I Never Knew Your Name. Thank you!

A Catholic Military Chaplain deployed in Afghanistan

This “thank you” goes out to all of the Roman Catholic Military Chaplains around the world.

Thank you for suffering tireless work at the hands of a wartorn “death culture” world. Thank you for getting up before the sun and retiring after the last soldier retreats. Thank you for mustering the added strength needed for dealing with the feminine face of the military, such that it is, in this ever-changing cultural landscape of soldiering. Thank for weathering an adminstration seemingly unsympathetic to the particular needs of Catholics in the military. For those of you out there, and you are many, thank you for risking bullets and bombs to bring spiritual aid and comfort to our troops on the frontlines.

Many will never announce his work done in anonymity and tireless obedience and humility. You are away from your families and friends. Your spiritual needs are placed way behind those of the needs of the soldiers under your care. You have to face day after day of military food or MRE’s in the field, the physical discomfort of wearing armored gear when you are in the field, bugs and weather, and less than pleasant living conditions, little or no time for your own personal worship and study, extended tours, canceled leaves, alienation, and loneliness of the worst kind. It really truly often is just you and God out there.

Thank you!

Bravery seems a small word to describe what soldiers endure for the sake of freedom, multiply that by seven, for what unarmed Military Chaplains endure. You are often the first one to arrive (even before the commander) when the medic is there ministering to a wounded, or dying soldier, and often the last person he or she will ever see in this life.

I mourned the loss of a prayer-life during basic training. I got to go on a Christian retreat at an Evangelical retreat house after the first month of training. There I learned of a military Chaplain whose vested interest it was to hault the activities of the Planned Parenthood located on the base. The evangelicals (knowing I was Catholic) directed me to him urging me to meet him before my time in tradoc ended there. I didn’t know if I could fit it in as we were really tethered to the Drill Sergeants’ scheduled dictates during Basic.

I showed up on his doorstep for confession not realizing this was the priest that they had told me about. My confession was probably the same as the last 100 hundred soldiers that he had seen.

A lot of people don’t know this but the confession lines are long at military bases. I was cross with other trainees, I needed to be more charitable, and to be more Christ-like. These priests don’t lament the fact of an underused Sacrament. This is not a reality for them.

My turn comes up and I moan and groan about not being able to pray. He told me to pray during sit-ups, during push-ups, on KP, in my runs, and during d & c. I did what he said. I relayed that the loss of a ministry to the unborn in pro-life activism weighed heavily on my mind.

I came out of that confessional to be met by a sea of green in the sanctuary. In his homily he invited a volunteer from the laity to relay to the rest what day it was. The military is a conservative entity and the conservatives are more sympathetic to the pro-life movement.

Nobody volunteered. So I got up to tell them that it was the Anniversary of Roe V. Wade. You could hear a pin drop. This was the second cycle of integrated training where both the men and the women trained together so a sea of, not just masculine, but also feminine faces turned to look at me. Wow did I really just get up and say that? The priest was beaming. I went to Communion and there he had for me two Communion wafers. In a death culture industry such that the Military seems to be (though it in reality is not) he persevered to protect life He was the priest they told me about. This humble and obedient man was the one instrumental in getting that Military Base Planned Parenthood closed down. He never let on even once during confession who or what he was to the pro-life movement.

His example there in that particular place in time was evidence of the sort humility that I would unsuccessfully try to exhibit in my own life. I needed to learn obedience that was why God put me there. Obedience is kind of a watchword in the military, more than in any other other form of service, except for vocations. Military Chaplains, therefore, get a double dose. He most certainly did.

I never knew your name.

Thank you!

– Submitted by a pro-life soldier

Related link

Catholic Chaplain – aftermath of Ft. Hood shootings

Now giants were upon the earth in those days…

Genesis 6:2 – 4 The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose. And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.

These creatures, through inter-breeding, eventually managed to contaminate the entire human genome, except for NOAH’s family. That’s why Noah (and 7 other humans) got to build the ark and survive.

Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noe: Noe (Noah) was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.

St. Peter tells us that Noah and his family were SAVED by the FLOOD.

1Peter 3:18 – 20 Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit, In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison: Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.

These oversize hybrid people showed up again in the Promised Land just in time to battle the Israelites, as they were returning from their sojourn in Egypt. (Remember Moses and the parting of the Red Sea?) Without another flood, they proved difficult to dislodge. Generations later the Israelites were still fighting giants.

God brought the flood to destroy the first influx of these evil beings and here’s what He told the Israelites to do about those they encountered later:

Numbers 33:52 – 55 Destroy all the inhabitants of that land: Beat down their pillars, and break in pieces their statues, and waste all their high places, Cleansing the land, and dwelling in it. For I have given it you for a possession. And you shall divide it among you by lot. To the more you shall give a larger part, and to the fewer a lesser. To every one as the lot shall fall, so shall the inheritance be given. The possession shall be divided by the tribes and the families. But if you will not kill the inhabitants of the land: they that remain, shall be unto you as nails in your eyes, and spears in your sides, and they shall be your adversaries in the land of your habitation.

How evil were these descendants of the nephilim (fallen ones)?

“ … they shall be unto you as nails in your eyes and spears in your sides.”

OUCH!

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Living in sin

From Adam’s “fall” to Jesus’ death, all of mankind (except for John the Baptist, and the Blessed Virgin Mary) “lived in sin”.

Today, ignoring the dire consequences, untold millions continue to choose sinful life styles, never stopping to consider how that choice might affect their death style.

One only needs to look around to see that every evil in the world is the result of sin. Despite 21st century advances in science, medicine and technology, sin remains as mankind’s “public enemy number one”.

So that you, through Christ, may truly overcome evil and so doing, overcome the world, here’s the “straight dope” on sin:

Most people would agree that the term, “living in sin” has always referred to heterosexual (male/female) couples living together (and being sexually active with each other) without benefit of the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Homosexual couples that live together (and routinely have sex with each other) are also “living in sin”. But sacramental Matrimony/Marriage can never be any part of the equation, in that case.

Broadening the definition somewhat, anyone guilty of a serious, intentional, unconfessed, unrepented and/or unforgiven offense against God or man is also likely to be “living in sin”.

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Vatican/USCCB ramp up efforts to launch new Roman Missal

WASHINGTON — After a decade of work, the greatest liturgical milestone for American Catholics since the 1970s is right around the corner: The Vatican has approved a new English translation of the Roman Missal, and the U.S. bishops have fixed the roll-out date in the nation’s parishes for the beginning of Advent 2011.

“The use of the third edition of the Roman Missal enters into use in the dioceses of the United States of America as of the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, 2011. From that date forward, no other edition of the Roman Missal may be used in the dioceses of the United States of America,” stated Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in his Aug. 20 letter to the nation’s bishops.

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Honey, if you ever leave me, I’m going with you …

The Scripture says that a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife (Gen 2:24).

Now “cling” is a strong word. It means to stick like glue. Notice that a man does this. Boys run around and play the field, but a man looks for a wife and, finding her,  leaves his parents and clings to her. This is what a man does. He works hard to preserve union with his wife. He seeks to understand her needs and to provide, to be affectionate, affirming and encouraging. He confirms her authority over the children and teaches them to respect her.

Too many men today are passive husbands and fathers. But the Scriptures place on the man the first obligation to cling to his wife. When a marriage is in trouble it is usually the wife who calls me. This is already a sign of trouble since the Lord says that clinging is the essential role the man. If there is trouble he should be the first to notice it and to work to restore proper union with his wife.

It is true today that many men have little recourse if a wife simply wants to leave, no-fault divorce is too easy and is hard to fight . But of course the question is what did he do when he first saw trouble, first saw the unity of his marriage threatened.

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“Ask and You Shall Receive.” – But there’s a catch …

And Jesus answered saying to them,

“Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” – Mark 11:22-24

The “Catch”

The virtues of faith, hope and charity are a reflection of the power of God’s grace in our life, and our free will choice to cooperate with that grace … for our own salvation and for the glory of God … all of which are in full agreement with God’s will and his plan.

Should it happen that we ask God for something which is not compatible with his grace, his will, or his plan … then we probably shouldn’t look forward to moving mountains … anytime soon!

Fr. Euteneuer to Return to Diocese

Dear Friends of Life,

Nearly ten years ago I answered the call of the Lord to come to Human Life International and work full-time in pro-life work with the permission of my bishop. I have been utterly privileged to serve this great mission for a decade, and now I am called back to my diocese to continue my priestly service in parish work, which was the original calling of my vocation. A priest is a soldier of Christ and the Church, and obedience is the primary virtue of his state in life, but for my part, my discernment about this decision tells me that this is the right thing for me to do and at the right time. I have great peace about the road that lies ahead and about all that has been accomplished up to this point.

Our international mission remains in good hands with my departure. HLI’s Board of Directors has asked Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro of our Rome office to assume my responsibilities until such a time as a permanent replacement is named. Our tremendously competent staff and generous supporters are looking to the future with great hope despite the many challenges of the death peddlers on a global scale which are only increasing. There is more need of our mission now than ever! HLI’s network of affiliates and associates is more than 100 countries strong, and our international leaders, so often highlighted in our publications, are literally the best in the world! Our dear founder, Fr. Paul Marx would be extremely proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade. I am sure he is smiling on us from where he is now.

I do not have a parish assignment in my diocese as of yet, but I hope to take some time out before I go back into full-time parish work. I expect that some time of rest and renewal will help me to make the transition. It has been 15 years since I last had any significant time for renewal, and after traveling more than 1.1 million miles, authoring two books, visiting 58 countries and making thousands of public appearances, I am ready for a break! I intend to continue to do pro-life work wherever I may be called to serve, and my bishop agrees that this is a vital charism of my priestly life. A true pro-lifer is not oriented to a job so much as to the daily task of fighting the culture of death and building the culture of life!

I ask for your kind prayers as I move forward and for your continued support of HLI and the new leadership that will come soon. I will not be a stranger to HLI’s mission or life but I promise that I will remember each of you every day in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the font of all unity and LIFE!

Blessings in Christ,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President, Human Life International

Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk mocks Pro-Lifers

Pro-lifers can only take so much, and Kirk needlessly poking that stick at us lost some tepid support.

But the last straw for me was a June 2010 memo we received today, written by Kirk to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, seeking its endorsement.

Both NARAL and PP IL Action have already endorsed Giannoulias, and the PPAF lists Giannoulias as an endorsed candidate, so Kirk lost his bid, unless PPAF determines at some point Giannoulias has acquired too much baggage, which I doubt. There are no Republicans on its endorsement list, so it must be willing to tolerate a lot.

But reading Kirk’s list of pro-death accomplishments is sickening. Also note how many times Kirk brags about battling his own party’s president on the life issue.

Even anticipating a Republican Senate majority isn’t worth electing another Collins, Snowe, or Specter for the next 6-24+ years.

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Tom Roeser’s thoughts about !@#$%! (Cussing)

“Do you know what that officious bastard wrote in The New York Times today? He tried to dress up research in embryonic stem cells as vital to saving lives when he knows—fully knows—that adult stem cells can do the job. You know what? That sonuvabitch simply glories in defending an act of snuffing out lives!”

The fact remains that I feel better when I say this…and that’s important—important to let repressed steam be released…a safety valve that spares bottled up blood pressure.

Let’s be clear. Cussing fate with a string of denunciatory colorful words is different from cursing where you call down evil on someone. Or invoke God to strike someone dead. That’s altogether different. I would judge that to say “goddammit” is different than slowly pronouncing “God damn so-and-so!” Although I’ve been known to do that as well. But seriously calling down evil on someone and invoking God to do it is blasphemy.

(Father) Ernie once told us that to curse rational creatures is a grave offense against justice and charity. When I sat in his classroom so long ago listening to him I thought—and still think—but if you say this to yourself and do not poison this guy’s reputation by enunciating it to someone else but to yourself in solitude, what’s wrong with that? It makes me feel better. And who hears it when I mutter to myself? Ever since that time I have doubted Ernie on that particular item. How do you sin against justice and charity if you growl to yourself imprecations against an unfeeling boss for example?

Another thing Ernie would say is this: “To curse irrational creatures such as the weather or animals who let us say defecate on the floor is a venial sin of impatience.” Wha? Do you understand what I’m getting at here? Is it not possible that we are too Jansenist in this business of cussing? Do we imagine that General George Armstrong Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn…when suddenly surrounded by 3,000 Indians who seemingly came thundering out of the hills from ostensibly nowhere…and remembering that he foolishly left a supply of Gatling guns at Yellowstone because he felt they would not be needed…said:

“Oh my gosh where did these darned Indians come from all of a sudden? And gee whiz, I wish I had the Gatling guns!”

Ernie also said this: “To curse the evil spirit as the enemy of God and human beings is lawful.” That means I guess I can say: “God damn the devil and all his works!”

But Ernie, being Ernie, added: “Exclamations that in themselves are not sinful may become so for other reasons such as the danger of scandal.”

Read more at Tom’s site

Pie chart courtesy of GraphJam.com

Worldly matters should not keep clergy (and lay people) from their sacred duty.

Scripture says the Clergy must Speak…..Paul says of the bishop: He must be able to encourage men in sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9). For the same reason God tells us through Malachi: The lips of the priest are to preserve knowledge, and men shall look to him for the law, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts (Mal 2:7). …..

Every Priest Must Preach – Anyone ordained a priest undertakes the task of preaching, so that with a loud cry he may go on ahead of the terrible judge who follows. If, then, a priest does not know how to preach, what kind of cry can such a dumb herald utter? It was to bring this home that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues on the first pastors (Acts 2:3), for he causes those whom he has filled, to speak out spontaneously.

The People must pray for the clergy – Beloved brothers, consider what has been said: Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest (Matt 9:38). Pray for us so that we may have the strength to work on your behalf, that our tongue may not grow weary of exhortation, and that after we have accepted the office of preaching, our silence may not condemn us before the just judge.

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Enough is Enough: The Crusades and The Jihad Are Not Equivalents

First, the historical facts: a long “train of abuses”, to borrow Jefferson’s phrase, preceded the launching of the First Crusade in 1096. Since its very inception, Islam had waged an unremitting war against Christianity. It conquered and subjugated centuries-old Christian societies in the Middle East and North Africa. After sweeping through France, the Muslim advance was finally checked by Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours in 732. Following this, Muslim aggression against Christians continued in southern Italy, with the conquest of Sicily in 827. Resistance to these repeated acts of aggression was not characterized as a “crusade”, but simply necessary self-defense.

Over the next centuries, the Seljuq Turks, who converted to Islam, waged war against the Eastern Christian Byzantine Empire. At the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Turks wiped out the Byzantine army, leaving Emperor Alexius Commenus helpless before a relentless and determined foe. Not long after this, he sent envoys to Pope Urban II pleading for military aid. The Council of Clermont was called by the pope in 1095, in which he addressed the clergy, knights, and commoners who had assembled. To the knights especially his words were both reproving and encouraging:

You, the oppressers of children, plunderers of widows; you, guilty of homicide, of sacrilege, robbers of another’s rights; you who await the pay of thieves for the shedding of Christian blood — as vultures smell fetid corpses, so do you sense battles from afar and rush to them eagerly. Verily, this is the worst way, for it is utterly removed from God! if, forsooth, you wish to be mindful of your souls, either lay down the girdle of such knighthood, or advance boldly, as knights of Christ, and rush as quickly as you can to the defense of the Eastern Church. For she it is from whom the joys of your whole salvation have come forth, who poured into your mouths the milk of divine wisdom, who set before you the holy teachings of the Gospels.

What was at stake was nothing less than the preservation of Christianity, and the civilization which had, even if imperfectly, sought to embody its teachings in the world.

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Niece of Martin Luther King Jr. calls for boycott of abortion industry. Gets flack.

“It is absolutely ludicrous that abortion supporters would accuse a blood relative of Dr. King of hijacking the King legacy. Uncle Martin and my father, Rev. A. D. King were blood brothers. How can I hijack something that belongs to me? I am an heir to the King Family legacy,” she said.  “I have a right to stand at the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th Anniversary of my Uncle’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. The Dream has yet to be realized. That Dream is in my genes and I carry forward in the fight for equality and justice for all blacks, including those in the womb.  My dad and my uncle gave their lives to ensure that the day would come when blacks would be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. If they were here, I know they would stand with me in this fight for the lives of those most vulnerable among us,” said King.

Other African American leaders are joining Alveda in calling for a boycott of the abortion industry.

“It’s interesting to me to hear so called religious people call us the religious right — but that’s okay because they are obviously the complete opposite… they are the religious wrong!  Which begs the question… what God — if any do they serve?” asked Day Gardner, President of the National Black Pro-Life Union.  “As for me, I serve the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac — the great I AM… Father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all things created.  Those of us who serve the one true God acknowledge we are all made in his image. We bow to God’s Word when He says: ‘Blessed is the fruit of the womb.’ If God says children are a reward, a gift and our heritage, then we must uphold that all children are greatly valuable and desirable to God.  So, I ask again… what God do they serve?”

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Galileo was wrong: The Bible does not teach how the Heavens go … but rather, how to go to Heaven.

Lima, Peru, Aug 25, 2010 / 10:06 pm (CNA).- In an interview this week with the Peruvian daily El Comercio, physics expert Fr. Manuel Carreira clarified numerous and often misunderstood details about the life of Galileo, also touching on the relationship between faith and science.

The priest confirmed to El Comercio that Galileo “was a believer” and that, despite assumptions to the contrary, “he did not spend one minute behind bars … nor was he excommunicated.” Fr. Carreira added that Galileo “died professing the faith under the care of a religious sister and with a papal blessing.”

Fr. Carreira, who was in Lima for the Second Congress on the Holy Shroud of Turin, said that during Galileo’s time, there was no proof  that the Earth moved around the sun. “His supposed evidence was invalid,” the physicist noted, as well as dismissed by other astronomers.

Galileo’s correct idea, he explained, was that “the Bible does not teach science.” However, the famed astronomer “also wanted theologians to change their interpretation of the text according to his theory.” Although the theologians of his day “were mistaken in thinking that the Bible teaches astronomy,” the priest added, “they were correct in saying that as long as there was no evidence, Galileo should have presented his ideas as a theory and not ask them to change their opinions.”

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Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.

As many know, there once was a great boxer named Cassius Clay. He converted to Islam in 1964, seemingly bothered that Jesus was portrayed as “a white with blond hair and blue eyes,” as he put it, and took the name “Muhammad Ali.” Of course, the irony of this is that despite being intensely aware of his slave roots, Ali rejected the name of an abolitionist (Clay) and took the name of a slave-owner (Muhammad). It also perhaps eluded him that Christians were the first ones to outlaw slavery, while Muslims give black Africans rope and chains to this day.

But I mention this because Ali’s path is a common one in the black community; it is why we’ve long had the Black Muslims and why Islamic names are so common among American blacks. Many blacks have bought the bill of goods that Christianity is the white man’s religion, the faith of oppressors. And they embrace Islam as part of a rejection of “white” society.

Obviously, being part of this milieu could only have reinforced Obama’s affinity for things Muslim and antipathy for things authentically Christian — of which Western civilization is one. And if Americans hadn’t been brainwashed with political correctness, they would understand this. With foreign and domestic Muslim influence; attendance at a Black Liberation Theology, pseudo-Christian church; and alliances with ex-terrorists and declared communists, Obama perfectly fits the profile of an America-hater.

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Confused about Obama’s faith? So is he.

The most disturbing thing about Barack Obama’s Confusianity is that he is not alone. He seems to be farther along than some in the process of dissolving the light of the Gospel into the darkness of Humanism, Socialism and Gaia-worship, but he is walking the broad road, and he has many fellow travelers.

Who is Barack Obama’s god?

“It’s not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God…. I’m constantly asking myself questions about what I’m doing, why I am doing it.”

I wonder: When he prays to himself, does he answer?

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Series of four inspirational articles about Heaven isn’t quite Catholic, but pretty close.

New Heaven and New Earth united (Part 1)

Heaven a secret? (Part 2)

Heaven — God’s home and man’s destiny (Part 3)

Heaven — we were made for planet earth (Part 4)

A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing

Poor Al Gore. As if an im- pending divorce and allegations of sexual misconduct from an Oregon masseuse weren’t bad enough (he has since been cleared of wrongdoing), the apparent collapse of “cap-and-trade” legislation in the U.S. Senate has driven the former vice president to despair.

As reported by Steve Milloy on his blog Green Hell, Mr. Gore recently admitted to supporters in a conference call, “[T]his [cap-and-trade] battle has not been successful and is pretty much over for this year.” Mr. Gore blamed everyone and their monkey for the failure of Congress to pass comprehensive climate legislation, including his former colleagues: “The U.S. Senate has failed us,” he lamented, “the federal government has failed us.”

The fortunes of Mr. Gore‘s global-warming crusade certainly are in decline: A recent Rasmussen poll found that just 34 percent of respondents “feel human activity is the main contributor” to global warming and that the percentage of those who consider global warming a “serious issue” has “trended down slightly since last November.”

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Yahweh’s Savior

When Yahweh, (I AM) the Eternal God, who knows the end from the beginning, chose to create all things, He knew that man would sin (separating himself from God).

He also knew that, left to our own devices, mankind would never be able to make things right again.

We would need a Redeemer or Savior to make it possible for us to overcome sin and its’ main consequence, death. Only then could we once again hope to dwell eternally in the presence of the Most High God.

To qualify as Redeemer, one would need to possess a dual nature that was both human and divine. The Savior would also have to be impeccable, (without sin of any kind) completely innocent of any transgressions against God or man.

(The Council of Trent declares that since Jesus Christ is God, it is impossible for him to commit sin.)

One more thing; the Redeemer would need to die, to voluntarily lay down His life to satisfy a debt that He didn’t owe, the debt of sin that mankind could never pay.

Recognizing our need for such a One, God chose to send us His only begotten Son.

Just as people bring forth (beget) children who are made of the same human “stuff” they are, so the Son of God was begotten of the divine Person of the Father. God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. The literal expression of God’s love and the image of His Father, our Redeemer is not a created being.

He, like His Father, is God eternal. Through Him, all things were made and through Him, all things have been reconciled in heaven and on earth.

Scripture tells us that our Redeemer is the sacrificial Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

For the salvation of mankind He came down from heaven. Divinely conceived, He was born of the Virgin Mary and became one of us, in all things except for sin. He lived a life of virtue; full of grace and truth. He never sinned. He worked numerous miracles and revealed many of God’s secrets.

Most importantly, He told us about God, His Father (and ours). Then, He suffered and died on the cross for us, so that we might have eternal life.

By His own power, He rose from the dead. Though He is God, He did all this in the flesh, in an ordinary human body, taking upon Himself every human limitation (except for sin).

By His life and example He showed mankind the way to heaven. He conquered sin for us by being totally obedient to the will of His Father. He overcame death for us by His glorious resurrection.

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Redemption

Atonement

Postulator of her cause speaks about Mother Teresa on the 100th anniversary of her birth.

We’re here because of the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birth. Would she want us to be celebrating her birthday?

She would approach this the same way she approached receiving an award, which is that it gave her an occasion to speak about God, speak about the poor and try to inspire people to also look and see, even around them, who Jesus in the poor is, beginning in their own family. These kinds of occasions are just means. With Mother in heaven and especially since the beatification, there’s another kind of role Mother Teresa has.

Even in these things, the focus is on her, but just like when she was alive, she would turn the focus to Jesus.

So, hopefully, people who say they are believers — Catholics — would, through Mother, again focus on Jesus, and then on the message of seeing Jesus in the poor and seeing Jesus in those around them and doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.

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Biblical basis for conservatism

Have you wondered why it is that the “conservatives”
are called the “right” and the “liberals” are called the “left”?

By chance, I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible:

Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV):

“The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.”

Submitted by David S.