faith formation: When It's Time for Them to "Get a Life"

 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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loveandlogic.com   or their blog https://www.loveandlogic.com/blogs/our-blog

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By Jim Fay

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"What do I do? I'm at my wits end! My grown son still lives at home.

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.

Deposit of the Faith: Did Jesus Allow Divorce?

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.

C.S. Lewis: The Screwtape Letters Audiobook

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."

faith formation: Are We Becoming a Nation of Gollums?

 By Joseph Pearce

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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.

Founding of Christendom: First Great Heresy--Gnosticism - post 15

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.

Founding of Christendom: Pope Clement- the 4th pope--92AD -- post 14

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.

Amazing World: Back to Eden Documentary

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!