thy divine Son now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

VIRGIN OF MANAOAG, Pray for us and present our intention to Jesus your Son and Our Lord:

(For those suffering the effects of the recent Typhoon and the recovery of the Philippines)

(3) Hail Mary's and
(3) Glory be to the Father

Prayer for Respect of Life

2013-10-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Prayer for Respect of Life

Heavenly Father, the beauty and dignity of human life was the crowning of your creation. You further ennobled that life when your Son became one with us in his incarnation. Help us to realize the sacredness of human life and to respect it from the moment of conception until the last moment at death. Give us courage to speak with truth and love and with conviction in defence of life. Help us to extend the gentle hand of mercy and forgiveness to those who do not reverence your gift of life. To all, grant pardon for the times we have failed to be grateful for your precious gift of life or to respect it in others. We ask this in Jesus' Name.

Amen.

http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1664

St. Therese's Morning Prayer

2013-10-03T18:21:00.000-04:00

A MORNING PRAYER WRITTEN BY ST. THERESE

O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.

O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.

Amen.

Prayer for Benedict XVI

2013-09-28T15:34:00.001-04:00

Almighty God, please bestow your grace and blessings upon Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus. Give him good health of mind and body as he takes upon a new ministry in the Church. Give him the wisdom and knowledge to engage the world via written word. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son. Amen

Pray and Fast for Peace

2013-09-07T13:53:00.000-04:00

Prayer for Laborers

2013-09-02T10:44:00.003-04:00

A Prayer for Workers

O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of custodian of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power your sons, especially entrusted to you.

You know their anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow them, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which they were created by God. Do not allow the seeds of distrust to take hold of their immortal souls. Remind all the workers that in the fields, in factories, in mines, and in scientific laboratories, they are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at their side is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain them, to dry the sweat of their brow, giving value to their toil. Teach them to turn work into a very high instrument of sanctification as you did.

Amen.

-Blessed Pope John XXIII

Importance of the Rosary

2013-08-23T16:01:00.000-04:00

When one mentions "Catholic prayer," usually the Rosary is the first that comes to mind. The Rosary is not just a set of beads with medals on it. It is not jewelry. It is a prayer; a very powerful prayer that brings to mind the events of the Gospel that should be in the hearts and minds of all Catholics. The Rosary is not a "competition" prayer, so to speak. What I mean by this is that the Rosary is not a prayer that competes with the Our Father or prayers directed at God as some of our separated brothers and sisters believe. The Rosary is directed at God. It is not a prayer of worship to Mary. Catholics DO NOT worship Mary. Instead, the Rosary is a prayer where we join Mary as she reminds us of her Son's life. We pray with her for God to help us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

The Rosary is a life line in the spiritual life. This is why we have 10 fingers comprised of 2 hands with 5 fingers each. The combined 10 fingers of both hands are for the "Hail Marys," and the hand's 5 fingers are for the mysteries of the Rosary. It is important that Catholics pray the Rosary daily. With Mary, we can never wander far from Christ because she is His mother and He gave her to us on the Cross before expiring.

THANK YOU :)

2013-08-08T09:13:00.000-04:00

To my parents for all they’ve done for me, i love you both from the bottom of my heart! I wish I could’ve listed EVERYTHING, but I’ve captured important bits :)
THANK YOU…
For introducing me to the “Love” of a family,
For choosing life and giving me a chance to have one,
For giving me a mantilla to cover my head instead of a tiara,
For teaching me how to pray,
For handing me a Bible instead of a pile of magazines,
For putting my best interest before your own,
For loving Jesus,
For not being perfect & showing me that it’s okay,
For trusting in God enough to support me for my mission,
For not always smiling & showing me that not everything goes how we want it,
For handing me rosary beads instead of a watch,
For loving God enough to continue to make sacrifices,
For reminding me how to act like a lady,
For taking me to Holy Mass & allowing me to be a witness to true beauty itself,
For holding my hand on my faith journey so far… forever you will hold a place in my heart ❤

Prayer to Our Lady of the Angels

2013-08-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

August Queen of Heaven, sovereign Mistress of the Angels, who didst receive from the beginning the mission and the power to crush the serpent’s head, we beseech thee to send thy holy angels, that under thy command and by thy power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them hence into the abyss of woe.

Most holy Mother, send thy angels to defend us and to drive the cruel enemy from us.

All ye holy angels and archangel, help and defend us. Amen.

O good and tender Mother! Thou shalt ever be our Love and our Hope.

Holy Angels and Archangels, keep and defend us. Amen

How i met this awesome guy named Jesus

2013-07-31T00:11:00.000-04:00

Hi, I am a new writer on this blog, So i thought I would give yall my testimony before I really begin.

My story actually starts 16 years before I was born. my dad dropped out of high school at 15 and vowed that whenever he had kids, that they would go to private school no matter what. Fast forward 20 years and its time for me to go to school. By the grace of God the cheapest private school in Waco was Catholic school, so thats where i went. One of my preschool teachers happened to be a Sister. One of the first things she did was introduce us to this guy. His name is Jesus. From that point on my life would never be the same.

Fast forward to 1st grade. I am still going to Catholic school and my teacher asks us to raise our hands if we are Catholic. Naturally, us being 6 or 7 years old, most of us didnt know. So she told us to go and ask our parents. Being a good little student, I did. My parents said no. My mom was a lapsed Catholic and my dad was agnostic. I didnt like this answer so when my teacher asked me what they had said, I told her that they said no but I wanted to be Catholic. She called my parents and the priest and we got a meeting with Fr. David. Who was the priest at the church the school is attached to. I go on a rant and rave trying to explain the best as 6 year old me can on why I want to be Catholic. Finally I climb up on the desk on point to a picture of him and a Sister and say, "Fr, I want to be Catholic so I can be a nun like her!"

So over the summer I became Catholic. I thought it would be the coolest thing to have my dad to become Catholic too. So I begged him to become Catholic. I never got an answer from him until my 8th birthday. On my 8th birthday, my last present was him telling me that He was becoming Catholic. I got my first communion with my class later that year and it was the most wonderful thing ever! the very next week was Easter vigil. We have a rule that you have to be in 4th grade to altar serve. But I wanted to be right there when my dad got baptized, so I bugged Fr. David so much that he let me. I probably made every mistake in the book and then some, but I was right there when my dad became Catholic.

The on fire ness of my faith died down after a year or so, but I still wanted to be a Sister at the bottom of my heart. Fast forward to the last week of 8th grade. Fr. David got transferred. He was my hero, and he was leaving... I was so mad at God that my faith fell. To make things worse, I thought that Fr, John, our new priest, was here to ruin my life. I hated going to church and skipped a lot of times. Forget about wanting to become a nun.

Later that year, Fr. John drug me and some of the rest of the youth group to this thing called Steubenville. I thought I would hate it, but had an open mind. Little did I know what a 3 day Catholic youth conference would do to me. After only being there for an hour, my life was transformed and my faith renewed with an unquenchable fire. On saturday night, during Adoration, I had my first vision in the Eucharist. When it was time to go I didnt want to. Sometime during this trip, I stopped hating Fr. John too.

A few weeks later, the feeling came back. The feeling that I wanted to be a Sister. But i still didnt tell anyone. I discerned in secret until my confirmation on April 18th 2012. 3 days after the though was so big in my mind that if i didnt tell someone that my head would explode. So after youth group I threw a note that I needed to talk at Fr. John. He sensed the urgency and ran after me and listened while I talked and cried the whole situation to him. He told me what I should do and prayed with me and made everything better.

So here I am now. 17 years old and on fire for my faith, just trying to discern weather my vocation is to engineering or religious life.

Backstory I - No Evidence for God, therefore No God

2013-07-30T17:36:00.002-04:00

To each of my posts, there is usually a backstory. I decided to start a series on this blog to give you some background information on what inspired me to write a particular post on my www.sacerdotus.com blog.

My post there, "No Evidence for God, therefore No God" has been extremely popular since its debut on November 13, 2012 (Year of Faith). The post basically deals with the idea that "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" (Sagan) and expounds on how faith and reason are related, as C.K. Chesterton wrote:

"Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all."

The backstory of this post comes from a visit to a parish where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in a Monstrance. While I was there praying before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I noticed a young girl enter who was blind. The girl entered the large church building walking steadily with only the sound of taps from her 'white cane' as she made her way down the aisle. This course of events fascinated me because this young girl despite being blind, knew where the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament was. She genuflected right in line with the monstrance as if she had the vision that would allow her brain to calculate the distance and angles necessary to be in perfect alignment before the monstrance. No one guided her. She had only her stick and made here way perfectly to pray.

Sometimes I have problems finding the Tabernacle at churches and I have good vision, so I can't imagine how it must be to only perceive total darkness. What's remarkable is that despite this, she was able to find Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Immediately, Helen Keller came to mind along with the words for the blog which is now, " "No Evidence for God, therefore No God."

If this young blind girl was able to find Jesus without her eyes, an atheist can find God even without using his/her senses. Thank you God and thank you young blind girl for the inspiration!

Prayer to Saints Joachim and Ann

2013-07-26T21:59:00.003-04:00

PRAYER TO SAINT ANN & SAINT JOACHIM

Grandparents' Prayer

Good Saint Ann and Saint Joachim, parents of Mary and grandparents to Jesus, be with me and all grandparents that we may be wise and loving, may share our time and stories and sense of humor, and may enjoy and not spoil too much the grandchildren who are close to our hearts, for they are the sign of God's life to us.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be with our grandchildren and all other grandchildren that they may love and respect their grandparents and all older people, may remember to call, visit or write, and grow in wisdom, age and grace before God.

Amen.

World Youth Day 2013

2013-07-20T23:12:00.002-04:00

World Youth Day was begun by Blessed John Paul II and has been a great success. This week hundreds of thousands of youth will converge in Brazil for World Youth Day 2013. Pope Francis will be presiding over it - his first one.

This event is awesome and I highly recommend it. However, like with any large event, things can go wrong. There are sometimes people who attend for the wrong reasons. Instead of going to grow in faith, some use the opportunity to do things they normally would not do at home. This was documented in Madrid where atheists and secularists began to photograph World Youth Day pilgrims doing things that are not becoming of Catholics.

It is important that priests and youth group leaders explain to pilgrims that their actions will be heavily monitored by locals and the media. We are all sinners and I don't expect all pilgrims to be St. Dominic Savio or St. Maria Goretti, however, they are called to holiness and the avoidance of scandal. I remember the last World Youth Day I attended, we were warned of the media and others who would be following us as if we were celebrities. The youth must be careful not to cause scandal amongst one another and others.

World Youth Day must not become a "Woodstock" for young Catholics to get away from their homes and act wild. Let us pray for those participating in World Youth Day.

Scrupulosity - a disease of doubt.

2013-07-18T04:20:00.000-04:00

Scrupulosity is a terrible cross to bear.

As most of of you know I hope to publish a book on the Blessed Sacrament sometime in the future. However, lately I haven't "loved" writing as much as I used too - and believe me writing is my life, so that's really saying a lot. Instead I've been questioning if I'm actually good enough to be a Catholic and if I have what it takes to be faithful to someone who loves me more than I could ever love myself.

Don't get me wrong I'm aware of the Love of God, I'm just so unaware of myself. It has come to my attention, through this suffering, that many other Catholics and non catholics suffer from this also and other kinds of traits including depression. It makes me sad that I can know exactly where I am and what I'm doing, yet feel so terribly lost.

In a few weeks time I'll be on a plane to the beautiful country of England, where I will serve as a voluntary missionary (focussing on Youth Ministry) in the Diocese of Westminster. I believe that it is God given that I have the opportunity to help the youth find a reconciled communion in Christ - however in order to do so in the best possible way I'm aware that I need to conquer the scruples that have entered into my faith journey.

St Therese of Lisieux took upon scrupulosity as her cross and I'm very happy to have found her story, in how she dealt with it and pray desperately for her intercession into my life and the lives of those who experience it alongside their faith path.

If you are currently experiencing scrupulosity, don't lose hope! Some of the greatest Saints including St Therese (listed above) had scrupulosity. For example, St Ignatius of Loyola and St Alphonsus Liguori.

St Ignatius said the following;

"Up to a certain point scruples are not harmful to the one suffering from them, when that person becomes, because of his scruples, more vigilant and careful about not offending God, and does not form a judgment that this or that is sinful, even though he has some doubt or fear that it is, and places his confidence in another person whom he should trust, setting aside his own judgment and accepting that of his adviser. ... And believe me, if you have true humility and submissiveness, your scruples will not cause you so much trouble. Pride is the fuel they feed on, and it is pride that places more reliance on one's own judgment and less on the judgment of others whom we trust" Source: Catholic Answers Forums

I urge you, please pray for me and for the many others who are experiencing scrupulosity, anxiety, depression or even experiencing the smallest amount of doubt. ALSO if you need prayers, unrelated to doubt or this subject do not be afraid to ask for it. A big part of knowing love is to practise love.

Prayer does make a massive difference.

Thank You and God Bless

10 Reasons why Gay Marriage is Dangerous

2013-07-09T02:22:00.001-04:00

10 Reasons why Gay Marriage is Dangerous:

1) Marriage will not be considered a unique natural family building institution.

2) Churches will be harassed and labeled as bigots for remaining faithful to their beliefs and reason.

3) Businesses that deal with weddings will be sued if they do not conform with this redefinition.

4) Children will grow up confused.

5) Science will be teaching falsehoods in regards to biology.

6) Psychology will have to be altered in order to avoid contradictions in studies.

7) Evolution will be questioned because same sex relations serves no biological purpose in the advancement of a species.

8.)The family will go and then society will follow.

9) Societies that have done this are now extinct.

10) All other subcultures will demand marriage under the same pretense.

Sacerdotus Radio

2013-07-06T04:50:00.000-04:00

People always have told me that my big mouth would get me somewhere... well it has. I am not only Social networks, but also on the radio.

I will be hosting a 30 min. long program where I will discuss all kinds of topics just like I do here on my blog.

There will be a number for callers to call in and join the discussion and ask questions; also a chat room. I will also invite guests and co-hosts to join me.

I'm hoping that this will be a great success and that listeners will enjoy it and have fun at the same time.

Please donate to my blog if you can so that in the future, I can expand the time to 2 hours or more.

The radio program can be listened to on my blog, facebook or here:

[PREFACE] MISTAKEN BELIEFS OF CATHOLICISM – LIFE WITHIN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

2013-07-04T22:07:00.001-04:00

Atheist Confession III

2013-07-01T16:03:00.000-04:00

How do you know?
Why is that?
Can you provide evidence for that?

These are common questions atheists, agnostics and skeptics in general ask when one discusses topics that are "extraordinary" such as religion, God, philosophy, UFO's/aliens, other dimensions/multiverses etc. These questions are not bad if asked sincerely. It is important for us to ask questions. God would not have given us the ability to inquire if He did not want us to ask. Jesus Himself said to ask and seek. (Matthew 7:7)

As an atheist first learning about the saints, I questioned a lot. I remember aggravating a Franciscan brother with questions surrounding St. Francis' stigmata and vision of a naked lady on the field. My curiosity was there, but doubts joined it as well. The look on the brother's face was a "kodak moment" when I suggested that maybe St. Francis acquired leprosy from lepers and the medieval Church mistook it for the stigmata. Moreover, I even proposed that perhaps St. Francis was having visions on the field due to his lack of proper nutrition. Starvation can cause hallucination and delirium.

In any event, my questions helped me learn more. It allowed my mind to objectively absorb whatever I read and was told on the matter I asked about. Catholics should not be afraid of questions, nor should they be afraid to ask questions. They should verify what they believe and learn the reasoning behind it. This can help enrich their faith and help them defend it when it is challenged. In today's world where truth is being watered down to a mere cultural opinion; it is important for Catholics to be well educated and own Catholicism, not only spiritually, but intellectually. Atheism and skepticism aided me in learning more about God and Catholicism.

Skittles Taste Good but are Unhealthy

2013-06-29T15:17:00.004-04:00

Skittles - "taste the rainbow."

Most of us are familiar with with this slogan from the candy "Skittles." However, this post is not about candy, but about the LGBT movement that uses the rainbow symbol.

In light of the recent ruling on Proposition 8 and DOMA, it is obvious that the Catholic Church has a big battle ahead if she wishes to protect marriage from perversion and exist in society.

Unfortunately, some Catholics have "tasted the rainbow" and have become addicted to its apparent sweetness. There are Catholics who believe that homosexual behavior is just and that homosexuals should be allowed to get married.

These Catholics even go to Mass every Sunday, pray, receive Communion and may even participate in certain ministries of the Church. Some are ordained clergy and professed religious brothers or sisters! This is unfortunate indeed and shows cognitive dissonance. One cannot be Catholic and support homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage. It is like a Muslim believing that eating pork is bad while having a pork chop for dinner. A Catholic who adopts the LGBT agenda is only being a hypocrite and offending God. It is one of the gravest of sins that cry out to God for vengeance. (Genesis 18:20-21)

Our Church is clear on the matter.

Chastity and homosexuality
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Jesus will never condone same sex unions of any kind, nor homosexual behavior. This goes against the nature and dignity of the human being. I have heard some Catholics claim that Jesus was silent on what constitutes a marriage and that "God is love" so homosexuals should be allowed to "love" each other. Well Jesus is clear on marriage:

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” - Matthew 19:4-6

While God is indeed love, this does not mean that all love is the same. We cannot love our parents the same way we love our siblings, wives/husbands and even friends. Each relationship is unique and a variation of love is given within them.

If you are Catholic and you support the LGBT agenda, then you are not Catholic. You are only deluding yourself. Catholics are called to be faithful to God and the teachings He left us which are taught by the Catholic Church.

I understand the emotion behind joining a self-proclaimed "civil rights" movement; however, 'For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mark 8:36) You are not helping homosexuals by aid and abetting their dangerous immoral lifestyle.

The rainbow looks nice and skittles can be tasty; however, the rainbow is an illusion caused by the bending of natural light and skittles are unhealthy.

Don't fall for an illusion and bending of the natural law, and don't eat unhealthy things.

Prayer to St. Joseph

2013-06-22T02:52:00.000-04:00

To you, blessed Joseph, we come in our tribulation and after pleading for assistance to your Most Holy Spouse, we implore your help, too. In the charity that kept you united to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God and in the paternal love you embrace the Child Jesus, we humbly beg of you to turn benignly your eyes to the heirs that with His blood bought Jesus Christ and that with your power and help assist them in their needs.

Protect, provident guardian of the Divine family, the chosen descendants of Jesus Christ; remove from us all mark of error and corruption, assist us propitiously from heaven, mighty liberator, in this fighting against the power of darkness; and as in other times you liberated the Child Jesus from the impending danger of His life, defend God's holy Church from the lurking of its enemies and from all adversity, and protect each one of us with your continuous help so that, taking example from you and sustained by your aid we could live saintly, die piously and reach in heaven the eternal bliss. Amen. (Pope Leo XIII)

Catholic Witness

2013-06-16T02:39:00.000-04:00

In this Year of Faith, Catholic witness is important. Not only are we called to grow in faith; we are also called to be witnesses of Christ in the world. We must show the world via our lives why it is worth it to be Catholic. In today's world where doubt is growing; citing Scripture, Church dogmas etc, will not do much to sway harden hearts and minds. When the Christian life is lived publicly, then this will sway many.

Human beings are wired to learn visually. This is why it is important for children to use blocks and other objects that stimulate tactile and visual experience. It is by this that we learn about the external world. In child psychology, we learn that from about ages 2-4, children become "scientists." They study everything and do their own experiments by testing how things work. It is by this exploration that children begin to learn about the world and how they relate to it.

This does not end at childhood. We still continue to learn in this manner. Children learn the abc's and 123's faster with instruments that present these visually than by simply verbalizing them. If I tell a child "A" or "1," my doing this will not guarantee that the child will learn what these are. However, if I show them the letter A and number 1, then these images will remain in his/her brain and from there, he/she will be able to achieve mapping and encoding with them.

Similarly, preaching the Word of God can only go so far unless we present it to people in a visual and tangible way. If I preach about love, then that message will come alive when those I preach to see me loving others. If I preach about truth, then that message will come alive when people that I preach to see me telling the truth always. If I preach about poverty and helping others, then this will come alive if people I preach to see me detached from material goods and see me provide for those in need.

This is why Pope Francis chose the name "Francis." He wanted to imitate St. Francis who preached the Gospel not only with words, but through action. Pope Francis has made it a mission to speak nearly daily on Christian behavior. From saying not to be hypocritical, to having "funeral faces;" to recently stating that we must watch our tongues and how we talk about others; Pope Francis is reminding us the important of Christian witness.

As St. Francis is believed to have said: "Wherever you go, preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words."

For God and Country

2013-06-06T19:23:00.000-04:00

The phrase, "For God and Country" is often found inscribed on the corner stones of Catholic schools in the United States of America and perhaps other nations. Its origin is found in Johan Salla, a commander in the Royal Forces of Alfonso the Chaste.

As I was walking by a school, I noticed this phrase and began to think. What does "For God and Country" really mean?

In today's America where some polls claim that the majority of Catholics are for contraception, gay marriage and abortion when the mother's life is in danger; this got me thinking. If these polls are indeed accurate, then this only means that American Catholics are losing their vision. They are becoming blind to secular matters and have forgotten God. They are focusing on the country part and setting aside God.

The nation is being placed before God. The saying places God first and rightfully so. Catholics cannot support secular rhetoric that opposes the Church's teaching. One cannot be Catholic and be for contraception, abortion and/or gay marriage. One of the most important factors of being Catholic is being counter-cultural. Being a Catholic does not mean that a Catholic must obey all the social norms of the society he/she lives in especially when they are contrary to the Church's teachings. We are called to transform nations into the image of Christ. We are called to evangelize our nations, not conform to their ideas, especially when those ideas are contrary to God and His Church's teachings.

While patriotism is fine and dandy, it should not become idolatrous. It is OK to be proud of one's nationality; however, our nation of birth is just land and nothing more. The people make the nation. As Catholics, our true country - our true nation is Heaven. (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:16)

Nations will come and go, but God's Word will always remain. Greece and Rome fell, Egypt fell, the empires of Spain and Britain fell, eventually the United States will fall. We must not rely on man-made nations, but focus on our true nation: Heaven. In order to make our current nations better, we must be faithful to Christ and His Church by promoting the teachings and defending life, marriage and the true meaning of sexual relations as a channel to bring new life to the world.

Catholics wake up! You cannot be Catholic and support abortion, contraception and gay marriage.

Mistaken Beliefs of Catholicism - Part 2- "Catholics worship Mary"

2013-06-05T03:08:00.002-04:00

Let me just begin by saying, no. We do not worship Mary. We do, however, honour her as the Holy Mother of God.

It seems that there is a great misunderstanding of Our veneration of Our Blessed Mother. Mary is the highest of all God's creation. The Catholic faith honour and venerate Mary as the Holy Mother of God in the same way as Jesus Christ himself honoured the fourth commandment, to honour thy father and thy mother. Catholics nurture the sacredness of tradition that this truth from God was passed down by word of mouth; this practise of verbal communication concludes that Mary was a pure and graceful human being.

Archangel Gabriel illustrated Mary in Luke 1: 28 as "...full of grace…” this is significant because nowhere else in scripture is a woman described in such a way. In the YOUCAT (Youth Catechism) it is written, “Mary is the Mother of God… [Was] united with Jesus on earth as no other human being was or could be…an intimacy that does not cease in heaven.” Yes, we can all love Jesus - and I hope that you all do - however; we can't all be His mother. God himself to the Blessed Virgin entrusted that ministry.

 "What makes Mary so special and above all creation?" Mary was born without original sin. Her "YES" to God's Will exceeds any mission of God that any human has received. In accepting God's Will it was that sacrificial kind of love, the giving of one's self, the laying down of one's life. If you've read up on the four kinds of love, this would be the equivalent of agape, also what some scholars define as the nature of Jesus giving his life for our salvation.

I'm sure I don't need to mention how odd it would be to turn up pregnant out of the blue, with no husband... well, people talk. That, however, wasn't what made her agreement so significant and sacrificial in a sense. When Mary said "yes," she agreed to give birth to a son, who would give life to the world, by sacrificing himself. Her promise with God extended far beyond the salvation of her own soul, it extends and will continue to do so until the end of time- Just an ordinary woman? I doubt it.

 Let's unpack more of scripture. Be mindful that Archangel Gabriel didn't call her by the name "Mary..." I bet you're thinking "what? Isn't that her name?" Well yes but the name Mary literally means "one that is loved by God" or "one that is with God" now think about what Gabriel said when he first met her? "Hail, full of grace the Lord is with thee..." Mary is the Theotokos, the title in Greek means "God-bearer" or "birth-giver to God." The name is a rendition of what Gabriel said.

In the book of Daniel we read such great things about Archangel Michael and if you read the book of Tobit you'll find the workings of Archangel Raphael. In Luke1: 19 Gabriel says, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you...” from this passage you can see that there is a clear distinction between the nature of the angel and the human. Gabriel elevating himself over Zechariah, initially introducing himself as an "angel of God," telling him that God was listening to his prayers... etc. In spite of this, in Luke verse 28 we see a shift, when Gabriel acknowledges the fact that the "Lord" is already with Mary and that she is full of grace. Gabriel doesn't advance his angelic nature over Mary, a human; instead he hoists her pure disposition over his.

 Our Catechism tells us we SHOULD NOT and DO NOTworship Mary, we honour her as the Mother of God. Just as God honours Mary... just as Jesus honours Mary as His mother... and just as the Holy Spirit honours Mary with the immaculate conception and the coming down upon her on Pentecost.

The Blessed Trinity honours Mary, why don't you?

If any points are not explained well, please let me know and I will try to fix it :)

By the way there is so much more on these subjects that I'd love to address but a single blog post really just isn't enough, so I'm slowly putting together a book - Mistaken Beliefs of Catholicism!

Please come back for Part 3 of Mistaken Beliefs of Catholicism -"Papal Infallibility... what about the Bad Popes?"

God Bless

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