“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.” Proverbs 24:33,34

The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of thorough idleness. A little folding of the hands to sleep is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasons to show that this indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles the day ebbs out, and the time for labour is all gone, and the field is grown over with thorns. It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They have no intention to delay for years–a few months will bring the more convenient season–to-morrow if you will, they will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and altogether so unsuitable, that they beg to be excused. Like sands from an hour-glass, time passes, life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to catch the flying hour, to use the moments on the wing! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom, for otherwise a poverty of the worst sort awaits us, eternal poverty which shall want even a drop of water, and beg for it in vain. Like a traveller steadily pursuing his journey, poverty overtakes the slothful, and ruin overthrows the undecided: each hour brings the dreaded pursuer nearer; he pauses not by the way, for he is on his master’s business and must not tarry. As an armed man enters with authority and power, so shall want come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no escape. O that men were wise be-times, and would seek diligently unto the Lord Jesus, or ere the solemn day shall dawn when it will be too late to plough and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In harvest, it is vain to lament that the seed time was neglected. As yet, faith and holy decision are timely. May we obtain them this night.

—Morning and Evening

Fotos por: Junior Valle.                                                 Publicado por: Michel de León

Though many do not like to talk about it, death is a part of man’s existence. As Christians, we should be dead to the old man and alive to God and Kingdom Living. Anyway, Death is something that everyone will have to face, naturally speaking. Yet, the Christian has hope in Christ that when we depart from this life, we will live again forever with Him. However, numerous individuals live without any regard for their eternal destination.  The Christian has to be on the watch. This is demonstrated in paying attention your lifestyle, manner, and conduct.

There are Christians who live as if there is no standard of living for them after they have received Christ. Each of these groups of people are not prepared for their date with destiny; that is, the moment that they will stand before the judgment seat of God and of Christ.

Because of the sure promises of scripture, we must all prepare (watch) to meet Christ at His return or at our departure from this life. Therefore, we want to give three things that we can do to be prepared for our entrance into eternity.

1. Clothe Ourselves - In the scriptures, righteousness and good morals are likened unto clothing. We must make sure we are clothed with the attributes of proper Christian character and conduct.

For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. Isaiah 59:17 (KJV)

2. Clean Ourselves – We must make sure that we are open with God about our weakness so that He can forgive us and cleanse us. Then, with His help, we must turn from thoughts and deeds that do not please Him.

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16 (KJV)

3. Clock Ourselves - To clock means to keep track of time. In order for us to be prepared for our eternal destination, we must be aware of the times that we are living in. In addition, we must know that we will only live for a specified length of time on this earth. Therefore, we must live with this in mind, which should help us to prepare ourselves continually.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Romans 13:11 (KJV)

The Christian can be assured of His eternal salvation, but he must not take it for granted. Christ came to save us from our sins, which enables us to overcome them while we live. This prepares us for eternal life in the kingdom. Live  in expectation of the kingdom. Are you watching?

Well, there you have it. For more topics of interest, I have included this and more information in my inspirational series entitled, “Is There A Word From the Lord? – Book III” which is available at Kingdom Builders Publishing.

My Dear Christian Folk:   One of the more notable aspects of the Christian faith is  its emphasis on faith.Faith is the major determinant of our religion. 

Whereas this may well  figure in other faith groups;it is only the Christian that  stresses  an equal  amount of faith and trust   be placed ,not only on the essential teachings and dogmas  of our belief system ;but on other  like believers,  and mankind generally .

For this reason I firmly believe that the Christian finds himself more at risk of being duped and deceived ,not only by  those  of differing beliefs ,but  even more so ,by   his own fellow believers.

Too much trust is not always a good thing ,to say the least.And especially so with your fellow co-religionists.

This unfortunately has been part of the history of the Church ,not only in America ,but throughout the world.

A far greater  amount of injustice has been   done to Christians by other Christians that anything at the hands of  Hindus , Buddhists ,   Muslims or atheists combined.

One glance at European history makes this dreadfully clear.

The thirty year war and the hundred year war are just two examples of a seemingly endless series of religious wars involving Catholics and Protestants.

And again the same refrain is heard over and over;— How could  those who  claim to know the Lord do such things.?—-  

 When you trust someone without being fully apprised as to their motives you are setting yourself up for disaster or a serious bout of depression.

It is my unshakable belief that this lies at the heart of the tremendous disenchantment experienced by the Christian faithful with their respective church denominations.

 Imagine the great disillusionment experienced by  millions of  Catholics who were deceived and sexually exploited by those in authority over them.

Imagine the mental suffering of all those so abused.

This ,to be sure, is not limited to the Catholic church ,but is something that finds itself in all Protestant denominations as well. – The gullible ,trusting ,naive and unsuspecting simpletons putting their trust and faith in those whom they have   learned to believe in  from childhood.—

 AGAIN;HOW COULD THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD DO SUCH THINGS?

This has proved to be a teachable moment in the lives of many Christian Faithful ,both  Protestant and Catholic.

 Now, many who attend church do so with a wary eye on not only those in attendance but especially on the clergy, and all who are  in a position of authority. And this may prove to be beneficial over time.

Christians now are more careful with what they see.They take their time sizing up the priest or pastor.They defer leaving their minor children alone with any of them.

They question their motives and are generally more skeptical of their financial dealings involving donations and expenditures.

They remember all the unscrupulous pastors who embezzled funds from the church and ran off with their mistresses.

They remember the lies told by JIMMY SWAGGERT AND JIM  BAKER and ORAL ROBERTS and BENNY HINN .  Many of these charlatans were under FBI investigation at the time they were claiming fraudulent healings and miracles etc.;for the express purpose of collecting funds from their incredibly stupid and insanely ignorant listening audiences.

But what about those whom you can’t see ?

What about the claims for money made by those in the Christian radio programming business that collect millions in funds but never reveal how these funds are dispersed or   to whom they are paid to..

Why should you trust and believe these jokers any more than all the others who took advantage of all the stupid  hayseeds that trusted in  their good intentions and their godly presentations of music and holy  words.???

 Two good examples  worthy of mention is the COZY  MUTUAL SWINDLING MATCH over at REJOICE BROADCAST NETWORK [RBN]

and the equally deceptive practices many of you listen to at the  VCY AMERICA  BROADCAST NETWORK INCORPORATED.

 Here it basically boils down to the same mix of phony scriptural appeals ,followed by calls of urgency regarding the political hot button issue du jour ,and then an invited stooge appears  to confirm the scam ;again  closing     the swindle with another  urgent appeal to buy a book ;that no one has ever heard of  at a big mark up.

This gang over at VCY AMERICA consists usually of three co-hosts operating in a tag team fashion.

The head honcho ,who never fails to remind  the gullible ,and easily influenced in the radio audience,that ,he’s A PREACHER’S KID starts the program with an urgent call  regarding a hot button issue of vital importance  :Usually   he picks  from a short list an    anti – federal government  item.

And while this gifted con-artist ,in subtle and at times in   direct  appeal    has suggested  at times  to everyone  to begin a  real ,violent revolution against the government.   It never occurs to anyone that this professional agitator benefits the most from the government he pretends to hate.

Doesn’t this scoundrel enjoy his non-profit ,non-taxable status? Doesn’t he enjoy the freedom to take advantage of the idiotic and stupid masses of people who blindly support his moronic ministry of lies and deceit?

 Doesn’t he gloat over the first amendment right that legalizes his planned deceit and swindle.?

Doesn’t he personally benefit from all the funds his  phony minority outreach summer camp organization receives from the tax payers?[FAITH BASED ENTERPRISE]so-called.

And yet he   encourages the simpletons in  his  radio listening audience to begin thinking ,at the very least, of staging a full-scale revolution against the Federal Government!

If this character doesn’t fit the profile of a  socially  amoral con artist ,then nothing else   will.

Of course if a violent social upheaval were to ever take place this double talking low life would be on his private jet flying to safer havens and leaving all the suckers who call in daily to clean up the mess.

The smooth talking pseudo-Christian religion handlers over at RBN are hardly any better. Here the con takes a different pitch.

 They give the trusting born again hare-brained types a few hours of sacred music ,softening them up with sentimental appeals of a melancholy religious nature;reminding them constantly that they are a listener supported outfit [hint,hint] ,and then comes the tales of woe. 

 They have trouble paying their operating expenses,woe is me!

 It hardly registers to the naive and trusting faithful that these jokers can pre-program at least six months of radio programming in advance ,allowing them to cut administrative costs to a bare minimum.

 It never occurs to the soft headed idiots who believe these swindlers that they also enjoy tax benefits and as part of a religious enterprise they can go home laughing up their sleeves at all the hill billies  that send them their hard-earned money every week.

They probably pre-record everything , and then take off  on vacation ,and none the wiser.

How much of the money they receive goes to supporting their depraved lifestyles? remember JIM BAKER and the PTL CLUB?

And do you remember where the money went? Supporting  all the whores they could get their righteous hands on! :  LIFE IN THE DEEP SOUTH!!

Have you noticed how often both of these clap trap organizations use the word ministry to describe themselves?

My Dear Christian Folk; whereas these two money-making outfits are hardly  the only ones involved in the easy way to make a living lifestyle ;it  still requires all of you to stop supporting them.

Granted there is an entertainment value ,listening to all the delusional callers to the CROSSTALK RADIO PROGRAM PRODUCED AT THE VCY RADIO BROADCAST  STUDIOS, but is it really worth it to allow these con artists the freedom to abuse the intellect and the psyches of those  in their respective audiences who are facing serious problems and  really  need help?

Has anyone noticed that they never include helping the indigent ,homeless,hungry or sick? Why should they?

They have no Christian ideology and their ministry is simply to enrich themselves at your expense.

And they do a pretty good job of it!

Soon they will   use the THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY as a way of   reminding you of all the blessings, all of you selfish ingrates have;and reminding you to  share your material wealth with others; namely with them.

It’s an old trick ,just don’t fall for it.!!

CREATE YOUR OWN MINISTRY BY HELPING OTHERS ON A FAMILY BY FAMILY BASIS AND LEAVE THE RELIGION CROOKS TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES! 

November 29 2009 First Sunday of Advent

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112909.shtml

Jeremiah 33:14-16
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform the good word that I have spoken to the house of Israel, and to the house of Juda. In those days, and at that time, I will make the bud of justice to spring forth unto David, and he shall do judgment and justice in the earth. In those days shall Juda be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell securely: and this is the name that they shall call him, The Lord our just one.

Responsorial Psalm 24:4-5, 8-10, 14 (Ps 25 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause.
Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour;
and on thee have I waited all the day long.
The Lord is sweet and righteous:
therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
He will guide the mild in judgment:
he will teach the meek his ways.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,
to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Haydock New Testament

And may the Lord multiply you, and make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men: as we do also towards you, To confirm your hearts without blame, in holiness, before God and our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.  Amen.

For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what commandments I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world.  For the powers of heaven shall be moved. And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads: because your redemption is at hand.

And take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life: and that day come upon you suddenly. For as a snare it shall come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Haydock Commentary Jeremiah 33:14-16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 15. Bud, or orient, Christ, (C.) of whom Zorobabel was a figure.  Theodoret.   All cannot be verified of the latter.  v. 16.  C. — The Jews themselves explain this of the Messias.  Calov. — It evidently refer to him, as he was born of David, whose posterity should continue till Christ, the founder of an eternal kingdom.  W.
• Ver. 16. Him. Sept. Chal. &c.  The Heb. has “her” Jerusalem, or the Church, which receives all its beauty from Christ.  C. — See C. xxiii. 5. where all read him. H.

Haydock Commentary 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2

• Ver. 12. And may the Lord multiply you. That is, increase the number of Christians among you.  Wi.
• 1 THESSALONIANS 4
• CHAPTER IV.
• Ver. 1. In this chapter the apostle begins to remind them of their obligation of always striving to increase in virtue.  Though he praises them through the whole epistle, he still thinks it necessary to warn them not to be surprised in uncleanness.  He repeats what he had taught them before; first, that there is vengeance awaiting the workers of evil; and secondly, that the favour of God is the reward of those who deal with the brethren in simplicity, and preserve themselves from the defilements of the Gentiles.  S. Ambrose, Comment. hic.

Haydock Commentary Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

• Ver. 26. The powers of heaven, &c.  Some explain this of the angels, who shall be terrified and tremble at the sight of so many calamities.  Others understand it of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, stars, &c. which shall in some sort, likewise, be confused in the general dissolution.  The prophets often make use of such expressions, when speaking of the fall of monarchies, or the ruin of nations.  The heavens shall be astonished and moved, &c.  Ezech. xxxii. 7.  Joel iii. 15.  Calmet.
• Ver. 27. The Jews shall not see him corporally, but at the last judgment.  Then, says the Scripture, (Zach. xii. 10.) They shall see him whom they pierced with nails.  But in the ruin of Jerusalem, all who will compare his predictions with the event, can evidently see that this was the day of his coming, so plainly marked in his words.  Every body could see that this was evidently the hand of God that punished them.  Calmet.

Catena Aurea Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
From Catechetics Online

• BEDE; The events which were to follow the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles He explains in regular order, saying, There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.
• AMBROSE; All which signs are more clearly described in Matthew, Then shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.
• EUSEB. For at that time when the end of this perishing life shall be accomplished, and, as the Apostle says, The fashion of this world passes away, then shall succeed a new world in which instead of sensible light, Christ Himself shall shine as a sunbeam, and as the King of the new world, and so mighty and glorious will be His light, that the sun which now dazzles so brightly, and the moon and all the stars, shall be hidden by the coming of a far greater light.
• CHRYS For as in this world the moon and the stars are soon dimmed by the rising of the sun, so at the glorious appearance of Christ shall the sun become dark, and the moon not shed her ray, and the stars shall fall from heaven, stripped of their former attire, that they may put on the robe of a better light.
• EUSEB. What things shall befall the world after the darkening of the orbs of light, and whence shall arise the straitening of nations, He next explains as follows, And of the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea. Wherein He seems to teach, that the beginning of the universal change will be owing to the failing of the watery substance. For this being first absorbed or congealed, so that no longer is heard the roaring of the sea, nor do the waves reach the shore because of the exceeding drought, the other parts of the world, ceasing to obtain the usual vapor which came forth from the watery matter, shall undergo a revolution. Accordingly since the appearance of Christ must put down the prodigies which resist God, namely, those of Antichrist, the beginnings of wrath shall take their rise from droughts, such as that neither storm nor roaring of the sea be any more heard.
• And this event shall be succeeded by the distress of the men who survive; as it follows, Men’s hearts being dried up for fear, and looking after those things which shall come upon the whole world. But the things that shall then come upon the world He proceeds to declare, adding, For the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
• THEOPHYL. Or else, When the higher world shall be changed, then also the lower elements shall suffer loss; whence it follows, And on the earth distress of nations, &c. As if He said, the sea shall roar terribly, and its shores shall be shaken with the tempest, so that of the people and nations of the earth there shall be distress, that is, a universal misery, so that they shall pine away from fear and expectation of the evils which are coming upon the world.
• AUG. But you will say, your punishment compels you to confess that the end is now approaching, seeing the fulfillment of that which was foretold. For it is certain there is no country, no place in our time, which is not affected or troubled. But if those evils which mankind now suffer are sure signs that our Lord is now about to come, what means that which the Apostle says, For when they shall say peace and safety. Let us see then if it be not perhaps better to understand the words of prophecy to be not so fulfilled, but rather that they will come to pass when the tribulation of the whole world shall be such that it shall belong to the Church, which shall be troubled by the whole world, not to those who shall trouble it. For they are those who shall say, Peace and safety. But now these evils which are counted the greatest and most immoderate, we see to be common to both the kingdoms of Christ and the Devil. For the good and the evil are alike afflicted with them, and among these great evils is the yet universal resort to licentious feasts. Is not this the being dried up from fear, or rather the being burnt up from lust?
• THEOPHYL. But not only shall men be tossed about when the world shall be changed, but angels even shall stand amazed at the terrible revolutions of the universe. Hence it follows, And the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
• GREG. For whom does He call the powers of heaven, but the angels, dominions, principalities, and powers? which at the coming of the strict Judge shall then appear visibly to our eyes, that they may strictly exact judgment of us, seeing that now our invisible Creator patiently bears with us.
• EUSEB. When also the Son of God shall come in glory, and shall crush the proud empire of the son of sin, the angels of heaven attending Him, the doors of heaven which have been shut from the foundation of the world shall be opened, that the things that are on high may be witnessed.
• CHRYS. Or the heavenly powers shall be shaken, although themselves know it not. For when they see the innumerable multitudes condemned, they shall not stand there without trembling.
• BEDE; Thus it is said in Job, the pillars of heaven tremble and are afraid at his reproof. What then do the boards do, when the pillars tremble? what does the shrub of the desert suffer, when the cedar of Paradise is shaken?
• EUSEB. Or the powers of heaven are those which preside over the sensible parts of the universe, which indeed shall then be shaken that they may attain to a better state. For they shall be discharged from the ministry with which they serve God toward the sensible bodies in their perishing condition.
• AUG. But that the Lord may not seem to have foretold as extraordinary those things concerning His second coming, which were wont to happen to this world even before His first coming, and that we may not be laughed at by those who have read more and greater events than these in the history of nations, I think what has been said may be better understood to apply to the Church. For the Church is the sun, the moon, and the stars, to whom it was said, Fair as the moon, elect as the sun. And she will then not be seen for the unbounded rage of the persecutors.
• AMBROSE; While many also fall away from religion, clear faith will be obscured by the cloud of unbelief, for to me that Sun of righteousness is either diminished or increased according to my faith; and as the moon in its monthly wanings, or when it is opposite the sun by the interposition of the earth, suffers eclipse, so also the holy Church when the sins of the flesh oppose the heavenly light, cannot borrow the brightness of divine light from Christ’s rays. For in persecutions, the love of this world generally shuts out the light of the divine Sun; the stars also fall, that is, men who shine in glory fall when the bitterness of persecution waxes sharp and prevails. And this must be until the multitude of the Church be gathered in, for thus are the good tried and the weak made manifest.
• AUG. But in the words, And upon the earth distress of nations, He would understand by nations, not those which shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham, but those which shall stand on the left hand.
• AMBROSE; So severe then will be the manifold fires of our souls, that with consciences depraved through the multitude of crimes, by reason of our fear of the coming judgment, the dew of the sacred fountain will be dried upon us. But as the Lord’s coming is looked for, in order that His presence may dwell in the whole circle of mankind or the world, which now dwells in each individual who has embraced Christ with his whole heart, so the powers of heaven shall at our Lord’s coming obtain an increase of grace, and shall be moved by the fullness of the Divine nature more closely infusing itself. There are also heavenly powers which proclaim the glory of God, which shall be stirred by a fuller infusion of Christ, that they may see Christ.
• AUG. Or the powers of heaven shall be stirred, because when the ungodly persecute, some of the most stout-hearted believers shall be troubled.
• THEOPHYL. It follows, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds. Both the believers and unbelievers shall see Him, for He Himself as well as His cross shall glisten brighter than the sun, and so shall be observed of all.
• AUG. But the words, coming in the clouds, may be taken in two ways. Either coming in His Church as it were in a cloud, as He now ceases not to come. But then it shall be with great power and majesty, for far greater will His power and might appear to His saints, to whom He will give great virtue, that they may not be overcome in such a fearful persecution. Or in His body in which He sits at His Father’s right hand He must rightly be supposed to come, and not only in His body, but also in a cloud, for He will come even as He went away, And a cloud received him out of their sight.
• CHRYS. For God ever appears in a cloud, according to the Psalms, clouds and darkness are round about him. Therefore shall the Son of man come in the clouds as God, and the Lord, not secretly, but in glory worthy of God. Therefore He adds, with great power and majesty.
• CYRIL; Great must be understood in like manner. For His first appearance He made in our weakness and lowliness, the second He shall celebrate in all His own power.
• GREG. For in power and majesty will men see Him, whom in lowly stations they refused to hear, that so much the more acutely they may feel His power, as they are now the less willing to bow the necks of their hearts to His sufferings.
• GREG. Having in what has gone before spoken against the reprobate, He now turns His words to the consolation of the elect; for it is added, When these things begin to be, look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh; as if he says, When the buffetings of the world multiply, lift up your heads, that is, rejoice your hearts, for when the world closes whose friends you are not, the redemption is near which you seek. For in holy Scripture the head is often put for the mind, for as the members are ruled by the head, so are the thoughts regulated by the mind. To lift up our heads then, is to raise up our minds to the joys of the heavenly country.
• EUSEB. Or else, To those that have passed through the body and bodily things, shall be present spiritual and heavenly bodies: that is, they will have no more to pass the kingdom of the world, and then to those that are worthy shall be given the promises of salvation. For having received the promises of God which we look for, we who before were crooked shall be made upright, and we shall lift up our heads who were before bent low; because the redemption which we hoped for is at hand; that namely for which the whole creation waits.
• THEOPHYL. That is, perfect liberty of body and soul. For as the first coming of our Lord was for the restoration of our souls, so will the second be manifested to the restoration of our bodies.
• EUSEB. He speaks these things to His disciples, not as to those who would continue in this life to the end of the world, but as if uniting in one body of believers in Christ both themselves and us and our posterity, even to the end of the world.
• THEOPHYL. Our Lord declared above the fearful and sensible signs of the evils which should overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watching and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, &c.
• BASIL; Every animal has within itself certain instincts which it has received from God, for the preservation of its own being. Wherefore Christ has also given us this warning, that what comes to them by nature, may be ours by the aid of reason and prudence: that we may flee from sin as the brute creatures shun deadly food, but that we seek after righteousness, as they wholesome herbs. Therefore said He, Take heed to yourselves, that is, that you may distinguish the noxious from the wholesome. But since there are two ways of taking heed to ourselves, the one with the bodily eyes, the other by the faculties of the soul, and the bodily eye does not reach to virtue; it remains that we speak of the operations of the soul. Take heed, that is, Look around you on all sides, keeping an ever watchful eye to the guardianship of your soul. He says not, Take heed to your own or to the things around, but to yourselves. For you are mind and spirit, your body is only of sense. Around you are riches, arts, and all the appendages of life, you must not mind these, but your soul, of which you must take especial care. The same admonition tends both to the healing of the sick, and the perfecting of those that are well, namely, such as are the guardians of the present, the providers of the future, not judging the actions of others, but strictly searching their own, not suffering the mind to be the slave of their passions but subduing the irrational part of the soul to the rational. But the reason why we should take heed He adds as follows, Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged, &c.
• TIT. BOST. As if He says, Beware lest the eyes of your mind wax heavy. For the cares of this life, and surfeiting, and drunkenness, scare away prudence, shatter and make shipwreck of faith.
• CLEM. ALEX. Drunkenness is an excessive use of wine; crapula is the uneasiness, and nausea attendant on drunkenness, a Greek word so called from the motion of the head. And a little below. As then we must partake of food lest we suffer hunger, so also of drink lest we thirst, but with still greater care to avoid falling into excess. For the indulgence of wine is deceitful, and the soul when free from wine will be the wisest and best, but steeped in the fumes of wine is lost as in a cloud.
• BASIL; But carefulness, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, nevertheless if it conduce not to religion, must be avoided. And the reason why He said this He shows by what comes next, And so that day come upon you unawares.
• THEOPHYL. For that day will not come when men are expecting it, but unlooked for and by stealth, taking as a snare those who are unwary. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that sit upon the face of the earth. But this we may diligently keep far from us. For that day will take those that sit on the face of the earth, as the unthinking and slothful. But as many as are prompt and active in the way of good, not sitting and loitering on the ground, but rising from it, saying to themselves, Rise up, be gone, for here there is no rest for you. To such that day is not as a perilous snare, but a day of rejoicing.
• EUSEB. He taught them therefore to take heed to the things we have just before mentioned, lest they fall into the indolence resulting therefrom. Hence it follows, Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass.
• THEOPHYL. Namely, hunger, pestilence, and such like, which for a time only threaten the elect and others, and those things also which are hereafter the lot of the guilty for ever. For these we can in no wise escape, save by watching and prayer.
• AUG. This is supposed to be that flight which Matthew mentions; which must not be in the winter or on the sabbath day. To the winter belong the cares of this life, which are mournful as the winter, but to the sabbath surfeiting and drunkenness, which drowns and buries the heart in carnal luxury and delight, since on that day the Jews are immersed in worldly pleasure, while they are lost to a spiritual sabbath.
• THEOPHYL. And because a Christian needs not only to flee evil, but to strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For this is the glory of angels, to stand before the Son of man, our God, and always to behold His face.
• BEDE; Now supposing a physician should bid us beware of the juice of a certain herb, lest a sudden death overtake us, we should most earnestly attend to his command; but when our Savior warns us to shun drunkenness and surfeiting, and the cares of this world, men have no fear of being wounded and destroyed by them; for the faith which they put in the caution of the physician, they disdain to give to the words of God.

Many thanks to my good friend, Carl Hill,  in Oklahoma City for this simple outline and powerful message!

———————————————————————————————————————————

TEXT: James 5:13-18

13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

The people of God pray for many reasons, usually out of a particular need or urgency. James is telling us in this passage that we are to pray for those in the church who are sick or afflicted, and not only pray for them but pray with the faith and power of the prophet Elijah. As the example shows, he was a regular person, just like you and me. Yet his prayers had the power to shut up heaven for 3 1/2 years and call down fire from God as he contested the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:21-39). The point is that our prayers can possess the same power as we demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for one another, pray often, and pray believing.

WHY DO WE PRAY?

(1) We Pray to Adore and Praise Our Great God

Psalms 150

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

This is vital to a full and rewarding prayer life. The simple act of recognizing our great God as the supreme creator and ruler places us in an attitude of worship and reveals to God our desire to commune with Him. He is the One we need. He is the only One who can meet our needs. We should begin praying by focusing on how great and powerful He is and understand our place before Him as loved, forgiven, and redeemed through of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

(2) We Pray to Admit Sin and Our Need of Forgiveness

Psalms 86:5

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

The admission of sin is an agreement with God that we have violated His holiness. We are all born sinners and are forgiven when we ask Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and save us. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that we stop sinning. In fact, we live in a world surrounded by sin and we still have our “old sin nature” within us. We need to confess sin. We need to be reminded just how much we need God every day. As the verse states, when we confess our sins, God is ready to forgive and restore our fellowship with Him. The same idea is conveyed in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(3) We Pray to Acknowledge His Goodness In Our Lives

1 Thessalonians 5:18

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

How marvelous are the works of our great and loving God in our lives everyday. We should take time, in prayer, to say, “thank you, Lord,” and share with Him how meaningful His provision, protection and care are. As we closely examine our lives, God’s hand will become more and more evident and we’ll soon be thanking Him for things we never truly considered before. This is an important step towards maturing in Christ. Our lives will become a “living testimony” to the goodness of God. Our faith will increase and every day will be a day of thanksgiving in our hearts.

(4) We Pray to Ask For Our Wants and Needs

Matthew 7:7

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Why do we often feel like we’re imposing on God when we ask Him for something? He loves us, much greater than an earthly father or mother could. He wants us to be happy more than we want to be happy. He wants us to succeed more than we want to succeed. He delights in giving His children the desires of their hearts. So don’t be timid, don’t be afraid. Ask God for the things your heart desires.

CONCLUSION:

Adore, admit, acknowledge, and ask – these are important keys to an intimate commune with Holy God. Open your heart and don’t be afraid to be yourself. Leave out the flowery, church-speak and just talk to Him. He loves each of us so much and desires fellowship (a sit-down and talk) time with us every day.

I saw thick darkness, then a light grew bright until I saw a man’s figure.

President Obama stood behind a podium. He wore a navy blue suit, white shirt and blue tie. Standing straight and tall, he would turn to the left and then to the right. He didn’t speak, but looked pleased as he received approbation from the audience.

As if it were a TV program, the scene went dark.

End of First Scene

~~~~~

The light grew bright again, he stood behind the podium as before. He still wore the same clothing but now his facial expression was one of intense anger. Enraged, he hunched over the podium and stretched his arm as he pointed his finger, first to the people on his left, then to those on his right. Everyone was blasted by the President, his words a torrent of accusations and diatribes, all directed against American and her citizens.

 Then darkness fell.

 End of Second Scene

~~~~~

The lights came up again, the President was terrible in his fury. His figure remained hunched over the podium, pointing his finger accusingly as he continued his harangue. But the suit was gone – he had assumed the garb of an imam. He wore a long, flowing robe – a little round hat of cloth sat perched on his head. He had traded western dress for the costume of his Muslim faith.

 Darkness fell again.

 End of Third Scene

~~~~~

  The lights went up one last time. Still at the podium, he stood straight, his arms uplifted in a “V” as in victory, as the audience venerated him. He had changed his clothing again, but now wore the unmistakable uniform of the KKK. Sill wearing the same white loose robes as before, but now he wore the hood of a Klansman.

 Final darkness.

 End of Fourth Scene

~~~~~

Interpretation:

One term equals four years.

Each scene represents one year of the President’s term.

First year:

The nation applauds enthusiastically for the changes taking place as the result of new policies enacted.

Second Year:

Still the same man, he seethes in anger, furious with the very people who have elected him to the highest office of the land. His demeanor is one of rage. His accusations of wrong-doing flow unceasingly.

Third Year:

Now we see the underlying cause of this rage. The cause of his anger is not racial per se, but religious in nature – it is the anger of a Muslim against the “infidel”, one who does not follow the teachings of Muhammad.

Fourth Year:

The podium is missing. Now he stands with arms upraised, just as a victor in a prizefight would. He receives the adoration of the audience. Why is it that he is so pleased? It would seem that he has achieved his objectives, the infidel has either been forced to accept Islam or removed.

Mission accomplished.

~~~~~

We must pray for the President and all of those in government. As Christians we are instructed to pray for the leaders of our nation: I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:1-4)

I believe that the LORD will hear us when we pray according to His will: The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1)

If the President were to continue the course of action as shown in the vision, then the LORD has something specific to say to the people of this nation.

 Just four words, simply stated:

“I WILL withstand him!”

Quran/Islam/Muhammad- open minded, nonracial and unbiased
http://forum09.faithfreedom.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4920&p=82054#p82054

Manfred wrote:

The Quran is quite clear that Islamic paradise is a Muslim only “place” (for lack of a better description).

Paarsurrey wrote:

Hi friend Manfred

I don’t agree with you.

You have certainly misunderstood Quran/Islam/Muhammad.

[2:63] Surely, the Believers, and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians — whichever party from among these truly believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good deeds — shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.
[2:64] And remember the time when We took a covenant from you and raised high above you the Mount, saying: ‘Hold fast that which We have given you and bear in mind what is therein, that you may be saved.’
[2:65] Then you turned back thereafter; and had it not been for Allah’s grace towards you and His mercy, you would surely have been of the losers.

http://www.alislam.org/quran/search2/sh … 2&verse=56

The above verse very clearly mentions that those persons who have the truthful beliefs and those who do good deeds suited to the situation and time would go to heaven. One who is a Muslim in name only and does not have good beliefs and or good deeds has no claim to heaven, it is purely the grace and the mercy of the Creator-God Allah YHWH, nobody else has any monopoly on the heaven; no intercession, nothing of this sort.

Please amend your concept accordingly. Yours is a very narrow and stringent concept; nothing to do with Quran/Islam/Muhammad, who are very open minded, nonracial and unbiased.

I love Jesus and Mary as mentioned in Quran.

Thanks

I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim

Fall in Trimble County

Hey y’all-

I thought I would post a quick note on Thanksgiving. Our friends in Taiwan hear about Thanksgiving, but they don’t really understand what we are celebrating. Also, people in the United States hear of Thanksgiving and do not really understand what we are celebrating. Let me tell you a bit about it…

Thanksgiving came about as a holiday to remember the debt of gratitude owed by the first American settlers (the Pilgrims) to the native Americans for their help in surviving in a new and harsh land. The Pilgrims were trying to escape religious persecution and came to the New Land to worship as they saw fit. They weren’t really into religious freedom for everyone, but that idea did come later….much later….

Nonetheless, when they landed in America, the living condition were rough. People died. Starvation. Wild animals. Disease. Cold. All kinds of hardships. The Indians (this is a term of endearment in my book, so fret not PC police) befriended the Pilgrims after a time and taught them necessary survival skills. They learned to farm, fish, hunt, and live in the new land.

The Pilgrims decided to celebrate and thank God for their survival. They invited their new friends the Indians to the party. Thanksgiving was born….the year was 1621.

Today, in America, Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas shopping season. It is an excuse to take a day or two off from work, eat a lot of food, hang-out with family, and overindulge. Thanksgiving is far from its original intention in the American landscape. What to do?

Take it back. Be thankful to God. Praise Him for all He is. Praise Him for all you are. Praise Him for all you have. Praise Him. Worship Him. Be thankful to the One who made you, loves you, and offers you salvation through His Son, Jesus.

The ultimate act of thankfulness? Accepting the free offer of salvation made by God through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Be thankful….for eternity.

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

This is Ivan Kellogg. In the world’s words, he WAS a great man. In God’s, by grace, he IS a great man. Not as the World counts greatness, but as God does.  For he never sought human accolades all the days I knew him. At least never as much as I could tell. He was my brother-in-law, youth leader (when I was young and REALLY a pain), fellow quartet member, my co-elder, and the best friend in life and ministry one could ever hope to have as a gift from God – because he would tell me the truth. Even when it really hurt.  I loved him. And I can’t wait to see him again in glory. I will miss him everyday until then.

I wrote the following for him.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 1 Cor. 15:51

Sleep well my friend

Till Dawn breaks full on that peaceful shore

No sorrow

No pain

No glance back at sin’s effects in body, soul or mind

Except

in the full healed scars the Savior still bears.

Sleep well

Until the trumpet sounds

When all the saints of all the ages

Rise to newness of life

Rise to put on immortality

Rise to sin no more

Rise to live His life

Rise

forever more.

Sleep now

the sweet sleep of the Just.

Not unconscious of glory

but wide awake in The Presence

glorying in all

once only imagined.

Now the possession held

by unbreakable grip.

Sleep but a little while longer

Till the Daystar rises

Rejoicing in the reasons here withheld.

Awed at The Wisdom.

Broken by The Love.

Swimming in Mercy as felt

as adrift in shore-less seas.

Drowning in Grace.

Till joined by all you left.

Sleep my friend.

Sleep your well earned rest.

Then haste with Christ to come for us.

Bid Him gather us up.

Pray Him change us all.

Plead Him wed His Bride.

Be among the first to rise

that we might praise Him

together

In redemption’s endless song.

Sleep.

I have taken a tangent from my reading the book of Acts to show the 70 Weeks Prophecy ended with the stoning of Stephen. The Scriptures promised relative safety to the disciples during the 7 year period when Jesus confirmed the (New) Covenant during his public ministry and finished up during the first 3 ½ years of the preaching of the apostles. At this time the blood of Jesus’ disciples began to run with the stoning of Stephen. Yet, Acts 8:1 shows that the apostles didn’t have to leave Jerusalem! Why was this? Notice:

Acts 8:1 KJV And Saul was consenting unto his (i.e. Stephen’s) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.[emphasis and parenthesis mine]

The only reason I can see that the apostles didn’t have to leave Jerusalem is that when the murmuring began in Acts 6:1 among the Hellenistic believing Jews the distribution of funds to the widows was merely the tip of the iceberg. The Palestinian Jewish believers were much more conservative for the tastes of the Jewish believers who grew up in the Diaspora. Stephen’s Gospel was preached first by Philip to the Samaritans and them by Paul to the gentiles. Stephen as much as said God doesn’t need the Temple to be worshiped nor is it necessary to become a Jew to be blessed by the Lord. At the very beginning of the 70th week of the 70 Weeks Prophecy, the Jewish authorities tried to kill Jesus for saying the same thing in his hometown of Nazareth. Jesus at that time offered himself as the Messiah, saying the “Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” and the time is fulfilled (Luke 4:16-21), but he was not believed (Luke 4:22). Jesus then chastised them saying if they didn’t believe the gentiles would! Notice:

Luke 4:24-29 KJV And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. (25) But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; (26) But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. (27) And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. (28) And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, (29) And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

Both Sarepta and Naaman were gentiles. Because of unbelief in Israel, Elisha and Elijah blessed gentiles in the name of the Lord. Jesus warned of this at the beginning of his ministry, and Stephen warned it would occur at the end of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy. The New Covenant was confirmed in the blood of Christ and the blood of those who believed him, beginning with Stephen.

So, what about the apostles? Well, their blood would be shed, as well, but they were not the targets of the unbelieving Jews at this time. The apostles were more conservative, and necessarily so. Jesus sent them to the Jews. Their customs didn’t alarm the unbelieving authorities. They may have been a thorn in their side at times, but nothing could be said against them to warrant killing them, but the Grecian Jewish disciples were more liberal in their thinking, saying people other than Jews were acceptable to God. No one knew where such thinking would lead, so efforts were made to stamp out the new idea. Nevertheless, God was with the disciples who were scattered abroad, and they preached the Gospel everywhere they went. Praise God!

November 25 2009 Wednesday 34^th Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Columban

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112509.shtml

Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Baltasar, the king, made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles: and every one drank according to his age. And being now drunk, he commanded that they should bring the vessels of gold and silver, which Nabuchodonosor, his father, had brought away out of the temple, that was in Jerusalem, that the king and his nobles, and his wives, and his concubines, might drink in them. Then were the golden and silver vessels brought, which he had brought away out of the temple that was in Jerusalem: and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone.

In the same hour there appeared fingers, as it were of the hand of a man, writing over against the candlestick, upon the surface of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king beheld the joints of the hand that wrote. Then was the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him: and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees struck one against the other.

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king spoke, and said to him:

Art thou Daniel, of the children of the captivity of Juda, whom my father, the king, brought out of Judea? I have heard of thee, that thou hast the spirit of the gods, and excellent knowledge, and understanding, and wisdom are found in thee. And now the wise men, the magicians, have come in before me, to read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof; and they could not declare to me the meaning of this writing. But I have heard of thee, that thou canst interpret obscure things, and resolve difficult things: now if thou art able to read the writing, and to shew me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and shalt have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third prince in my kingdom.

To which Daniel made answer, and said before the king:

Thy rewards be to thyself, and the gifts of thy house give to another: but the writing I will read to thee, O king, and shew thee the interpretation thereof.

But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven: and the vessels of his house have been brought before thee: and thou, and thy nobles, and thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them: and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor feel: but the God who hath thy breath in his hand, and all thy ways, thou hast not glorified. Wherefore, he hath sent the part of the hand which hath written this that is set down. And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL, PHARES. And this is the interpretation of the word.

• MANE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
• THECEL: thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting.
• PHARES: thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians.

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67
DR Challoner Text Only

O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all for ever.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 21:12-19
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

But before all these things they will lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and into prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for my name`s sake: And it shall happen to you for a testimony.

Lay it up, therefore, in your hearts, not to meditate before how you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay. And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren, and kinsmen and friends: and some of you they will put to death. And you shall be hated by all men, for my name’s sake. But a hair of your head shall not perish. In your patience you shall possess your souls.

Haydock Commentary Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. Baltassar. He is believed to be the same as Nabonides, the last of the Chaldean kings, grandson to Nabuchodonosor.  He is called his son v. 2, 11, &c. according to the style of the Scriptures, because he was a descendant from him.  Ch.  S. Jer. in Is. xiii.  Usher, &c. — Some think that he was brother of Evilmerodac.  v. 11.  Bar. i. 11.  But he seems rather to have been his son.  Jer. xxvii. 7.  Profane authors place Neriglissor and Laborosoarchod between them.  They were not of the royal family, and might be looked upon as usurpers, or reigned in some other place; or they did not meddle with the Jews.  C. — It is wonderful that Josephus should prefer these authors; (T.) yet he abandons the dates given by them.  Ant. x. 12. & c. Ap. 1.  They represent Nabonides as a simple Babylonian raised to the throne, defeated by Cyrus, and suffered to retire into Carmania; whereas, Baltassar was slain.  v. 29.  C. — The others were of a different lineage, and are mentioned by Eus. &c.  Evilmerodac certainly preceded him on the throne, and honoured Joachim in the 37th years of his captivity. W. — Thousand; or, “for his officers over a thousand men.”  Theodot. — Every. Chal. “and drank wine before the thousand,” more than any, for this was deemed a great perfection; or he drank in their presence, but apart.  C. — The Persian monarchs used to sit in a separate apartment, with a veil before the door, so that they could see the guests without being seen.  A great chandelier was before them; (Athen. iv. 10.) probably on the outside, otherwise it would have defeated their purpose.  Light sufficient would appear for Baltassar to see the hand-writing on his chamber wall.  v. 5.  H. — According to the order of time, this chapter should be placed after the vii. and viii.  C. — But those contain visions.  H.
• Ver. 6. Loosed, so that he quaked for fear.  Ezec. xxix. 7.  C. — He was not so drunk as to be deprived of sense.  H. — This happened in the 17th and last year of his reign, when Daniel was about a hundred years old, (W.) though we have no certain account of his age.  H. — He might be eighty-two when he died.  C.
• Ver. 16. Difficult. Lit. “things which are tied,” or perplexing.  H. — The Persians still used the like expressions, to imply an intelligent governor.  Chardin.
• Ver. 17. Another. He does not refuse the offers, but civilly replies that he will give satisfaction without regard to any recompense.
• Ver. 23. Vessels. Only part had been returned to Sedecias: (C. i. 2.) but they were taken again, and kept in the palace, or in the temple of Bel.  H. — Breath, or soul.  Gen. ii. 7.  C.
• Ver. 25. Phares. These words consist of three letters, mona, thokol, pros, as we add o merely for pronunciation.  Being unconnected and almost destitute of vowels, (H.) it is not easy even for the learned to read these words, or to ascertain their meaning.  Thus d b r being placed in a similar situation, it would be impossible to determine the sense; as it may have ten different meanings, according as it is pronounced.  v. 8.   C. — Mane is twice repeated, to shew the certainty and exactitude of the numbering.  M. — Yet in the sequel each word occurs once and unconnected, as it is here in the Vulg.; not Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, (Prot.  H.) “He hath numbered, weighed, and the dividers or the Persians” are upon thee, (T.) as Dalila said to Samson.  Only three words (H.) were written.  S. Jer. — The rest contain the prophet’s explanation.  The Chaldean empire had now attained its utmost height.  Its king brought ruin upon himself by his wicked life.  H. — He would soon be divided with the sword, and his kingdom shared between the Medes and Persians.  S. Jer.
• Ver. 28. Persians. Those who confound Baltassar with Nabonides, say that Cyrus made himself master of all the empire.  How then was it divided?  Darius rather took possession of the greatest part while Cyrus had Persia, (C.) till his uncle’s death.  H.

Haydock Commentary Luke 21:12-19

• Ver. 12. This verse is spoken to the apostles alone; and was verified, by most of them having been martyred and put to death, before the destruction of Jerusalem.  Calmet.
• Ver. 15. I will give, &c.  In some parts it is said, that Christ himself will speak by the mouths of his disciples, as in this passage of S. Luke; in other places, as S. Matt. C. xvi. that the Father will speak; and S. Matt. C. x. that the Spirit of the Father will speak.  In these different texts there is no contradiction, but a most perfect harmony.  What one of the divine Persons says, all three say; for the voice of the Trinity is only one.  S. Ambrose.
• Ver. 18. A hair of your head, &c.  A hair shall not perish from the head of the disciples of Christ; because not only their most heroic actions, and their public confessions of his name, but even their passing thoughts shall be crowned with adequate rewards.  Ven. Bede.
• Ver. 19. In your patience, &c.  We then truly possess our souls, when we live in all things perfect, and from the citadel of virtue command and control all the motions of the mind and heart.  S. Greg. Mag. Moral. v. c. 13.

UPPER DIR, Paquistão, 23 de novembro de 2009 (BosNewsLife) – um comerciante que vendia CDs na província noroeste da fronteira do Paquistão com o Afeganistão continuam em internado em estado crítico, depois que supostos militantes muçulmanos explodiram sua loja por que ela tinha à venda um filme sobre Jesus e outros filmes cristãos.

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“Treze lojas vizinhas foram também parcialmente destruídas” durante a explosão de bomba no Centro Comercial Saleem, situado no bairro de Upper Dir District da cidade de Kas, disse o comerciante Muhammad Taos Khan que concedeu uma entrevista no hospital.

O Sr. Khan, 41 anos, disse que uma criança lhe deu uma carta ameaçadora cerca de 30 minutos antes da explosão no dia 11 de novembro de 2009. Ele disse que inicialmente “sacudiu sua cabeça e riu da carta”, mas logo ficou “extremamente impressionado” ao notar que a criança – um menino – estava olhando para ele com ódio nos olhos. “Quando eu tentei conversar com ele, ele correu e desapareceu entre as pessoas que estavam na rua”, disse Khan.

“É evidente pelo teor ameaçador da carta que eu fui atacado por vender o filme Jesus (sobre a vida, morte e ressurreição de Jesus Cristo) dublado nos idiomas Pashto e Urdu, bem como filmes muçulmanos e cristãos sobre (os personagens bíblicos) Abraão, Isaque e Adão e Eva. Nós temos muitos desses filmes em CDs”, disse ele.

A polícia paquistanesa e Khan ligaram a bomba ao grupo “Ideological Supremacy to Uphold Islam in the World” (Supremacismo Ideológico para Patrocinar o Islã no Mundo), um dos vários grupos que lutam para estabelecer um governo radical muçulmano e aplicar a lei Sharia muçulmana naquela província do Paquistão.

Não houve confirmação se o grupo muçulmano assumiu a responsabilidade do atentado a bomba e nenhuma prisão foi informada.

“Alá é grande e viva o Islã”, dizia a carta mostrada para a agência de notícias BosNewsLife. A carta também incluía slogans tais como “Morte aos EUA, aos Cristãos e todos os Judeus do Mundo”.

O comerciante Khan disse que a carta também acusava os comerciantes de vender CDs que “propagavam a vulgaridade na sociedade paquistanesa”. Você “não apenas vê os filmes sobre os profetas, mas também os aluga para o povo…”.

Khan disse que a carta também exigia que ele e outros comerciantes “em vez de atacar os valores muçulmanos deviam ensinar o Alcorão” considerado um livro sagrado pelos muçulmanos “para as crianças”.

Ele e outros comerciantes também foram “amaldiçoados” na carta. “Eles vão ir todos para o inferno e merecem o castigo divino…pelas ordens de Alá Todo Poderoso”, adicionava a carta mostrada à agência de notícias BosNewsLife.

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Today I begin the journey of processing various parts of the book I mentioned yesterday (Invitation to the Jesus Life by Jan Johnson). I thoroughly enjoyed this book earlier this year with my friend, Kathy, and now this book will become the springboard for our next women’s bible study at our church. It’s exciting! A little warning: I’m not working through this book chapter by chapter, so if it looks like random splashes, it probably is. Welcome to the World of Jen. (This is really nothing new.)

Today’s focus is really about the concept of God being with us. You might be familiar with the fact that God has chosen to introduce himself to us with lots of unique, descriptive, and precious names that magnify certain parts of his character. One of those is Immanuel. Lots of Christmas carols incorporate this specific name, and it means “God with us” in the truest sense of the word.

Jennifer: Here.  (Insert that inevitable student enthusiasm here.)

Notes from lecture at RZIM by John Lennox

Reasonable Faith.

When he started at Cambridge – someone said to him, ‘Oh you’re Irish, you all believe in God, and fight about him.’

He started to engage more with non believers. Has done so in unusual places. Eg communist atheism.  Russia. More recently debating eg. Hitchens and Dawkins. Comes from the conviction that Christian faith is not only helpful, but TRUE. And if we do not stand up, secularism or atheism will appear to win.

1 Peter 3.13 Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do. Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ.  You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong. Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did this to bring you to God, when his body was put to death and his spirit was made alive.

This passage’s context = FEAR! We all contend with it. Subtle, peer pressure. Looking the odd one out. Not knowing your stuff. PC.

We are told to ALWAYS be ready to give a DEFENSE.

A REASON – a logos…

In the context of fear – nevertheless, get on and do it.

Apologetics is not a subcategory of philosophy. It is just what Christians have always been supposed to be doing. To clear up misrepresentation, misunderstanding. Not just to say WHAT, but WHY. To engage with our society and give REASONS.

Number 1 reason in survey why people don’t come to church = ‘They are not answering the questions we’re asking.’

The precondition for giving a defense is not how many books you’ve read. It’s ‘in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord.’ That requires WORK.  Sanctify him,’ set him apart.’ Then you get the courage to break through the fear. When we start doing this, we’ll get into trouble. In Acts, the gospel is on trial time and again. The apostles were put on trial. Laws these days from Europe etc are looking to outlaw anything that looks like an exclusive claim, we’ll have to contend that Jesus is THE way.

Paul’s answer when under pressure? He described how he encountered the risen Christ. He was NOT a believer, but then he met Christ. So he stands before Agrippa (who accuses him of being under the God delusion – this is not a new challenge!) and gives his testimony and then says, ‘I’m not insane, what I am saying is TRUE and REASONABLE.’ Our world resembles Paul’s world more than any other age has, politically, philosophically and socially.

FAITH in God is reasonable. Faith in atheism is not. Atheists don’t regard what they have as faith. They think faith is an evil. Dawkins damns it, ‘Faith not based in evidence, is the principle vice of any religion.’ The clamour is for the eradication of religion because it doesn’t want to look at the evidence.

The claim of new atheists goes like this:

Faith = belief nor based on evidence

Science = belief based on evidence.

Many accept that without question. But Faith can be evidence based.

We have to look at terms. Dawkins definition of faith is wrong! Oxford English Dictionary. Faith = from Fides. Trust at its heart. Pistis (Greek) = trust. Faith = “Belief = trust. Confidence. That which produces belief, evidence and trust in it.” And this is how we usually think of the word. People used to believe in banks. But they showed there is not much basis to trust them with your money. If you are going to trust anyone, you have to have evidence or you are a fool.

Faith/trust/ belief. The Question is – what’s the evidence for it?

People say, “I won’t believe anything unless you can prove it.’ But in a mathematical sense? Logical? You’ll have infinite regress. It’s ONLY available in pure maths. Nowhere else is proof in that narrow sense. Not certainty. But in ordinary life, we have trust enough to put our life on it. Cf Flying a plane. Trusting your wife.

When you leave your field of expertise, you must check with the experts. What Dawkins/ Hitchens call and dismiss as faith = what we’d call ‘Blind faith.’ And that is of course dangerous, especially when linked with autocratic religious structures.

Is the faith required by the Christian system unreasonable?

Why was gospel of John written? In order that belief can be BASED on it. These statements are based in historical reality.

Paul at Mars Hill did not offer the resurrections as PRODUCT of faith, but a REASON for it, a basis. The resurrection as a fact is the basis on which the Christian can trust in Christ as the Son of God. Not a leap in the dark, but a step into the light, based on evidence.

It’s useful to notice that we use faith followed by  THAT or IN.

Faith in my wife

Faith that London is the capital of England.

One = faith in a fact. One = in a person. You usually need more evidence to trust a person than a fact.

So as Christians we don’t just have faith in a theory, or a worldview (it is all that) but its faith in a person.  A husband on wedding day has faith enough to trust in his wife, without knowing everything. We don’t know everything about God, but we have enough to get started – and as the relationship develops, so does the trust.  Trusting in relationships is multi levelled. Shared interests, etc – multi-orbed. Faith in God is too. There is evidence of all kinds. Can be built up. So the first thing that’s wrong with thenew atheists view of faith is that wrong.

Dawkins has said in discussion with Lennox, “Atheists have no faith.” The answer to that? “So you don’t believe it then?”

Hitchens says: “Our principles are not a faith, our beliefs are not a belief.’ Hmmmm….

They put all religions in the same pot, because they are all dangerous aberrations. That’s a failure of scholarship, because it’s obvious that not all religions are the same.

One of the main accusations new atheists make is that God is communicated out of the barrel of a gun, leads to violence etc. How do we answer that?  Look at the stance of Christ. Jesus was accused of terrorism by Pilate. That’s why his trial is so important. And he was exonerated. ‘My kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my followers would fight.’ The message you can’t defend with a gun is the one where you command them to follow the Prince of peace.

They also point out the unreasonableness of Christian faith, and say atheism had nothing to do with the massacres of Stalin, Mao etc., blame everything on God and nothing on atheism. We need to know our history!  Dawkins says he cannot imagine an atheist who would bulldoze a cathedral. Well Stalin used dynamite. Beware revisionist history.

Lennox endorses David Robinson’s book ; The Dawkins letters.

Also http://www.publicchristianity.com/historians response, the new atheists are outside their area and trying to rewrite history.

Dawkins says, “We are all atheists with regard to Odin and Zeus. It’s causing no problem to be A-Woden, what’s the problem with A-theist.’  He says its a negative and so can’t harm anyone. It’s no accident that he concentrates on A-Theism, denial of God, because he has a naturalist agenda.

In terms of the unreasonableness of faith he calls in the psychologists. However, Andrew Sims (President Royal college of Psychiatry) has written, “Is faith delusional?” and states that religion doesn’t damage but greatly helps mental health!

Freud saw faith = projection of your longing for a father.

Manfred Lutz says, ‘If there is no God, the Freudian explanation is spot on. But if there is a God, Freud will also show that there is in atheism a great desire for there NOT to be a God!’  That doesn’t deal in any case with the question, ‘Is there a God or not?’ For that, we have to look at EVIDENCE.

The idea that faith does not appear in science is wrong. All scientists are believers. They have to trust. They are commited to the idea that the universe is rationally intelligible, otherwise science is useless. The one incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible ‘ (Einstein).

So it’s not science vs religion. It’s materialism vs theism. Dawkins wants to argue science must lead to materialism. Not so!

Some say our brains are end product of a mindless process. From that, we get beliefs. Why trust that proposition? Logically incoherent to say that. You can’t do any science until you believe there’s reasonableness. it’s that belief in God which has inspired modern science.

Ford Car or Henry Ford. Which do you believe in? Choose! (that’s what the atheists want to say)

Ford car = laws of combustion.

Ford = designer and maker.

Two different categories!

The old chestnut is, “Who created the creator?” and so on…

Well you are there thinking about a created God, by definition. You are thinking of a created being to start with.

We agree, created Gods are a delusion. (idols). But there is an ETERNAL God.

You can choose to disbelieve that there is an eternal God.

You believe the universe created you? Who created your creator?!

The materialist’s ultimate reality – mass energy created everything. We believe God did it. Look at the evidence.

Here are some beautiful reflections on advent from Stanley Hauerwas. I found this video to be very moving, and a wonderful beginning to my own personal preparation for the season of Advent. Enjoy.

I found this video thanks to a retweet from my former college pastor Rhett Smith, who found it on Jake Bouma’s blog.

All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down. Luke 21:6

I was riding with my boss, Mr. Rolando Bacani, and we were going to work when he asked me, “Did you know what happened in New York?” Since we are in the Philippines, I had no idea about it so I said, “No.” My boss continued our conversation and told me that there was a massive power blackout in the Northeastern part of the United States. That was in August of the year 2003.  We were working on the power system operations side of the largest grid in the Philippines, Mr. Bacani as the Vice-President of the group is well versed on this kind of events.  He told me there was one time he was presenting in Malacanang Palace about minimizing the risks of blackouts in the Philippines, he was asked if the government invested large of money in the grid if it would eliminate blackout. He replied a flat NO to the inquirer. He said any man-made infrastructure is deemed to fail at some point. He elaborated whatever intervention(s) done or will be done will not prevent any synthetic system to succumb given some time.

And he concurs with Jesus. Jesus said anything that we see here will be thrown down. Everything that we can look upon will fall down.  A stone standing upon a stone will falter. Anything that is seen standing for now will kiss the earth.  And Jesus was specific, “All that you see….”

So what will remain standing? All that is unseen. The unseen will not be thrown down. The unseen will not fall down.

God. God’s forgiveness. God’s mercy.  God’s hands. Faith in Christ. Repentance. Hope in God. Love for God and others. Dependence in God. Zeal for His house.

And what does this tells us? Look for the unseen. Believe in what is unseen. Cling on Who is unseen.

Make a choice today. Seen or Unseen?

The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams.” Isaiah 33:21

—Morning and Evening

I was walking down the old dirt paths and slowly navigating my way through the landmine of pinecones and taking in each snapshot of scenery that dripped with raw beauty. I was taken in by all the things around me. The sweet harmonious melodies of the birds singing in choired unison and the romantic whispered chirpings of the cicadas’ calling me deeper into the forest, deeper into the night. It is this call that leads me to wonder if there is more to life than a book? Is all that life is, summed up in the pages of 66 authors?

I wouldn’t be able to share with you my experience in a captivating forest if all I did was read about the forest. I might be able to give you glimpses and a sort of scientific approach to what it might feel like if I were in a forest, but the experience is vastly different than the science. One is factual, the other is life-altering. This isn’t to say that facts don’t have the ability to change our lives, but studies have shown that one out of one person are always changed by their experiences, whether good or bad. I could have explained to you a map of the forest, but it wouldn’t have given you the contours, colors and outlines that you can only experience in person.

You can sit down and read a really good book. You might even feel like you are one of the characters drifting through each of the pages, but there is nothing like living your own story. If we replace the word living with writing, then maybe what we might be able to say is that all of us are still writing not just our story, but God’s story as well. We get to write with Him. In The Bible: The Biography by Karen Armstrong, she asserts that before the Old Testament was canonized that the Jews had this belief that they were responsible to reinterpret scripture as much as possible so that it was relevant and spoke to the current structures of society. In fact, one place, she even says that they had thrown out certain parts of scripture because it wasn’t relevant to the time. For most, this is a different view to what we have been taught(but just because it’s different doesn’t mean its not true). And if it is true, then what are the ripples in the pond? I think for those who believe the Bible holds all the answers then it seems like an attack rather than an enquiry, because it seems a bit reductionistic to try and make the Bible anything other than the Word of God. Yet, this is isn’t the hope of postmoderns or those with questions. It is to experience God as those in scripture did. So rather than see the bible as trail map to be studied, it is more like an invitation between friends to come and walk with God and discover the raw unedited beauty of the journey. To come and discover God. To “taste and see that he is good”. Both words for taste and see in the Hebrew when translated mean “to experience”. God is inviting us all not to simply read the pages, but live the pages. Write the pages. And Be the pages.

Postmodernism is running through the halls of our churches and fortune 500 companies and classrooms, but is postmodernism the enemy? Can’t postmodernism be a good thing too? It can help us revisit things and begin asking hard questions that maybe aren’t that comfortable but might be necessary to pursue together to find the answers to. Postmodernism is simply asking the question “Is there more to life than this? Is there more to the Bible than this? Is there more to truth than this?” The ancient Jewish followers of YHWH believed it was imperative to ask questions. To be Jew meant you had questions. To be a person who lived and breathed meant you were a person who was driven to seek answers to those questions, no matter how long the journey took. No matter where those questions took you, it was your responsibility as a Jew to make sure you found the answer.

I got this prayer from a site called “Sacred Space”.  It’s run by the Irish Jesuits and that site always serves to calm me.

The more we call on God
the more we can feel God’s presence.
Day by day we are drawn closer
to the loving heart of God.

Your death on the cross has set me free.
I can live joyously and freely
without fear of death.
Your mercy knows no bounds.

I remind myself that I am in the presence of the Lord.
I will take refuge in His loving heart. He is my strength in times of weakness. He is my comforter in times of sorrow….

What feelings are rising in me as I pray and reflect on God’s Word? I imagine Jesus himself sitting or standing near me and open my heart to him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

The part of today’s devotion that moved me the most is not only that he is my comforter in times of sorrow – there isn’t a person reading here that feelings that way at least a little bit.  What moved me is that His death on the cross has set us free.  I haven’t felt like that these days.  I’ve felt burdened, pushed around and even overwhelmed.  I am not experiencing the freedom I have in Christ, I’m not taking on His yoke, which is easy and burden is light, I’m just feeling self-centered.  I don’t care about my relationship with God these days.  I still pray and lead a Bible study but am not allowing Him to connect with me in a real way.  I’m just not up to it, I tell myself.  I know enough about the Bible to live victoriously.  And it’s true, I know a lot about the Bible, but I’m not getting nourished because I’m not making the effort to spend real time with the Holy Spirit, His arms are not tight around me, of if they are, I’m ignoring the experience.

I am blessed because His mercy knows no bounds, and when I lift up my Bible tonight to study and learn more about the best man the world has ever known, I count on God to meet me there.  He wants to be with me and touch my face.  He wants me to pour out all of the troubles I’ve been having and show me how to handle them.  Then he will be the one next to me as I walk forward to do all he’s teaching me to do.

I might screw it all up, though.  But that’s the beauty of it all.  I’m going to screw up and be reconnected with Him in a new way.  None of these struggles with work and marriage are too tough for God to lift me through it.  That doesn’t mean he’s going to heal my relationship or give me  a good paying job, but it will make me better understand what is means for Him to “be with you until the end of the age.”

death on the cross has set me free.
I can live joyously and freely
without fear of death.
Your mercy knows no bounds.

2 Timothy 2:14-19 (NASB95)
14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,
17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.
19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

In ‘The Church of Facebook:  How the Wireless Generation is Redefining Community’ Jesse Rice (writer, musician and worship arts director) presents the issue of our basic human need to ’connect.’

Delving deep into this issue of how Social Networking reflects this need is the focus of this book.  The information is informative, educational, and often inspiring and humorous; a great formula for discussing any issue or idea.

His illustrations match well to the area of connectivity he discusses in these six chapters, almost provoking one to research the illustrations themselves.

What is spontaneous order?  How did Facebook become the phenomena of Social Networking?  Is there really power in your online profile? How Social Networking consumes us almost unintentionally? What is the nature of a relationship; must it be geographically bound?  In this new Social Networking World, what are some prudent limitations?

This book is well researched engaging the reader not only to consider the dynamic of the Facebook and Social Networking in general but the underlying human need it addresses offering not only wise options to manage you online presence but opportunities to reach vast numbers of people.  This is central focus of the book.

Facebook is a tool and an opportunity to reconnect lost relationships and share our lives with others we may never physically meet.  In the final chapter of the book, several good tools are mentioned and some great strategies are given such as practicing intentional, mindful, and authentic interaction

In preparing this review, I visited the author’s website and found some very funny material. I would urge you also to visit. My favorite portion was on the author’s FAQ page.  You will find some very interesting comments here.  It is a must read for humor value alone. For instance, his response to the question ”Who is Jesse Rice?” The answer given:

“Jesse Rice (who is not a recognized cult leader, at least not of any
cults particularly large or bovine in nature) is the author of this blog
and the entertaining and informative book, ‘The Church of Facebook.”

About the author:
Jesse Rice is a writer and musician who served for eight years as a worship arts director at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA.  Jesse has a Master’s degree in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University and is a sought-after worship leader and speaker with more than fifteen years experience in church ministry. Jesse and his wife, Katie who is also a musician, have been married for three years.

The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining CommunityBy Jesse Rice / David C. Cook

# Paperback: 240 pages
# Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (October 1, 2009)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1434765342
# ISBN-13: 978-1434765345

Disclaimer:
The review copy of this book was provided free of charge by the author’s representative and was donated to the Westwood Baptist Church.

As we expand ever further into the world of social networks and the bloggopshere it seemed fitting to begin blogging somewhere that actually gets readers!

MySpace is a great place to discover new bands and ministries but is not exactly a blogging mecca. So here we are!

Thanks to all of  From the Dark’s prayer supporters, all the bands, guest columnists (HM Magazine’s Doug Van Pelt), our radio station listeners, and our parent ministry Founding Father’s Faith .

A little help here brother bishops…

From POLITICO:

The same bishop who is denying Communion to Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) claims he avoids politics — but he first made a national splash two years ago by comparing Rudy Giuliani to Pontius Pilate.

Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin wrote an op-ed in the Rhode Island Catholic attacking Giuliani in May 2007, the same year he allegedly wrote a letter to Kennedy informing the pro-choice Democrat he was not a “good practicing Catholic” because of the positions he has taken as a public official.

In the column — which was a public response to Giuliani’s invitation to a Providence fundraiser for his presidential campaign — Tobin wrote that he had no interest in politics, yet proceeded to call out many prominent Catholic politicians by name.

The article:

My R.S.V.P. to Rudy Giuliani

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin

5.31.07

I probably would have written this article anyhow, so distressed was I. But then I received an invitation to attend a fundraising luncheon for presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, and that absolutely confirmed my decision. The fundraiser is scheduled for Providence next week. For $500 I could attend a reception with the former New York City Mayor. For $1,500 I could attend a reception with a photo op. The first thought that came to my mind is that I’m not charging enough for my Confirmation photos!

Nevertheless, and more to the point, I have no idea why I received an invitation to Giuliani’s fundraiser. I don’t know the Mayor; I’ve never met him. I try to avoid partisan politics. Heck, I’m not even a Republican. But most of all, I would never support a candidate who supports legalized abortion.

Rudy’s public proclamations on abortion are pathetic and confusing. Even worse, they’re hypocritical.

Now this is what we get from Rudy as he attempted to explain his ambiguous position on abortion in a speech at Houston Baptist College earlier this month: “Here are the two strong beliefs that I have, here are the two pillars of my thinking . . . One is, I believe abortion is wrong. I think it is morally wrong . . . The second pillar that guides my thinking . . . where [people of good faith] come to different conclusions about this, about something so very, very personal, I believe you have to respect their viewpoint. You give them a level of choice here . . . I’ve always believed both of these things.”

What? This drivel from the man who received high marks, and properly so, for his clear vision and personal courage in healing New York City, and by extension, the nation, after the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11.

Rudy mentions the two pillars of his position. But you know what happens if you sit on a stool with two legs? Yep, it collapses. And so does Rudy’s position and along with it his integrity and reputation.

Rudy’s explanation is a classic expression of the position on abortion we’ve heard from weak-kneed politicians so frequently in recent years: “I’m personally opposed to but don’t want to impose my views on other people.” The incongruity of that position has been exposed many times now. As I’ve asked previously, would we let any politician get away with the same pathetic cop-out on other issues: “I’m personally opposed to . . . racial discrimination, sexual abuse, prostitution, drug abuse, polygamy, incest . . . but don’t want to impose my beliefs on others?”

Why is it that when I hear someone explaining this position I think of sad figure of Pontius Pilate in the Gospels who personally found no guilt in Jesus but for fear of the crowd washed his hands of the whole affair and handed Jesus over to be crucified. I can just hear Pilate saying, “You know, I’m personally opposed to crucifixion but don’t want to impose my belief on others.”

Okay, let’s ask Mayor Giuliani to think about his position for a minute.

Hey Rudy, you say that you believe abortion is morally wrong. Why do you say that Rudy, why do you believe that abortion is wrong? Is abortion the killing of an innocent child? Is it an offense against human dignity? Is it a cruel and violent act? Does it harm the woman who has the abortion? And if your answer to any of these questions is yes, Rudy, why would you permit people to . . . kill an innocent child, offend human dignity, commit a cruel and violent act or do harm to the mother? This is the name of choice? Huh?

Rudy’s preposterous position is compounded by the fact that he professes to be a Catholic. As Catholics we are called, indeed required, to be pro-life, to cherish and protect human life as a precious gift of God from the moment of conception until the time of natural death. As a leader, as public official, Rudy Giuliani has a special obligation in that regard.

In The Gospel of Life Pope John Paul made the obligation to defend human life very explicit: “This task is the particular responsibility of civil leaders . . . No one can ever renounce this responsibility, especially when he or she has a legislative or decision-making mandate.” (#90) And more recently, the Bishops of the United States wrote: “If a Catholic in his or her personal or professional life were knowingly and obstinately to repudiate [the Church’s] definitive teaching on moral issues, he or she would seriously diminish his or her communion with the Church.” (Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper, p. 11)

Rudy’s defection from the Catholic Faith on this moral issue is not unique, of course. Catholic politicians of both parties, nationwide, have followed a similar path in abandoning the Faith for the sake of political expediency: Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Pat Leahy, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden come quickly to mind. And on a local level of course, Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Senator Jack Reed. How these intelligent men and women will someday stand before the judgment seat of God and explain why they legitimized the death of countless innocent children in the sin of abortion is beyond me. (“But God, really, I was personally opposed to it but just couldn’t do anything about it.”)

Oh well, as you can see by now, I won’t be attending the fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani. If Rudy wants to see me he’ll have to arrange an appointment at my office. We’ll talk about his position on abortion. And if he wants a photo it will cost him $1,500 as a donation for the pro-life work of the Church.