tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66612365307597479282024-03-04T22:59:43.067-08:00Praying Mentisdayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-37796667805183183512015-05-30T11:00:00.001-07:002015-05-30T11:00:41.893-07:00On the Divine Architect<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have all run into the moment when we have to make a very big decision. Whether it is to stay at the same job we have been doing for years, deciding who to marry, or even just what you're going to eat tomorrow. I wanted to post on this subject because there is actually an easy button for this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Four years ago I got on the plane to visit my now wife's family. On that plane I was faced with the biggest decision I would ever make... Would I marry my now wife, Elizabeth awesome Day. I remember on the plane ride I made a pro's con's list of why I should or should not marry her. I stopped, but probably not soon enough. You probably cringed as you read that sentence almost as much as I cringed to write it. It's probably one of the stupidest things I have done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Truth is, there are a thousand reasons for doing one thing over the other. Life would get insane very quickly if there wasn't a sure way to find out what path to take. Life would be complete chaos! The starting point in making a decision is turning to Jesus, who is "<i>the way, and the truth and the life." </i>(John 14:6)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the parable of the vineyard Jesus reminds us that He loves us personally, cares for us, and that we need to stay close to Him. If we stay close to Jesus we can ask him anything we want, and as a loving spouse, He will respond. In John 15:7-9 Jesus says:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you."<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><i>By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><i>As the Father loves me, so I also love you. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He says, <i>"by this is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."</i> It glorifies God to ask Him for things! If you are remaining in Christ, then you will ask for good things and you will ask for what God wants in your life. By doing this you will certainly find the answers you seek and glorify God by being the you that God planned for you to be, which brings you and all those around you the most joy. It's like a snowball effect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jesus makes His intentions for you and I clear throughout all of Scriptures. He says, <i>“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." </i>(John 15:11). The one conclusion I have made in this life is we are infinitely loved beyond what we can possible imagine. Our joy is God's first concern. Thankfully, joy from God is not the same as regularly super crummy cheaply-bought brand X joy, that we're used to in this world that blows up in our face when things get bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jesus came so that we could join His divine family and He was willing to do anything to make that happen. He was willing to do anything to be with you. God Himself, the creator of the universe, wants to be closer to us. Coming from a broken home, the thought of my Father as the creator of the universe is an awesome reality. A close second to the fact that this same Creator wants to be close to us and cares for us more than we can possibly imagine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Truth is, God has prepared a path for our life before we were even born. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In Ephesians 2:10 St. Paul says: "<i>For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." </i> The ways that we are supposed to take are already known by God. We need to only go to the Divine architect of the universe and our lives and ask. He Himself will set us on the road that will bring the most joy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am writing this partially as a reminder to myself as well. I am currently struggling with anxieties of my own as I write this with uncertainties with work, how to be the man I am supposed to be, and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">other issues close to my heart</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. And it's tough, but we are on this journey together. And I firmly believe if we remind each other of the times that God has intervened in our life in the past and how He has constantly revealed Himself in our lives and Scriptures to be true, faithful, and always caring of our unique lives; maybe we can learn something from mere repetition that our soul sometimes forgets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Psalm 119:105 says, <i>"</i><span class="s2"><i>Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path." </i>At times we can only see the next step. </span>To be honest, I think it is best this way for us and I thank God it is this way. Even though it is very hard to be in the midst of uncertainty, I think it would be much worse to have to worry about every decision months or even years before a clear alternative arrives at your door!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With that said I encourage myself and everyone who actually reads this silly blog to only look at your next step. If you must change course or stay where you are, God's word will act as a Lamp for your feet. That same word that is a lamp onto your feet is the word of which God Himself says: "S<span class="s3"><i>o shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." </i>(Isaiah 55:11)</span></span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-41466082641505537102014-08-14T22:11:00.000-07:002014-08-16T10:21:09.119-07:00On a Good Decision<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am not sure if I have written about this in the past, but
before my wife and I were married I was trying to decide whether or not it was
the right decision to marry her. I was on a plane to visit her and her family in Mississippi. We had been together for roughly a year. I had to make a
decision--do we take the next step? Do we get married? I couldn’t make up my mind, so I did what all normal people do when they try to make a decision--I made a pros and cons list. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Every time I tell this story, people laugh. It’s ridiculous and probably the stupidest thing I have ever done. Don't worry though--my wife still loves me and we're doing great. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I only bring this up because I wanted to write on what I learned when I made the best decision of my life. If you know me and my wife, you know I made a really really good decision. Sadly, the well written pros/cons list didn't help at all. It was a waste of time that cost me my credible reputation as a loving husband (and telling the story to my youth group teens made them laugh in my face). I am now scarred.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The reason people laugh when they hear this story is because they know intuitively what I did not know on that plane. They knew that even the bests pros-cons list cannot possibly illuminate all the
possible future effects of a decision and make it simpler to make said decision in the present. There are simply too many factors in the present and future that we just can't take into consideration. It's kinda funny--people laugh when they hear this because they are recounting their souls' interior sensibility and knowledge that we cannot do any good without God. (Hey, there is a Bible passage that says that! John 15:5)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other weekend we heard the story of
Solomon: a wise king who asked God for wisdom to govern his people. It says:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><sup>10 </sup>The Lord was pleased by Solomon’s
request. <sup>11 </sup>So God said to him: Because you asked for this—you
did not ask for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of
your enemies—but you asked for discernment to know what is right— <sup>12 </sup>I
now do as you request.<sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6661236530759747928#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]</a> </span></sup> (1 Kings 3:10-15)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Solomon was just like us; he didn't know how to govern his people rightly, with justice, love, mercy, as God wanted him to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He did do not have the tools to make an informed decision on what was best for his people, but
that was ok because he relied on God to help him rule justly. Just like with Solomon, God can see the best path for us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The question I very frequently hear is, "Can an all powerful God love every person on this planet?!" </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To answer this we just to need to look at the countless lives that Jesus personally took interest in. Jesus healed the leper (Mark 1:40-42), healed the man with the withered hand (Mark 3:1-6), healed a Roman soldiers' servant (Matthew 8:5-15), and did countless other healings for different people in different circumstances all throughout the Bible. The last one I want to mention is when Jesus healed the paralytic and forgave his sins (Mark 2:9-12). I believe this is the most beautiful healing in the Bible that illustrates how Jesus loves us. This man comes to Jesus, telling him that if Jesus desires to heal him he can. In a way, this is the same question we struggle with. This man didn't have to ask if Jesus had the power to heal him and we don't either. We know God is all powerful. The remaining question then is--does Jesus love everyone of us? In each of the healings that took place in the Bible we are supposed to hear the resounding answer to this question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If we do not rely on Jesus,
life will be hard. We will constantly question ourselves. Asking over and over,
am I where I am meant to be? How can I know for sure that I made the right
choice? How about you start from the beginning. God loves you. Because God loves you, you can safely assume that He wants you to become the
best version of yourself and is invested in you. He will guide you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is very difficult to make a wrong decision if it is made
in prayer with God. I would dare say it is impossible, but I don't want to be a heretic. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">God never forsakes us and all things work together for those who love God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">“We know that all things work for good for those who love God,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6661236530759747928#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title="">* who are called according to his purpose.</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6661236530759747928#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><sup>[1]</sup></a>” (Romans 8:28)</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This passage is often translated as, “We know that God makes everything work for good for those who love God.…”</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">God gives us direction. God leads us. If you want to make the right choice, love God and the rest will make sense. You will know where you are meant to be and what you are meant to do. God's personal love and interest in us is what should bring us endless streams of hope as christians. Actually, that is a great title
for my next blog... Hmmm...</span></div>
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*Special thanks to http://joyreactor.com/post/466544 for the 1st image and http://sanitaryum.com/tag/funnypics/page/2/ for the 2nd image.*dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-52809409480076990622012-10-22T23:41:00.000-07:002012-10-25T21:22:10.430-07:00On a Wise Choice<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have to admit, I never thought much of Casting Crowns. It was one of my Dad's favorite bands. I remember him calling me upstairs to listen to them on several occasions. I was listening to Pandora today, and the song, "If We Ever Needed You," came on. I was reading the Catechism at the time, about</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> our call to be </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Christian</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and how the apostles first started their mission (see </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mark 16:20).</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It made me remember a conversation I had with a good friend back my senior year of college. My friend asked what the difference was between living a Christian life and not. My answer should've been, "When there is a christian preaching the gospel of God, you will know God is there because of the signs that will necessarily follow." I knew this then, but I didn't know how to articulate it. When you are doing what God asks you to, you can better see him around you in the small things. Especially in subtle coincidences and in answered prayers.</span><br />
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One reason we fall from God is because we have some kind of doubt that we feel needs to be settled. Or we have a sin that we can't let go of which can cause us to lose faith (because we justify our sin to ourselves). Doubt can arise from simply not looking toward God. I think everytime I am weak in my faith it is for that reason. I try to do things on my own. But if we search for God, we will find Him. Despite the simple nature of the previous statement, this search can be difficult. I was reading St. Augustine today and the intensity of his search for God through prayer struck me:</span><br />
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<i>"...tell me of Thy compassion, O Lord my God, what Thou art to me. 'Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.' So speak that I may hear. Behold, Lord, the ears of my heart are before Thee; open Thou them, and “say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” (Confessions of St. Augustine)</i></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know I keep bringing up my Dad, but I feel it is relevant to this subject. The last thing my dad said to me before his first heart failure was, "<i>David, do you look back in your life and find how God has worked in your life these past few years?</i>" I smiled and turned back to him thinking he was being his overly contemplative self, and said " Yes! Are you kidding?" And I cited the reasons. There are too many to mention right now, but i will say meeting my fiance is one of them. </span><br />
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I'm reminded of what Pope Benedict had to say on starting actions with prayer: "W<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">henever we pray together, where we receive God’s gifts with thankfulness, a new heart comes into being, which also changes us ourselves..." (God is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life. Page 52). It is important for us to always remember God's gifts in order for us to be changed, and to have a "new heart".</span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Too often we forget God's gifts in our lives and become ungrateful. We become exactly like the Israelites fleeing from the persecution of the Pharaoh, who after being persecuted all of their lives by a ruling dictator (Satan), displace their anger upon the God who liberated them. They began to seek other means to overcome the pain they were experiencing, which involved seeking idles over God. They didn't realize that God Himself was there for them, and time and time again God revealed Himself to them. And yet, they required more to believe, as is the case with us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We don't realize that our sins have punishments despite the fact that they are forgiven. Or in terms of the graph below we become ungrateful as the gifts we are given pile up. But maybe the greatest punishment we receive is the consequential punishment of unrequited love. </span><br />
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</i><i>"What am I to Thee that Thou demandest my love, and unless I give it Thee art angry, and threatenest me with great sorrows? " (Confessions of St. Augustine)</i></span><br />
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Not to distort the order of things too much, but the above quote was what inspired this blog in the first place. This one quote reminds me of the brokenness I have seen around me. Everywhere I see brokenness I also see rejection of God. God is love, so those who reject Him are essentially casting themselves into sorrow. It's kind of sad really. Or in other cases, God comes secondarily to some other material object. That in mind, let me share with you this quote:</span><br />
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<i>"We did what was right in our eyes, and now our children will pay the price." (Casting Crown, If We Ever Needed You)</i></span><br />
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Sin never <i>only</i> affects us. If you choose not to spread God's message to world, you're choosing to spread the message of another "god". Or as John Lenin put it, </span><br />
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</i><i>"</i><span style="background-color: white;"><i>You're gonna have to serve somebody/Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord/But you're gonna have to serve somebody.</i>"</span></span><br />
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Our sin directly affects everyone around us as well as God, which is a fact we often overlook. Our family, friends, and especially our future or present children. This is something that has helped me to put the proper weight to the seriousness of sin in life, and has helped me to continually battle against it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Augustine of Hippo. (1886). The Confessions of St. Augustin J. G. Pilkington, Trans.). In P. Schaff (Ed.), A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, Volume I: The Confessions and Letters of St. Augustin with a Sketch of His Life and Work (P. Schaff, Ed.) (46). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.</span><br />
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</span>dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-13155195068309894082012-08-28T20:41:00.000-07:002012-08-28T20:45:13.283-07:00Hope in Death Part 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the visiting priest at my parish asked me to think of ways that Mary had intervened during the past few years in my life. I came to the powerful realization that Mary has helped me very recently. I should, now that I think more about it, thank that priest for personally helping me to see Mary.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is an unwritten and for some reason mostly unspoken rule of thumb in the spiritual world. If you pray with someone you will be closer to them. It's a very brief and to-the-point rule. Every time you go to God who is entirely Love, you pull down a piece of Him with you.</span><br />
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I would like to share one last piece of my Dad's death with you. When I got the call I raced down south from Northern Washington State. All I knew was my Dad was dying. It was serious. All I could think to myself was, God please let my Dad live long enough to receive last rites from a priest and for me to visit him one last time. </span><br />
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Long story short I made it to the hospital. And waited for hours. Let me tell you this, there are two ways this story could have ended.</span><br />
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1.) No one prayed. We all sat and let our minds wander about how much we hoped our Dad didn't die. And then we would talk about video games, jobs, typical day stuff. (This situation almost happened.)</span><br />
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2.) The opposite. Would the first option really be worthy to be called a "beautiful of death?"</span><br />
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Here is what happened. My family began talking about normal things. Then Lizzie, my fiance, helped me to start a rosary with my family. I could barely say the words. "...Holy Mary pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen." I thought to myself: 'How many times have I said those words with no meaning, only now to hope so much in them?'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Brother Sam then lead us in a Divine Mercy Chaplet. My family never prayed together, and now they were being led by my youngest brother, the shiest person I know, in a sung version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Before we started I told my Brother, "Hey, Sam, keep it on the down low ok? Remember we're in a hospital." Then I realized as I was starting that there was no reason for him to keep quiet. And so Sam sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet with his beautiful voice which he attests is now officially better than Josh Groban's. (I believe him too... I mean if I could go to one mass with him and have someone <i>not</i> compliment his voice)</span><br />
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Anyways, I digress. I have told many people how Matthew, a firefighter-in-training friend, was at my brothers' house when my Dad had his initial heart failure. He performed CPR on my dad, which helped him live a little longer, just enough for everyone to see him again. I wanted to let those who thought to themselves, ok... so... your Dad lived just to die. That's no miracle--- know that it was.</span><br />
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;"><i>1014 </i></span></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;">The Church encourages us to prepare ourselves for the hour of our death. In the ancient litany of the saints, for instance, she has us pray: "From a sudden and unforeseen death, deliver us, O Lord";</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;"><sup>588</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;">to ask the Mother of God to intercede for us "at the hour of our death" in the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;">Hail Mary</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;">; and to entrust ourselves to St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death.</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020;">The small things really help put things into perspective. We prayed to Mary and Matthew a trained firefighter just so happened to be spending the weekend at my brothers. This allowed my Dad to not have an unforeseen death. I would say it was the most beautiful death anyone could ask for in fact. If I could have Sam sing a divine mercy chaplet on my death bed, and know that my family was brought together in prayer from the process I would die a happy man.</span></span><br />
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-43307075135541246992012-08-24T22:28:00.000-07:002012-08-24T22:29:35.552-07:00Hope in Death part 2<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">While 'death' is an interesting topic in itself which I plan to write more about, the main reason I write this post is because early in the morning on June 14th, my Father died at the age of 63. Everything I believed in was shaken. (Please, do not offer condolences) To be honest, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I was mad at God. Even though I don't care to admit it, I blamed God often in the months following my dad's death, and wasn't able to crush that anger until recently. I felt as though I had become a different person, someone who was hopeless and despondent. Several questions plagued my mind:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Why would a perfectly just, loving merciful God take someone away before they can say good-bye? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Why would a perfectly just God let someone suffer so much and not act? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Why would a perfectly loving God give no assurance that your loved one is alive and well in the afterlife, knowing full well the grief it causes?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And why would a loving God kill my dad when I was getting married in less than a year, and my brother was going to have his baby a month later?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am writing this because I want to help those who go through these same emotions, the same emotions I experienced. Although these answers may not be the same for everyone, these are the things I experienced after the death of my dad:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">You can call me crazy, but nearly all of my siblings had dreams of my Father saying goodbye and that he was well even though he wished he could stay. Almost identical every time. You can think whatever you want, but it happened... and strangely enough a barber I talked with two months before my Dad died had shared with me that the same thing happened to his family.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Not only that, but the night my Dad suffered a second heart attack he said he saw people in white in the room with him. He was almost sure they were angels so he started trying to ask what the people were doing to methodically figure out which ones were there and which weren't. Most people in hospitals wear scrubs, not white. Anyways, he said he saw the room begin to disappear like the matrix and it was Godlike.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So why does God let people suffer? I think the answer might be that evil exists and is real, partially because we let it exist. We actively participate in the spreading of evil by not spreading good. It was man that started the progression of sin.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I've met some genuinely amazing people throughout my life, and they've all taught me something very similar. We are meant for much more than we give ourselves credit. We are not meant to sit ideally by as the world turns to sin; we are supposed to act! Preaching fully convinced that the word of God is real-- that Jesus is behind our backs and in our hearts.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As to why God takes people at times that make it difficult to accept, I think the answer to that question is simply that there is a time and place for every thing in this world. We may not understand it now, it may be uncormfortable but as a wise theologian says, <i>(</i>I honestly don't remember who said this<i>)</i> God does not want what is comfortable for us, he wants for us to be holy, like He Himself is holy. Every moment is an opportunity for good or evil, and God puts us in the circumstances where we can do the best. In the end we will all die, and that day, we will be transformed.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance... God has made everything appropriate to its time, but has put the timeless into their hearts so they cannot find out, from beginning to end, the work which God has done. I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life." </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22px;"><i>(Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, 11-12)</i></span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-39786472481701294432012-08-17T19:45:00.001-07:002012-08-19T21:05:51.449-07:00On Hope in Death Part 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I was not originally going to make this post. Why? Because, who in their right mind writes about death, especially when it is such a sensitive topic to everyone? But then again, why wouldn't a Catholic write about death? I've read countless other blogs that proclaim the message "carpe diem", seize the day, live for the moment... But what does that really mean? And so, thus begins my first trilogy--on death!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> question is this: Why have fear in death when you can have hope in death instead? This would be like opting for the treasure chest by itself instead of the treasure inside of it. You can truly live when you hope in death.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Society's view of death is a message of escape-- by living in the moment and never missing out on an "opportunity". There's this idea that there are constantly fleeting moments that you have to take advantage of by taking risks and embracing pleasure -- these magical moments that can be taken away from you. By death. But what do you actually lose when you die? When you're a Catholic the question becomes, 'What do I gain from death?' </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The past few weeks I have been reading St. Paul, who writes about his hope in death: </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"...We were utterly weighed down beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, we had accepted within ourselves the sentence of death, that we might trust not in ourselves but in God. </i> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead..</i>." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(2 Co 1:8–9)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">St. Paul writes that death is not a bad thing, it is God's instrument of hope, and even trust. We have to trust in God's mercy when we die, and the promise of a life in heaven after we die can give us unimaginable hope when we actually embrace God's promise. Likewise, when our loved ones die we have to hope they are in God's kingdom -- that they are happier than we had ever seen them during their lives on earth. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">St. Paul continues:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"...Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. 9 Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil..."</i> (2 Co 5:8–10). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We cannot fear death as Catholics. God calls us throughout our lives to walk with him, and death actually puts us literally, by His side. Death brings us to our long awaited home and to our loving Father. This is what the Catholic Church has taught since its beginning during the time of the early Church fathers, and many of the saints write on the subject as well:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"...For God has called man and still calls him so that with his entire being he might be joined to Him in an endless sharing of a divine life beyond all corruption..."</i> (Gaudium Et Spes)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">St. Ignatius of Antioch writes in his letters while the Church is being persecuted:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> "<i>For though I am alive while I write to you, I am eager to die</i>." St. Dominic writes about how he will be more useful to others in death, "<i>Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life."</i> Perhaps the reason for this is because often, we can do more in death than life.<i> </i>St. Teresa wrote<i>,</i><i>"I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.</i>"</span><br />
<a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rma/lowres/rman1840l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rma/lowres/rman1840l.jpg" width="299" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Some, actually now that I think about it-- many considering how long I have talked about this, have called me fatalistic. I am not saying, go forth and die ye now because then ye will finally be with God. I am saying do not fear death. If you do fear death, then fear death because it puts an end to your ability to love those around you by being physically present in the world. Even so, let me say this, this world is spiritual and physical. Scott Hahn said in his book, "Signs of life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots" that our salvation is very much so spiritual and unseen. But the Catholic Church is the physical manifestation of that. I say this because I want all Catholic to believe that death is not the end for us. Eighty years out of an eternity is still only eighty years. And although the spiritual reality of our salvation and those who have perished before us is hidden, it's still there. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In conclusion,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> I don't have a problem with idea of living in the moment. I have a problem with this idea that we are constantly escaping a fleeting moment, and so we need to do as much as we can before we die with the hidden emphasis of to enrich our lives and those around us with positive memories. There </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">is one question that we will ask ourselves on our death bed... It is not, did I live enough? Did I get to go wild in my youth? Did I get to see all the places I wanted to see? It is the same question God himself will ask us, "Did you love those around you the same way I have loved you?" The question will be how much did you die to those around you. So I guess I would not have a beef with the motto, "we should live for the moment" if there was a conjunction that said by dying and sacrificing for those around us. This is what we should be focusing on everyday, and everything else comes as a fruitful by product of living with that as your upmost priority. Love with all of your heart, give to the best of your ability as much as you can, die to yourself, because all other regrets will unquestionably be forgotten. I will end with this quote by Saint Paul:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"<i>But if Christ is preached as raised form the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is not resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, the empty too is our preaching; empty, to, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sings. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. </i>
<i>The last enemy to be destroyed is death, </i>
<i>for “he subjected everything under his feet...</i>” (1 Corinthians 12-27)
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<br />dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-87520601714640355742012-04-15T15:42:00.001-07:002012-08-18T15:27:35.137-07:00On The War Against Theism<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Militant atheism is perhaps the most selfish, hateful religion in the United States. I am using the word "religion" here because Atheism requires faith and belief in something that cannot totally be known, and it has membership. Atheists often unite against theistic religions, especially Christianity. It reminds me of how there are republicans and democrats and how some democrats will go on and on about how much they hate republicans and vise versa. We all know it's unhealthy to talk to a democrat and tell them how much you hate their beliefs. It's just bad form, although I am sure we would all very much like to do it. Similarly, it is bad form to make the root of your beliefs an assault against a particular religion.</span><br />
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<a href="http://podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/r2scott/files/2010/11/bully-yell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/r2scott/files/2010/11/bully-yell.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />Militant atheism takes that duality which is specially reserved for politics (and even then it shouldn't really be that way) and asserts itself into the social order. However, unlike political parties, Militant atheism or even just normal atheism is not self sufficient. Whereas the theist finds purpose through the love and truths that God provides, <b><i>the militant atheist finds purpose through the assault the beliefs of the theist.</i> </b>Really, the atheists should thank the theists for the foundation of their religious beliefs; without theism there would be no atheism. Militant atheism is like the bully that derives a great deal of satisfaction from knocking down the lego tower that another child builds. The bully, or destroyer, needs a builder to build something up in order for him to then tear down that same structure.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anyways, to illustrate my main point I would like to start with this short excerpt from Fulton Sheen:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">"A few years ago I encountered a young atheist in the vestibule of a Catholic Church in London who, boasting of her atheism, shouted: "Every night I go out to Hyde Park and talk against God. I urge my listeners to drive the illusion from the earth. I circulate England, Scotland, and Wales with pamphlets denouncing a belief in God." When she drew a deep breath thus giving me my just opportunity to speak I said to her: "Suppose I went across the street here to Soho Square and every night talked against 20-footed ghosts and 10-legged centaurs; suppose I circulated England, Scotland. and Wales with pamphlets denouncing a belief in 20-footed ghosts and 10-legged centaurs. What would happen to me?" She said: "You would be crazy; they would lock you up." "Correct," said I "Now, tell me, why don’t they lock you up? Don’t you put God in exactly the same category of illusion as that in which I put a 20-footed ghost and a 10-legged centaur? Why would I be crazy and not you?” I had to tell her the answer: "Because if I attacked ghosts or centaurs the reason of men and the tradition of mankind would tell me I was attacking a figment of my imagination– which is a mark of insanity. But when you attack God you are not attacking an illusion but something just as real as the thrust of a sword or an embrace. It is the reality of God which saves you from insanity and it is the reality of God which gives substance and energy to your attacks." And she answered: "I hate you!” To which I answered: "Now you have answered me. Atheism is not a doctrine, it is a cry of wrath. Do you think we would have prohibition in this world without something to prohibit? Could there be any cigarette laws without cigarettes? How can there be atheism without something to atheiate?</span></span></span><br />
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</span><a href="http://cf.sketchfu.com/i/840905.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://cf.sketchfu.com/i/840905.png" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The main point I would like to make here is that there are many people in this world who believe many different things; this is a fact. Making a religion out of specifically targeting any belief is just bad form. I can believe for an example, that Buddhism is a false religion, but I do not seek its destruction. I do not stand outside of temples protesting, or more practically, blogging about them. My happiness certainly is not contingent on converting</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> people from Buddhism or for that matter any other religion. I will not talk to someone and merely insult their religion in attempts to convert them either. I have better things to do. Why would I waste my time pointing out all of the strange and foreign beliefs and habits that people different from me have, which I hate, when I could instead talk about the things that people do that make me laugh: the things that I enjoy and make me like a person. One philosophy creates unity, the other creates a fragmented society. Militant atheism is not positive or healthy, not simply because they do not believe in God, but because their very existence hinges on hating those who do. I think we would all agree that If we all hated those who had different beliefs than us, then the world be very sad.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Militant atheism is a persecution, by the very definition of the word, of the theist. Without the theist, the atheist would cease to exist because they would have nothing to hate, but without the atheist a true theist would live on loving God. N</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ow I understand that this blog is a contradiction to the point that you should not assault someone else's beliefs, but I am writing about this because I am tired of people bullying Christianity. I am fighting against the hate by pointing it out rather than hating the atheist. As such, this is going to be the first and last blog I make on atheism. I see no reason to start a persecution against the religion of atheism. I want to spend my time diving deeper in my relationship with God. With that having been said, here is another beautiful excerpt from Fulton Sheen that illustrates how we are influenced by God:</span></span><br />
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</span><a href="http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/14/23691000/ngbbs4f262b1656f94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/14/23691000/ngbbs4f262b1656f94.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"....There are three ways of influence. First, turn a key in the door. There is the impact of something material on something material, and the result is the opening of a door. That is one kind of influence; the influence of a material thing on another material thing. There is still another kind of influence. In the spring time you plant a seed in a garden. The sun, moisture of the earth, the particles in the earth, all begin to influence that seed. IT certainly is not the same action turning a piece of a steel in a lock. There are tremendous capacities for growth in that seed. And what most awakens the capacity in that seed is something invisible, namely the sun. Now go a stage higher. Consider the case of a father talking to his son. Trying to influence him for an example to be a doctor. What influences that son is some invisible truth as well as a deep love for the son for the father and the father for the son. What love actually does is bring out in the son a free act. The son is not obliged to do what his father wants, but the contrary. But Truth and love have moved him so that what he does is the very perfection of his personality. Later on he may say, I owe everything I have to that conversation that I had with my father, I really began to understand myself. Now, in some such similar way, God works on your soul. He does not work like a key in a lock, he works less visibly than a father on a son, but t hey are still the same mysterious words I and you. Since God is the very embodiment of love, it is love that inspires you to be what you were meant to be. A free person in the highest sense of the word.The more you are lead by God's word, the more you become yourself."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I choose to live my life as a theist and a Christian, and not as an anti-atheist.</span></span>dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-61825323402225152842012-04-06T16:38:00.001-07:002012-08-18T15:40:29.051-07:00Garden Of Gethsemane<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have decided recently to post more theology blogs, I apologize, I meant to post this at the beginning of Lent... But... It took me awhile to edit it. Anyways, here is a fun analysis of the Garden of Gethsemane. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Word Study </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gethsemane, literally translated into English means "<i>suffering</i>." This is what the garden was called far before Jesus went there, as if he knew and chose the location to say to us, "I know the suffering that is about to come, and I embrace it openly." Which, as we examine the passage on the Garden of Gethsemane more, we'll see that Jesus conveys this point in about 26 million different ways. The story would have been completely different if Jesus was not fully aware of what was going to happen next and would not have illustrated Jesus' love for us quite as powerfully.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">An early church father Chrysostom comments on the Garden of Gethesamane, particularly on Matthew 26:36: "<i>Then Jesus came with them to a place called </i><i>Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, </i><span class="woj"><i><u>“<b>Sit here</b></u> while I go over there and pray</i>” (emphasis mine).</span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://thebackpew.com/backpew/images/isaacthesacrifice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://thebackpew.com/backpew/images/isaacthesacrifice.jpg" width="294" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chrysostom notes that Jesus' disciples were so adherent to Him and
followed Him so intensely that every night before he went to bed they would wait to hear more of His word. This is why he had to explicitly tell them to stay where they were. Cooler yet, when he says commands them to stay he uses the adverb, "<b>here</b>", which is never used in all of New Testament. It is however found in the Old Testament Septuagint, the greek version of the Old Testament that <span class="Apple-style-span">Jesus and his disciples would have used and read. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abraham said to his servants: “<b>Stay here</b> with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over there. We will worship and then come back to you." (Genesis 22:5)</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Do
you recognize this story? You should. Its when Abraham is leading Isaac
up the mountain to be sacrificed. Perhaps Jesus was trying to tell his disciples, as always, what was about to come.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Peter</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Third major point I would like to make about the Garden of Gethsamane, is that when Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit
here while I go and pray", he was speaking to all of the disciples except
Peter and the son's of Zebedee (James and John).</span></div>
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<sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-24092" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">37</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <i>And He took with Him </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. </span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-24093" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">38</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Then He *said to them, </span><span class="woj" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; <b>remain here</b> and keep watch with Me.”</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When Jesus addresses James, John, and Peter in the Garden of Gethsamane, the Greek word used suggests that he was addressing Peter in plural. You will also find that both Luke and Matthew described Jesus as directly addressing Peter. My point is that </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jesus always addresses all of the apostles </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">through Peter. We see examples of this again and again in the story of the raising of Jairus's Daughter where only Peter, James, and John are allowed in the room to witness God's Glory. (Luke 8:40-56, Mark 5:35-43, Matthew</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: inherit;">9:18-26</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">) </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Under all accounts of the Transfiguration Jesus brings only Peter, John, and James with Him. Under Matthew's account Peter, and only Peter, spoke to Jesus saying, <span style="background-color: white;">“<i>Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white;">I will make three</span><sup> </sup></i><span style="background-color: white;"><i>tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.</i>”</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Peter is not only slightly elevated, he is constantly being addressed and constantly bearing witness to God's glory.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sleepy Sleeping Disciples</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Many people when they read the
Garden of Gethesamane draw attention to and criticize the disciples for falling asleep. But when you really think about it, we are just like the sleeping disciples. We say, "Wow they couldn't stay awake for an hour...really?" (Even though I know many of those same people who fall asleep in adoration.)</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Not many realize that this wasn't the only occasion the disciples fell asleep at an important moment of Jesus' life:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">"</span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-25334" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">32</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;"> Now Peter and his companions </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i><sup class="xref" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-25334H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></sup></i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him."</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I find it Ironic that during all of the most important moments of Jesus' life the apostles were sleeping. The Garden of Gethesamen is slightly different though and </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Luke is the only authors that really explicitly tells the story in a way that captures this difference: </span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>"</i><i>When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, <b>exhausted from sorrow</b>. " (Luke 23:45)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Jesus was mad not because they were asleep, but they were asleep knowing His sorrow! That for many of us would be the last straw! What is awesome is that instead of Jesus taking out a whip and whipping his disciples over and over so that they would stop falling asleep, or instead of throwing a bucket of cold water on them... He says, "Sleep on. " ...Something that most Church Fathers comment on, but for some reason... perhaps due to mistranslations, most people never hear. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">fter being comforted by an Angel, Jesus comes back:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Yonge-ReligionInTheHome/pages/306-Jesus-in-the-Garden-of-Gethsemane/306-Jesus-in-the-Garden-of-Gethsemane-q75-924x631.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Yonge-ReligionInTheHome/pages/306-Jesus-in-the-Garden-of-Gethsemane/306-Jesus-in-the-Garden-of-Gethsemane-q75-924x631.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them,<b> Sleep on now,
and take your rest</b>: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of
man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he
that betrayeth me is at hand.(Mark 14:32-12) </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jesus says to the disciples, "sleep on now, and take your rest," as if now they are able to take their sleep. St. Paul uses the same word for "sleep on now", in his many letters, and the words, "on now," mean more of a, "<i>finally, henceforth, or you are now able</i>." It was almost as if Jesus was saying, from what I am about to do, you will actually and henceforth be able to rest. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i> <sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-24094" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">39</sup> And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, <span class="woj">“My Father, if it is possible, let <sup class="xref" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-24094AX" title="See cross-reference AX">AX</a>)"></sup>this cup pass from Me; <sup class="xref" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-24094AY" title="See cross-reference AY">AY</a>)"></sup>yet not as I will, but as You will.”</span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-24095" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">40</sup> </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Back in the time of Jesus there was a tradition amongst Roman Soldiers: they were strictly forced to be obedient, and disobedience had dire consequences. For example, sometimes they had to jump off a cliff. Literally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">With that in mind, similarly, at times the head of a platoon would be given a cup of poison to drink: if he was able to drink the entire thing no one else would have to drink it, but if he could not (or didn't really want to) it was passed to the next man in line. The next man had the same option. Jesus in his Passion wants to take all of the suffering he can, or in other words, he drinks the entire cup of poison, sparing everyone else in the platoon. Most would reluctantly take on suffering or suffer for a friend only if they had to. But Jesus loves us so much that he wants to make it clear to us that he will take on our suffering knowingly, willingly, and faithfully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">We doubt every now and then and we ask ourselves a variation of these words, "will Jesus hold back his love for us?" The answer is no. When the Roman soldiers tried to offer Him wine mixed with vinegar, he refused in an attempt to make us realize that he is not like others. </span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mark 14:23)</span></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What some do not realize is that wine mixed with myrrh was an</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> anesthetic during that time. What he says in this bold statement is that</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> h</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">e will not turn his back to us in our suffering ever. Instead he will do the opposite of what his apostles and what we ourselves do. He willingly embraces suffering to show his love and to redeem humanity. </span></span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My Soul is Sorrowful Unto Death</span></i></h2>
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<i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mark 14: 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="woj" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mark's analysis of the Garden of Gethsemane is even more beautiful as he recalls the word Jesus used for his suffering to be the same found in Psalm 42:</span></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-14561" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">5</sup> Why are you in <b>despair</b>, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise<b> </b>Him </span>For the help of His presence. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">O my God, my soul is in </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">despair</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> within me; </span></span></i></div>
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<span class="woj" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><sup class="versenum" id="en-NASB-14567" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">11</sup> <sup class="xref" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-14567Z" title="See cross-reference Z">Z</a>)"></sup>Why are you in <b>despair</b>, O my soul? And why have you become <b>disturbed</b> within me? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">By saying, "I am in grief to the point of death", he is basically saying that he is so sad he could die. Raymond Brown suggests that Jesus is in grief over the unrepentant sinner, Judas, who has betrayed God, how his apostles, who will be scattered, and because in His humanity he wishes His disciples would have "remained with Him" through His suffering just as we hope that our friends would remain present in ours. <span class="woj">I will end with psalm 69. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>"And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>They also gave me gall for my food </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."</i></span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-38089035784747739952012-04-01T13:49:00.000-07:002012-08-18T15:31:31.725-07:00Stress Management<div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am posting this because I have realized an answer to one of the questions that I had when I was younger. I used to be pretty bad at stress management and wondered how everyone else was so good at it. That is actually of the many reasons I started writing this blog. I saw all these methods that people had at living great lives and wanted to write and spread those strategies to people who did not grow up with them. I know, I am a true psych major at heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stress management is kind of like chess. When you play, or in the case of stress come viscously assaulted by your bodies passions, you have to come up with a strategy. What are you going to do the next time you are locked in a closet with no way out other than to break down the door, when you've already had a bad day? Yes, the broken closet door becomes the straw that broke the camels back, but it also so much more isn't it? It did not only break the camels back, it also maced over 1,000 babies in a nursery, kicked over 100 innocent puppies (the ones with the really cute looking eyes and could probably be a canonized saints if they had souls), and caused world hunger. This is no longer an innocent story of a door that happened to stop working. No, this is much bigger than that; this is now officially a matter of good versus evil! So get your coffee and hand grenades ready-- You are in for a long day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of lamenting about the difficulty of the task, why don't you pull out your mace that you had pre-enchanted with a 50% chance of dazing target upon impact and you throw down all your cool downs? When else were you going to use shield wall anyways? I mean honestly, you have make sure that your enemy goes down quickly and swiftly. There are many other lv. 80 doors in this dungeon on patrol and if you wait too long the enemies will start to re-spawn and did I mention the lv, "??" elite boss (That's right, the monster is on such a high level that you are so puny and insignificant that your are not even worthy enough to KNOW the monsters level!) What I am trying to say is take whatever it is that is stressing you out and completely blow it out of proportion and enjoy the massive battle between good and evil! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember a good example of this happened when I asked a friend of mine how they could possibly be rolling on the ground laughing only moments after my car got towed <i><b>in Canada</b>.</i> She said, "it was so funny." I would not have realized, without said friend, how comical the situation was. So what's the big secret to stress management? Realize that not everything needs to be taken seriously. I mean if you're going to blow things out of proportion anyway, why not blow it out of proportion in a way that will save your soul?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.funstressrelief.com/images/cartoons/stress-relief-cartoon-3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://www.funstressrelief.com/images/cartoons/stress-relief-cartoon-3.gif" width="320" /></span></a><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"But I pointed out to him that this sense of wrong was really subjective and relative; it rested entirely upon the assumption that the drawer could, should, and would come out easily. “But if,” I said, “you picture to yourself that you are pulling against some powerful and oppressive enemy, the struggle will become merely exciting and not exasperating."</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Forget the assumption that everything should work, run, and function properly. Forget that people should be normal; when has that ever been true?! And always remember,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"everything depends upon the emotional point of view." G.K. Chesterton</span></i></div>
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<br />dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-11430586776718332412012-03-19T19:49:00.002-07:002012-08-18T15:42:18.458-07:00The Catholic Church and Oppression of Women II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYOH_DJfSfEHoLIdaqHs-jC1pfCUHTf-9fkRY6UG1v99uZGZzSj6Tv8a9hoT5pv4b-LVqLEM0_plLRMb9r1aAisqgdELBs_iNieR3zoXu0bPACrxb6aIojAxonMQM-_PNsq0es4k/s1600/Obama-Compromise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYOH_DJfSfEHoLIdaqHs-jC1pfCUHTf-9fkRY6UG1v99uZGZzSj6Tv8a9hoT5pv4b-LVqLEM0_plLRMb9r1aAisqgdELBs_iNieR3zoXu0bPACrxb6aIojAxonMQM-_PNsq0es4k/s320/Obama-Compromise.jpg" width="274" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few days ago, during a political debate of sorts, an acquaintance suggested that the constitution should not be used to determine what is and is not a right. This person was specifically reffering to the current patient and affordable act which he said was "irrelevant" to whether or not women's "rights" were under oppression by the Catholic Church. I had to pause for a second in order to process the accusation. Let me bring in a metaphor to illustrate my thoughts on this subject. Suppose someone decided to drop you off a cliff. As the culprit holds you 10,000 feet above the ground, you beg him to reconsider because you are afraid and want to live. In return he looks at you blankly and without comprehension. He says to you that it is irrelevant that you are afraid... after all, <b><i>he</i></b> is standing safely on the ground (which is arguably a very safe place for him to stand). He continues to try and calm you by informing you that he bought blue suede shoes last week <i>for only</i> <i>$20</i>! You continue waving your hands in the air telling them to stop this madness because honestly, shoes are the last thing on your mind. Finally, he gets irritated and begins to accuse you of ignoring him. So he loosens his grip entirely. The last thing you hear as you plummet 1000 km per hour towards the ground is the voice of the man still yelling, "Don't worry so much; I'll be fine!" The point that I'm trying to make with this metaphor is this: if you are the guy standing on solid ground, it's easy to stay calm. You aren't the one dangling over the cliff or having your rights violated.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAODyMqRTPJzGY7RLOgDzHMWeym6EpffjH1zuJ-vgxrmqsoILShAQUHbtX3szC_FgGZ768Dz8K7w-mMjjtL_6Oqo1Bg4XSZ_bwyPERyfh7cO2_dNgKgzGK86dKrhgqorZeD3JXU-8rDjjJ/s1600/WileE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAODyMqRTPJzGY7RLOgDzHMWeym6EpffjH1zuJ-vgxrmqsoILShAQUHbtX3szC_FgGZ768Dz8K7w-mMjjtL_6Oqo1Bg4XSZ_bwyPERyfh7cO2_dNgKgzGK86dKrhgqorZeD3JXU-8rDjjJ/s320/WileE.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Only in a day and age where religious persecution and tyranny are rampant would we not pause and ask whether or not a law that requires the entire population to purchase a product should be examined by the constitution at the law's birth.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> From a political stand point, the first question that must be asked in order to determine whether or not the Catholic Church can stand by Her principles is whether or not the constitution lets Her. So with this question in mind I am going to dive into this debate by first offering some context.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Catholic Institutions are self insured. When forced to "compromise" Obama promised that religious institutions no longer had to provide contraceptives, but that their insurers will. The problem with this "compromise" is that most Catholic institutions are insured by Catholic insurance agencies. This means that Catholic insurance companies will have to pay for contraceptives. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaf_ni60nr-qpALhImEZ9U-kZoYXVubQ2ttDsQFTHTJyp3qKXjKe9BX9FOdwgdOfwHqlqpkUMTq8xZlMLTL8UMcwOzDWmdzfZgS7tUfY7zLfCRpIm9aN-6b6xkacmZNVVt6BqGkEBKaGw/s1600/allyourconscienceare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaf_ni60nr-qpALhImEZ9U-kZoYXVubQ2ttDsQFTHTJyp3qKXjKe9BX9FOdwgdOfwHqlqpkUMTq8xZlMLTL8UMcwOzDWmdzfZgS7tUfY7zLfCRpIm9aN-6b6xkacmZNVVt6BqGkEBKaGw/s320/allyourconscienceare.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">With that having been said, I currently work for a company who will have to provide contraceptive services at the expense of my dollar. Yes, Obama's "new" plan essentially did nothing. It's like instead of taking candy from a baby... you pay a bully to do it for you. That way, you aren't actually taking the candy from the baby, someone else is. Clever, clever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">The government knows that the contraceptives (which will promote the act of sex and thus spread of STD's) and abortive pills (which usually increase the likelihood of cancer and hormonal inbalances) can currently be attained from almost anywhere. For an example, the halls of my old university. You want a condom? Go to the bathroom and you can buy one for a quarter. We are not arguing whether or not people should have contraceptives available to them. We are arguing whether it is an essential right guaranteed by the constitution which is why the government wants so desperately for Catholics to be forced to purchase the product. (Despite the direct violation of the constitution)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Obama's new plan allows for religious exemptions. For example, some Muslims and Amish are exempt because they view insurance as a form of gambling, which is forbidden by their religious laws. This further demonstrates the law's personal bias against Catholicism. Furthermore states are allowed to disallow Aids and Cancer treatments in their plans as they see fit. These sound like essential health services to me. Here are more ways that this is unconstitutional as cited by:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/02-28-12-Lori-Testimony-for-House-Judiciary-long-form.pdf:"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/02-28-12-Lori-Testimony-for-House-Judiciary-long-form.pdf:</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"<i>Gender equality—because the mandate only pertains to preventive services for women, it requires coverage of tubal ligations, but not vasectomies.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Service to all in need—religious organizations lose their exemption under the 4- part test if they primarily serve those outside their faith, giving the organizations a strong incentive to curtail their work for the neediest in society.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Freedom of choice—people and groups that are still forced by government to fund and facilitate sterilization and contraception over their religious objections have no choice.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Separation of church and state—the mandate has the government both interfering with the internal affairs of religious organizations, and favoring some religious organizations over others by means of the restrictive 4-part test.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">...</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thus, although HHS will brook no dissent regarding whether sterilization and contraception, including abortifacients, must be covered as “preventive services,” HHS is essentially indifferent regarding what is—or is not—mandated as an “essential health benefit.” As a result, genuinely indispensable items under the important rubrics listed above may well be omitted from coverage, depending on the policy preferences of each state. By contrast, states have no such discretion with respect to sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients—these must be covered, even over religious objections in many cases.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Taking just one example of “essential health benefits”—prescription drugs—the state may define this category to require coverage of cancer drugs, AIDS drugs, and other life-saving treatments. But HHS has no quarrel with a state that decides not to require coverage of drugs like these. By contrast, HHS requires that state to cover drugs that, according to respected medical studies and the drugs’ manufacturers, may increase women’s risk of suffering from breast cancer, stroke and AIDS.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are some articles that address the effectiveness of Obama's plan for ruling the world, (and indeed that is what he is attempting... I am confused at how willingly people followed that ploy):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Philpott, A., Knerr, W., & Maher, D. (2006, December 2). Promoting protection and pleasure: amplifying the effectiveness of barriers against sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. Lancet. pp. 2028-2031. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69810-3.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">This study shows that contraceptives vary in effectiveness. Anywhere from 60%-95% effectiveness for preventing STD's, where 95% is not the mean but instead an outlier... In addition to this the number abortions have doubled in Spain as a result of easy access of contraceptives in their society.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.lifenews.com/2011/01/03/study-abortions-double-in-spain-despite-increased-contrapcetion/"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.lifenews.com/2011/01/03/study-abortions-double-in-spain-despite-increased-contrapcetion/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Now someone is bound to say, and indeed they have, that "the study was flawed because our societies are different", to which I say the following: the way a study works is simple. You introduce a variable that is not typically there and you watch the effects after adding that variable. This has been the method for science for quiet some time now, we cannot continually play the "science is not fool proof" card only now that the Catholic Church has entered the boxing ring. It would be like giving all boxers boxing gloves and the Catholic Church a pillow. I think it is time that we call out the contradictions of the media and its stance that science is fool proof when it is convenient, but also fallible when it is also convenient. What happened in Spain is discredited because science is fallible, but contraception is trusted completely because the science is infallible. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://img.chan4chan.com/img/2009-08-21/1250827861758.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://img.chan4chan.com/img/2009-08-21/1250827861758.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the situation with Spain, contraceptives were introduced and the abortion rate rose. We need to learn from the mistakes of other nations. The reason I posted this is because a massive wave of liberals have begun attacking the Catholic Church and accusing her of oppressing women. I find the view Ironic because no other institution promotes the dignity of women more than the Catholic Church. Indeed, it is ironic because society oppresses women, not the One, Holy, and Apostolic Catholic Church. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">When Society says that sex should be something that people do freely, the Catholic Church says, "Wait... please, for the dignity of women." We do not want men walking the street talking about how badly they want to go and "bang" another girls. When society says that pornography is a means of entertainment and a right that needs to be provided to the public, it is the Catholic Church that says that society is degrading the value of women and that it needs to stop. When society releases article upon article on the damaging affects of sexualization of women in society to the point where women are discriminated in the work force, are performing worse in school, aren't taken seriously in society, and are payed less in the work force, the Catholic Church is the only one that even suggests that we take a stand. Saying that the Catholic Church causes any of these problems is like saying slim fast causes obesity because people don't like to drink things that make them healthy. =/</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I will end this with a quote by G.K. Chesterton. "<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 16px;"><i>Society is becoming a secret society. The modern tyrant is evil because of his elusiveness. He is more nameless than his slave. He is not more of a bully than the tyrants of the past; but he is more of a coward</i>.</span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 16px;">"</span></span></span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-1322404904327428792012-03-05T21:06:00.004-08:002012-08-18T15:39:41.610-07:00The Catholic Church and Oppression Against Women Part I<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I know, it has been awhile since I posted last. I guess.
But, I read a blog today that accused the Catholic Church of being patriarchal and that woman were only to be used as children bearing machines. He accused the Catholic Church of oppression against women. I kind of blinked…
a lot. There are just so many ways to analyze this, here is one of many blogs on the Catholic Church and Oppression against women.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">My first angle comes from the family life. What should happen in a family dynamic if said family has a child?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Have
a stay at home dad. (Wow, I literarily shuttered at the thought of that.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Have
a stay at home mom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Day
Care</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Leave
the child at a zoo with nothing but a lazer gun and hope that wolves truly can
raise children. (see Day care)</span></div>
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<a href="http://comedy.nauts.co.uk/cartoons/wp-content/uploads/penguincartoon-zoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://comedy.nauts.co.uk/cartoons/wp-content/uploads/penguincartoon-zoo.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a developmental psychology major we talk a lot about what
works and what doesn’t in parenting. Let me just say that who ever is going to
stay home with the child, in order for it to help the Childs confidence and
promote the optimum psychological state of health, the provider must stay at
home with the child for at least the first 4 years of its life. This is an
undisputed psychological fact. I won’t bore you with the countless reasons why,
but lets just say they will be severely emotionally challenged if they don’t.
Justifiably so, many highly acclaimed psychologists and teach for America even,
believe that the time period where the child develops much of who they are
happens before the age of 7. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">So we know the early stages of childhood are crucial to a
child’s understanding of the world. How do we apply that? Many liberalist will
say that women should give birth to children, and then, have the fathers stay
at home, or put them in day care, or even more laughable, go to work and just
forget about it. Lets explore each of those.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Women are more capable of soothing their children with
Oxytocin that is released during breast feeding, breast feeding also reduces
the chance of breast cancer by roughy 90%, and children recognize and are
naturally comforted from their mothers voice more than any other voice.
Scientists think this is because it is the first voice they heard since the
mothers voice would have been all they could hear during the 9 months in the
mother’s womb. What does that mean for guys? I’ll tell you. It means that you
have literarily no means of calming a baby that is crying and soon you will be
all too able to identitfy with Arnold Schwartzenager in Kindergarten Cop.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.cinemaspartan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/arnold-kindergarten-cop-3-650x364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://www.cinemaspartan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/arnold-kindergarten-cop-3-650x364.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Children who are simply put into day care without a
consistent provider to turn to for the first 3 years, come to resent their parents
and develop emotionally short of those who had a consistent provider
(Consistently at home for 3 years... which is why developmental psychologists
say, make maternity leave longer, or there is no point in giving it.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is where liberalist say, But but—women will be
independent and they… will have super powers and… they will be happier! If by
super powers you mean they will report
feeling that they did not understand their roles and had a greater
incidence of depression. Then yes,
they will have that. Most women who worked and were mothers for their children
reported as not having enough time and not having enough time to be a wife and
mother, and this identity conflict caused them to feel depressed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Now, I am not saying that women should never work in their lives. I think that
they should and If a family is struggling and they need the income they should
go for it. I have also read that women who worked after their children are in school
reported having the highest satisfaction, had children that developed properly,
and reported having a 100% likelihood of having superflying skills, X-Ray
vision, and super strength. Let's go super moms!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://www.kartoen.be/cartoons/happysad/glassceiling.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.kartoen.be/cartoons/happysad/glassceiling.gif" width="307" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me just end with a quote by John Paul II in Mulieribus Dignitatem, <i>"It is commonly thought that women are more capable than men of paying
attention to
another person, and that motherhood develops this predisposition even more. The
man - even with all his sharing in parenthood - always remains
"outside" the process of pregnancy and the baby's birth; in many ways
he has to learn his own"fatherhood" from the mother." </i>There is so much more that men have to learn from women, including how to love. As Catholics we embrace an egalitarian society, we acknowledge that women are the forefront of civilization and are the archetype of humanity. We acknolwedge that there are some things that women can definitely do better than men vise versa. What you do with that information is up to you.</span></div>
dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-20366119921709210952012-02-22T18:07:00.000-08:002012-08-18T15:39:22.801-07:00Faith and the Impossible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqCjenB0AWXcc-c8pkKq3XhYpcMCrvgMuu4E93Ssykw1jjzJj_ZGaDZkGoQp-chasS-LRb74DojlxqE6YQOz3zzlhpp2hzzaVwwS9SPWP9-ZVMsPQlz2xDLMD0M6VwlE7lgmmQuYX22sC/s1600/faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqCjenB0AWXcc-c8pkKq3XhYpcMCrvgMuu4E93Ssykw1jjzJj_ZGaDZkGoQp-chasS-LRb74DojlxqE6YQOz3zzlhpp2hzzaVwwS9SPWP9-ZVMsPQlz2xDLMD0M6VwlE7lgmmQuYX22sC/s400/faith.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We all have had that situation where we come face to face with the impossible. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A great deal of us give up in these situations. That makes sense</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. I mean if
you truly believe it is impossible to accomplish something, then you <b>should</b>
give up. It is logical. As Yoda said, we only have two choices, "do or do not, there is no try." Either something is impossible or it isn't. So I am going to try and make another analogy, so bear with me. A</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> general rule of thumb is, if it happened to Luke Skywalker during his quest, then it will happen to us in our journey. So here is a way awesome excerpt from Star Wars. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
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<a href="http://img2-2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/081002/empire-Xwing_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://img2-2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/081002/empire-Xwing_l.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Luke: You want the impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yoda: <b>Raises ship from swamp</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Luke: I can’t believe it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yoda: That is why you fail.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
So why aren’t we
all lifting, X-Wings left and right? Perhaps we
think like Luke, and believe that, "Yoda" is asking us to do "the impossible." Maybe we believe overcoming our sins is impossible... and so we give up. When I went to confession on Saturday my priest told gave me some great advice "let go of the past" and focus on the first reading. For this lent season he suggested that I focus on God and what he desired for my life. I thought this was a strange thing to emphasize but then I turned to the first reading.</span><br />
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">“You burdened me with your sins,</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">and wearied me with your crimes.</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">It is I, I, who wipe </span></i></span><br />
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your offenses;</span> </i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><i>your sins I remember no more.” </i>(Isaiah 43:18-19)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's when it hit me, salvation is a progressive act! At times I think that we think that God won't help us if we fall, I know I fall into that kind of thinking alot. But that is not the case. It is actually alot like the gameplay in World of Warcraft. It is alot of work and it takes alot of time, but eventually, you will get to level 80. And boy when you do, you will look back and laugh at the days when you were level 20. But even then you need to get new armor and face new </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">challenges. </span></span></div>
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God knows that we are trying to make it to level 80 and He just wishes that we would ask Him to power level us! If all of this analogy went over your head because you are not a complete nerd and used to dedicate your life to World of Warcraft... then let me just say that, even in our sin, God still reaches out to us... He never stops loving us even and offers His help. He only wants to help us in the most amazing ways. I think this is why my priest told me, to <i>l</i><i>et go of the past</i>. So many times Jesus calls us and says,</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and
go home." </i>(Mark 2:11)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ll6iCiIrX8bRjpLopbz4xFaS3FVlNcxoRhaAX0LyKkrEuJuLkj_-dfsqPV_JJkqoGJbLFfZLBxtTOg6hiCfD_urjkopxCcjLIhsWsLnOyw-aPBEif2vDYN9wT8tiUbVSZ8RP0x_k4pY/s1600/salt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ll6iCiIrX8bRjpLopbz4xFaS3FVlNcxoRhaAX0LyKkrEuJuLkj_-dfsqPV_JJkqoGJbLFfZLBxtTOg6hiCfD_urjkopxCcjLIhsWsLnOyw-aPBEif2vDYN9wT8tiUbVSZ8RP0x_k4pY/s200/salt.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p>Jesus makes His intentions for humanity known throughout all of scriptures. He reassures us that He loves us, and when He healed the paralytics sin and paralysis, He demonstrated that He can and will forgive us of our sins. However, whenever Jesus calls us to repentance He always says to us, rise go out into the world, or rise go home, or in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah leave and do not turn back or you will be turned to a pillar of salt. </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don't know about you guys, but I really appreciate my human form-- and would really, really, prefer to not turn into a pillar of salt... even if it was ony in a symbolic way (whatever that entails.)</span></span><br />
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In the battle against Sin, it is in the moment we look back, that we fall again. We have to confess our sins <i>and then</i> <b>fix our eyes on God</b>. We have to have faith that God is doing, <i>"something new!</i>" in our lives! This makes the best kind of repentance! Isaiah reminds us that our <b>salvation is in the future, not our past</b>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">“Remember not the events of the past,</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">the things of long ago consider not; </span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><i>see, I am doing something new!”</i>(Isaiah 43:25)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This is the Christian definition of hope and faith.</b> If every time we fell, we looked up towards God
and truly had faith and hope in His magnificent working in our lives, our conversion would be so much
easier! I might make another post on this subject alone, but by getting rid of our sin God brings our soul to a point where, we can better understand the
revelation of His love that He made clear to us with his redemptive acts. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><i>The supernatural character of the series of objective acts with which it formally identifies revelation, it recognizes an immediate action of God’s Spirit on the mind of man, preparing, fitting, and enabling him to apprehend and interpret aright the revelation made objectively in the redemptive acts. </i>Warfield, B. B. (2008).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">If we don't use that time to ponder His redemptive acts, then we will miss out on one of the greatest opportunities to grow closer to God. In order that you realize how much you would miss out on, lets just say that the only equivalent to not focusing on God after a repentance would be, if you created a time machine and went back in time to when Yahoo, Apple, or Google were first established... then after you arrived, you </span><b>DID NOT </b><span style="background-color: white;">purchase their stocks. Yes, it's that ridiculous. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">(SIde Note:Did I already say that the last mass was the best mass ever? I mean when I got out I felt like I just watched the entire Star Wars series for the frist time! I mean do you know just about every quote I used in this post has been from mass?!?!-- Sorry back to my point)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">What determines how long
our conversion lasts is, do we turn our gaze towards our sins and say to God as
Luke said to Yoda, “</span><i>you want the impossible!</i><span style="background-color: white;">” Or do we turn towards God and look towards His redemptive acts on the cross and have faith in God during the impossible battles we face?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I think its time now for, yes, yes it is. That's right, it's time for yet ANOTHER reference to last Sunday's Mass. </span></span><br />
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><b style="line-height: 22px;">Collect:</b><span style="line-height: 22px;"> Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. </span></span></i><span style="line-height: 22px;"><i>Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.thecoast.ca/binary/0d66/Kung-Fu-Panda-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.thecoast.ca/binary/0d66/Kung-Fu-Panda-2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is by pondering spiritual things, God, Jesus, His unconditional love for us, that we trust in God and thus become Dragon Warriors able to accomplish the impossible. It is then that we overcome our sins! </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As I write this, I am undergoing one of the largest conversions of my life. A shift in the very way I look at life. I wrote about it briefly in my last blog, but let me just say that God's forgiveness, mercy, and love is almost too much. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before I was worried how I would balance doing what God wanted for my life while still embracing my role as a Christian man in society--Then I heard this reading about 3 or 4 weeks ago:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><i>"An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. <span class="s1"><b>33</b></span> But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— <span class="s1"><b>34</b></span> and his interests are divided. " </i>(1 Corinthians 7:34)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">I began to throw a fit. I wanted an active role in Catholic society where I could contribute someway and forward the grace of God that has bestowed upon me in my own life. But when I read this, I started thinking, "<i>Ok, thanks for stating the obvious and amplifying the feeling that that had been eating away at my soul..."</i> and went into my "kid temper tantrum mode." </span><span style="background-color: white;">(This is a mode that I go into when I either I can't understand scriptures or I can't understand God's will for my life)</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Slowly, and very slowly at that, I realized that the passage also had the solution the this paradox. St. Paul did not want us to worry, he instead states explicitly,</span></div>
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<i><span class="s1"><b>"17</b></span> Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them...<span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>Keeping God’s commands</b> is what counts.</span><span class="s1" style="background-color: transparent;"><b>20</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. ( 1 Corinthians 7:34)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">That passage helped me change my life. I repeated the words over and over, live as a believer. Live as a believer. Live as a believer. I kinda wanna say it again... live as a believer! Ok. I am done, </span><i>for now</i><span style="background-color: white;">. A believer has faith and trusts in God. A believer keeps God's Commandments and if he falls, he seeks forgiveness and tries again. It is then necessary as believers after we fall, that we make the big leaps of faith like Tobit, Tobia, Abraham, and become followers of Christ like the apostles who left everything behind for Jesus. If we take leaps of faith without a worry in our heart, then we can trust in God with the little things too. Ironically, this is also how we conquer sin. =0 </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Perhaps we still have lingering doubts. Perhaps we think that God will not forgive us and will abandon us for our past sins... But this is not the message of last sunday's readings!</span></span></div>
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<i>Once I said, "O LORD, have pity on me; <span style="background-color: white;">heal me, though I have sinned against you."B</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white;">ut because of my integrity you sustain me </span><span style="background-color: white;">and let me stand before you forever. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><i>from all eternity. Amen. Amen. (</i>Re sponsorial from Psalm 41) </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Jesus takes the time to forget our sins for our integrity---</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="background-color: white;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">You burdened me with your sins,</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">and wearied me with your crimes.</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">It is I, I, who wipe out,</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">for my own sake, your offenses;</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></i></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i>your sins I remember no more.</i> (Isaiah 43:24-25) </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So, let's take the opportunity of lent to ponder spiritual things. Let's ponder the profound forgiveness Jesus offers us, and ask ourselves</span><span style="background-color: white;">, "<i>what does God desire for my life?</i>" Yes repent of your sins, but, don't just lament about the past, embrace what God calls you to now in the present! Have faith that God is working in your life! The new feeling of letting go of your past sins and placing trust and faith in God will completely change your life in unimaginable ways. Who knows you may even come to find that the impossible is entirely all too possible.</span></span></div>
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For Citation Purposes: Warfield, B. B. (2008). <i>The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield, Volume 1: Revelation and Inspiration</i> (6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.</span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-32684058892113132792012-02-13T23:46:00.000-08:002012-08-18T15:38:42.685-07:00How to Become a Dragon Warrior<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Last night I went to adoration and picked up a book called, "</span><i style="text-align: left;">Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart.</i><span style="text-align: left;">"</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;"> It was then that I came to the realization that drinking a large vanilla iced coffee from Mcdonalds, before going to adoration, is a </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;">very bad idea</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Being completely wired with Coffee, makes it very difficult to focus.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;"> And so, I had begun to ask God to help me to pray because I was... wired. At first all I could think about was the fact that I got locked into my prayer closet with my girlfriend and had to break the door down, and kinda chuckled and wondered if God really did lock me in a closet to teach me some sort of lesson.. or if that was just my bad luck. Oh--and just in case anyone wanted to know:</span></span><br />
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Sorry, back to the main point.The first section I read made a really awesome analogy of the soul as being a lake and if it had ripples in it, then it could not reflect the sky. Our soul reflects God when it is at peace. This video came into my mind when I pictured it.
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">At times we become like Shifu and simply let that worry run its course. Master Oogway has a great word of advice for us,</span>
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"<i>Your mind is like this water my friend, when it is agitated it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle the answer becomes clear.</i>"
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What we don't realize is that
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> worry, doubt, and <i>anxiety <b>
takes away</b> the solution to our problems</i>
, just like how the ripples blinded Shifu from the Dragon scroll. If we put an end to worry in our life, we could finally see the p</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
eace and grace that naturally comes to us if we place trust and confidence</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> in God. </span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">God has always desired for the inner peace and building up of our souls.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. (Isaiah 30:15)"</span></i></span><br />
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But, there is something about fear, worry, or doubt that</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
produces a ripple in our souls that takes away our ability to hear God. </span>
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It diverts our attention away from God who is the only one that can bring peace to our hearts. In Old Testament physical manifestations were often signs of spiritual realities. 1 Kings19:11-13 is a perfect example of what takes place in our souls when we doubt:
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<i>
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
(1 Kings 19:11-13)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">These physical anomalies resemble the effects of the worry that plague us when we doubt God. In our minds our thoughts become what Elijah witnessed physically. They become mountains being torn apart and shattered, winds fiercely blowing, earthquakes, and fires ripping away at our peace that comes from trust in God. It is with trust in God that we can see most clearly, this is how we, "let go" of all other things and progressively find the solution to our problem. And so... that's right! It's Star Wars time!</span></div>
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I noticed in prayer that night, that my worry, doubt, or anxiety about the future was not what God wanted for me. (Side note: Yes, yes, an OBVIOUS conclusion for the audience, whatever, the enemy in a film is always more obvious to the audience then the protagonist) But in addition to this I realized that these vices blocked God from entering my life more fully.</span><br />
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Here is why, speaking very generally whenever someone is not at peace--- be it from worry, doubt, or anxiety--- it is because they feel something is lacking in their lives. The underlying assumption then is that once you get whatever it is that you are lacking, you will have inner peace. However, if we think this way about anything besides God, then we are seeking it as an end. In that sense, we desire to fulfill ourselves, the lack of peace that God Himself is meant to fulfill. Thus once we fill whatever arbitrary need we seek, we will once again feel disturbed and out of place because we did not fullfil our need with what we were supposed to fill it with, which is God. We try to fit a square into a circular hole, even though we laugh at kids for doing it all the time! (or I suppose that might just be me and my cruel sense of humor.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">The devil will always try and distract us from hearing God's voice. He uses many "mountains, fires, winds, and earthquakes" to get our attention away from God. He uses only methods that slip under our radar... but if they aren't under our radar, they don't work as well. And so, I would like to share with you three things that have gotten under my radar, and have driven me further from God (hopefully for the last time): Worry, doubt, and anxiety. Hah not so under the radar now are you!? Ka-bam! Can you handle that? I know you are problably still wondering... But how do I become a dragon warrior...And so... Let me spell it out, with these vices no longer under the radar we finally become Dragon Warriors by focusing on the virtue of trust in God.</span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-76309869161980540012012-02-10T22:01:00.000-08:002012-08-18T15:34:41.173-07:00Obamacare vs. Constitution Episode I – “The Federal Menace”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><i>I</i></u></b><b><u><i>ntroduction:</i>
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Good news everyone, Obama's Healthcare act forcing Catholic institutions to provide Contraceptives in their insurance plans to employees has been revoked.
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I would like to applaud the many successful arguments by Catholics that address the violation of the constitution by the mandate forcing Catholic
institutions to pay for contraceptives for their employees.. and w
hile this is good progess, we still have aways to go! Catholic Laymen, who are not employeed by Catholic Institutions
as well as Catholic insurance agencies
<i>
will still have to pay for contraceptives
!
</i>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<br />
Catholics will still have to violate their consciences.
The m
andate only exempts <i>Religious Organizations, Employers, and Institutions</i>.
On the positive side, we know more about Obama.
And so... Here is an argument on the constitutionality of forcing the American public and Catholic Laymen to pay for contraceptives in general.
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<i><u>Politically speaking… <o:p></o:p></u></i></span></b></div>
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<b>1.)Violation of the Due Process Clause:
</b>
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<i>
"No person
shall... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of
law."
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<li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">
Violation: Since the new law would make a fee for the refusal to purchase insurance, which could be anywhere from $750-$3800 per a family, it would deprive people of "property" without, "due process." That's right Jar Jar, your attempts at destroying society has failed again.
</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>
2.)</b>Violation of the Ninth amendment:
<b><br /></b>
<i>“The enumeration in the Constitution, of
certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by
the people.”</i>
<span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 14.4pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Violation: The right of the people to refuse purchase of a product.
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3.) Violation
of the Tenth Ammendment:
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“The
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
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Violation: The power to <b>force people to pay for contraceptives</b> <b>is not expressively included in the constitution.</b> Thus
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">—
<span left="left" text-align:="text-align:">
bureaucrat,
</span>
but is instead one that is up to a vote by you and me! Yay democracy!
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a case where the federal government
tried to impose penalties for not purchasing products, The supreme court
reported it as a violation of the tenth amendment:
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<i>
“Justice
<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Day_O%27Connor">
Sandra Day O'Connor
</a>
<span class="apple-converted-space">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>
wrote that the federal
government can encourage the states to adopt certain regulations through the
spending power (e.g. by attaching conditions to the receipt of federal funds,
see (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota_v._Dole"><span style="color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">South Dakota v.
Dole</span></a>), or through the commerce power (by directly pre-empting state
law). However, Congress cannot directly compel states to enforce federal
regulations.” </i>
<span style="font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span>
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Source:</i></b></span></div>
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Forced_participation_or_commandeering</i>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><u><b>Financially Unsound Usage of Tax Dollars</b><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></div>
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There
are many different companies that have to profit from this, insurance companies,
Insurance agents who handle the policies, the people who designed the policies,
the government. Otherwise, how is the policy supposed to survive? This means
that the public is going to pay much MORE for services that we already have available at most pregnancy clinics.
Woooaaa,
hold on a second there. We are now going to pay roughly 4 times as many parties for this service now? When has that ever been a good idea?
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In my next blog I will dive into the effectiveness of contraceptives and consequences of not only everyone having access to contraceptives
—
which everyone already does have
—
but also, the effects of government enforcement on the increased prevalence of sex as a consequence in our country. In the meanwhile, here is a website of the Catholic Bishops analysing the affects of Obama's newly purposed plans to keep you occupied.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-026.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-026.cfm</a></span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-4596695032804035092012-02-08T15:39:00.000-08:002012-08-18T15:34:19.608-07:00The Dark Side<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So today's topic is conflict resolution and Catholics or... The Dark Side! I want to discuss one method of conflict resolution that isn’t used enough, plain simple silence. Father Qui-Thac had a homily about its powerful effects a couple weeks ago, I just thought I would make a post on it because I was kinda forced into using it a few weeks ago.
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There are some people that are just more difficult to get along with in this
world. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good people too
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but, there are people who are set in
their ways. Seemingly unchangeable, annoying, punks, who are enchanted with -1 to forgiving, and would never show mercy. (See below)
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These are people (or space aliens) that cannot be
reasoned with-- the ones that no matter how much you do for them, they will
eventually hate you forever based off some arbitrary reason. This arbitrary
reason in their mind will be a violation of common sense. (I mean I am sure that everyone has done this sometime in their lifetime...This is not to say that Catholics don't do it too.) I think this eventually
happens to people who don’t realize that in order to love someone, it is
absolutely necessary for you to tolerate at least some parts of them that
irritate you.
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Some base this off of scriptures,
saying we can judge others... But I have yet to have found scriptures that support that view.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></span></div>
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"But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister </span>
will be subject to judgment."
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(Matthew 5:5-7)
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You will be subject to judgement because in
your heart you have put them on the level of a thing, an object to be mad at...
Its just like what the United States did when we went to war with Germany.
Hamburgers were named after a city in Germany, but that was suspended and
named, for a time, Salisbury steak. Why? Dehumanization of an enemy. Last time I checked this is not (in
most scenarios anyways) a virtue.
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Jesus
never responded to any conflict with an eye for an eye, or justice, solution. When Peter struck the guard
and cut off his ear, Jesus stopped him. Why? When Peter said that he would not
let anything happen to Jesus what happened? Jesus actually got angry with
Peter. He was stopping him from saving the world! When Judas betrayed Jesus,
did he even rebuke Judas? No, he rebuked Peter. Imagine that you are standing
by Jesus and you are watching as the guards strike at him… wouldn’t you attack
them? Wouldn’t you do all you could to protect Jesus? Isn’t that justice?
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In
order to answer why Jesus did this we only have to look at the scriptures, </span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“
<i>
for God so loved the world, he gave his only
son.”
</i>
(John 3:16)
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He loved the world and so he made a sacrifice. Why was the sacrifice
necessary? Because of Sin. What is sin? Sin is evil. This is the legendary
question, why does evil exist? God does not want to destroy evil but save it:<o:p></o:p>
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<i>
While Jesus was having dinner at
Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his
disciples, for there were many who followed him. </i><i>When the
teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax
collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and
sinners?”On hearing this, Jesus said to them,
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“It
is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners.”(Mark 2:15-17)</i>
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When you add yeast to bread, the yeast makes the entire loaf
rise. Or for food that might taste bland you would add salt to increase the
flavor of the entire meal. Evil exists because God loves the world so much that
he doesn’t want to destroy it, but instead convert it. So, how should we go
about conflict resolution?
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There is something about watching a
clear cut battle between good vs evil that sparks that "Aha!" moment within us where we can see good. We see a
tyrant besides a humble, life giving servant, then we can then see which is right and which is wrong. But then there comes the question, how do we approach conflict when it comes our way? Many of us today see another performing a, “evil” deed and then,
approach it with what some describe as righteous anger.
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"Let every person be quick to hear, slow to
speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness
of God" (James 1:19–20, ESV)<o:p></o:p>
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If someone else hurts you, you shouldn’t try to hurt them
back. You should try to restore
their soul, or have we learned at all from Jesus’ example on the cross? I am
pretty sure, last time i checked anyways, that killing someone on a cross is something that should be punished by death…
but… ironically the opposite happened. Assuming that others should receive
justice for their sins and you should receive forgiveness for yours is a double
standard. We need to love the person, accept them for who they are, and love them despite the fact that there are some issues we might have with them.
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I
just tried this hardcore, for the first time, because of my girlfriend. I am usually abit
of a, "if you’re doing something wrong I should immediately point it out to the
other person," type person. Abit judgemental I suppose. And, you know, it made
me realize something. What would saying any words possibly do? Has anyone every
persuaded another person with just words? No. Even Jesus taught by example, not
just words. We need to provide an example to the secular, moral relativistic society today and show them how to fight fire! Which is not with fire-- I mean that doesn't even make sense-- but with water. =)
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-77773927633710754232012-02-04T17:18:00.000-08:002012-08-18T15:33:44.475-07:00A Catholic Perspective on Love<br />
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Today I have decided to write A Catholic Perpective on Love. You see, Lizzie was having a bad day so I texted her to cheer her up. I told her to feel
lucky that we have each other: not only because we have each other’s remarkable
presences to enjoy, but also because we have physical proof of God always
acting in our lives. For me, that proof is her. For her, that proof is (I hope
at least, and if not then I have horribly misread my girlfriend) me. Then I
thought for a second… hey… wait… isn’t that—Yep. That’s right—that could be
part of the reason that Marriage is a sacrament. Now I’m not saying that we’re
married... Not yet anyways... But just bare with me for a second while I sort out this analogy.
(p.s. I’m really good with analogies. But actually not really. So that’s why
you have to bare with me.)
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Firstly
we should define what a Sacrament is. Many people wonder why Catholics have to
confess their sins to a priest when they can confess to God Himself. Or why do Catholics need to go to church in order to receive Christ in the form of the
Eucharist. A very good general response, without diving too deeply into any one
of the seven sacraments is this: The reason is not that God requires us to do
it in this way for some random arbitrary reason, but because we ourselves require some kind of physical sign
of God grace due to our humanity. I’ve never heard anyone say, “Boy, I really
wish I had less proof that God existed! That would really help my belief in
Him.” Truth is, we are all a bunch of doubting Thomases. We look at the Bible
and say, “Hah! I can’t believe Thomas needed proof that Jesus was Jesus. I
mean, it was totally obvious. What a horrible Apostle… Can’t even recognize his Savior Jesus Christ after three consecutive years of constant companionship!” But then we don’t believe
that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ (even some Catholic doubt this fundamental
truth). The truth is, we need a physical sign that God has forgiven us. We need
a physical sign that God is with us, and we need a physical sign that the Holy
Spirit will be with us always. This is what a sacrament accomplishes.
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A sacrament
is merely a physical sign of a spiritual reality, namely that God loves us and
is with us. Marriage then falls quiet nicely into the definition of a sacrament then because we see in so many
ways that God is acting in our lives. God shows us what love is by giving us another part of ourselves to love. There is something quiet profound about the (mostly)
un-conditional love from another human being that we try to emulate when we are in a relationship. This unconditional love that we give to our partner is meant to be given to the entire world. Perhaps this is what it is so necessary that some fall in love, perhaps this is why God Himself placed you in each others’ lives. God said, “Yeah those two would
totally work together!” God <i>actually said </i>this through Holy Scripture:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Therefore <i>what</i> <i>God has joined together</i>,
let no one separate.” (</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mark 10:9)
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ok
lets repeat that, God himself not only approves of the person you are going to
marry, but He finds it so necessary for the two of you to be together, that he
himself placed the two of you in each others’ lives. Think of children who ask
their dad’s permission for marriage, or children when they ask if they can go
to the movies with their friends for the first time. What is the first thing
they do? That’s right, a jump and a fist pump!
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Just like all sacraments, Marriage is supposed to reflect God and ultimately
leads towards our unity with Him which includes necessary unity with others.
What does that mean for the married? What God has given, namely love, is meant
to be given away. I said it earlier and I will say it again: the unconditional love that we give to our partner is meant to be an example of how to treat the entire world.
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember talking with a good friend of mine who shall
remain nameless merely to protect her humility—about the countless couples
getting married within our friendship circle. I do mean countless, like how
many times Jar Jar Binks appeared in Star Wars despite the fact that he was a
universally despised character—yeah, that countless. We were talking about how
to tell if relationships are going to work and we decided that you could tell by how much they unite those around them. One reason for the great mystery of
marriage is this awesome verse, which you wouldn’t at first think is about
marriage at all, but totally is!:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Where two or more are gathered
in my name, there am I.” (Matthew 18:20)<o:p></o:p>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Marriage does not only unite
you with your spouse, but it is also intended to unite those around you because
Christ is working through you both. God knows the most direct path to your
salvation involves caring for another and making a new life through said union.
Isn’t that awesome??!<o:p></o:p>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some may find it satisfactory to say that
anything in our life is given to us by God, but at times these and other
statements become cliché and we feel as though they do not apply to us. When those
times come, it becomes more and more necessary for us to follow Bing Crosby’s
advice and count our blessings instead of sheep.<o:p></o:p>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">And so-- Ready your sheep! St
Ignatius said that anything God gives us is meant to lead us closer to Him. Any
married person was given his/her other half as a gift or grace, they were meant in a special way to lead
them closer to God.
(</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: 48px;">
This is a strange thought… does that mean the person you marry is himself or herself a grace? But those are thoughts for another day.)
Marriage necessarily brings you closer to God in many ways, like, through knowing
that God is acting through your lives simply from the fact you found each other.</span><span style="text-indent: 48px;">
I am emphasizing this concept in this way because no one really focuses on it,
but there are many other ways that you can tell that God has a working hand in
HOLY MARRIAGES: the children which you are given by God, the way that your trust
increases as you turn to Him and trust in Him to lead you and your family, the way you will necessarily have to forgive your partner an infinite amount of times just like Jesus forgives us an infinite amount of times, the
way the two of you watch each others’ backs for sin through vigilant prayer and
reliance on God.</span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a reason why
most people, when talking about their partner they say, “They make me want to
become a better person” or something along those lines. The origin of this
feeling does not come from the innate virtue radiating around the imperfect partner
(thank goodness), but from the fact that Christ is present in that
relationship. Jesus says to us in our broken nature,
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"<i>Behold, I make all things new!</i>" (Revalation 21:5)." </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus gives us a simple way to follow him, if used appropriately the sacrament of marriage provides one of the most powerful means to getting closer to God and humanity.
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"
<i>And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of
Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those
who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
</i>
" (Isaiah 35:8)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Granted the last quote is mainly about the Catholic Church and the giving of the Holy Spirit-- I believe it can be applied to the Sacrament of marriage. Even if you are completely unaware of God's love, you can still participate in the type of love that God had planned for all of humanity since the beginning through the Sacrament of Marriage... And in many ways see God and ultimately grow closer to Him. Ahhh its soo awesomme!! We need to make a feast day!! A feast to all of the married who
have seen God work in their lives so that they never ever, ever, forget God's active hand in their lives!..
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">…Nevermind, they already
have that. It’s called an anniversary.Whatever I totally thought up the concept of an anniversary before anyone else.</span></div>
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dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6661236530759747928.post-22198491123773319952012-01-29T00:28:00.000-08:002012-08-18T15:43:15.778-07:00Mission Statement!<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hey everyone!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have recently decided to start a Catholic blog. The main purpose of this is to explore the beauties of Catholicism, and in doing so, hopefully take an active role in the new evangelization? I dunno maybe abit of a stretch maybe not. I will try to write in a way that respects other's beliefs while pointing out all the really awesome beliefs of the Catholic Church... And I would expect the same of people of other beliefs. Show the beauty of what you believe rather than the negative aspects of another train of thought. There are after all, a thousand ways to not make a light bulb. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPiMFAkq7tokXC22jISvHJH0p5uhIFEmoiwONuSbjVlvHP30rXpsuwtZREZQIAJ4e6AGBiRR3QIsv4JmoxUguJjBN7OMVf44Dfl7uA2pF29lSBuMUabVGjcPLCDQHKtAjGgI13IfsMpg/s1600/lightbulb+in+socket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPiMFAkq7tokXC22jISvHJH0p5uhIFEmoiwONuSbjVlvHP30rXpsuwtZREZQIAJ4e6AGBiRR3QIsv4JmoxUguJjBN7OMVf44Dfl7uA2pF29lSBuMUabVGjcPLCDQHKtAjGgI13IfsMpg/s400/lightbulb+in+socket.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think we can all
benefit from helping each other from writing on our experience with God,
especially in a society that persecutes religion.</span><br />
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<br />
Oh, and by the way... I am not a great writer... So... any good writing can probably be blamed on my loving girlfriend for correcting me with her perfect english! </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">First post I hope to have by the end of the week! =D<br />
</span>dayviddayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03090008232004899365noreply@blogger.com0