Sharia Law: The False Messiah of Islam.

Muslim Sharia Law (with a few, later modifications) is based on the same Ten Commandments that were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

Like the Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, who officially interpreted and enforced the old Mosaic Law, Islam has its own group of Ayatollahs and Imams.

Unfortunately, both the Jews and the Muslims never came to understand that the old Law 1) was not intended to last forever; and 2) it was actually, a curse.

Here’s how this works:

The first thing Moses did (after getting a set of replacement tablets, from God) was to add a rather extensive set of statutes and ordinances to the original Ten Commandments, creating what we know as “The Mosaic Law”.

Over time, many other statutes and ordinances were added, making the Law ever more heavy and onerous, until … by the time of Christ … the whole thing was so laden with arcane and pointless requirements … that it … along with its corrupt administrators … the Priests, Scribes and the Pharisees … served to spiritually and physically oppress the entire Nation of Israel … much as the Roman occupation oppressed them, civilly.

The Jews of that time had to endure (literally) the worst of all possible worlds!

Now comes Jesus, the Messiah, the promised, Holy One of Israel, who would perfectly fulfill all that was written about him in the books of the Psalms and the Prophets, while also fulfilling every jot and tittle of his Law.

Defeating death by his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus respectfully set aside the Old Law, in its entirety … in favor of his all new and better covenant, to be administered by his grace empowered Catholic (universal) Church, until the end of time.

Refusing to accept even the possibility that God might choose to send his only begotten son as the redeemer of all mankind, Muhammad fell victim to the same spiritual blindness that still afflicts the Jews.

Meanwhile … thanks to the Holy Spirit … we Christians came to understand that Jesus Christ freed us from the curse of the old Mosaic Law … a law which was never intended to save souls … or to last forever … but only to point out the utter sinfulness and imperfections of man … and to demonstrate the absolute need for a holy redeemer.

In truth … Jesus Christ, his grace and his Holy Church … not any law … is the first, best, and final recourse … of every Christian.

So, anyone who prefers to rely on “keeping the law” in order to please God, rather than swearing faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ and his Church, is bound to fail.

For these persons, there is no further recourse … so that person is practically bound to live a cursed existence … constantly oppressed by the law’s onerous, essentially pointless requirements … and always “under the thumb” of various, corrupt officials, who serve to interpret and enforce it.

This seems to be an apt description of Sharia Law, as currently practiced throughout the Muslim world today. Does it not?

The eternal consequences of this grievous error are also very significant, since as we know, no one ever obtained salvation by “keeping the law”.

But what about today’s Christians, still attempting to observe the Ten Commandments? Isn’t that equally absurd?

Absolutely not!

The Law is of Christ, and morally perfect, just as he is. Keeping his commandments demonstrates our love and respect for God. But for Christians, keeping the law is not an “end” in itself.   

With Jesus Christ as our holy savior, the Law no longer constitutes a curse, since even when we fail to keep it, forgiveness, absolution, sanctifying grace, and a fresh start … remain constantly and freely available to us, through the grace empowered, merciful, work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the Holy Catholic Church.

So, even when we Christians fail, salvation is still within our means, since our “means” is none other than our Blessed Lord, God, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World! Not any law.

Failure to properly understand and appreciate how all this actually works may explain – at least, in part – the huge numbers of  “fallen away” – no longer practicing – Catholics.

Maybe someone should try to explain it to them, again.

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QUESTION: Christians, If god didn’t sacrifice himself to himself to bypass a rule he made, then what did he do exactly? (REPOST)

ANSWER:

Jesus resolved a “structural” problem that occurred as a result of Adam being swindled out of his God given earthly dominion by Satan, the devil.

As a result of Adam’s fall from grace, Satan managed to enslave Adam and all of his offspring under an evil dominion, based on the power of death.

God permitted such a thing because Adam was properly and completely educated (warned in advance) by God and should have known better. Once Adam lost everything to Satan, there was no (natural) way of reversing (restoring) things. Hence, God stepped up to right the wrong.

True God and true man, Jesus is the sinless, fully authorized and fully qualified “kinsman redeemer” – the only one who has the supernatural power, as well as the “natural right” to step in and redeem mankind from perpetual slavery to Satan, sin and death. But it would not be easy and it would not be accomplished the way most would expect.

Because Jesus is God – and because Jesus is also a sinless man, Satan had absolutely no power (the power of death or otherwise) over Jesus – so Satan and his minions (the corrupt Jews and the pagan Romans of the time) had absolutely no authority to put Jesus to death.

They went ahead and crucified him anyway, even though they should have known better. They had been warned, all the way back in Genesis 3:15.

Jesus permitted it to happen, since when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s evil dominion over mankind and the earth was forfeit and mankind now had a (perfect and sinless) new leader – the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one who Satan had absolutely no power over.

Now, all power on earth and in heaven (as well as everywhere else) was awarded to the New Adam – the resurrected Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man – who had effectively “crushed the head of the serpent” – freeing mankind from the power of perpetual death and hell – just as he promised, so long ago – and who, by his glorious resurrection, proved all that I claim here and more.

God the Father was pleased, freely bestowing grace, peace, divine adoption, protection from eternal death and much, much more, on all who choose to swear faithful allegiance to his divine son, Jesus – something that is typically accomplished through water baptism, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as through faithful membership and regular, consistent participation in the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the only Church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed, for the purpose of our salvation – the Holy Catholic Church.

Asked and answered on Yahoo Answers

QUESTION: Christians, If god didn’t sacrifice himself to himself to bypass a rule he made, then what did he do exactly?

ANSWER:

Jesus resolved a “structural” problem that occurred as a result of Adam being swindled out of his God given earthly dominion by Satan, the devil.

As a result of Adam’s fall from grace, Satan managed to enslave Adam and all of his offspring under an evil dominion, based on the power of death.

God permitted such a thing because Adam was properly and completely educated (warned in advance) by God and should have known better. Once Adam lost everything to Satan, there was no (natural) way of reversing (restoring) things. Hence, God stepped up to right the wrong.

True God and true man, Jesus is the sinless, fully authorized and fully qualified “kinsman redeemer” – the only one who has the supernatural power, as well as the “natural right” to step in and redeem mankind from perpetual slavery to Satan, sin and death. But it would not be easy and it would not be accomplished the way most would expect.

Because Jesus is God – and because Jesus is also a sinless man, Satan had absolutely no power (the power of death or otherwise) over Jesus – so Satan and his minions (the corrupt Jews and the pagan Romans of the time) had absolutely no authority to put Jesus to death.

They went ahead and crucified him anyway, even though they should have known better. They had been warned, all the way back in Genesis 3:15.

Jesus permitted it to happen, since when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s evil dominion over mankind and the earth was forfeit and mankind now had a (perfect and sinless) new leader – the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one who Satan had absolutely no power over.

Now, all power on earth and in heaven (as well as everywhere else) was awarded to the New Adam – the resurrected Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man – who had effectively “crushed the head of the serpent” – freeing mankind from the power of perpetual death and hell – just as he promised, so long ago – and who, by his glorious resurrection, proved all that I claim here and more.

God the Father was pleased, freely bestowing grace, peace, divine adoption, protection from eternal death and much, much more, on all who choose to swear faithful allegiance to his divine son, Jesus – something that is typically accomplished through water baptism, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as through faithful membership and regular, consistent participation in the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the only Church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed, for the purpose of our salvation – the Holy Catholic Church.

Asked and answered on Yahoo Answers

Saint Padre Pio’s Christmas Meditation

Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time.

There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and an ass lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him.

Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he offers to the Divine justice the first ransom for our redemption.

He had been expected for forty centuries…

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Feast of the Epiphany: The gifts of the Magi were both practical and prophetic.

by Doug Lawrence

The nation of Israel managed to kill every prophet God sent to them. Jesus, the prophesied Messiah, and a prophet in his own right,  would be treated similarly. So the gift of myrrh … typically used to prepare the dead for burial … was indeed both practical and prophetic.

Since the time of Moses and Aaron, the burning of incense in the Tabernacle/Temple had always been a priestly function, and it remains so, even  today. Jesus was and is our heavenly high priest, so the gift of frankincense was indeed both practical and prophetic.

Gold was a gift fit for a king. According to 1st Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14 and 19:16, Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Besides, the gold would come in handy for expenses, during the Holy Family’s subsequent flight to Egypt. So, the gift of gold was indeed both practical and prophetic.

The concept of the promised Messiah as the God-man who was also priest, prophet and king is now widely understood, but that certainly was not the case in the Middle East, around the beginning of the 1st century. Yet, on the Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the fact that the Magi somehow managed to get it right.

Practical and prophetic, indeed!

Is not this the carpenter, the (illegitimate) son of Mary…?

by Doug Lawrence

Today’s Gospel reading has a lot going on beneath the surface that most people never realize.

And going out from thence, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him.

And when the Sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine, saying: How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands?

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in regard of him.

And Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.

And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few that were sick, laying his hands upon them.  (Mark 6:1-5)

Jesus had been going around fulfilling all the various Messianic prophecies, and this was not lost on the inhabitants of Nazareth, who had already most certainly heard about it.

Now Jesus arrives back in his home town, compete with disciples, and begins to teach and preach in the synagogue. His teaching was of course, supernaturally impressive.

At first, the men of Nazareth were suitably impressed … but wait a minute … they knew Jesus. They knew his mother. They knew his personal history and his relatives. (A good number of these men likely were also related to Jesus, in some way.)

Wait a minute, they thought … this must be a trick! How could the illegitimate son of Mary be the Messiah of Israel … the one who will banish Herod and the Romans, and restore the Kingdom of Israel to the glory it experienced under David and Solomon?

This Jesus, who we know all too well, has the gall to stand in our presence and declare himself to be the Messiah. This is nothing short of blasphemy. We should kill him!

From this we can also understand that the Blessed Virgin Mary likely had to contend with the scandal of her supposedly illegitimate pregnancy throughout her earthly life. Nor is that surprising, considering the fact that many of today’s Christians also fail to accept the dogma of Mary’s perpetual virginity.

From this short passage we learn of the profoundly distorted Messianic expectations of the Jewish people, who to this day, although remarkably consistent in their rejection of Jesus Christ, have no idea who their promised Messiah will be.

No wonder then, that they eventually handed the real Messiah over to the Romans, to be crucified!

The Gospel of Luke includes a few other pertinent details, as well:

And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up: and he went into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the sabbath day: and he rose up to read.

And the book of Isaias the prophet was delivered unto him. And as he unfolded the book, he found the place where it was written: The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart, To preach deliverance to the captives and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of reward.

And when he had folded the book, he restored it to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them: This day is fulfilled this scripture in your ears. And all gave testimony to him. And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth.

And they said: Is not this the son of Joseph? And he said to them: Doubtless you will say to me this similitude: Physician, heal thyself. As great things as we have heard done in Capharnaum, do also here in thy own country. And he said: Amen I say to you that no prophet is accepted in his own country.

In truth I say to You, there were many widows in the days of Elias in Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine throughout all the earth. And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with anger. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city: and they brought him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them, went his way.   (Luke 4:16-30)

In the above passage from Luke (which we assume is detailing the same event) we have Jesus being even more specific in his Messianic preaching. But when the men demand to see some miracles, Jesus subsequently declines, so they rush him over to a nearby hilltop and attempt to push him off, to his death.

Of course, they fail, since no one … not event the devil himself … has the power or the authority to take the life of the only begotten Son of God … let alone a man who is totally without sin.

While many assume the Jews possessed a solid understanding of the meaning of their own sacred scriptures, history and tradition proves that to be almost totally untrue … since if they did … they would surely have recognized the Son of God … when he personally became one of them … living for a time in an obscure, little town … in first century, Roman occupied Palestine.

More on this here

And here

Pray the Christmas Novena starting December 16th

Opening Prayer (for each day)

Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment

At which the Son of God was born

Of a most pure Virgin

At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem

In the piercing cold

At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,

To hear my prayers and grant my desires

(Mention your intentions here)

Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

December 16:

O Shepherd that rulest Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep, come to guide and comfort us.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 17:

O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 18:

O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 19:

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 20:

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 21:

O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 22:

O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof! O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 23:

O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 24:

O Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, God of hosts, come, show Thy face, and we shall be saved.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

Thanks to the good people at America Needs Fatima

Submitted by AndyP/Doria2

Sungenis to USCCB: The God of Judaism is not the God of Christianity.

The USCCB is trying to give the impression that since Jesus obeyed the Torah and was circumcised, then those Jewish beliefs can be practiced by Jews after Jesus, and especially because Jesus did not abrogate the Torah. This is a clever argument, but it won’t work.

Jesus lived the prescriptions of the Torah and did not abrogate them because Jesus lived on the Old Testament side of the Cross, and as such, he was required to obey all its precepts and not do away with them (unless, of course, Jesus reminded the Jews of a higher law of God that came before the Mosaic law, such as Jesus’ treatment of the Mosaic divorce law in Matthew 19:1‐9).

But after Jesus died and rose again, the Old Covenant he lived under was indeed abrogated and replaced by the New Covenant.

That fact is precisely why the veil of the Temple was miraculously torn in two the moment Jesus died. It signified the legal end of the Jewish religion. Jews may have continued to practice their religion after the Cross, but it had no legal or covenantal standing with God.

Read the article (PDF)

USCCB Original Text

Could lead codices prove to be ‘the major discovery of Christian history’?

British archaeologists are seeking to authenticate what could be a landmark discovery in the documentation of early Christianity: a trove of 70 lead codices that appear to date from the 1st century CE, which may include key clues to the last days of Jesus’ life.

As UK Daily Mail reporter Fiona Macrae writes, some researchers are suggesting this could be the most significant find in Christian archeology since the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947.

The codices turned up five years ago in a remote cave in eastern Jordan—a region where early Christian believers may have fled after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE.

The codices are made up of wirebound individual pages, each roughly the size of a credit card. They contain a number of images and textual allusions to the Messiah, as well as some possible references to the crucifixion and resurrection.

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Sharia Law: The False Messiah of Islam.

Muslim Sharia Law (with a few modifications) is based on the same Ten Commandments that were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

Like the Scribes and Pharisees, who officially interpreted and enforced the old Mosaic Law, Islam has its own group of Ayatollahs and Imams.

Unfortunately, the Jews and the Muslims never came to understand that the old Law 1) was never intended to last forever; and 2) was actually a curse.

Here’s how this works:

The first thing Moses did (after getting a set of replacement tablets, from God) was to add a rather extensive set of statutes and ordinances to the original Commandments, creating what we know as the Mosaic Law.

Over time, other statutes and ordinances were added, making the Law ever more heavy and onerous, until … by the time of Christ … the whole thing was so laden with arcane and pointless requirements … that it … along with its corrupt administrators … the Scribes and the Pharisees … served to spiritually oppress the entire Nation of Israel … much as the Roman occupation oppressed them, civilly.

The Jews of that time had to endure (literally) the worst of all possible worlds!

Now comes Jesus, the Messiah, the promised Holy One of Israel, who would perfectly fulfill all that was written about him in the books of the Psalms and the Prophets, and by his saving death, also fulfill every jot and tittle of his Law, setting it aside … in favor of his all new and better covenant, and his grace empowered Catholic (universal) Church.

Refusing to accept even the possibility that God might choose to send his only begotten son as the redeemer of all mankind, Muhammad fell victim to the same spiritual blindness that still afflicts the Jews.

Meanwhile … thanks to the Holy Spirit … we Christians came to understand that Jesus Christ freed us from the curse of the old Mosaic Law. A law which was never intended to save souls … or to last forever … but only to point out the utter sinfulness and imperfections of man … and to demonstrate the absolute need for a holy redeemer.

In truth … Jesus Christ and his grace … not any law … is the first, best, and final recourse … of every Christian.

So, anyone who prefers to rely instead, on “keeping the law” in order to please God, is bound to fail.

Failing, there is no recourse … so a person is then practically bound to live a cursed existence … constantly oppressed by the law’s onerous, essentially pointless requirements … and always “under the thumb” of various officials, who serve to interpret and enforce it.

This seems to be an apt description of Sharia Law, as currently practiced throughout the Muslim world today. Does it not?

The eternal consequences of this grievous error are also very significant, since as we know, no one ever obtained salvation by “keeping the law”.

But what about today’s Christians, still attempting to observe the Ten Commandments? Isn’t that equally absurd?

Absolutely not!

With Jesus Christ as our savior, the Law no longer constitutes a curse, since even when we fail to keep it, forgiveness, absolution, sanctifying grace, and a fresh start … remain constantly and freely available to us, through the sacraments and devotions of the Catholic Church.

So, even when we Christians fail, salvation is still within our means … since our “means” is none other than Jesus Christ! (How’s that for a practical definition of faith?)

Thanks be to God!

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Five things about Jesus Christ that are well worth knowing

1. Prefigured – The text says, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Now, unless you know the history of this moment, it seems a little odd. A full grown man approaches John the Baptist and he says, Look! There is the Lamb of God.

But for those who know the scriptures John is really answering a question that was asked by Isaac some 1800 years prior to this event. Abraham has received from God a strange and terrible command that he take his son to Mt. Moriah (present day Jerusalem) and there offer him in sacrifice. As they arrive at the foot of Moriah, here is where we join the Genesis text:

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. (Gen 22:6ff).

Do you get it? A promised son has wood laid upon his shoulder and is made to carry it up a hillside, the same hillside where “Golgotha” will one day be found. There, on the top of that hill he is to be laid on the wood and killed. Sound familiar? Of course, it is a prefigurement of Christ, or a “type” of Christ.  Things are starting to look grim for Isaac who gets nervous and says, “Daddy – where is the Lamb?” You know the rest of the story. It is true that there was a ram caught in the thicket which God provided that day, but that ram pointed to Christ.

And so the question, “Where is the Lamb?”  wafted up on the breeze  and got repeated down through the generations. Some five hundred years later at the end of the Egyptian slavery the blood of the lamb also protected Isaac’s descendants from death. And every Passover the question was still asked, where is the Lamb, referring to the Passover lamb. Here too, the Passover lamb was but a symbol, a prefigurement of Christ.

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In the Fullness of Time…

All was in readiness for the coming of our Lord, which event, according to signs and prophecies, must be near at hand. Four hundred years before the Birth of Christ, Malachias, the last of the prophets, could not restrain his joy at the near approach of the Messias. He told the Jewish priests that the Temple should soon be closed for ever, and the fires on their altars extinguished, for that their offerings had ceased to be pleasing to the Lord of Hosts. He said: “I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will not receive a gift at your hand. For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation. For My name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of Hosts.”

Nothing remained to be accomplished, save the prophecy of Jacob to his son Juda. This last sign was not delayed. The Jewish people, torn and weakened by continual dissensions among themselves, called in the Romans to decide their quarrels, and the Romans, a great and powerful nation, settled the dispute by taking possession of all Judaea, and placing on its throne Herod, a stranger, a satellite of the Roman emperor. Thus was the sceptre departed* from Juda, and that event ushered in the Redeemer of the world, the desired of the nations.

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ONE SOLITARY LIFE

He was born in an obscure village, the child of

a peasant woman. He grew up in another village,

where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was

thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant

preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held

an office. He never had a family or owned a home.

He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city.

He never traveled 200 miles from the place where

he was born. He did none of the things that usually

accompany greatness. He had no credentials but

Himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of

public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran

away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over

to His enemies and went through the mockery of a

trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.

While he was dying. . . His executioners gambled

for His garments; the only property He had on earth.

When he was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave

through the piety of a friend. Nineteen centuries have

come and gone, and today He is the central figure of

the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all

the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever

sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have

not affected the life of man on this earth as much as

that. . . . . . .

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

The above is Doria2’s favorite Christmas greeting of all time, and he wishes all his friends around the globe a Merry Christmas,  full of love … and a Happy, Healthy, Holy New Year.

My Jewish friends say that Christians have it wrong. Is that true?

Q: My Jewish friends say that Christians have it wrong. Is that true?

A: No offense to anyone … but Christianity isn’t wrong.

The Jews were always expecting the arrival of a temporal ruler who would restore Israel to glory … glory that would exceed even that of the heady days of King Solomon. They built their most cherished religious traditions around that prophetic event, but things didn’t work out quite the way they expected.

That’s not surprising, considering the obscurity in which most biblical prophecy is couched, the limitations of man’s intellect, and the fact that God chose to provide some the most critical information only at the very “last minute” in a most unusual, unexpected way.

The Jews also failed to understand that such a thing would require a rather lengthy, multistage process:

1) The Messiah would come and give his life to redeem mankind from eternal slavery to Satan, sin, and death, inaugurating the Kingdom of God on earth, something which is indeed invisible, but which (none the less) exists any time and anywhere the Holy Spirit accepts an offer to indwell a human soul.

Supernatural peace and divinely inspired justice is part and parcel of “citizenship” in the Kingdom of God … something which is presently and typically achieved through the holy Sacrament of Christian Baptism, which (among other very good things) also makes one a member of the Church.

2) For an indefinite period of time, known only to God, the Christian (Catholic) Church, empowered by Jesus Christ and his grace, would be tasked with teaching and baptizing all who would accept the authentic Gospel message … the “good news” of salvation in God’s grace, and the fulfillment of the promises God made to Abraham, in the person of Jesus Christ.

3) Having died, risen again, and now seated at the “right hand of power” in Heaven, Jesus the Messiah will indeed one day return, bringing an end to the present system of things, judging the living and the dead, and installing a new, heavenly order, which will achieve all that was ever promised to Israel and more, right here on a newly renovated earth.

The reason the Jews do not understand all this is because God purposely never revealed all the details of his plan to the prophets and the patriarchs of old, since if he had it would likely have become virtually impossible for Jesus, the true Messiah, to successfully accomplish what he was first sent here to achieve.

It was Jesus who personally provided the additional divine revelation that serves as the key to all the Hebrew Scriptures. Reject Jesus Christ (and/or the teachings of his authentic Catholic Church) and you reject the truth, remaining forever in darkness.

The Jews, as a nation, cruelly rejected Jesus in the time of his visitation. None the less, God graciously gave them 40 years to recover from their mistake … during which time many Jews did indeed accept the truth of Christianity, as many continue to do today.

After that period, the Temple, Jerusalem, and the entire worship system that had been built around it, was totally and utterly destroyed.

Meanwhile, the Christian Church had become a truly universal, authentically salvific, world-wide faith … open to all … Jew and Gentile alike, constituting the “new” People of God.

With Jesus Christ at the head, it remains so to this day.

Why was Joseph’s ancestry included in Jesus’ genealogy in the Bible unless it was Jesus’ actual bloodline?

Q: Why was Joseph’s ancestry included in Jesus’ genealogy in the Bible unless it was Jesus’ actual bloodline?

A: From a legal standpoint,  in terms of Mosaic Law, Joseph’s relationship to Jesus was significant.

Joseph’s genealogy is that of an in-law or “as supposed” as the scriptures typically say. And it’s included to provide a complete picture.

Tracing Mary’s line, we find her father (Joachim) was a descendant of King David, and her mother (Anna) was descended from Aaron, the line of priests.

That would make Jesus not only Messiah and God, but also a King and a Priest.

Doesn’t that make you feel better now?

Why did Jesus call himself “Son of Man” and at other times “Son of God”?

Q: Why did Jesus call himself “Son of Man” and at other times “Son of God”?

A: The name “Adam” means “The Man”.

In Genesis 3:15 God promises to eventually send a redeemer who will be the male offspring (son) of Adam … “Son of (the) Man“.

The Hebrews would have no doubt that Jesus, applying this term to himself, was most certainly declaring himself to be none other than the promised Messiah.

But the Jews (or the gentiles, for that matter) would probably not have expected the Messiah to also be the Son of God, since that detail wasn’t clearly defined, according to their limited understanding of the OT scriptures, which described God as “one”.

Jesus personally set that matter straight when he described himself as the Son of God … and that was enough to get him crucified … perfectly fulfilling God’s salvific plan.

Why is the President punishing rich people for getting a great education and working hard?

Q: Why is the President punishing rich people for getting a great education and working hard?

A: He’s just following his own Marxist/Leninist/Socialist principles.

The man’s very own definition of sin is doing something that goes against HIS principles.

You wouldn’t want “the messiah” to commit a sin, would you?

What is an intercessor and in what way is Jesus the only intercessor to God?

Q: What is an intercessor and in what way is Jesus the only intercessor to God?

A: By virtue of our baptism, as adopted children of God and members of the royal priesthood of believers … all of which is possible only through the finished work of Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and man … we Christians have the right to pray directly to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit … any time we please.

But for many and various reasons, most significantly, our own personal, grevious sins and our fallen human nature, we can often benefit from some “qualified assistance” in that regard.

The biblical concept of “Kinsman Redeemer” holds that all of us are related through Adam, and that any one of us who is able, has a God-given right and even the responsibility to “step in” or intercede, for any of our less fortunate relatives or “kin”.

Abraham (Abram) was indeed the first biblical “type” of this when he rescued his nephew Lot from the kings of Sodom, and received a blessing from Melchizedek, as a result.

Probably the most cited biblical example of this concept is Boaz, who acted as kinsman redeemer for Ruth, who serves as the originator of the Davidic blood line, which of course applies most essentially to Jesus Christ, who by virtue of his incarnation, became the Messiah, who is the ultimate “Kinsman Redeemer” of the entire human race.

There are potentially many others, since this principle would certainly apply to all, according to God’s very own timeless law of love.

And while Jesus remains the one mediator between God and man, anyone who is in God’s favor (particularly, faithful Church members) especially those who are already perfected in Heaven (Mary, the Saints, the Angels) has the right (and yes, even the duty) to intercede for anyone on earth (or in Purgatory) who might need or request it.

This would typically be accomplished by humbly approaching the throne of Jesus Christ with one’s request, which is certainly permitted, since Jesus remains not only the one mediator, but also (among many other wonderful things) our High Priest, our brother, our King, and our God.

Catholics on earth do this through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (making excellent use of the ministerial priesthood, and of Melchizedek’s “original” bread and wine) where Jesus graciously serves in all these ways (24/7 and 365, all around the world) … and through all the other work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the Church … whose continuing mission is the salvation of souls.

The Book of Revelation describes the Heavenly version of this most sacred liturgy, where the prayers of the saints are never disregarded, since Heaven poses no barrier at all to God’s great and continuing work of redemption.

How do you know Jesus was the messiah, because the holy book says?

Q: How do you know Jesus was the messiah, because the holy book says?

A: No.

It’s because it has been common knowledge within the Catholic Church, since about 3 days after Jesus died.

God’s Exquisite Timing

Q: What significance did the Bible prophet Ezra have?

A: After the pagan King Cyrus suddenly offered to finance the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple, and return all the sacred Temple vessels, which had earlier been carried off by the Babylonians (this decision by Cyrus was a great miracle … second only to the miraculous conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in new testament times) Ezrah volunteered to get the work done.

This set everything in place for the advent of Jesus, the Messiah, a few hundred years later.

God’s timing is always exquisite.