The “bottom line” regarding the Ascension of Jesus Christ

Much has been taught and written about the Ascension of Jesus Christ,
but there’s one thing that makes it especially significant:

As the sin prone, all too human descendants of Adam and Eve,
we remain susceptible to backsliding, falling away
and possibly, even ending up in Hell.

On the other hand, Jesus’ perfect humanity and his awesome divinity
was never compromised by sin,
making possible his total defeat of Satan, sin and death,
on our behalf.

Then, Jesus, the triumphant and impeccable, “New Adam”,
took his resurrected and glorified human body back to Heaven,
where he was enthroned at the right hand of God the Father,
making all that he accomplished for us
both permanent and eternal,
with absolutely NO possibility
of BACKSLIDING or REVERSAL,
by any means.

A pure and perfect man now reigns in Heaven.
Not merely a divine advocate, but a divine man, indeed!

That same divine man loves us with an inestimable love
and desires only the best for us,
having already shed the very last drop of his precious blood,
for the purpose of our salvation.

That should give us all something which to faithfully aspire
and it’s just one of many wonderful things
that make Jesus Christ
the sure and certain, blessed hope of eternal salvation,
for every Christian, of every generation.

New report on the current status of Father John Corapi

Journalist Matt C. Abbott reports:

Previously in this column, I’ve featured the work of Catholic author, radio host and evangelist Jesse Romero (see here and here).

Romero, who has an excellent reputation in Catholic circles, graciously provided me with the following update on Father John Corapi (lightly edited by me):

I was told by the superior general of his order (SOLT), Father Peter Marsalek, back in 2016 as we were driving from the airport to speak at a Catholic parish, that Father Corapi had reconciled with his order.

He’s living the life of a monk in a monastery and has medical problems.

He will never speak in public again—by his choice and his superior’s choice as well.

Link to full story

The apple (Chelsea Clinton) doesn’t fall far from the tree (Hillary)

VATICAN CONFERENCE HEADLINER CHELSEA CLINTON CLAIMS “IF JESUS WERE ALIVE TODAY HE WOULD BE A MEMBER OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD”

Chelsea evidently has big problems with reading comprehension, leading her to Tweet (while attending a Vatican sponsored conference, no less) the utter blasphemy that Jesus would support abortion.

Not too long ago, Chelsea’s mother, Hillary, demonstrated a similar high level of ignorance while on an official, U.S. Secretary of State visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City.

Seeing the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mrs. Clinton asked the Basilica’s rector, Msgr. Monroy, “Who painted it?”

That was shortly after Hillary traveled to Greece, to lecture the citizens there, about Democracy.

You can’t make this stuff up!

Thanks to Canon 212 and A Priest Life Blog for the tip.

Chronological Bible Timeline

B.C.

2,167 Birth of Abraham.
2,091 Calling of Abraham.
2,066 Isaac is born.
2,006 Jacob is born.
1,991 Death of Abraham.
1,915 Birth of Joseph.
1,886 Death of Isaac.
1,876 Jacob moves to Egypt.
1,859 Death of Jacob.
1,805 Death of Joseph.
1,800 Israel is in Egypt.
1,526 Birth of Moses.
1,486 Flight of Moses into the wilderness.
1,446 Moses is called by God.
—— The Exodus.
—— (Could be 200 years earlier!)
1,406 Entering the Promised Land.
—— Death of Moses.
1,400 The Promised Land conquered by Joshua.
1,380 The judges begin to rule.
1,367 Othniel rules as judge.
1,304 Ehud rules as judge.
1,224 Deborah rules as judge.
1,177 Gideon rules as judge.
1,120 Birth of Samuel.
1,043 The people reject God as their King. [1 Sam. 8:7]
—— Saul is appointed as king.
1,011 Death of Saul.
—— David becomes the king of Judah.
1,004 The kingdom is united.
971 Death of David.
—- Solomon is appointed as king.
931 Death of Solomon.
—- Jeroboam is appointed as king of Israel.
—- Rehoboam is appointed as king of Judah.
913 Abijam is appointed as king of Judah.
911 Asa is appointed as king of Judah.
910 Nadab is appointed as king of Israel.
909 Baasha is appointed as king of Israel.
887 Obadiah begins to prophesy in Judah.
886 Elah is appointed as king of Israel.
885 Zimri is appointed as king of Israel.
—- Tibni and Omri become rival kings in Israel.
880 Omri is appointed Israel’s undisputed king.
874 Ahab is appointed as king of Israel.
873 Jehoshaphat becomes coregent in Judah.
870 Death of Asa.
—- Jehoshaphat reigns alone in Judah.
862 Jonah is sent to Nineveh.
853 Ahaziah is appointed king of Israel.
—- Jehoram becomes coregent in Judah.
852 J(eh)oram is appointed king in Israel.
848 Death of Jehoshaphat.
—- Jehoram reigns alone in Judah.
841 J(et)oram is killed by Jehu.
—- Jehu becomes the king of Israel.
—- Ahaziah is appointed king in Judah.
—- Athaliah takes the throne of Judah by force.
835 J(eh)oash is appointed king of Judah.
814 Jehoahaz is appointed king of Israel.
800 Joel begins to prophesy in Judah.
798 J(eh)oash is appointed king of Judah.
796 Amaziah is appointed king of Judah.
793 Jeroboam II becomes coregent in Israel.
792 The father of Azariah is captured.
—- Azariah is appointed king in Judah.
787 Amos begins to prophesy in Israel.
785 Hosea begins to prophesy in Israel.
782 Death of Jehoash.
—- Jeroboam reigns alone in Israel.
767 Death of Amaziah.
—- Azariah reigns alone in Judah.
755 Isaiah begins to prophesy in Judah.
753 Zechariah is appointed king of Israel.
752 Shallum is appointed king of Israel.
—- Then Menachem is appointed king of Isreal.
750 Jothan becomes coregent in Judah.
—- Micah beings to prophesy in Judah.
742 Pekahiah is appointed king of Israel.
740 Pekah is appointed king of Israel.
—- Death of Azariah.
—- Josham reigns alone in Judah.
735 Ahaz becomes coregent in Judah.
732 Hoshea is appointed king of Israel.
—- Death of Josham.
—- Ahaz reigns alone in Judah.
723 Israel is captured by the Assyrians.
716 Hezekiah is appointed king of Judah.
713 Nahum begins to prophesy in Judah.
696 Manasseh becomes coregent in Judah.
686 Death of Hezekiah.
—- Manasseh reigns alone in Judah.
642 Amon is appointed king of Judah.
640 Josiah is appointed king of Judah.
630 Zephaniah begins to prophesy in Judah.
626 Jeremiah begins to prophesy in Judah.
—- Habakkuk begins to prophesy in Judah.
609 Jehoahaz is appointed king of Judah.
—- Zehoiakim is appointed king of Judah.
607 The beginning of the events in the Book of Daniel.
597 Jehoiachim is appointed king of Judah.
—- Zedekiah is appointed king of Judah.
592 Ezekiel begins to prophesy in Judah.
586 The Babylonians take Judah into exile.
—- Jeremiah prophesy about the New Covenant. [Jer. 31:31]
—- Ezekiel prophesy of the new heart and spirit. [Ezek. 11:19-20, 18:31, 36:26]
—- Ezekiel prophesy of the indwelling Holy Spirit. [Ezek. 36:27]
539 Persia overthrow Babylonia.
536 Beginning of the construction of the second Temple.
520 Zechariah begins to prophesy.
—- Haggai begins to prophesy.
520 Construction of the Temple is resumed.
516 Completion of the Second Temple.
480 Esther is appointed queen of Persia.
458 The return of Ezra to Judah.
444 The return of Nehemiah to Judah.
397 Malachi begins to prophesy.
333 Alexander the Great rules over Palestine.
323 Ptolemies begins to rule.
198 Seleucids begins to rule.
166 Hasmoneans begins to rule.
63 Palestine is conquered by Rome.
37 Herod the Great is appointed as king.
8 Annunciation to the Virgin Mary.
7 Birth of John the Baptist.
– Birth of Jesus.
6 Presentation of Jesus to the Temple.
– Flight to Egypt.
4 Death of Herod the Great.

A.D.

6 Mary, Joseph and Jesus visit the Temple.
27 Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee.
29 The beginning of the Judean ministry.
— The beginning of the Perean ministry.
30 Death of Christ.
— The Resurrection of Christ.
— The Ascension.
— Pentecost Day.
33 Martyrdom of St. Stephen.
— Conversion of Paul.
36 St. Paul visits Jerusalem.
40 St. Peter begins his ministry to the Gentiles.
44 Martyrdom of St. James.
47 St. Paul begins his first journey.
50 St. Paul begins his second journey.
53 St. Paul begins his third journey.
57 Arrest and imprisonment of St. Paul.
59 St. Paul is sent to Rome.
70 Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans.
95 St. John is sent to Patmos.
— The end of the New Testament period.

All dates are approximate.

Source: Catholic Doors Ministry

Saint Anselm explains God

Saint Anselm is a Doctor of the Catholic Church. His Feast Day is April 21. Saint Anselm is one of the Scholastics, predating the somewhat better known, Saint Thomas Aquinas. Saint Anselm’s writings have survived largely intact, providing a philosophical “sweet spot” that falls chronologically, between Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas and theologically, proves to be highly practical and deeply insightful.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent article on Saint Anselm:

“Arousal of the mind for contemplating God”

Teach me to seek You, and reveal Yourself to me as I seek; for unless You teach me I cannot seek You, and unless You reveal Yourself I cannot find You. Let me seek You in desiring You; let me desire You in seeking You. Let me find You in loving You; let me love You in finding You. 0 Lord, I acknowledge and give thanks that You created in me Your image so that I may remember, contemplate, and love You. But this image has been so effaced by the abrasion of transgressions, so hidden from sight by the dark billows of sins, that unless You renew and refashion it, it cannot do what it was created to do. 0 Lord, I do not attempt to gain access to Your loftiness, because I do not at all consider my intellect to be equal to this task. But I yearn to understand some measure of Your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe even this: that unless I believe, I shall not understand.

Therefore, if that than which a greater cannot be thought were only in the understanding, then that than which a greater cannot be thought would be that than which a greater can be thought!” Clearly, something than which a greater cannot be thought must exist both in understanding and reality, or it would be less than those things which exist both in the understanding and in reality. Moreover, God cannot be thought not to exist. Why? Because if that were to happen, if a mind could think of something better than God (making it therefore certain that God does not exist as the Being of which no Being greater can be conceived) then the creature would sit in judgment of the Creator, and therefore that creature would be, as Scripture says (Psalm 14:1), the fool who in his heart says there is no God; but he only says this because he has fooled himself.

For only what You will is just, and only what You do not will is not just. So, then, Your mercy is begotten from Your justice, because it is just for You to be good to such an extent that You are good even in sparing. And perhaps this is why He who is supremely just can will good things for those who are evil. But if we can somehow grasp why You can will to save those who are evil, surely we cannot at all comprehend why from among those who are similarly evil You save some and not others because of Your supreme goodness, and condemn some and not others because of Your supreme justice.

Read more at Catholic Insight

Dr. Anthony Fauci refuses to discuss vaccine risks because he probably knows what might happen

Dr. Anthony Fauci refuses to discuss the safety or efficacy of the vaccines, other than stating what is already included in the information sheet that is supplied to every vaccine recipient.

At the same time, Dr. Fauci continues to advocate social distancing, multiple mask wearing and the avoidance of bars, theaters, restaurants and similar crowded environments, even for those who have been fully vaccinated and should now be immune to virtually every known strain of Covid-19.

A reasonable and rational person might suspect
that Dr. Fauci’s personal version of viral “double talk”
is intended to hide something.

For example: mRNA vaccine technology has never worked effectively, in the past. mRNA vaccine technology is little understood. Too high of a dose of mRNA type Covid-19 vaccines might kill a person. Too low of dose may be ineffective.

But, the real “elephant in the room” is the possibility
that someone who who has already been fully vaccinated
(and should be fully immune)
may instead, experience a massive,
fatal, immune system overreaction
if subsequently exposed to the Covid-19 virus, “in the wild”.

In any case, Dr. Fauci remains a highly unconvincing expert who has already failed in his primary mission and who has “flip-flopped” so often, on so many related issues, that no sane person would likely, place much faith in his opinion, anyway.

Easter mystery

The Day the Resurrection of Christ became an official dogma of the Church

…On the first Easter Sunday, news began to be circulated that Jesus was alive and had been seen. These reports were, at first disbelieved or at least doubted by the apostles. Various reports from both women and men were dismissed by the apostles. But suddenly in the evening of that first Easter Sunday there is a change and a declaration by the apostles that the Lord had truly been raised. What effected this change?

It would seem that, after the early evening report by the disciples returning from Emmaus, Peter slipped away, perhaps for a walk or some other purpose and according to both Paul (1 Cor 15:5) and Luke (Luke 24:34) the risen Lord appeared to him privately and prior to the other apostles. Peter then reports this to the others and the resurrection moves from being doubted to being the official declaration of the Church. The official declaration is worded thus:

The Lord has truly risen indeed,
he has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:34)

The resurrection is now officially declared. Notice, the world “truly” (some texts say “indeed”). It is not an officially attested fact that Jesus has risen. Neither Magdalene, nor the women in general, nor the disciples from Emmaus could make this declaration for the Church. It took the college of apostles in union with Peter to do this. Hence the dogma of the resurrection becomes so on very Catholic terms:  The first bishops (the apostles) in union or in Council with the first Pope (Peter) make this solemn declaration of the faith.

Read the article

Holy Saturday

HOLY SATURDAY – The body of Jesus is in the tomb but His soul is among the dead to announce the kingdom.

The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will Live (John 5:25).

Consider what it must have been like for the dead in Sheol to awaken to the voice of Jesus!

Meanwhile The Disciples, heartbroken at the death of Jesus, observed the Jewish Sabbath in sorrow. They had forgotten the promise of Jesus that He would rise.

We cannot forget His promise. We cannot forget. Tonight in our parishes after sundown we gather for the Great Easter Vigil where we will experience Jesus rising from the dead. We gather in darkness and light the Easter fire which reminds us that Jesus is light in the darkness. He is the light of the world.

We enter into the church and attentively listen to Bible stories describing God’s saving work of the past.

Suddenly, the church lights are lit and the Gloria is sung as we celebrate the moment of Christ’s resurrection. He Lives! In the joy of the resurrection we then celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist for our Catechumens and Candidates who have prepared for many weeks for this night.

As a Church we sing Alleluia for the first time in forty days. Do everything you can to be present on this evening and invite friends and family to join. Our Vigil ushers in an Easter joy that never ends!

Isaiah 61:1-3  The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn: To appoint to the mourners of Zion, and to give them a crown for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of grief: and they shall be called in it the mighty ones of justice, the planting of the Lord to glorify him.

Link

The best and the worst of Good Friday

To be connected with the Catholic Church is to be associated with scoundrels, warmongers, fakes, gluttons, hateful, gossips, child-molesters, murderers, prostitutes, publicans, double-minded, slothful, adulterers and hypocrites of every description.

It also, at the same time, identifies you with the greatest saints and the finest persons of heroic soul of every time, era, country, race, and gender. Men and women who surrendered their will to God’s will, who willingly without shame stood in place of the weak and those who without regard to self laid down their lives for even those who hated them, and all this for the love of Jesus and for glory unto God.

To be a member of the Catholic Church is to carry the mantle of both the worst sin and the finest heroism of soul because Christ’s Church always looks exactly as it looked at the original crucifixion:

God hung among thieves.

– Anonymous

Submitted by Doria2

Pope Francis continues to deliberately disrespect the Blessed Virgin Mary

… let us pause to consider for a moment the troubling words of the Holy Father when he states that Our Lady, with regards to her Son, “is more His disciple than His mother.” 

What does this mean? Is Our Lady less Mother of God and more mere disciple, like the rest of us? Or how else should we understand such a seeming semi-negation?

A simple faithful Catholic cannot but be disheartened and troubled by words such as these.

When we consider what the Church Tradition teaches us, that all the titles and honors which are given to the Blessed Virgin are rooted in her essential role as Mother of God, as taught in the Council of Ephesus in 431, how can we not be taken aback by such off-the-cuff remarks?

When we think, just a moment, of what Church history tells us of the great battle which was waged in order for this important dogma to be solemnly proclaimed, how can we not wonder how the likes of Saint Cyril of Alexandria would react to such a dismissive remark?

Considering the significance of this dogma for our Faith as a whole, how can such a careless remark not shock us or do anything other than pierce our hearts devoted to Our Lady’s Heart?

Read more at Life Site News

Editor’s note: This and more, uttered on the great Feast of the Annunciation, after many months of the ongoing, shameless, Pachamama idolatry, in the Vatican, by a “Judas Pope” who is also responsible for the outright betrayal of the Church in China, to the godless Communists.

Priest: Exorcisms now, often ineffective

… in a recent talk by Father Ripperger — a renowned Exorcist — he explained that prior to 1963, it was quite the norm that exorcisms would effect deliverance of the soul from diabolic possession in 2-3 days– 7 days at most.

But that beginning in 1963 “overnight…like someone threw a switch”, this was no longer the case, and that it began to take at least 10 months to 2 years of concerted priestly effort to effect deliverance.

Father Ripperger then goes on to say that now it is virtually impossible to effect deliverance of a soul from diabolic possession.

Father Ripperger also explained that this adverse impact on the efficacy of exorcisms is directly related to the state of the Church.

NOTE: the problem began right at the onset of Vatican II — overnight — and has only gotten worse and worse to the point of suppressing the efficacy of exorcisms altogether.

Essentially, the potency of the Church’s power to exorcise demons has now been reduced to virtual powerlessness against the demonic…because “one cannot cast out demons by Beelzebub” as Our Lord taught us.

Link

Pope’s negative statement regarding homo unions was probably a necessary concession to his Muslim colleagues

The Pope’s recent visit to Iraq was mostly about economics and climate change. If Francis hopes to make any inroads on those fronts, he’ll have to “play ball” with the Muslims on homosexual issues. Quid Pro Quo. I think that’s a Latin term!

Praying Without Ceasing and the Language of Love

Watching my five-year-old grandson interact with my son,
a.k.a. “Daddy” close behind:

Entering unexplored territory:

“Daddy?”
“Yes, Theodore.”

Climbing up the ladder on a slide, which turned out to be a bit higher and steeper than it looked:

(Grunting) “D-a-d-d-y-?”
(Ready to catch him) “Y-e-s, Theodore.”

Emerging safe and victorious at the bottom of the same slide:

“Daddy!”
(Congratulating) “Yes! Theodore!”

Fording the shallow creek that runs through the area:

“Daddy?????”
(Watchfully) “Yes, Theodore!!!

Theodore wandering off limits:

“________”
(Daddy, somewhat sternly) “T-h-e-o-d-o-r-e ?!?!”

All tired out and ready to go home:

(Arms lifted up and out-stretched): “Daddy!?!”
(Taking Theo into his arms and carrying him home):
“Y-e-s-s-s, Theodore …”

1st Thessalonians 5:17  Pray without ceasing. 

Mark 10:15-16  Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter into it. And embracing them and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them.

Galatians 4:6  And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. (a.k.a. “Daddy”).

Eighty-six Catholic women from 25 countries issued a letter Monday opposing what they called “abortion-tainted” Covid-19 vaccines

“The evil of using aborted fetal cell lines involves not just the original murder, but the ongoing commercialization of the child’s body, as well as the ultimate refusal to bury his desecrated remains,”…

Read more

No priest of Jesus Christ, truly called, would ever bow down to a pagan idol and no Pope would ever tolerate it, let alone be present at it.

As you gaze upon this abomination that took place in St. Peter’s Basilica in October 2019, reflect for a moment on what has happened in the year and a half since. Think of the diabolical experimentation on bat viruses that leaked out from a laboratory in Wuhan whether accidentally or intentionally.

Think of the deaths of people, the suffering and the economic toll on hundreds of millions because of the actionsof a Satanic regime whom the man in white in the above photograph, and his minions, laud.

Remember, for a moment, how this malefactor, Bergoglio, sold out the faithful Catholics of China and how it has worked out for all Christians there since. It has not gone so “well.”

Think of the infringement of civil and religious rights imposed by our governments and worse, adhered to by our corrupt, weak, effeminate and ineffectual Shepherds.

Contemplate for a moment how the Bishop of Rome, the alleged successor of Saint Peter, the alleged Vicar of Christ, presided in the garden, as shown above, where people bowed down in worship to pagan idols.

Look at the backside of the Satanic priest in brown robes, a Franciscan, but not a son of St. Francis, more a son of Satan – for no priest of Jesus Christ truly called would ever bow down to a pagan idol and no Pope would ever tolerate it, let alone be present at it. 

Now consider this event, the actual enthronement by the Bishop of Rome of a symbol of the Pachamama idol on the High Altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, an altar over the very tomb of Peter and dedicated only for the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ, not the worship of a demon, “For all the gods of the Gentiles are demons but the LORD made the heavens.”

More from Vox Cantoris

Witness the Joy breaking out in Erbil, Iraq

Tucker Carlson handily exposes the real reason behind the Dr. Seuss controversy

A reader comments: Tucker Carlson explained it perfectly. It is not that Dr. Seuss is racist, it is that he is anti-racist. Crucially, Dr. Seuss targets our children with these classic moral tales and … our children belong to the leftist hive. So, he is their greatest enemy because he is so effective at the level of a child.

Seuss’ The Sneetches show simply and profoundly how stupid racism is and how dumb it is to attach caste to a superficial thing (a star/skin color). The Sneetch star is racist when one side says it’s important but also racist when the other side identifies the star’s absence as important. Both are wrong, both are “racists”.

And that’s Theodore’s simple message: see the Sneetch beneath and not what he’s wearing on his chest (or not). The Dr. Seuss message of seeing the person and not their “badge” cuts to the CRT leftists’ quick, I think, and makes their conscience suffer. And that is why he (Seuss) must be cancelled.

Seen at The American Catholic

Today’s question: In the Book of Acts, why did the Christians get together and pool their money and goods?

Question: In the Book of Acts, why did the Christians get together and pool their money and goods?

Answer: According to Zacchaeus, at least one of them was a little short.

Asked and answered today on Yahoo!Answers

Congressman Jerry Nadler: “What any religious tradition describes as God’s will is no concern of this Congress.”

Full article at LifeNews.com