faith formation: the Eternal Complainer

 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.

faith formation: Temper and Trust in God

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."

Founding of Christendom: Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem-- post 12

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.

Christian Courage: Why are you Catholic?

 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.

Here is a link to the above young man's you tube channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/SeanHussey/videos

Christian Courage: The Lebanese saint who unites Christians and Muslims, and Huge Miracle in Phoenix

 [editor: St. Charbel worked a great miracle in Phoenix Arizona USA below is the video testimony of the woman healed from blindness]

catholicnewsagency.com

by Hannah Brockhaus

---

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.

faith formation: Self-Speak, Worship and Mental Health

 
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.
 

faith formation: A repaired Soul can be more beautiful -- regular confession

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.”