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After a 23 year rule, Emperor Athonius Pius died in 161 AD. He had been the best emperor since Caesar Augustus.The phase of the “good emperors” (Trajan: 98-117 AD, Hadrian: 117-138 AD, Antoninus Pius: 138-161 AD and Marcus Aurelius: 161-180 AD) was now to end with the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus Aurelius (161-180) was the adopted son of Emperor Pius and the fulfilment of Plato’s hope of a philosopher king. He was not just a king of a country, but the emperor of the western world covering most of the coastal countries of the Mediterranean. Marcus was a real philosopher adopting one of the most practical philosophies for an emperor --Stoicism. Unlike Buddhism, which denies reality, Stoics embrace reality. Marcus’ book: “Meditations” is still a classic of stoic thought. The caricature of stoics being unemotional is not accurate. They just were not controlled by sentiment. It definitely lacked the insights of mercy that Christianity could give, as well as the sanctity of life.
I hate to be cynical but these promising discoveries never make their way to the public. I have been following treatments fro cancer for years, but they all seem to go to "development hell"--never to see the light of day. They are either never heard from again, or are written off as a false hope.
There was a controversy with amygdalin back in the 1970's. The man made form of amygdalin is called Laetrile. There was great hope of it being the cure for cancer and many doctors were treating their cancer patients with it successfully. But "Big Pharma" seemed to get involved and squashed it. The FDA outlawing its use in the USA. There is a lot of confusing literature on it.
But what convinced me it was true, was a little documentary called "Second Opinion." It tells the story how a major USA testing laboratory falsified the findings about its effectiveness. It really did work.
Amygdalin can be found in high doses in nature in apple seeds and especially bitter apricot seeds. The claim is they are poisonous but they are not. Some things can appear dangerous by the composition of the chemical names, like cyanide in found in vitamin B12. The structure is as important as much as the chemicals.
We are continuing our meditation on St. Paul's definition of Love. We have covered patience, and tackled kindness ; we thought about envy. and consider boastfulness. We looked at pride last time now let's look at dishonor [rudeness] and self-seeking, i.e. selfish.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Here are some good point from transformedbygrace.org
God’s loving ways and thoughts are far higher and deeper than ours. God is the Sovereign Authority over all there is, and certainly our Superior. Yet, our God speaks to us intimately and with great respect through His Holy Scriptures and Holy Spirit. Even when God must confront us in clear, strong ways about our wrong behavior and tell us hard truths about ourselves, God is never rude. Love does not dishonor others, Love is not rude, Love is not self-seeking.
Westinghouse was one of the great Americans, although forgotten by most.
He has become famous again only by association with Nicola Tesla-- who
was also a forgotten man until about 20 years ago. George is an example
of what
the free market can do with a virtuous man at the helm. He was a
Christian and tried to live it
Possible big breakthrough in battery technology, by John B. Goodenough, inventor of the lithium battery.
Hopefully this will be better.
A sufficient reason for that error is evident, viz., lack of data,
and the fact that men followed their senses, which seemed to say that
the earth was flat.
That was not a judgment of the pure reason. The
senses supplied no immediate manifestations that there might be a God as
they indicated that the world might be flat.
The cases are not
parallel, and the transition from a judgment based upon the senses to
one based upon pure reason is not valid. In any case, the scientific and
metaphysical proofs justify belief in God quite independently of this
psychological reason. They would be valid supposing that only one man in
a million believed in God's existence. This latter supposition,
however, will never be verified, for the common rational judgment of the
vast majority will always intuitively perceive this truth.
That is not a rational question.
I say that the universe is obviously
created, and that what is created supposes a Creator who is uncreated,
or the problem goes on forever, the whole endless chain of dependent
beings as unable to explain itself as each of its links.
It is rational
to argue to an uncreated clock-maker. It is not rational to ask, "Who
created this uncreated clock-maker?" God was not created. If He were, He
would be a creature and would have a creator. His creator would then be
God, and not He Himself. God always existed. He never began, and will
never cease to be. He is eternal.
There are many indications, the chief of which I shall give you very briefly:
What
do you mean by evidence?
Some people think that evidence must be seen
and touched, as an animal sees a patch of grass and eats it. But men are
not mere animals.
They have reason, and can appreciate intellectual
evidence. For example, the evidence of beauty in music or in painting is
perceived by man's mind, not by his senses. An animal could hear the
same sounds, or see the same colors, without being impressed by their
harmony and proportion. Apart from the Bible altogether, reason can
detect sufficient evidence to guarantee the existence of God.
This boy now a man, has an incredible gift of being able to do complicated math in his head. He can learn a new language in a week.
I've been a little busy lately. So I haven't had a chance to continue with a few posts. One on St. Paul's definition of Love and the continuing history of the early Church.
But I thought this short sermon of Fr. Goring was great and to the point.
He spoke about songs as love letters to God. It is true and here in the USA we have a famous Christian pop music station called K-Love. They play Christian Pop Music. It is very good.
Here is some examples I think are great pop Christian songs.
Jim Kwik is a motivational and memory expert. Very inspiring story.
We are continuing our meditation on St. Paul's definition of Love. We have covered patience, and tackled kindness , we thought about envy. Now we consider boastfulness.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Boasting is extolling oneself, usually in words. Boasting is opposed to truth, by way of excess, when one boasts of what one has but in excess, or by way of what one does not have, which is a lie. (Proverbs 28:25): "He that boasts, and puffs himself up, stirs up quarrels."
There are two forms of boasting, one is to create the illusion in one's own mind of your greatness. The second is to create a deception of your greatness in the minds of others. (2 Corinthians 12:5): ” I will not boast about myself, except to tell you of my humiliations.”
Even if your boasting comes from a fear of being inferior. This boasting still springs from vainglory and pride. If we are inferior to others that can be reality, at least at that moment. And so what? We are what we are in God's eyes. What others think does not make us better or worse. One's desire for self importance comes from pride and vainglory, and lacks humility. Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations: "Do you wish to be praised by a man who curses himself thrice every hour?" Often people's criticisms are an extension of their own insecurities.
The humble person does not seek honor. Boasting seeks honors or sometimes gain. It can seek gain in money by boasting of how great an investment is, and having people invest under this delusion. It could also be used by suitors looking for a spouse. Boasting of their virtues or their riches and by so doing win the person's love. Proverbs 27:2: "Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth–a stranger, not your own lips."
Boasting can also come in group forms: boasting of one's family, or community, ethnic group, or country. This usually springs from the desire of belittling other groups, and a lack of love of one’s family as they are in reality. By boasting, we love a family that doesn’t exist, we are embarrassed by our real family as it is.
While love of your family or country can be a virtue, virtue is found in the mean (middle) not in the excess, which boasting is by definition. We can feel a sense of pride in real accomplishments, but not at the expense of truth or desire to humiliate.
Boasting is opposed to Love because it is selfish and a lie, seeking one’s own glory and not God’s first.
we will continue with love is not proud.
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| The Apologists |
After the martyrdom of Ignatius in Rome the Church both mourned and rejoiced for such a man. They waited to see if more persecution would come?
Trajan seemed more concerned with his legacy than with Christians. He continued his campaign in the Middle East, for another two years, after his success in Armenia. He conquered most of Mesopotamia all the way to Iran. But it was a series of costly and unstable victories. He may have caught some illness or suffered from heat exhaustion because he soon died on the voyage back to Rome.
Hadrian was the successor to Trajan. Hadrian (76-136 AD) was a cautious man and no general. He reigned for a pretty long 21 years and seemed to have died of natural causes. He lost the lands to the east recently acquired by Trajan.
This a story fairy tale story. It is also a parable. God wants us to love Him not for what He can give us but for who He is. Will we still love God when things go bad? It is difficult but this is the test that God uses to purify our love.
In addition to the books endorsed by the good father, above, may we suggest Alphonsus de Liguori's very short classic. This is especially good for those in challenging marriages, or other difficult circumstances:
from ccel.org
We are continuing our meditation on St. Paul's definition of Love. We have covered patience, and tackled kindness . Now let us think about envy.
1 Corinthians 13:4-74
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Envy consists of sadness or grief at another's success, and by their good name and esteem increasing. Envy is related to the Ten Commandments, specifically, "Neither shall you covet ... anything that belongs to your neighbour"—this commandment belongs to greed but may be associated with envy. In this case, it is the esteemed reputation owned by another.
[cf. Envy-- Summa--Secunda Secundae Partis, Q. 36, https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3036.htm#article4 ]
Dante in his Divine Comedy writes one of the envious souls on the terrace says:
"My blood was so afire with envy that,
when I had seen a man becoming happy,
the lividness in me was plain to see"
[Purgatorio, Canto XIV, lines 82–84]
The envious man hates the happiness and success of others; it springs from the pride of vainglory. (Galatians 5:26): "Let us not be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another."
The short and life of an amazing nun. Just her joy and affection for God is enough.
For those not familiar, the Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man that is believed to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth. It has been investigated as a scientific mystery.
One still needs Faith, but pretty convincing.In my series on the "Founding of Christendom," I have had to address those called "the brothers of the Lord." They are never referred to as children of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but brothers of Jesus. This has been a confusion for many of our Protestant separated brethren
It wasn't the place to go into the details in the history series. But I would like to address it here.
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Interesting ecological solution. Technology at the service of Man.
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In the icon of the Feast of the Transfiguration, Christ is the
central figure (1.), appearing in a dominant position within a circular
mandorla. He is clearly at the visual and theological center of the
icon. His right hand is raised in blessing, and his left hand contains a
scroll. The mandorla with its brilliant colors of white, gold, and blue
represent the divine glory and light. The halo around the head of
Christ is inscribed with the Greek words O on, meaning "The One Who is".
Editor: Sloth has become a common problem in today's culture. The conveniences of life too easily obtained can stunt emotional growth. Here is a great article I found on the problem handled in very practical way. The website linked to at the top of the article has a lot of practical advice.
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He won't respect any of our house rules. He doesn't clean up after himself. He just lounges around the house and never lifts a finger to do anything."
"And, worse yet, we can't seem to motivate him to get a job. He isn't even civil to us. When we try to tell him to treat us better and that he needs to get a job, he gets belligerent and tells us to get off his case."
You might be amazed at how often I hear about a situation such as this. Upon being asked about this problem, I usually inquire about who is subsidizing this irresponsible son's easy lifestyle. Whose food is he eating? Whose car is he driving? Whose utilities is he using? The answer is usually, "Well, ours, but..." This is often followed with a list of explanations, excuses, and reasons related to, "Well, he doesn't have the money to take care of himself" or "He has to save his money because he wants to buy a car."
Please tell me, readers, would you put up with this for one minute if it were anyone but your own child sucking off of your personal resources, while at the same time treating you with such disrespect? Of course not! You'd say, "Out! Get a life!" The answer is easy to see when it doesn't involve your own child.
A surefire way to cripple a person is to allow him/her to sponge off
you. People who are warm, comfortable, protected, and well fed usually
have little motivation to change their lifestyles.
The Pharisees questioned Jesus when he taught on the permanence of marriage:
Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matt. 19:3–8; cf. Mark 10:2–9; Luke 16:18)
Thus, Jesus re-established the permanence of marriage among his
followers. He raised Christian marriage to the level of a sacrament and
taught that sacramental marriages cannot be dissolved through divorce.
This was part of Jesus’ fulfillment (or perfection) of the Old Law of
which he said, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the
prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them”(Matt. 5:17).
An Exception to the Rule?
Some Christians hold that Jesus made an exception to the rule of
permanence of marriage when he said that “whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity,
and marries another commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9; cf.
Matt. 5:31–32.) The word translated as “unchastity” here is the Greek
word porneia (from which the word pornography is derived) and its literal meaning is debated among Scripture scholars. Full treatment of this topic
is beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say here the Catholic translation of the so-called "exceptive clauses" of Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 as "unless the marriage is unlawful" (i.e., invalid) is a good translation, although it is not a faithful word-for-word translation.
The word used in Greek is πορνεία (porneia), which means anything related to prostitutes and sexual immorality (wantonness, uncleanliness, impure thoughts, immodesty, bestiality, incest, etc.) However, in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, πορνεία takes on a restricted meaning of incest or anything else that impedes the validity of any marriage (so-called diriment impediments).
Jesus’ and Paul’s constant and forceful teaching about the permanence of
sacramental marriage as recorded elsewhere in Scripture makes it clear
that Jesus was not making an exception in the case of valid, sacramental
marriages. The constant teaching of the Catholic Church attests to this
as well.
Here is an audio reading the famous book "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis, read by John Cleese.
The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetic novel by C. S. Lewis and dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien. It is written in a satirical style and while it is fictional in format, the plot and characters are used to address Christian theological issues, primarily those to do with temptation and resistance to it.
First published in February 1942, the story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter. The uncle's mentorship pertains to the nephew's responsibility in securing the damnation of a British man known only as "the Patient."
As we watch our culture succumb to the power of Pride, we are witnessing the “gollumizing” of our brothers and sisters, as they shrivel into pathetic wrecks of the people they are meant to be. The only escape from this hell is rooted in heavenly love.
This
week, I met a good friend of mine at a local restaurant, the first time
we’d got together since before the onset of the pestilence. He is a
Presbyterian pastor and a great lover of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. It
was, in fact, Tolkien who had introduced us to each other, in the sense
that we first met at a local Tolkien conference a few years ago.
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Orthodox Christian Fathers of the Church hold that Simon Magnus--the magician was the founder of Gnosticism. The same magician rejected by St. Peter (Acts 8:9)-- Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, and Epiphanius, described Simon Magnus, as the founder of Gnosticism. The early Church considered him as the first heretic, the "Father of Heresies".
Simone Magnus is hard to trace after the account in the Book of Acts. From what I could glean, there was an animosity developed between St. Peter and Magnus, Magnus probably felt insulted and embarrassed by St. Peter's rebuke.
Simon Manus seemed to follow Peter to Rome and by his magic tricks gained a following there.
This led to disputes between the followers of St. Peter, and Simon Magnus' followers, some becoming violent.
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| Martyrdom of Pope Clement |
A man named Nerva was proclaimed by the senate soon after the death of Domitian as the new Emperor. His reign was short, about 2 years or so--from 96-98 AD. Emperor Nerva returned to the policy of toleration of Christains.
It was probably at this time pope Clement the first, who became pope about two years earlier in 92 AD, wrote his famous epistle to Corintians.
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm
Clement's letter is one of the oldest ancient Christian documents we have, aside from the writings of Paul and the Gospels. It was so important to early Christians that it was debated whether to include it in the New Testament. It was often read at Divine Liturgy, i.e. the Mass.
Seriously this is worth watching. It is very inspiring. This has to be the most inspiring garden documentary ever. The main character Paul Gautschi is fascinating. It is a revolutionary way to garden and a step forward in environmental responsibility.
We have an earth problem in farming, the land is depleted of trace minerals and over chemicalized.
"Back to Eden" is a documentary about American gardener and arborist Paul Gautschi that ignited the global gardening movement "Back to Eden Gardening."
Paul pioneered a no-dig gardening technique that implements wood chips in a vegetable garden and orchard to conserve water and regenerate soil that is capable of producing nutrient-rich food.
Back to Eden Gardening is a regenerative agriculture method since it rebuilds soil and restores soil biodiversity resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.
Back to Eden Gardening implements organic gardening principles and is considered one of the best sustainable permaculture methods for growing food. Watch BACK TO EDEN film streaming for free to learn how to grow your own food with less work!
I am not a fan of many religious films. I just don't think the quality is usually very good. But this one, about St. Bernadette is pretty good, although dated in style. Jennifer Jones won the Academy Award for this role in 1944.
St. Bernadette was a simple girl who had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The spot of the vision, Lourdes, has become a pilgrimage site. It is the most famous place for medical miracles. There is a hospital on the grounds staffed by doctors to examine any miracle claims. There have been some amazing miracles.
One was a woman Madame Bire in 1908 came there, blind because her optic nerve was
withered; she regained her sight when the Blessed Sacrament passed. But
when the Doctors inspected her eyes, they found she was able to see, even
though the nerve was still withered-- to add to miracle, the nerve did recover
within a few weeks. (cf. A PROTESTANT LOOKS AT LOURDES, By Ruth Cranston)
St. Bernadette's body remains incorrupt. It has not undergone decay. 
Love is the goal of life--to love God and our neighbor.
St. Paul defined it as we Christians should understand it.
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury. Love does not rejoice over wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Let’s examine each point
The devil tempts us by three main methods: Pleasure, Honor, and Power. Pride is part of all three. He focuses on our main weakness, which is sinful-pride. Other languages have one word for sinful-pride and another for good-pride, but not in common conversational English. (We could call good-pride “magnanimity” and sinful-pride “hubris”; but we will stick to common language for now).
In English we tend to use the same words often with different meanings, depending on the context. Good-pride is the pride you have for your loved ones succeeding, one's country, or culture. It is “other minded” or “group minded.” But even these can become sinful, when brought to excess.
Here Fr. Goring explains a principle in the spiritual life of "AGERE CONTRA"--"To act against". A term in ascetical literature to describe the deliberate effort one must make to strive to overcome his evil tendencies, by doing the opposite of that to which he is sinfully inclined.
Nature is so full of curious wonders. These mountain goats can scale a share cliff of a mountain dam.
Fr. Goring is on fire with pearls of wisdom for the spiritual life. Here talks about how one should pray to know your soul as God sees it. To know your faults and sins, especially the ones you are not conscious of.
There was a practice of revealing your innermost thoughts to your spiritual father in religious orders, but it was not the sacrament of confession. The practice has fallen out favor because of abuses and other complications. There is a problem of the inner and external forum.
For example a married priest shouldn't hear his wife's confession, unless it is a dire emergency. It makes interpersonal relationships very complicated.
It creates complications because similar to the seal of confession, "manifestations of conscience" has a kind of seal of secrecy, and confidentiality, which makes it hard to navigate when one, as a superior, can act or can't.
To curb such abuses Pope Leo XIII, 17 December 1890, "Quemadmodum" forbade both mandatory
manifestation of conscience and the practice of superiors inducing their
subjects to make such manifestations.
Fr. Goring is spot-on, on this. My sister got me praying to my guardian angel on a regular basis and I can tell you amazing things happen.
Another thing to consider is our guardian angel has no other job; other than to help you to get to heaven and protecting you. I mean the saints in heaven are patrons of other causes, nations, and peoples. Not that that diminishes them in any way, but your guardian angel is your best friend, he has nothing to do but help you-- this is all!
And it isn't like he is just helping you till he get another job. After you die he will still be with you in heaven. He will not get reassigned to someone else, he is your absolutest bestest friend.
Some more great thoughts from Fr. Goring.
Perseverance and trusting the Lord gains everything.
Romans 5:3-5
"…Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.…"
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Little information survives about the governing of Rome during Emperor Vespasian's ten-year rule.
After successfully defeating Judaea, and Nero's death, with a succession of equally doomed emperors in one year,(known as: "The Year of the Four Emperors") Vespasian became Emperor.
Emperor Vespasian reformed the monetary system of Rome, initiated several ambitious construction projects, including the building of the Roman Colosseum. Through his general Agricola, Vespasian increased imperial expansion in Britain. After he died at age 69, in 79 AD, he was succeeded by his eldest son Titus, becoming the first Roman emperor to be succeeded by his natural son, and establishing the Flavian dynasty.
St. Maryam of Bethlehem, who never complained. What a wonderful gift!!The Blessed Mother told her to always be content. And it was also revealed that Satan is the eternal Complainer.
A result of defeatist language--Temperamental Lingo-- is it leads to Temper, a form of pride. Temper is when a "right" is subjectively claimed, and force is objectively used. It is an expression of pride and not getting one's way.
Temperamental Lingo leads us to claiming a subjective "right" that works ourselves up until we explode into a temper tantrum--yelling, screaming or stomping, etc...lashing out, (sometimes only in our minds) which is Angry Temper--anger at others or situations, it is followed by Fearful Temper-- anger at one's self.
It is an expression of pride in both cases.
5 Colossians 3:8
"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth."
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| Destruction of the Temple |
After the martyrdom of St. Peter, the leadership of the Catholic Church was left to Linus who was ordained by Peter a few years earlier. Not much is known of Linus other than he was a former slave, St. Paul loved him, Peter trusted him and he was with St. Paul in his last hours.
St. Mark returned to Alexandia in Egypt after Peter's death. He ministered as best he could to the Christians there. A strong tradition in Egypt holds that in the year 68 AD, Easter Sunday fell on the same feast day of the pagan god Serapis. St. Mark was seized by Serapis worshipers and dragged through the streets until he was dead.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem Christians were being rounded up beginning in 64 AD. St. James the Just was no longer there to help. He was martyred two years before. Like the situation of St. Stephan, the Roman proconsul had suddenly died in 62 AD. The Jews took advantage of the power vacuum-- arresting and killing.
This persecution produced the inspiration for the Letter to the Hebrews, to strengthen the leaderless Church of Jerusalem. Probably dictated by St. Paul in Hebrew or Arimaic and later translated into Greek by St. Luke.
This has been a controversy for a long time but early Church historian Eusebius states that "some have rejected the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying that it is disputed by the church of Rome, on the ground that it was not written by Paul." In response, he endorses the view of Clement of Alexandria: that the epistle was written by Paul in Hebrew (unsigned through modesty), and translated into Greek by Luke, similar in style with Luke's Acts. [Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 6.14.2–3 (text), citing Clement's Hypotyposes,]
Fall of Jerusalem
Shortly after the Nero persecution broke the replacements of Fesus, the former prefect of Judea, were two succeeding evil men: Albinus and Florus. Both were greedy, brutal, and stupid.
Nero's brutal rule of the empire led to revolts all over the Empire. One of the most fierce was in Israel, by the so-called "Zealots" or the 'Daggermen." This would be the beginning of the end of the Jewish nation of Israel.
Rome had lost her patients with Israel and was going to destroy it once and for all.
Here is a good testimony of why we should be Catholic. There is no secret that the Catholic Church at present is in crisis--in a dramatic way. In Church history we read about the Arias Heresy or Protestant Reformation, Iconoclast Heresy etc... These are known as the great heresies. There have always been wayward pastors, but these great heresies were so dramatic how they effect the life of the Church, that we are in awe that the Church could survive it.
Ironically many of our saints came out of these crisis of Faith. It is always romantic to read about heroes, but to be in the thick of the war is not romantic-- it is scary.
So my point is, even though the Church is in crisis the sacraments are still available and we can pray and worship God as best we can. It does not depend on how good the priest or bishop is. God will not judge you on their Faith but yours. If corruption comes in our lifetime, we still need to be faithful to what Jesus Christ has past down to us as the deposit of the Faith.
Father or bishop wako will not be around forever, it is just a bad period of time we happen to live in. The testimony below shows the Holy Spirit still calls and inspires even in the midst of the storm.
[editor: St. Charbel worked a great miracle in Phoenix Arizona USA below is the video testimony of the woman healed from blindness]
Annaya, Lebanon,
Jul 23, 2019
St. Charbel Makhlouf is known in Lebanon for the miraculous healings of those who visit his tomb to seek his intercession – both Christians and Muslims.
“St. Charbel has no geographic or confessional limits. Nothing is impossible for [his intercession] and when people ask [for something], he answers,” Fr. Louis Matar, coordinator of the Shrine of St. Charbel in Annaya, Lebanon, told CNA.
Speaking in Arabic with the help of an interpreter, Matar said the shrine, which encompasses the monastery where the Maronite Catholic priest, monk, and hermit lived for nearly 20 years, receives around 4 million visitors a year, including both Christians and Muslims.
Matar, who is responsible for archiving the thousands of medically-verified healings attributed to the intercession of the Maronite priest-monk, said that many miraculous cures have been obtained by Muslims.
A healthy spirituality must have a healthy mindset and use of language. Not only those words we speak to others, but the self-speak in our own heads. From our thoughts our emotions are fed. And emotions and thoughts create "the heart" from which the mouth speaks.
As St. James says in 3:2
"... If anyone does not stumble in what he says, this one is a perfect man, able indeed to bridle the whole body."
But the novice in the spiritual life doesn't see words as important. They will often use emotional exaggerated defeatist language in generalities, which must be avoided, For example :
"this is the worst day";
"These things (bad) always happen to me";
"It will never get better."
" he is disrespecting me"
Also living in the past, thinking “if only I had done this …”
While hyperbole is used in scripture at times, it is of an instructive nature; not a way of living our life.
Language must be accurate and true, not alarmist or defeatist. Anger or Fear leads to disobedience, and lack of hope in God. When the people of Israel were freed from slavery all they did was complain. And God said:
"Not one of these - not one of this evil generation - shall see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors" (Deut. 1:35).
The only Israelites who entered the Promised Land from the Exodus, after 40 years of miracles and wandering, are Caleb and Joshua, the only ones to not lose hope.
We would never say that we should sin to become more beautiful to God but we should sincerely repent and commit to reforming and changing. Some people get discourage by going to confession for the same sins. But we must realize that confession is the best way to gain strength to avoid sin.
Luke 7:47
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has
shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only
little love.”
A positive attitude can accomplish much. But often we get examples of those who are delusionally positive---they can't admit something isn't working.
The example of the founder of Dunkin' Donuts shows us that he saw what works and went with that. He also benefited from good mentors. Whatever one wants to do in life it is priceless to get advice from a wise man of experience.
Sirach 27:
12 – ‘Limit the time you spend among fools, but frequent the company of
thoughtful men.’
Proverbs 12:15
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."
Explore the conversion story of one of the most significant figures in church history and learn about his struggle to find answers amid a sea of competing voices. Travel with host Mike Aquilina to fourth-century Rome and Milan to discover why St. Augustine has become a “Voice for All Generations.”
The world is an amazing place with so many mysteries.
Here we see the unique relationships developed by humans and other animals.
Here is another video that shows animals make friends even across animal species.
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After the death of Claudius; during the "Five Golden Years" before Nero took power-- the laws against Jews in Rome were eased. So tradition has it that St. Peter returned to Rome. Whether St. Paul knew this or not is unclear or most likely that St. Peter returned just after his Epistles.
St. Peter probably returned to Rome around 54-57 AD with a possible break from 57-62 AD. The period of time would be the same as St. Paul's letter to the Romans and his imprisonment in Roman, after being arrested in Jerusalem.
We surmise that St. Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome under the direction of St. Peter, during his three year stay in Rome, 54-57, AD.
In 58 AD we are told St. Mark arrived in Alexandria, Egypt, without Peter, and founded the Church there. He was asked by St. Peter to return to Rome from 63 AD to 67 AD.
Nero took power around 60 AD. There was nothing usual at first. He had good advisors Seneca and Burrus, who ran the Empire well waiting for him to attain age. But soon the power got to Nero. He killed his mother; started having drunken orgies and all kinds of indulgences. He divorced his wife, and married his mistress. He forced Seneca into retirement and Burrus died. Nero more and more gave into passions of egoism and lust.
Romans paid little attention to Christians, at this time. They were considered a strange sect of Judaism. But this was soon to change.
On July 18th 64 AD a 9 day fire destroyed most of Rome; someone was to blame. The people blamed Nero who was known to be lost in his own world of hedonism, and let the fires burn. This is where we get the saying: "Nero fiddled as Rome burned"
Once again in Antioch of Syria, Paul decided to return to the churches he established. St. Mark wanted to come along again, but Paul didn't want to take him. So Barnabas seemed to work out a compromise. He and Mark would go to Cyprus, their first leg in their first mission, and Paul and Silas, who had come up to join them from Jerusalem, would go to Asia Minor (Turkey) in Taurus Mountains--- part of their second leg.
Paul and Silas reaffirmed the churches at Iconium and Lystra in the Taurus Mountains-. It is speculated that Paul understood those towns to be in the area of Galatia, this will be the churches referred to in his letter to the Galatians.
On the way to Iconium Paul fell sick and was taken care of by the believers there and formed a deep affection for them. Silas and Paul are joined by St. Timothy, in Lystra; one of Paul's most endearing companions. After the town of Lystra, Paul is told by the Holy Spirit not to preach in Asia Minor (Turkey) and make his way to Aegean next to Troy. On the western coast of Turkey.
In Aegean, St. Luke joins the group. Paul and his group crossed the water to Phillippi, starting his mission in Europe through Macedonia and Greece.
They arrived in Philippi about 51 AD. There were almost no Jews in the town so they preached as they could. Adapting to the environment. Paul exercised a demon from a slave girl, but her owner was not happy with this, because of her demonic gifts, she had made him money. This stirred up a crowd causing riots--- seeking Paul.
Paul was arrested by the Romans of Philippi. He was beaten by rods and imprisoned. Then an earthquake destroyed the prison allowing Paul to escape-- but he didn't. He instead sought to save the soul of his guard on duty. He converted the guard and baptized him and his family.
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| Apostles Gather for the Dormition of Mary and the Council of Jerusalem |
"For we pray not that we may change the Divine disposition, but that we may entreat that which God has disposed to be fulfilled by our prayers, in other words
"that by asking, men may deserve to receive what Almighty God from eternity has disposed to give," as [St. Gregory the Great ] says (Dial. i, 8) "
(Summa Theologica, II-ii: Question 83--art. 2)
