Prosimy cię wszechmogący Boże, abyśmy obchodząc dziś pamiątkę męczeństwa św. Sebastjana, za jego wstawiennictwem otrzymali łaskę wytrwałości i stałości w wyznawaniu wiary Chrystusa, i nie dali się odstraszyć od niej żadnymi przykrościami. Amen
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,
—Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,—
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
I imagine Jonah’s message was very clear to the Ninevites. —Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.—
The Ninevites did not wait for Jonah to personally announce God’s message to each and every inhabitant. Everyone from the smallest to the greatest got to work. Everyone, the king included, put on sack cloth, covered themselves in ashes, and did not eat for forty days.
We are very concrete people. We do not like it when we cannot get our arms around an issue. We want to understand and we want guarantees.
How many people have ever asked someone close to them if they love them? Do you love me? Whether said out loud or in the silence of our hearts, the question shows our inability to understand.
Love is not concrete. We can only grasp at the idea or emotion of love based on our experience. Even symbols of love – flowers, candy, jewelry (you can see I am a man), do not guarantee what is unfathomable.
I would dare say that you would have liked Jonah’s message. It was very concrete and was delivered as a guarantee. You might have tried to run away, some might even give in to a doubt about the existence of a God that delivers retribution, but I think the majority would do penance.
Even Paul, in the early Church, gave into the concept of an almost immediate end time. Early Christians believed that the world would pass away, and the kingdom would be ushered in, in their lifetime. They were a little shocked when people started dying and the end hadn’t come.
Listen to Paul:
I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.
Not quite as concrete as the forty day scenario, but nevertheless, pretty close at hand.
Now here comes Jesus:
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
—This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.—
These words and our experiences tell us that we have no idea when the end is coming. Jesus himself was in the dark on this —“ and told us it was a knowledge reserved to the Father.
Suddenly it is not so clear. Suddenly we want to sing with the psalmist:
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
I think he is asking God to give him a clue.
We want that more concrete statement. OK Jesus, give me forty days and I’ll get things fixed right up. And while we sit and wonder and dream and philosophize about God’s knowledge, our life passes away.
If it isn’t clear yet, let me say it again:
—The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.—
It is time for less talk and more action. Fewer meetings and more work. For the Kingdom is at hand. Take action, and work for the Kingdom. We are to make a major change in our lives, for the Kingdom.
I tell you, I know the Kingdom, and it is a wonderful place. It is fertile fields and a land flowing with milk and honey. It is the new and eternal Jerusalem descending from the sky. It is a marvelous mansion with a room prepared just for you. It is a banquet at the table of the Lamb. It is that place where we shall stand about the throne of the Lamb and sing Alleluia, Hosanna to the Son of David, the Eternal King, the Alpha and the Omega.
Jesus extended a gold plated invitation to us and sealed it in His blood. He is giving us every opportunity to make the choice for Him. He is giving us every chance we need to set ourselves aright.
—This is the time of fulfillment.—
Act now.
Amen.
Eli said to Samuel, —Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.—
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, —Samuel, Samuel!—
Samuel answered, —Speak, for your servant is listening.—Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
Does God need man?
It certainly appears that way. Throughout the Old a New Testaments God called men and women into His service. Finally, at that moment in time determined by God, the Father sent His only Son into the world to speak to us as a man. To speak to us in a way we can clearly understand.
God called the men and women of biblical times, not because He had to, for God can do all things. God does not need to address us in ways we can fathom with our senses. But he called them nevertheless. He called them so that His action within our lives is consistent with the revealed truth.
What is revealed truth?
Revealed truth is that truth that can be seen and understood. It is universally acknowledged truth. It takes the form of what our senses can perceive, what our minds can know, and what our hearts and souls know is right.
The revealed truth is written into each and every one of us from the time of our conception. We call this the Natural Law. The natural law is the rule of conduct which is written into us by God, our Creator. It is how we can know God, how we can know right from wrong, how even heretics, pagans, and those not evangelized, can know God. It is part of the very depth of each human person’s nature written by the hand of God.
The fullness of revealed truth lies in Christ Jesus and His word as taught and interpreted by His Church. God is the truth revealed to us by His grace.
My family in Christ,
St. Paul writes of the humanness of God’s saving work. He tells us once again that our humanity has been paid for by the Son on the cross.
Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.
God calls you today. The sacrament of God’s Word, proclaimed to you today, the sacrament of the Word, taught to you today, calls you.
Check your hearts. Examine whether the knowledge of God is within you. Stop, be quiet, and listen.
…
Your very nature is calling out, I believe! I have faith in God! You are here for a reason. Even if that reason is masked by other reasons, you cannot deny that the call to faith in God and His truth is within you.
God is calling you today. Like He called Samuel, He calls you.
Brothers and Sisters,
He calls you because God desires to communicate with you. He calls you by what He wrote upon your heart from the moment you were conceived. He calls you in ways you can see, feel, and hear.
Consider the great sacrament of the altar, the most holy body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. What we see with our eyes and taste with our tongues supplies us with something our senses cannot perceive —“ but that is known in our hearts; that which is known by God’s call and our faith. The sacrament is Jesus Himself. We physically take Him into ourselves.
St. Thomas Aquinas writing about the Holy Eucharist said: Praestet fides supplementum, Sensuum defectui. Faith supplies that which our senses fail to perceive.
In today’s Gospel St. John proclaims:
—Behold, the Lamb of God.—
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
When Father Andrew stands here and says: —This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,— will you stand up to receive Him?
I tell you, do not just receive Him, but like St. Andrew get to work, with joy in your heart, and let everyone know. Let God use you.
Like Andrew cry out:
—We have found the Messiah— – which is translated Christ
…and bring all people to Jesus.
Every Wednesday evening we hold Holy Mass, Exposition, a Novena to Our Lady of Czestochowa, and Benediction. The Holy Mass is attended by a small group of regulars who each have their own reasons for needing this time aside with the Lord.
Last night I paused to wonder about all that goes on in a parish community, at a diocesan level, and in the lives of the clergy. I wondered about some of my experiences as a young altar boy. Some clergy just didn’t seem ‘into’ the Holy Mass. Many did, they were devout and faithful, but for some the emphasis fell on politics (internal and external), their personal proclivities, or on business. Their nose was leading them elsewhere.
As I stand before the altar in my role as deacon —“ called to be an exemplar of holy service, I am still amazed, in awe, overcome by God’s infinite mercy.
He allows me to stand there, clumsy and awkward as I am. He allows me to hold His body and blood in my hands. I just want to scream out —“ look, this is Jesus, this is God, here for us. My own weakness grieves me in light of His great love and mercy.
When I enter Church I do not head for the sacristy or office. I stand there in front of the tabernacle, just to say thank you. Thank you for allowing me to come here and serve once again.
Will I loose it someday? Will my nose lead elsewhere? I pray not.
Michael Kwatera in his book The Liturgical Ministry of Deacons begins with a discussion of St. Lawrence’s glorious martyrdom. He says:
On the third day Lawrence made good on his promise: he gathered a great number of the city’s poor and placed them in rows: the elderly, the blind, the lame, lepers, orphans, widows. Then, instead of handing over silver and gold, Lawrence presented these lowly ones to the eyes of the greedy official: “Here are the true treasures of the Church.” This bold affirmation of their surpassing Christian dignity, which came easily from a man who had faithfully ministered the Lord’s Blood and the Lord’s charity to them, won him a painful but glorious death on the gridiron. St. Augustine linked Lawrence’s self-sacrifice in martyrdom with his self-giving in the Eucharist:
Lawrence, as you have heard, fulfilled the office of deacon in the church of Rome. There he ministered the sacred Blood of Christ; there he poured out his own blood for the sake of Christ. . . . The holy apostle John has clearly revealed the mystery of the Lord’s Supper by telling us: “As Christ laid down his life for us, so we must lay down our lives for our brothers.” St. Lawrence grasped that teaching; he understood it and practiced it. In a word, what he received at that table, he prepared to fulfill in himself. He loved Christ during life and imitated him in death.,’
The story of St. Lawrence shows that the liturgical ministry of deacons ideally was a seal they placed on their other duties.
All I want to say is this: Please, Lord Jesus, keep me firmly planted in the Holy Mass. Grant that from the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, Your grace may flow into my heart, that it might fill me, so that Your glory may be seen through the work you have called me to do. Amen.
I was reading the postings at Orthodixie in regard to Vassula. For those not familiar, Vassula Ryden allegedly has conversations with Jesus which she reports on.
She came to the fore recently when the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles uninvited her and a Christian Unity conference to be held in their Cathedral. This from a diocese that prides itself on ugly architecture, never meeting a militant homosexual they didn’t like, and whatever other blatantly liberal inventions they can dream up.
Since there is a dearth of comments on my blog, I decided to comment on her. You see, her adherents love to browse around the Internet looking for comments about her. They then prolifically comment on the comments.
I figured, wow, I can get bunches of comments just by talking about this woman.
The name Vassula reminds me of bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, the ‘magical’ song from Disney’s Cinderella.
My name’s Vassula, I speak with Jesus, bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!
From her website comes the following —quote— featured prominently:
“My Vassula, My Word is like a lamp to give light and shine so that every soul may see Me, feel Me and return to Me, see? I wish to remove this darkness which lies heavily in this world. I am giving you My lamp so that you place It on a lampstand and not under your beds.” (Jesus – August 28, 1989)
Vassula is very good at paraphrasing scripture and applying it to her messianic delusions. She can also quote lyrics from the Who (read the plot line – you’ll laugh).
I’m glad Jesus gave her this message, but unfortunately for her it is not exclusive. It is the same message he gives to everyone. While you are indeed special in His eyes, you do not have exclusive revelation. In addition please remember that you are responsible to God when you lead others into sin.
I would highly recommend that you choose the Church you would like to join, whether Roman Catholic or Orthodox, and hie yourself over to your local parish weekly. By the way, wear a veil, sit in back, and listen to God’s Word from those charged with bringing it to you.
Another interesting aside falls well into the lies and misdirection column: Vassula’s website claims the endorsement of the Pope, albeit when he was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. You can read the convoluted logic at her website yourself. Basically it is a letter from Card. Ratzinger giving a heads-up to local ordinaries, and in a polite way, telling them to watch out.
The commenting may now begin…
I previously commented on the TV series the Book of Daniel. I was able to watch the show thanks to my wife who caught it on the DVR.
The show is neither theologically or morally sound, but is does come off as the perfect farce. I found it very funny, and was most impressed by the fact that the farce of the show is perfectly in line with the farce of the church it represents, the Episcopal Church (EC-USA).
Over the weekend I read how the EC-USA supports abortion. I said to myself —“ this is interesting, how could this be true? I was going to comment on it, but upon doing some research, found that this support for murder has been a consistent policy of the EC-USA. I figured, why comment? Gene Robinson is merely the head of a very large serpent.
I need not comment further. The Pontificator covers it very well in the article: Living in the Darkness: Episcopalians and the Ethics of Abortion.
O św. Marjuszu, posługiwałeś męczennikom i wreszcie z żoną i synami dla Chrystusa umęczonym zostałeś, uproś nam tę łaskę, abyśmy równie gorąco wiarę naszą katolicką ukochali, i gotowymi byli dla niej ponieść nawet męczeństwo. Amen.
Wszechmogący wieczny Boże, któryś św. Feliksa w czasach ucisków i prześladowań otaczał potężnym ramieniem swej opieki, racz i nas wspierać wśród udręczeń i przykrości, jakich od nieprzyjaciół doznajemy, abyśmy się nie zachwiali lecz wytrwali wiernie w wykonywaniu przypisów św. religji. Amen.
The modernist culture of death prevails again, but I fear evil not, for I know that Christ has overcome evil and has opened the gates of heaven to all who choose Him.
Fr. Martin Fox at Bonfire-of-the-Vanities makes a good point about states’ rights. However, regardless of man made rights, the right to kill another must be seen in light of the natural law, the deposit of faith, and God’s commands. Surely it must be restricted to self defense (only when proportionate) and national defense (again, when proportionate).
Our rejoicing in our own power over life and death, whether that of the unborn, the elderly, sick, and incapacitated, or ourselves will turn to tears when we finally see the blood on our own hands.
California executes oldest condemned inmate
Convicted murderer Allen, 76, was blind, nearly deaf and in a wheelchairSAN FRANCISCO – California executed its oldest condemned inmate early Tuesday for arranging a triple murder 25 years ago to silence witnesses in another killing.
Clarence Ray Allen was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 12:38 a.m. at San Quentin State Prison, less than an hour after his 76th birthday ended at midnight.
Allen —” who was legally blind, nearly deaf and in a wheelchair —” was the second-oldest put to death nationally —” since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976.
…
Allen’s heart stopped in September, but doctors revived him and returned him to San Quentin Prison’s death row.
Oh, see, we done good… Now for part 2:
Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Suicide Law
By GINA HOLLANDWASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the Bush administration’s attempt to punish doctors who help terminally ill patients die, protecting Oregon’s one-of-a-kind assisted-suicide law.
It was the first loss for Chief Justice John Roberts, who joined the court’s most conservative members – Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas – in a long but restrained dissent.
…
The 6-3 ruling could encourage other states to consider copying Oregon’s law, used to end the lives of more than 200 seriously ill people in that state. The decision, one of the biggest expected from the court this year, also could set the stage for Congress to attempt to outlaw assisted suicide.
Justices have dealt with end-of-life cases before, most recently in 1997 when the court unanimously ruled that people have no constitutional right to die. That decision, by then-Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, left room for states to set their own rules.
…
Scalia said in his dissent that the court’s ruling “is perhaps driven by a feeling that the subject of assisted suicide is none of the federal government’s business. It is easy to sympathize with that position.”
At the same time, Scalia said federal officials have the power to regulate doctors in prescribing addictive drugs and “if the term ‘legitimate medical purpose’ has any meaning, it surely excludes the prescription of drugs to produce death.”
He was joined in the dissent by Thomas and Roberts. Roberts did not write separately to explain his vote. Thomas also wrote his own dissent.
…
Oregon’s law, which was passed by voters, covers only extremely sick people – those with incurable diseases and who are of sound mind. At least two doctors must agree the ill have six months or less to live before they can use the law.
Just like the Netherlands where its degraded into the killing of children.
“For Oregon’s physicians and pharmacists, as well as patients and their families, today’s ruling confirms that Oregon’s law is valid and that they can act under it without fear of federal sanctions,” said state Solicitor General Mary Williams.
The ruling backed a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Ashcroft’s “unilateral attempt to regulate general medical practices historically entrusted to state lawmakers interferes with the democratic debate about physician-assisted suicide.”
The court’s ruling was not a final say on federal authority to override state doctor-assisted suicide laws – only a declaration that the current federal scheme did not permit that. However, it still could have ramifications outside of Oregon.
“This is a disappointing decision that is likely to result in a troubling movement by states to pass their own assisted suicide laws,” said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which backed the administration.
The case is Gonzales v. Oregon, 04-623.
Prosimy cię o Panie, abyś za wstawieniem św. Antoniego, patryarchy zakonów katolickich, udzielił nam łaski swej do zwyciężenia pokus ciągnących nas w przepaść grzechu, i do umiłowania naszej wiary, który jedynie zbawić nas może. Amen.