Spiritual Warfare

Stumbling Blocks In Our Midst

2009-04-22T15:04:00.002-04:00

Pope BenedictXVI in a recent interview stated that he did not believe that the use of condoms and the encouragement of their usage would stem the epidemic of AIDS in Africa. He said a moral and responsible attitude towards sex could fight the disease. Immediately there were editorials condemning his statement from the New York Times, from politicians, and various officials of AIDS/HIV organizations around the world. Some failed to report that what he also said, means that according to Catholic belief encouraging people to use condoms, was in fact encouraging them to give into their carnal desires, and encourage sexual activity outside the bounds of holy matrimony. There was even a resolution from the Belgian Parliament calling the Holy Father's comments unacceptable. France and Germany also called Pope Benedict's remarks dangerous and irresponsible.

The United Church of Christ quickly jumped on the bandwagon of critics on the Pope's statement, and evidently just could not resist going further. On March 19, the HIV and AIDS Network of the United Church of Christ (UCC) advocated the distribution of condoms at places of worship and “faith-based educational settings.” (Church ran schools?) The statement of advocacy was given at a presentation to the UCC Wider Church Ministries Board. Michael Shuenemeyer a UCC executive said, “The practice of safer sex is a matter of life and death. People of faith make condoms available so that we and our children may live.”

“The UCC denomination is descended from Puritan and Congregationalist traditions. The UCC has about 1.2 million members today, down from 2.1 million in 1967. In the most recent year from the data available, the UCC reportedly lost 6 per cent of its membership. This is according to its 2009 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.” [1]

I can start to see why they have lost membership. Apparently, the UCC does not see that the first duty of any Christian church is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That duty also entails the discouragement of sin among the members, not the encouragement of sin. When a so-called religious body or group encourages sin, it is failing to heed Christ's warning not to become a stumbling block, and not to cause “one of these little ones to sin”.

The Catholic Church, along with the vast majority of Protestant churches, knows and teaches that any sex outside the bounds of marriage is a grave sin. When any church advocates the distribution of condoms, when it advocates sin, it is no longer an institution of faith, but it has become an institution of the world. When any Christian advocates sin and the world and does not advocate Christ, His Church, and His Kingdom then they effectively and completely deny Christ. They have then become teachers of false doctrine, and teach in opposition to what Christ taught. Man may change, the world may change, but God and God's Law never changes. We cannot change God or God's law to suit us; we cannot change truth to suit us. When we think that we can change whom God is, what His Law is, by using the feeble excuse that “the world has changed”, then we are making ourselves god, and we are in fact calling God a liar and His Law obsolete and unneeded.

Pope Benedict XVI was criticized by these different nations, organizations, and the UCC who saw this as an opportunity to show how open minded and tolerant they are, and how closed minded and intolerant they perceive Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church to be. What they have shown in fact is that the UCC and other like-minded organizations are more in love with the world and what the world thinks of them. Pope Benedict upheld the Commandments against adultery and Christ's teaching on marriage. Yet, these others upheld the world.

People of faith would and should make sure that the members of their churches, especially the young people of their churches and “faith-based educational settings”, know and understand that any sex outside of marriage is wrong. It is a mortal sin, and people who engage in sex outside of marriage are being disrespectful to each other and to themselves. They are not only harming themselves and endangering their lives, but most importantly, they are endangering their soul and eternal life with Christ. It seems that a truly Christian church would make Christ and His teachings known so that “we and our children may live”.

From Holy Scripture:

Exodus 20:14, and Deuteronomey 5:18: You shall not commit adultery.

Isaiah 5:20-24 : Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe to you that rue wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own conceits. Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at drunkenness. That justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him. Therefore as the tongue of the fire devours the stubble, and the heat of the flame consumes it: so shall their root be as ashes, and their bud shall go up as dust: for they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and have blasphemed the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Matthew 7: 15-20: Beware of false prophets,who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.

Luke 17:1-3: He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Romans 16:17-18: I urge you brothers to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent.

2 Timothy 4: 1-4: I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, and his kingdom: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be vigilant, labor in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Be sober.

1 Peter 3:17: For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

From The Catechism of the Catholic Church :

2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."(Mat. 18:6;1 Cor 8:10-13) Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing. (Mat. 7:15)

2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.

Therefore they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to "social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible."(Pope Pius XII, June 1941) This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger, (Eph 6:4;Col 3:21) or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values.

2287 Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged. "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!” (Lk 17:1)

[1] Catholic News Agency

Envy A Capital Sin

2008-06-11T21:32:00.001-04:00

When we Catholics begin our instruction in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn about and are given warning to be on guard against the Seven Deadly Sins, which are pride, avarice, lust, anger, envy, sloth, and gluttony.

I am going to discuss the capital sin known as “envy”. Let me begin, by giving a definition of the word “envy”: wanting what somebody else has; the resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else’s success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions. Also, here are a few synonyms for envy as well as also being faults or sins that envy can lead to: jealousy, greed, bitterness, resentment, and spite.

As we can see from the above definitions and synonyms, envy is not something that any of us should desire, harbor within us, or allow to fester and grow, because fester and grow is what envy does, and can only lead to more sin, and more serious sin at that.

Let me be clear, it is never wrong to see an achievement, a quality, a good virtue in our neighbor that we desire for ourselves, and then to go and emulate what they have done to better ourselves. Indeed, are we as Christians not called to emulate Our Lord Jesus Christ and strive to achieve His example of perfection in love, faith, hope, and charity? For if we do not try to emulate His example, what He taught, what He lived, and what He did, and is still doing for us, then we have nothing, and we are nothing no matter what our status in life, our position in our communities, or in our hope to achieve His Kingdom. If we have envy, then we have no faith, we have no hope, and we most certainly have no charity. If we have no charity, then we can have no love, and if we have none of these virtues as taught to us by Christ and the Apostles and as handed down to us for our instruction and edification by the Church, then we deny Christ, and His example, and His sacrifice for us all. If we say that we are Christian, and we envy our neighbor for whatever he or she has or does, then we live in complete hypocrisy. Indeed, to envy one's brother or sister, is to hate him or her. For as Saint John the Apostle tells us in his Epistle 1 John 2:9-11: “Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

For us to have envy can only lead to other vices and sin. Envy leads to detraction, and hatred, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great said far better than I can: “From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.” Do you envy your neighbor? For envy violates the Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's. You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.” In paragraph 2539 of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, it states: “Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin...”

So, what do we envy about our neighbor? Their wealth? Their home? Their friends? Their position? When we are envious we do harm to ourselves, and not to the one who is the object of our envy. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and that where our treasures lie, so do our hearts lie. We can not be so caught up in the world, that we forget our true home, and our true salvation. What salvation is there to be found in wealth, position, status, houses, or popularity? None. As Saint Augustine said: “God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves.” What purity is there in envy? Augustine also said: “The honors of this world, what are they but puff, and emptiness and peril of falling?”

As long as I am quoting from Saints like Augustine, and Gregory the Great, let us see what other great saints of the Church have to say about envy. For they certainly can say it far better than I ever could:

“It was through jealousy and envy that the greatest and most upright pillars of the Church were persecuted and struggled unto death. Let us set before our eyes the good apostles. First of all, Peter, who because of unreasonable jealousy, suffered not merely once or twice but many times, and, having thus given his witness, went to the place of glory that he deserved. It was through jealousy and conflict that Paul showed the way to the prize for perseverance. He was put in chains seven times, sent into exile, and stoned; a herald both in the east and the west, he achieved a noble fame by his faith. He taught justice to all the world and, when he had reached the limits of the western world, he gave his witness before those in authority; then he left this world and was taken up into the holy place, a superb example of endurance. Around these men with their holy lives there gathered a great throng of the elect, who, though victims of jealousy, gave us the finest example of endurance in the midst of many indignities and tortures. We are writing this, beloved, not only for your admonition but also as a reminder to ourselves; for we are placed in the same arena, and the same contest lies before us. Hence we ought to put aside vain and useless concerns and should consider what is good, pleasing and acceptable in the sight of him who made us. Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ, realizing how precious it is to his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world.”

--Pope Saint Clement I from a letter to the Corinthians

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“Envy is a gnawing pain which springs from the success and prosperity of another; and this is the reason why the envious are never exempt from trouble and vexation. If an abundant harvest fills the granaries of a neighbor, if success crowns his efforts, the envious man is chagrined and sad. If one man can boast of prudence, talent, and eloquence; if another is rich, and is very liberal to the poor, if good works are praised by all around, the envious man is shocked and grieved. The envious, however, dare not speak; although envy makes them counterfeit gladness, their hearts are sore within. If you ask him what vexes him, he dare not tell the reason. It is not really the happiness of his friend that annoys him, neither is it his gaiety that makes him sad, nor is he sorry to see his friend prosper; but it is that he is persuaded that the prosperity of others is the cause of his misery. This is what the envious would be forced to acknowledge, if they spoke the truth sincerely; but because they dare not confess so shameful a sin, they, in secret, feed a sore which tortures them and eats away their rest. As the shadow ever accompanies the pedestrian when walking in the sun, so envy throws its shadow on those who are successful in the world.”

--Saint Basil the Great from "De Individia"

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“You who are envious, let me tell you that however often you may seek for the opportunity of injuring him whom you hate, you will never be able to do him so much harm as you do harm to yourselves. He whom you would punish through the malice of your envy, may probably escape, but you will never be able to fly from yourselves. Wherever you may be your adversary is with you, your sin rankles within. It must be a self-willed evil to persecute a person whom God has taken under the protection of His grace; it becomes an irremediable sin to hate a man whom God wishes to make happy. Envy is as prolific as it is hurtful; it is the root of all evil, the source of endless disorder and misery, the cause of most sins that are committed. Envy gives birth to hatred and animosity. From it avarice is begotten, for it sees with an evil eye honors and emoluments heaped upon a stranger, and thinks that such honors should have been, by right, bestowed upon himself. From envy comes contempt of God, and of the salutary precepts of our Savior. The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime. What happiness can such a man enjoy in this world? To be envious or jealous of another, because such a one is virtuous and happy, is to hate in him the graces and blessings God has showered down upon him. Does he not punish himself when he sees the success and welfare of others? Does he not draw down upon himself tortures from which there is no respite? Are not his thoughts, his mind, constantly on the rack? He pitilessly punishes himself, and, in his heart, performs the same cruel office which Divine Justice reserves for the chastisement of the greatest criminal.”

--Saint Cyprian of Carthage

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“O envious one, you injure yourself more than he whom you would injure, and the sword with which you wound will recoil and wound yourself. What harm did Cain do to Abel? Contrary to his intention he did him the greatest good, for he caused him to pass to a better and a blessed life, and he himself was plunged into an abyss of woe. In what did Esau injure Jacob? Did not his envy prevent him from being enriched in the place in which he lived; and, losing the inheritance and the blessing of his father, did he not die a miserable death? What harm did the brothers of Joseph do to Joseph, whose envy went so far as to wish to shed his blood? Were they not driven to the last extremity, and well-nigh perishing with hunger, whilst their brother reigned all through Egypt? It is ever thus; the more you envy your brother, the greater good you confer upon him. God, who sees all, takes the cause of the innocent in hand, and, irritated by the injury you inflict, deigns to raise up him whom you wish to lower, and will punish you to the full extent of your crime. If God usually punishes those who rejoice at the misfortunes of their enemies, how much more will He punish those who, excited by envy, seek to do an injury to those who have never injured them?”

--Saint John Chrysostom

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“We fight one another, and envy arms us against one another. . . . If everyone strives to unsettle the Body of Christ, where shall we end up? We are engaged in making Christ's Body a corpse. . . . We declare ourselves members of one and the same organism, yet we devour one another like beasts.”

--Saint John Chrysostom

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“It should be our principal business to conquer ourselves and, from day to day, to go on increasing in strength and perfection. Above all, however, it is necessary for us to strive to conquer our little temptations, such as fits of anger, suspicions, jealousies, envy, deceitfulness, vanity, attachments, and evil thoughts. For in this way we shall acquire strength to subdue greater ones.”

--Saint Francis de Sales

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“Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.”

--Saint Ephraem of Syria

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Prayer to Be Freed of the Seven Deadly Sins

O meek Savior and Prince of Peace,
implant in me the virtues
of gentleness and patience.
Let me curb the fury of anger
and restrain all resentment and impatience
so as to overcome evil with good,
attain Your peace, and rejoice in Your love

O Model of humility,
divest me of all pride and arrogance.
Let me acknowledge my weakness and sinfulness,
so that I may bear mockery and contempt
for Your sake
and esteem myself as lowly in Your sight.

O Teacher of abstinence,
help me to serve You rather than our appetites.
Keep me from gluttony
the inordinate love of food and drink
and let me hunger and thirst for Your justice.

O Lover of purity,
remove all lust from my heart,
so that I may serve You with a pure mind
and a chaste body.

O Father of the poor,
help me to avoid all covetousness for earthly goods
and give me a love for heavenly things.
Inspire me to give to the needy,
just as You gave Your life
that I might inherit eternal treasures.

O Exemplar of love,
keep me from all envy and ill-will.
Let the grace of Your love dwell in me
that I may rejoice in the happiness of others
and bewail their adversities.

O zealous Lover of souls,
keep me from all sloth of mind or body.
Inspire me with zeal for Your glory,
so that I may do all things for You and in You.

--Amen--

Spiritual Warfare-Prayers For Peace

2007-03-31T03:47:00.000-04:00

There is no one in this country doubting the fact that this war in Iraq is dividing the country and creating greater factions. We can all argue about how we got into this war. Most of us believe we were given erroneous information, we were manipulated and that this war has done a tremendous amount of harm to the American psyche. Now what?

We all now that we cannot abandon Iraq without protecting the innocent. And we all know we do not want to prolong this situation in Iraq because more innocent people will be killed.

Lent provides us with a wonderful opportunity to make sacrifices, not only personal, but for the sake of others. Catholics grow up over the years hearing that because of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, we should sacrifice every day during Lent, we give up going to the movies, give up some favorite dessert or perform an act of charity to a person who would ordinarily have no one concerned about them. But this Lent is one that we should make a difference. It means getting actively involved by writing to your Congressman, your Senator or to Washington your thoughts on how we should bring this war to as quick an end as possible.

Each one of us reading this editorial can say, I don't know how to write to my Congressman, they are not going to read it. All of a sudden the excuses for active involvement start to appear. Have you ever tried to use spirituality as a way of asking God to bring this war to an end? For example, have you ever thought that if you made a sacrifice of going to Mass every day for the solider, young men and women in Iraq, asking God to spare them? Do you think God would give you a deaf ear? Maybe your Congressman may not appreciate your letter, but there is no doubt that God would appreciate your prayers on behalf of those who are fighting for us in Iraq.

All of us know the value of diplomacy. All of us know that friend and foe have to sit down at the same table to carve out a map of peace. And some of these discussions for peace, as in the case of Vietnam, might go on for years. But in the meanwhile, Catholics in particular should recognize there is a God in the Heavens who listens to the prayers of all of us. From the New Testament and in literature, we know that faith and prayer can move mountains and more things are brought about prayer than this world dreams of. I have a wonderful privilege of being able to call convents of nuns who pray for special intentions. They are praying for a quick end to this war in Iraq. Their prayers united with your prayers undoubtedly can have a tremendous influence in bringing peace to this world and an end to this war. We all want a quick end to it and a safe end for everyone. But each one, through the power of his prayers, can effect what diplomacy and military skills have not done. Your prayers are needed for the sake of peace to bring our young men and women home. Don’t disappoint them.

Rev Mark Connolly

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The Crime of Conviction General Pace & Morality

2007-03-16T02:54:00.000-04:00

Our nation's top military officer, a veteran decorated with no less than forty-eight military awards and a very distinguished career, made a startling revelation this week: He has moral conviction. The world gasps, hurls insults, and demands an apology. How dare one of the top leaders of our land have a moral belief and share it when questioned!

But that's exactly what happened this week when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the first Marine general ever to hold that position—General Peter Pace, commented in a wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Tribune, "My upbringing is such that I believe that there are certain things, certain types of conduct that are immoral. I believe that military members who sleep with other military members' wives are immoral in their conduct, and that we should not tolerate that."

But then Pace went on to tell the Tribune, "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts." Well, stop the presses.

Of course, all that the radio, news, and television outlets have focused on since General Pace's comments are his remarks on homosexuality. Never mind that he puts immorality of all kinds on equal footing. General Pace went on to say in the interview, "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way."

While the world should be applauding a man who proposes that one of the most important institutions in our country should have moral integrity, instead we hammer him for having a conviction.

But I believe this goes far beyond the whole question of homosexuals in the military and the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. This cuts to the core of the question of whether anyone in public office is free to speak his deepest religious or moral convictions. The Constitution says there will be no religious test for office, and yet we are applying one. We are basically saying that if you are the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, you are not allowed to express your moral or religious views—especially on matters of sexual preference and behavior.

This is another sign that we live in an age that no longer believes in objective truth or a moral order. Moral relativism is the rule, and personal preference trumps all. And government is there to ensure that no one place any restraint on the pursuit of our own desires.

I have long said that C. S. Lewis was prophetic when in 1943 he wrote about the irony of our education system, saying, "Such is the tragicomedy of our situation—we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. . . . In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."

Ironic that today, the head of our Joint Chiefs of Staff argues that the military should have consistent policies of moral integrity, and the world demands an apology. Maybe it is time to lock him up: General Pace is guilty. He has committed the intolerable crime of our day: He has stated his conviction in a value-free society that respects only so-called "tolerance."

As for me, well, General Pace makes me proud that I am a former Marine.

Charles Colson

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The Divinity of Jesus Christ

2006-11-12T03:31:00.000-05:00

Part One

Arianism A fourth century heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. Its author was Arius, a priest of Alexandria, who in 318 began to teach the doctrine that there are not three distinct persons in God, co-eternal and equal in all things, but only one person, the Father. The Son is only a creature, made out of nothing, like all other created beings. (Pocket Catholic Dictionary by Father John A. Hardon, S.J., pgs. 29-30)

As we can see from the above example, this was a fourth century heresy which was opposed by the church. Especially under the guidance of Saint Athanasisus, Bishop of Alexandria, who was undoubtedly the main obstacle to the triumph of this heresy in the East .

The first council of Nicaea was convoked in 325 to meet the Arian crisis. The exact number of prelates who attended the council is not known. However, at least 220 Bishops, mostly from the east but also from Africa, Spain, Gaul, and Italy, signed the creed that affirmed the divinity of Christ and condemned Arius as a heretic. The formula of the creed read, "we believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, that is, of the substance of the Father; God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten , not created, consubstantial with the Father."

Today, here in the 21st century we find that this heresy or a form of it is now being espoused around the world. One of the most disturbing trends is the teaching of this heresy within the walls of Catholic seminaries, universities, theological centers, and other institutes of higher learning. One of the aspects of this heresy which is being taught is the convoluted idea that Jesus Christ was unaware of his own divinity until he was crucified. There is also another aspect of this heresy which maintains that Christ had dark, even lustful and evil thoughts. Evidently the “teachers” of this particular brand of “theology” never bothered to consult scripture, the teachings of the Catholic Church, nor any of the writings of the early church fathers. Indeed, perhaps one can now see why I am fond of saying “lord, save me from theologians”. Here in Part One, we shall see that Jesus Christ was indeed aware of His Divinity.

When a theologian sees his or her self perceived “wisdom” as surpassing the true wisdom of holy scripture, the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, the saints of the church, and especially the wisdom of the early church fathers, then they not only fool and mislead themselves, but they also fool and mislead those whom they purport to “teach”. Not only are they teaching error and heresy, but, they are also throwing stumbling blocks before others, and endangering souls. For to deny even one aspect of the Divinity of Jesus Christ is to deny Christ altogether. As Jesus said in holy scripture, “If you deny me, I will deny you before My Father”.

The “teachers” of this idea of the “human Jesus” would like for you to believe that Jesus Christ was just the same as you and me, just another ordinary human being. They would like you to believe that He went about His ministry without knowing that He was God Incarnate, and that He was not made aware of who He was and Is, until He was crucified. They prefer to “teach” that the men who wrote the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were merely fallible men who had no inspiration from their encounter with God in the flesh to write their Gospels, and that none of the men who wrote the books that we call the New Testament were guided by the Holy Spirit. Indeed, they essentially call these men liars and accuse them of writing what they pleased regarding the life of Jesus Christ on earth. These so called “teachers” are anything but teachers, and are in fact enemies of Christ. For they throw stumbling block after stumbling block before those they teach, and are comforted by the thought that they spread wisdom and knowledge, and will be renowned for their teaching. So...they want you and me to accept the convoluted ideas and words of men who seek the worlds esteem, over the ideas and truths of men who wrote what they wrote from what they and those whom they met that had witnessed all Jesus Christ did, said, and lived! Sorry, but, once again, I'll take the word of those men who were willing to die for what they wrote and what they taught, over the words of men caught up in the world. These “teachers” and their blinded followers are living proof, that some people have too much education for their intelligence.

Let us take the time here, to just post a few passages of scripture which prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ was God, and was aware that He was God. As Jesus did forgive sin, which we know only God can do, to say He was not aware of His own Divinity is in essence to call Him insane. Because if He went throughout His ministry forgiving sin without knowledge of who He was, then only one who was insane would do such a thing. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show beyond a doubt, that Jesus Christ knew who He was, and that was, is, and will be God. The scripture passages follow, and these are but a few that show Jesus knew of His Divinity:

Matthew 9: 2 - 7: And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee. And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth. And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. And he arose, and went into his house.

Matthew 11 : 27: All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.

Matthew 12 : 5 - 8 : Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and are without blame? But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple. And if you knew what this meaneth: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: you would never have condemned the innocent. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.

Matthew 14: 26 - 33: And they seeing him walk upon the sea, were troubled, saying: It is an apparition. And they cried out for fear. And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not. And Peter making answer, said: Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee upon the waters. And he said: Come. And Peter going down out of the boat, walked upon the water to come to Jesus. But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? And when they were come up into the boat, the wind ceased. And they that were in the boat came and adored him, saying: Indeed thou art the Son of God.

Matthew 16: 13 - 19: And Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Mark 9 : 1 - 8: And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them. And his garments became shining and exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller upon earth can make white. And there appeared to them Elias with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he knew not what he said: for they were struck with fear.And there was a cloud overshadowing them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is my most beloved son; hear ye him. And immediately looking about, they saw no man any more, but Jesus only with them. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them not to tell any man what things they had seen, till the Son of man shall be risen again from the dead.

Luke 2: 46 - 49: And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business?

Luke 7 : 44 - 50: And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.

Luke 8 : 35 - 39: And they went out to see what was done; and they came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at his feet, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And they also that had seen, told them how he had been healed from the legion. And all the multitude of the country of the Gerasens besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear. And he, going up into the ship, returned back again. Now the man, out of whom the devils were departed, besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying: Return to thy house, and tell how great things God hath done to thee. And he went through the whole city, publishing how great things Jesus had done to him.

Luke 17 : 12 - 19: And as he entered into a certain town, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off; And lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, master, have mercy on us. Whom when he saw, he said: Go, shew yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God. And he fell on his face before his feet, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said, Were not ten made clean? and where are the nine? There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger. And he said to him: Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole.

John 5 : 16 - 18: Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them: My Father worketh until now; and I work. Hereupon therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he did not only break the sabbath, but also said God was his Father, making himself equal to God.

John 6 : 41 - 45: The Jews therefore murmured at him, because he had said: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. And they said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then saith he, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered, and said to them: Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught by God. Every one that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to me.

John 8 : 4 - 11: And said to him: Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou? And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground. When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst. Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee? Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.

John 14 : 6 - 9: Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him, and you have seen him. Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, Shew us the Father?

Coming in Part Two: We will look at the mistaken notion that Jesus Christ had dark, sinful thoughts.

An Answer to Abortion

2006-10-12T01:35:00.000-04:00

It is very easy for many of us to simply say women should not abort their unborn children and the fathers of these babies should not comply in this murder of the innocents.

Yet in many circumstances especially with our youth who are easily overwhelmed with the consequences of their actions. Abortion is offered to these confused teenagers as a feasible option to what is an emotional storm going on within their psyche.

Abortion is not the answer to their situation, but how can we help those who are struggling with this issue in a common sense and practical manner? The answer lay within a new Religious Order which began 15 years ago who have called themselves The Sisters Of Life. These Sisters are relevant and wear their Habits with humility and exuberance as they help women and men make the right choices in their lives which is to choose to have their babies rather than feel overwhelmed and coerced by the feminist movement to abort their unborn child.

We also must do our part and not become complacent. Let us pray for these Nuns who have chosen this particular Vocation and also offer our assistance both monetarily and in a volunteer capacity. To read more about the Sisters click here.

If you wish to learn more about the Order of the Sister Of Life, please click here.

Peace of Christ to ALL

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Cause and Affect of Poverty

2006-09-07T07:07:00.000-04:00

This may seem a strange topic for spiritual warfare, what has poverty to do with the spiritual realm? We are warned constantly that the devil makes use of idle hands and also idle minds. As Thessalonians warns us with these words, "We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ,to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us....In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat." (2 Thessalonians 3:6,10).

This does not mean we must be uncharitable to those in real need, but we also need to discern how to truly help those who are impoverished. When we throw money at different groups and organizations with no accountability then are we truly helping them to escape the confines of their poverty or are we helping them to maintain a dreadful status quo?

This issue has become very heated and polarizing as we can see through the efforts of Bill Cosby who has made great efforts to educate those who are trapped in the poverty cycle. To understand more about this issue please click here.

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How to Ruin Your Children

2006-09-04T05:57:00.000-04:00

1: Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow to believe the world owes him a living.

2: When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute. It will also encourage him to pick up "cuter" phrases that will blow off the top of your head later.

3: Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is 21 and then let him "decide for himself."

4: Avoid use of the word "wrong". It may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested for stealing a car, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

5: Pick up everything he leaves lying around - books, shoes, clothes. Do everything for him so that he will be expecting it.

6: Let him read any printed matter he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.

7: Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they will not be too shocked when the home is broken up later.

8: Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them?

9: Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that every sensual desire is gratified. Denial may lead to harmful frustration.

10: Take his part against neighbors, teachers, policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.

11: When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything with him."

12: Prepare for a life of grief. You will be likely to have it.

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The Seven Deadly Sins- Anger

2006-08-31T01:39:00.000-04:00

"But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna." (Mathew 5:22).

We read in these words how serious God takes our anger when it is misdirected towards another in a spirit of superiority.

There are many who will try and disguise their anger as righteous anger when in fact what it actually is a malformed sense of self love. When we become angry with another it is usually because we wish to prove ourselves right thereby making ourselves superior to another. What drives anger is a sense of self justification to prove your worth to all who will hear.

What many fail to understand is what righteous anger actually is. Jesus was right to be angry with the Pharisee's and their hypocrisy for He is Holy and Divine, whereas we are not.

It is righteous to feel anger over injustices suffered by others and to speak out against societies injustices perpetrated against the innocent. Does this then give us license to murder those who have enacted an injustice against another? Of course not! That is vengeance dressed up as righteous anger.

We need to realise that we are in control of our anger and not at the mercy of it. If someone offends us, then give it over to God in prayer, do not nurture hurt until it turns from hurt to anger and from anger to rage. When your conscience is clear before God then nothing else matters.

When someone has hurt and angered you then pray for them in all sincerity, for it is impossible for a soul to hate the person who has harmed them.

We also need to understand that though someone may hurt and anger us, we also do the same thing to another as none are perfect and we all fall short of the glory of God.

In the end the spirit you feed is the spirit that will prevail.

Peace of Christ to ALL

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America-Hating Americans

2006-08-25T03:09:00.000-04:00

NOTE: I am going to make an exception this once, and place a few of my thoughts on the situation of The United States and the War On Terror. Steve

Turn on TV, the radio, open a newspaper and you will read it or hear it somewhere. Even the internet has an overwhelming plethora of it. The “it” I am speaking of, is the self-loathing of the United States that is so rampant and prevalent today. We don’t have to wait to see a videotape or hear a voice recording from some terrorist in the Middle East pronouncing their hatred of and loathing for America and all Americans. No, we can find plenty of it right here, from the janitor at the local school all the way up to our Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen in Washington, there seems to be more and more people waiting in line to bash this country and to do so with all their pent up frustration, anger, and hatred.

I can go to any blog out there, and I will find a good number of them where the bloggers are more than willing to attack the President, attack the military, and promote all they can find wrong with this country. They see us “losing credibility” with the world, and bemoan that we make more enemies for ourselves every day. Well, let me be the one to tell you, if anyone…and I mean all of you who hate this country, and you do hate it…if anyone has gotten us more enemies who are willing to attack this country, castigate it, and as a result carry out an insurgency, plot to bomb our airliners, and attack our cities, we and they have you to thank for it.

Yes, you have the right to protest this war. You have the right to criticize the President and the military. You even have the right to hate this country as you so obviously do. But, you also have the obligation, to carry out those rights in a responsible manner. You haven’t. In effect, you have given comfort and aid to the enemy.

Our enemies attacked this nation because they were sure the American people didn’t have the stomach for a fight. They were sure that the United States would take off like a whipped puppy, and not dare stick our collective noses into their business ever again. By golly, they were right. You proved them right. Your action, your words, your self-loathing for being an American and hatred of all that America is has proven them right. We won’t be defeated in this war. We already are defeated. We have lost because you don’t want us to win, and because you, your words, your actions have already given the signal to the enemies of this country that we are beaten.

They didn’t have to attack us on our own soil. They didn’t have to bomb us, use chemical weapons on us, and use nuclear weapons on our cities. You saved them the trouble. You have made them more determined than ever to fight, to not give up, to never quit. Because what you have done and said has told them that they are winning. They may not have won any battles. They may not have destroyed anymore buildings with planes, but, they have won this war, and the thanks all goes to you.

The Americans of today, especially you who hate this country, are the most self-centered, selfish, and uncaring people this country has ever produced. Thank goodness, and thank God that this was not the generation of World War Two, or we might be celebrating Adolph Hitler’s birthday instead of the 4th of July. When the World War Two generation went to fight in Europe and the Pacific they went with a united determination to stop an enemy that was a threat to the entire world. They went with a determination that their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren would never have to face this menace again, and that they and all their descendants could live in peace, in safety, and in freedom. This generation doesn’t care about that. As long as this generation can live quietly and never has to stand for anything other than self, they are content. They are more than willing to let their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren have to face, and to fight, what they will not.

The enemies of this nation were right in their assessment of The United States. A nation with no backbone, and no moral courage. Congratulations. What a fine testament you will have made to history. Helping the enemies of this nation… destroy this nation. Maybe at last, you have what you have wanted all along. Perhaps you will only realize the error of your ways when a mushroom cloud rises over New York, and the future of the next generation is ashes in their mouths.

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World War III-Islamofascism & Christianity

2006-08-22T01:03:00.000-04:00

There is a difference between Apologetics and apology. In these difficult and dangerous times, many Christians are becoming confused over this issue, and rather than stand strong in their Faith they are instead living in apology for having any faith at all in case they upset some minority group.

As Christians, no matter what denomination you espouse we are in a critical battle ground where the rule book has been thrown out by our adversaries which is Islamofascism. These fascists do not follow rules of engagement their only rule is to kill all those who oppose them. Whether it be by bombing them, beheading them or blowing their enemies up by strapping bombs to themselves, nothing is too loathsome for these tyrannical extremists.

Many generations ago another fascist wrote a book called 'Mein Kampf' not to many took much note and many disregarded the book as the rantings of a mad man. One man of only a few who took this book seriously was Pope Pius XII, when as Cardinal Pacelli he exclaimed in incredulity at those who were misguided into thinking that one can deal with such a man as Adolf Hitler. Cardinal Pacelli was quoted as saying, "This man is completely carried away; everything he says and writes has the mark of his egocentrism; this man is capable of trampling on corpses and eliminating anything that is an obstacle. I cannot understand how there are so many people in Germany who do not understand him, and cannot draw conclusions from what he says or writes. Has any of them even read his horrifying ‘Mein Kampf’?" We now know the tragedy that happened during that particular point in time when the world did look the other way and decided to 'dialogue' with Adolf Hitler by acquiescing when it came to Czechoslovakia. As we look back at history did this attempt at 'dialogue' work? Did Hitler suddenly gain a conscience and did the spirit of appeasement work? No it did not. Are we then beginning to re-live history?

The President of Iran has said openly that he wanted 'Israel to be wiped off the map' he also continued with these words, "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism." Do we disregard these words as the 'rantings of a mad man' does that not have a familiar ring to it? President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also denying the holocaust by referring to it as a 'myth' as he stated recently in regards to this issue, "The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets," he said. "(It) deals very severely with those who deny this myth but does not do anything to those who deny God, religion, and the prophet." Once again do we ignore these tirades?

Many Christian leaders are of the opinion that in order to achieve peace we must begin 'dialogue' there is a reasonable belief in this in that no man or nation should rush to war. What happens though when the entity you wish to engage in 'dialogue' is evil, can one dialogue with evil? If their only response is to annihilate Israel of the face of the earth and destroy the 'decadent' United States of America, do we confront these statements or try and appease it? Has appeasement worked before in the history of the world?

We are at a critical point in our lives where choices need to be made. Many in the Western world need to wake up from their self induced denial of evil and realise that evil is indeed knocking at their door. If we do not confront evil, then we will be overcome by it as the future for our children becomes ashes in their mouths because we refused to wake up from our self imposed coma of self delusion.

No man wants war for war's sake but when evil confronts us do we confront it as did our grandparents in the dark days of World War II? Or do we pass the fight onto our children and our children's children so we can live 'safely' and die comfortably in our beds? Has this generation become that selfish? For at the heart of appeasement is a longing to live as we always have, comfortably and safely and to maintain the status quo, at what cost?

It is becoming obvious that those who embrace Islamofascism are in opposition to those who have embraced Christianity. The two are irreconcilable as Islamofascists tries to eliminate the other by any means necessary, whether it be hijacking planes or cruise ships or by strapping bombs to their bodies as they blow up innocent civilians in order to subjugate the world through sheer intimidation. It also does not work when Christians live in apology for their very beliefs, as if believing in the one true God had become a crime. Therefore the Christians bend over backwards to accommodate the Islamofascist extremists, why?

Many are still refusing to believe that we are in a war. A war that is so all encompassing that it strikes at the heart of our very beliefs and our way of life and yet some are still failing to see that Christianity is in the fight for its very life and it's core beliefs.

Let us examine a timeline of the Islamofascists and their war which they waged decades ago as the West slept:

1964: Several thousand Simba rebels storm the defenses of Stanleyville, a city of 300,000 in the newly independent Republic of the Congo. The rebels take more than 1,600 European residents hostage and announce that they will kill the captives if the Congolese government tries to recapture the city. Most of the hostages are rescued in a joint American-Belgian operation.

1972: Eight Palestinian "Black September" terrorists seize nine Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village in Munich. In a bungled rescue attempt by West German authorities, all the hostages and five terrorists are killed.

1979 - 81: After U.S. President Jimmy Carter agrees to admit the Shah of Iran into the U.S., Iranian radicals seize the U.S. Embassy in Tehran Nov.4 1979, and take 66 American diplomats and embassy employees hostage. Thirteen hostages are soon released, but the remaining 53 are held until their release on Jan. 20, 1981.

1983 U.S and French soldiers bombed in Beirut.

1985 - 1991: Shia militiamen in Beirut take Terry Anderson, an Associated Press reporter, hostage in 1985. They demand the release of Shia extremists convicted of bombing the U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait. Anderson spends six years in captivity — the longest period of any of the 18 U.S. hostages kidnapped in the latter stages of the civil war in Lebanon.

1985 Hijacked the Achille Lauro

1985 Jun 14, The 17-day hijack ordeal of TWA Flight 847 began as a pair of Lebanese Shiite Muslim extremists seized the plane with 104 Americans shortly after takeoff from Athens, Greece. The hijackers killed Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem and dumped his body on the tarmac in Beirut.

1987 - 1991: Terry Waite, envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is taken hostage after he travels to Beirut in 1987 to negotiate the release of two American hostages. Waite remains captive until November 1991.

1988 Pan Am 103 crashed over Lockerbie.

1993: World Trade Center bomb terrorizes New York

1993: US forces killed in Somali gun battle At least five US soldiers have been killed and two Blackhawk helicopters shot down in a heavy firefight in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu.

2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

2001 11th September attack on World Trade Centre

2002 Bali Bombings

This is only a short summary of the war that Islamofascists extremists have been waging on the Nation of Israel and Christianity itself. How many wake up calls do we need in order to see what is confronting us?

On December 7th 1941 the Japanese surprised America with an assault on Pearl Harbor. The President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war on Japan over ONE attack on it's territory. How many times does America have to be attacked before the citizens wake up and realise that this is war! Let us remember the World Trade Centre was attacked twice, yet still the message was not clear enough. Do we wait till Iran has a nuclear weapon and a mushroom cloud rises from New York? Then suddenly and too late many will wake up and realise they were sleeping while the Islamofascists plotted and planned their demise.

We have no excuse for this type of blindness for we have learnt about the holocaust which killed 6 million Jews, Christians and other victims. This has happened before. It happened in Nazi Germany, Cambodia, Sudan, Rwanda, how many have to die in order to convince us that when we have been consistently attacked it means exactly what it is, WAR!

The Islamofascists have deliberately kept their people poor and uneducated, in order for their youth to feel a hopelessness about their own future prospects. In this way they can appeal to young men to die for Allah and in this way they will attain their 70 virgins but only IF they are martyred. Ever wonder why Osama Bin Laden remains hidden like a rat in the mountains of Pakistan as he slinks from one safety hole to the next? Did Abu Musab al-Zarqawi offer himself up for martyrdom or was he accidentally trapped by the Americans? It seems the top leadership of these terrorists groups have NO wish to die for their cause.

While these terrorist leaders hide and plot their evil schemes to destroy the infidels the West worries itself about 'profiling' how amusing for the terrorists, they kill us while we are concerned for THEIR rights! Some even think 'if only we were nice to them they would then be nice to us' it doesnt work that way they do not know you, yet they have NO compunction in killing you and your family. Their hate is impersonal, they hate what you are and NOT who you are.

Christians are facing ever increasing threat from these terrorist organizations from the Sudan to Beruit. From Turkey to Nigeria from India to Indonesia, Christians are being martyred even Priests, yet where is the outcry? Still many in the West weep when Hezbollah terrorists are rightfully attacked for murdering and kidnapping Israeli soldiers. But there is a deafening silence over the persecution and murder of innocent Christians, who weeps for them?

Many Islamofascists cry crocodile tears for the poor Palestinians, yet why then do the more wealthy Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia not set up schools, new roads, hospitals etc? Why? Because they are using the plight of the Palestinians as an excuse to unleash their pent up hatred on the nation of Israel and also on America. The former President Yasser Arafat was given hundreds of millions of dollars from the West, not one penny of this aid was spent on easing the plight of the poor. The majority of the money was squirreled away in Swiss bank accounts.

The Islamofascists are good at taking lives they are not so good at saving lives. More Muslims have killed Muslims than any other nation combined yet that fact remains unspoken, as the terrorist leaders point the finger at the West for all that ails them.

Christians love God they try and live their faith, but no where does it say that Christians must become door mats so the terrorists can vent their spleen. We have seen what happens when the Islamofascists don't agree with cartoons or books that they feel malign their prophet, yet they feel no such compunction when deriding the Jewish or Christian Faith. It is never right to blaspheme anyone's belief as the Vatican rightfully stated, but equality of respect for other faiths and beliefs is not a one way street. So far it seems the Islamofascists are allowed their own blaspheming but will murder and maim anyone who opposes or satirizes their beliefs. As Cardinal Angelo Sodana spoke recently, "If we tell our people they have no right to offend, we have to tell the others they have no right to destroy us." Pope Benedict XVI also stated at a recent meeting with the Moroccan ambassador, "respect for the religious convictions and practices of others, in a reciprocal way in all societies." Yet destroy us they will IF we allow them too.

In the end there is no reasoning with hate for hate has no logic. Let us hope we recognise the dogs of war before they devour us.

Peace of Christ to ALL

When Did Sin Die?

2006-08-17T17:53:00.000-04:00

As many Churches in various areas close due to lack of attendance by parishioners this leaves the burning question, where are the people? The other question we must ask is why have they fallen away from attending Mass?

In order to appeal to our younger generation many Priests and Religious believe that by making Mass more 'entertaining' this will bring our teenagers back to practicing their Faith. This is a very patronizing way of treating our young adults, are they children that they need to be 'entertained'?

To try and make Mass more entertaining what those in authority have actually done is to make worshipping God irrelevant. They have de-Divinized God so much that Jesus appears to be 'just like us', why would anyone worship a 'mere man' who is just like us? By taking this attitude, Mass has lost all reverence there is no real feel of the Majesty of God. It is all well and good to try and make Jesus 'people friendly' or some sort of 'fuzzy wuzzy' people pleaser, but is this the real Jesus or is it an attempt to 'spin' Jesus to the masses?

One of the major reasons why our young people and others have left our parishes is that sin has been forgotten and the serious repercussions which goes with it. Many Priests and Religious are taught not to speak about sin lest they make people feel uncomfortable and instead to focus on upbeat, 'cuddly wuddly' feel good homilies and teachings that have no bases in the Truths of the Catholic Church.

When sin has been forgotten the Sacraments soon follow, why partake of the Sacraments when they have lost all relevance? If sin is no longer considered to be serious and neither those in authority or parents speak about it, then a falling away of the faithful will follow.

Even though low Church attendance is still going on as many ponder how to win back our youth different methods have been tried. Many Priests and Religious have introduced 'liturgical dancing' during Mass where did our Blessed Mother, St. Mary Magdalene or St. John dance beneath the Cross as Jesus endured His Passion? We have seen or heard where different parishes have also included 'clap happy Masses' where the old hymns have been substituted with pop songs as electric guitars and drums blare loudly during Mass. I am not against songs that Glorify God but why do we need bands who sound more like hard rock than reverent hymns? When we take these steps to modernize Mass we come close to negating who we are worshipping in the first place.

It is sad that even First Communion for our young children has been so de-mystified that many families are requested by their Priests and Nuns to dress their children informally. This removes all the Mystery from the Eucharist and makes what should be a most beautiful and one of the most significant moments in a childs life little more than a ho hum experience. No longer do we see our children dressed in their best outfits as they prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. Now we see our young children go forward dressed in jeans and T-shirts, no wonder it has lost its relevance for our young children.

The death of sin is the real reason why many no longer attend Mass. We have lost a sense of sin and what happens to our soul when we engage in sinful acts or behave in an unchristian manner. It is as if nothing we do carries any consequences therefore Mass has become antiquated and archaic in this modern age. We have grown up and grown away from God our only means of Salvation.

Some also think that if they live good lives then they do not have to go to Mass in that their good actions alone will save them. No it wont! If God has been removed from the centre of your lives no matter what good you do it counts as nothing once you decide to ignore God's Commandments, then you leave your hearts open to attack by the evil one. When people think they no longer need God this is pride in its most elemental form a case of ' I will not serve' which is an echo of Satan and the demons who followed him to hell.

The difference between Jesus and Satan is one who came to serve and to teach us how to be servants to each other in the Kingdom of God, which Jesus showed us throughout His life. We also have the opposite who is Satan who would like to think himself master of all and servant of none the very epitome of pride and avarice. When we fail to recognise these differences we are then in danger of believing ourselves independent of God and make ourselves our own arbitrators of what is good and evil. Many then make of themselves 'little gods' who serve themselves.

When we ignore the seriousness of sin, then we also ignore the crucial importance of maintaining a relationship with God through prayer and the Sacraments of the Church. If we feel we are not sick and in need of no healing then why do we need the Divine Physician? This way of thinking is to believe that if a person is diagnosed with terminal cancer then good thoughts alone will save it, NO it wont! If many can accept that fact, then why do they ignore the seriousness of what sin does to the soul? It is the cancer of the soul which will eventually destroy it.

Our language has become so corrupted by political correctness that Priests, Nuns, catholic educators and even parents will not mention sin lest it distress the listener. We must not return to the hell fire and brimstone days where many teachers made hell to near and Heaven to far away, but neither can we ignore it.

In a survey which was conducted a few years ago, when people were questioned what they thought was a sin, the only sin mentioned was murder. The survey also revealed that many people consider co-habitation without the benefit of marriage to be a viable choice. Casual sex was also found to be acceptable so long as both adults consented. Adultery was explained away as a life experience that may enhance a troubled marriage. All this nice language to disguise the fact that sin is SIN!

The biggest triumph that Satan has had in our century is the fact that many deny his existance thereby sin also no longer exists as everything is explained away as 'lifestyle choices'. Until our young people are made aware of just how grave sin is, then the Church will continue to decrease in Mass attendance. We also need to understand that by encouraging our children to disregard sin and that all they have to do in order to be saved is lead good lives is to lead them astray. Jesus did not say ' Go and do what feels good' Jesus said to all He forgave, 'Go and sin NO more'.

In the end when did sin die, because I missed that memo!

Peace of Christ to ALL

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The Seven Deadly Sins-ENVY

2006-08-12T05:37:00.000-04:00

At the heart of all those who envy another is laziness. Whether it be physical or spiritual laziness the outcome is the same as envy enters the soul and steals it away from God.

There is no such thing as spiritual envy one can have holy admiration for anothers virtuous life but that is not the same as envying another for their gifts.

The soul that allows envy to eat away at its centre is driven by sheer laziness in that the very thing they envy they can also attain if they open their hearts and allow God to penetrate into their very depths. This calls for self sacrifice something that the envious person does not wish to do. It also requires hard work as we allow God to weed our souls from every form of selfishness and grievances.

When we allow a spirit of envy to enter our hearts we have immediately closed off and thwarted any attempts by the Holy Spirit to fill us with His Gifts. The envious heart is one of denying God His proper place to remain the centre of our hearts. The person who is full of envy has replaced God with an inordinate love of themselves before all others.

Envy is like a creeping cancer as the eyes of the envious watch the envied with the eyes of a hawk and the heart of a vulture. It is willing to tear the person they envy into a thousand pieces whether by slander or calumny the envious person has no principles as it hones in on its victim.

The real tragedy with a soul that is eaten up with the envying of others is that it fails to act on the Gifts it has been given from Above and instead chooses to obsess on the Gifts it does not possess. This leads to an unhealthy and ultimately disastrous spiritual life as the focus of the envious soul remains fixed on itself and what others think of them.

The child of envy is spite as with little acts of slander they try and destroy a person for simply being themselves. These envious hearts take no joy in anothers prosperity instead their hearts grow ever more envious. Neither do they receive any joy from their own successes as with brooding heart and burning eyes they wrongly believe that nothing they can do or achieve can compare to the person who they envy.

It is a gruesome form of disordered love as their hearts churn within them over the sucesses of another.

The only antidote to envy is love in its purist form. A heart that upon seeing the joy of their families and friends rejoices with them with gladness of heart.

When we love correctly we understand that there is nothing to envy in anyone as the creator of all good things has God as its Source and not itself. This is the heart of a healthy spiritual being who is inlove with this Awesome God and gives all praise to God on High for all that happens to it whether it be good or bad.

In order to avoid envy it would be best to keep our eyes firmply planted on our Lord rather than on others.

Peace of Christ to ALL

The Media War On Women

2006-08-06T00:37:00.000-04:00

This may seem to be a strange title for spiritual warfare. Yet there is a very present war on women and that is the war of making women feel less than who they are.

Leading the siege on this warfare is most facets of the media. Women are being constantly fed the lie that they have to look perfect, we must have a perfect figure, perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect everything, we see this reflected in many women magazines and TV serials. The problem for women begins when they allow these media outlets into their psyche. This will turn a healthy woman into a neurotic and hysterical female who rather than enjoy life to its fullest instead stands in front of mirrors examining every perceived flaw.

In order to understand just how insidious this warfare is we need only look at the women who have achieved what the 'media' say will make us perfectly happy. The late Princess Diana had it all, an aristocratic background, she married into royalty and gave birth to two healthy boys. This woman's beauty captured the imagination of many as she became the icon of the age, yet beneath the glamour and the glitz she was miserable. Marilyn Monroe though not born into the wealth that Princess Diana had, also achieved her dream of becoming the most desirable woman on earth, yet she committed suicide. Barbara Hutton also a noted beauty and heiress searched her whole life for love yet died unloved and alone. These women are a living testament that what the media is seducing us with is a lie.

One of the great leaders in this de-humanizing of the uniqueness of every woman is women magazines who inundate us with pictures of how we are all supposed to look as if women were made on an assembly line. Almost like a scene from the Stepford wives we read these magazines where actresses and models are pilloried and hauled over the coals if they dare to show any cellulite, who said all women have to be perfect?

Many women read these magazines on a superficial level but the subtle message stays in the psyche of most women and that is they have to measure up to what exactly? Who decided what was perfect and what isn't?

We see this attack on women gaining momentum when actresses become skeletal in their obsession to be this perfect creature that all the magazines and media corporations demand. One need only look at the photos of some of these actresses to see where this insidious intrusion into their vulnerable minds and emotions lead them. We have all seen these stick thin actresses who look like they have just come out of a Nazi concentration camp, yet who demanded that they do this?

Many women think they are making themselves thin to please men but are they? Or is this a ruse in order to cover up what is essentially the missing element within themselves and it has nothing to do with calorie intake. What drives most women to take these drastic steps is a need to compete with other women. Lets face it most men simply want their wives and girlfriends to have confidence and to be fulfilled in who they are and not obsess over what they look like. What man wants a neurotic wife who in her attempt to be perfect becomes a living nightmare to live with, as she starves herself for whom?

We need only remember the furor over the actress Kate Winslet who refused to fall into line with the media moguls when it came to her weight she then was pilloried from magazine cover to magazine cover for daring to have CURVES! There is also immense pressure on many actresses who have become pregnant to lose their baby weight gain within weeks, and if they don't they are then lambasted once again in women magazines!

When magazines write that Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren or Jane Russell are now considered too fat for movies then there is definitely something wrong in their perception of a woman's figure. It is time for women to stop this weight dictatorship and to embrace who they are and to live a healthy lifestyle which will lead to inner fulfillment and contentment.

As I wrote above the women who supposedly 'had it all' died lonely and miserable as they chased after the illusive 'ideal' which is a figment of the media's imagination and the nightmare of those who buy into it. As this anonymous quote says, "The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves and not to twist them with our own image. Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them." Women need to reclaim their own identity and to be responsible for their own bodies this is what leads to that inner happiness we all long for.

When God created Eve, He did so with perfection. Eve didn't need a set of scales to tell her different.

Peace of Christ to ALL

The Seven Deadly Sins-PRIDE

2006-07-31T07:09:00.000-04:00

It is becoming more and more difficult to understand the different elements of sin that separate us from the love of God. Not because God has stopped loving us but because we have replaced our love for God with a love of self over and above God.

This is not something that the world will teach you in that the very language of the worldly is meant to mislead one into an acceptance of sin most especially self sin.

We are taught from a young age to have self esteem therefore in everything we do many of us expect to be praised and complimented on our efforts. The problem begins when the praise is not forthcoming and the compliments cease, do we still feel worthy and validated? Or are we offended that our efforts have been overlooked or at worse criticized?

We are also taught to be successful in everything we attempt, as one athlete was reminded when he was in training, 'no-one remembers who ran second'. This is an unhappy truth, therefore from a very young age competitiveness is driven into us and a fierce desire to 'be the best', what the world does not teach is that these efforts come at a price. The need to win at all times may cost you your soul, is it worth it?

Another element of pride is over sensitivity in that a person will complain of any criticism directed at themselves in a peeved tone that the criticism is unfair. Or they will perceive any criticism as an attack upon their person and reputation and lash out at your lack of sensitivity to their needs. They fail to recognise this fact, who made them so important that everyone must take into account their feelings and so withhold the truth from them lest it hurt?

The consequences to the soul once pride has gained a foothold can be devastating especially if the soul fails to recognise the Hand of God at work within their lives. Oftentimes pride is Ego centric optimism in that we prize ourselves more highly than is warranted we make ourselves the centre of attention and become peeved when others don't notice us.

At times even our prayers can become pride centred or to quote an old saying 'some pray with claws'. We cannot pray to our loving God if our hearts are full of criticism of another as if God had made an aberration for creating the person who has vexed us. Many fail to look within themselves and ask if they are that perfect that they can criticize Gods own child to Him who created this aberration with equal amounts of love.

Yet again another form of pride is over zealousness. In this case even 'holiness' becomes a contest where if a person prays 3 times a day the 'over zealous' person will inform you that they pray 6 times a day. If you attend Mass 3 times a week the over zealous person will tell you that you go 5 times a week and on it goes. This type of false 'holiness' is dangerous to the soul in that they think themselves righteous and that everyone is merely jealous of them and so they will not listen to any rebukes or warnings. As St. Thomas More once said, "The Devil, the proud spirit, cannot endure to be mocked." The Devil cannot stand to be corrected either.

Pride is one sin from which all others are born, as the Catholic Catechism teaches us, "Hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to the love of God, whose goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts punishment'"(CCC 2094). When we become easily offended and quick to go on the defensive it shows us that there is an element of pride within our own souls that needs to be dealt with quickly and decisively.

The most dangerous form of pride is the person that thinks they can use the Sacraments for their own nefarious purpose. When a person holds no true repentance and does not reform their way they have become their own 'god' and will do as they please in the foolish belief that ' God loves me anyway'. God does not love or admire sin! Nothing is hidden from God, so if a soul places itself in a position where it will knowingly sin they will incur His wrath rather than His Mercy. Let us remember what Jesus said to the Pharisee's and recollect ourselves with those very words that we too will not put Gods love to the test.

Pride is essentially stealing from God in that we acclaim ourselves as our own inventors doers of our own good and give no recognition to God who is Supreme Creator and Judge of ALL.

The ultimate weapon to defeat pride is humility. A true knowledge of oneself in the eyes of God. A humble heart remains contrite and grateful that God loves them despite themselves. Humility is praising God for the work He is doing within you and to give Him the glory rather than yourself.

The best remedy to keep pride at bay is to live a life of obedience to the Church's teaching in all that we do and say.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Islamofacists-The Fear Factor

2006-07-21T03:49:00.000-04:00

When we examine more closely the ideology of Islamofacists the question we need to ask is, what is driving them to attack those who embrace freedom and those who happen to be born Jewish?

If they are so sure that Islam is the ONLY 'real' religion, why then do they feel the need to destroy others who embrace and live a different belief system whether it be Jewish or Christianity?

When we look at the religion of Judaism and Christianity it becomes apparent that both of these faith structures are secure in what they hold to be true, therefore there is no need for either to impose their beliefs onto others by use of force.

What is also becoming equally apparent is that the driving force of the Islamofacists is fear, if they are so driven by fear then the question becomes why? If these Islamofacists sincerely believe that their religion is the ONLY religion, why then are they not secure in this belief?

Though fear is the motivating force which is at the core of the terrorists, hatred of the Jews and the Western world it is merely a symptom which then expresses itself in acts of violence. Hate may be the act but it is fear that kills. Along with fear and hate comes envy for the Islamofacists know that the only way they can hold onto power is through intimidation and aggression towards their fellow Muslims, which then spreads to wider regions as we are now seeing. We see in these words written many years ago a prophetic warning, even though it is fiction the words hold a chilling ring, "Yet across an immense ethereal gulf, minds that are to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us." Those these words were written by H. G. Wells describes an alien invasion we can also look at these very words and understand the build up of Islamofacist as they also regarded the West and the freedoms we now enjoy and with envious eyes..slowly and surely the Islamofacists drew their plans against us.

Islamofactists are not driven by love of Allah, if anything they have prostituted their own core beliefs. They are driven by a perverted need to control the uncontrollable which is a persons individual right to think and decide their own destiny on their own terms. This is unacceptable to the Islamofacists who need to subjugate and terrorize all those who simply wish to follow the Tenets of their own Faith. It also applies to their own more moderate Muslims who also face this same intimidation from the more violent elements of Islam as Irshad Manji challenges her fellow Muslims with these words, "In that spirit, I'm asking Muslims in the West a very basic question: Will we remain spiritually infantile, caving to cultural pressures to clam up and conform, or will we mature into full-fledged citizens, defending the very pluralism that allows us to be in this part of the world in the first place?"

In principle Islam is not much different from Godless Communism, which denies man his inherent right to be a unique individual endowed by God to choose to love Him above all others. God gave us freedom to choose our own course, yet Islamofacists sole purpose is to deprive man of the very thing that God has bestowed upon His beloved children, free will. Instead like communism the Islamofacists believe in a collective religion where everyone must believe and think the exact same thing and like communism any sign of individuality is crushed beneath the dictatorship of the Islamofacist fist.

This fascist ideology uses the excuse that centuries ago the Christian Crusaders tried to impose their beliefs by force onto the Muslims. There is truth to this as history bears out. Does this mean that for every country who has been invaded and for all races who have suffered persecution need to go on century long feuds and kill those who may have caused pain and harm to our ancestors. Every country has its own history of persecution where the innocent were murdered but if the motto is that we must avenge our ancestors, the entire world would wipe itself out. This is the excuse the Islamofacists use as they raise their children from the nipple to the grave that the Crusades took place yesterday rather than centuries ago, therefore their ancestors need to be avenged. It is also the excuse they use to the West as they lay the burden of guilt upon Western Nations who have fallen for this method of propaganda. Once again that courageous woman, Irshad Manji, writes, "My question for non-Muslims is equally basic: Will you succumb to the intimidation of being called "racists," or will you finally challenge us Muslims to take responsibility for our role in what ails Islam?" Unfortunately the Western Nations have bought into this guilt trip as they cringe before the Islamofacists as political correctness overrides common sense!

Muslims also say that they are a religion of 'peace' if this is so then why are Christians being brutally murdered in countries such as the Sudan where the Muslims are in the majority yet still they are murdering the minority 20% of Christian Sudanese. The Islamofacists are also intimidating the Christian Sudanese to convert to Islam in order to survive as the persecutions continue to Islamocize Non Muslims. Is this not the very thing that Islamic clerics accuse Christians of doing unfoundedly so? In Algeria the news is not much better for Christians as the Algerian government outlaws any attempt for Christians to practice their faith as it is seen as a threat to Islam. Once again if Islam is so perfect a religion why do the Islamofacists fear Christians? As we know the persecutions continue in such places as Pakistan, Indonesia and other Muslim countries.

The truth is that Islam has engaged in a not so subtle war against Christianity for centuries. One only has to read about the genocide in Armenia where with German compliance the Muslims tried to annihilate an entire people. Perhaps the Islamofacists have more in common with Nazi fascism than with peace. As Adolf Hitler once said to his Generals, "Thus for the time being I have sent to the East only my 'Death's Head Units' with the orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of Polish race or language. Only in such a way will we win the vital space that we need. Who still talks nowadays about the Armenians?"

Rather than be fooled by this guilt trip being thrust on the Western Nations, Islamofacists face a choice too, do they choose to live peacefully beside their neighbors or do they kill them? It is that simple! The choice is theirs!

In the end are we learning from history or are we repeating it?

Peace of Christ to ALL

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The Rise of Islamofascism As The West Slept

2006-07-17T07:20:00.000-04:00

What makes us think that every war should mirror the last one? When we look at the history of military battles each one was fought differently, i.e., the Crimea war was much different to the First World War, the Second World War was different from the First World War, then we have the Vietnam war which once again was fought differently. Now in our own time we face another type of war, that of the terrorist war and make NO mistake it is WAR!

The world made a mistake in thinking that Islamofacism was a war between Jews and Arabs. While different Governments tut tutted as the Jewish people once again became hostages to fortune as they were kidnapped from official Olympic buildings and held hostage on air flights, still the world thought 'this is not our problem it is a Jewish problem', and then just as quickly went back to sleep. Once again as it had happened in Nazi Germany the prevailing ethos was 'it's not happening to me so it doesn't matter' took effect and now the West is feeling the consequences of that philosophy.

When Tony Blair was voted in as Prime Minister a secret under the table deal was sorted out by his Government and Islamic leaders who had been forced to flee their native lands. The Blair government in affect was ready to look the other way while vicious Islamic fundamentalist leaders such as Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri ranted his venom and hatred of the West in the streets of London. It was during this particular time under Tony Blair's watch that London was given the nickname Londonstan. By taking the road of least resistance and appeasement Tony Blair also helped orchestrate the London bombings of July 7th 2005 by proxy. You cannot appease or live peacefully beside evil, it is about as impossible as trying to tame a wild tiger by holding its tail, the tiger will eventually turn around and devour you!

The war with the Islamofacists did not happen overnight it was a progressive offensive war undertaken by these terrorists against free nations everywhere. We only have to remember back to the Iranian Embassy hostage siege where Americans were kept captive from 1979 till 1981, where once he was elected President, Ronald Reagan negotiated their release. Once President Reagan came to power, the Iranian government could not determine how tough this President would be, as he was displaying no outward signs of timidity as expressed by the preceding President.

The terror offensive did not end there, as we view a time line of intensifying violence where in 1983 the Islamofacists were responsible for bombing the U.S embassy in Beirut, Lebanon killing 63 people and injuring hundreds . A few months later another explosion hit American and French compounds murdering 241 American soldiers and 58 Frenchmen. Both bombs were counted as a victory for the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.

In 1985 we saw where once again the terrorists struck a TWA airliner as the plane was forced to fly from one country to another and though some hostages were freed this does NOT excuse the torture and murder of a U.S servicemen who happened to be on board. During this ordeal the American Government tried to make the best deal from two evils, they pressured the Israeli government into releasing 435 terrorist prisoners. As we can see in hindsight making 'deals' with terrorists only encourages them to continue in the same pattern. It was the terror organization Hezbollah who were responsible for the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.

Once again in 1985 the world watched as the cruise ship the Achille Lauro was overtaken by Palestinian Islamofacists, where they then murdered an elderly gentleman Leon Klinghoffer because his name was Jewish. It did not matter to these black hearted Muslim fascists that he was celebrating his wedding anniversary to his beloved wife, Mr. Klinghoffer's 'crime' was to have been born Jewish/American, therefore he was expendable!

The terror does not end there as Westerners were kidnapped in Lebanon in 1987 and kept hostage for years, these were NOT soldiers but ordinary American, English and Irish citizens on work visa's, they were teachers, journalists and diplomats. These terrorists even kidnapped the English negotiator Terry Waite who was trying to orchestrate the release of these hostages. As we see, negotiation does NOT work with those driven by a hatefilled ideology and NOT common sense for there is NO logic to hate! After many years of torture and brutality the hostages were finally freed including the American Terry Anderson, the Irishman Brian Keenan, John McCarthy with Terry Waite among others.

Even though the West has been under attack for these many decades many sit astonished as the war with Islamofacists intensifies. It is astounding that rather than place the blame with the terrorists many are making the mistake of blaming the victims, the Nation of Israel and America as the terror groups Hezbollah, Hamas and the Jihadists sit and laugh at the stupidity of those who have fallen for their propoganda!

Yet through all these terrorist atrocities the appeasement policy of many Governments gained ground as political leaders cringed in fear before these fascist leaders. One in particular was Omar Bari who was living in England, (while also claiming approximately 3 thousand dollars a month on welfare benefits including a car for the disabled) and here are some of the remarks made by Omar Bakri in an interview after he had been expelled from England, "I believe that one day honest Muslims in the United Kingdom will, God willing, turn it into "Islamistan," like what the first Muslims did in Eritrea and Indonesia. The great dream of Islam will come true. Muslims dream to see flags that read: "There is no god but Allah" fluttering in the wind on top of Big Ben and the House of Commons, God willing." A chilling scenario indeed!

Yet have many people reached the stage where they trust terrorist regimes which thrive in countries such as Iran, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon and place ALL the blame for these terrorist atrocities at the feet of Israel and America? Did America deserve to be hit on September 11th 2001?According to many revisionist historians and liberals they did!

When we look back at history more Muslims have murdered Muslims than any other nation on earth. The Iran/ Iraq war which lasted from 1980 until 1988 killed approximately 1 million people the slaughter was so great that one can only speculate as to the hundreds of thousands who were butchered by their fellow Muslims. The different factions of Muslims have been in an internal warfare for centuries, with the Sunni, Shiites, Sufi's and other splinters of Islam warring against each other. Yet according to many Muslims they consider themselves to be a peaceful religion. How so? Are Catholics slaughtering fellow Catholics? Are Lutherans murdering their fellow Lutherans? Are Baptists killing their fellow believers? NO! It seems only Muslims kill their own!

When the Iranian embassy was under siege in London in 1980 why did the elite British force the SAS storm the building and save the hostages? Why didn't the British government simply let Muslims murder their fellow Muslims. Once again we see that it was Muslim terrorists who held their fellow Muslims hostage. And it was a Western Power who came to the aid of the Muslims held captive!

The Muslims believe that America wishes to destroy them, then why did America go to the aid of the Muslims in the former war torn Yugoslavia? It was not an 'American war' it was very much a European issue, yet the Europeans waited on America to act and America did go to the aid of the beleaguered Muslims. When the massacre happened in Srebrencia where Ratko Mladic committed genocide against the Muslims, the Americans bombarded the Serbs till their leader Slobodan Milosevic was forced to enter into peace negotiations. We are now aware of what happened to that vile genocidal maniac the former President Milosevic. If the world did not care for Muslims, then why was Milosevic prosecuted?

Once again in Mogadishu America came to the aid of the Somali people, only to find the Muslims turn on the Americans and other Western Nations who in an effort to help the suffering people instead found themselves under attack! Can anyone forget the horrific scene of those poor dead U.S soldiers being dragged through the streets? Yet once again somehow Americans are to blame for trying to help? Here we read a recent excerpt from a Somali news report dated 2006, "Somali Muslims who fail to perform daily prayers will be killed in accordance with Qur'anic law under a new edict issued by a leading cleric in the Islamic courts union that controls Mogadishu." That's Muslim tolerance for you!

Let us also look at the scale of this issue of land. The Middle East is approximately 2,061,000 square miles, Israel on its own only takes up approximately 8,000 square miles, yet Muslims cannot bear to allow the Israeli's 8,000 square miles? Why is this so? For it is NOT the Israeli's who are telling the Iranians to leave their own land, nor are they screaming for Syria to leave their land. Yet both Iran and Syria cannot allow the Israeli people a mere 8,000 square miles? The Israeli people are willing to live peacefully beside their Muslims neighbours it is the Muslims themselves who wish to obliterate Israel from the face of the map, why? We must remember Israel is a Sovereign nation.

As for the 'Palestinian' people, when Yasser Arafat was alive he received billions of dollars in aid from Western countries to build a proper infrastructure for the Palestinian people. Yet where are the new hospitals, nursing homes, schools, playgrounds community centres, roads? Oh yes, of course the money was siphoned off into a Swiss bank account! Yet we also see these terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah are able to buy sophisticated weaponry, they can also make suicide bombs and other assorted bombs and machine guns. Who is providing and paying for this arsenal of evil?

We also often hear the word 'Jihad' mentioned yet does not Jihad mean a spiritual battle within the Muslim person and the spiritual cleansing of the soul? If so, then why are Muslims using and abusing this word in order to murder innocent people? Another question to ask is why are there NO Muslim Clerics willing to criticize this abuse of such a 'holy' word? Actually there are NO Muslim clerics willing to criticize any of the above mentioned acts of terrorism done by Hezbollah, Hamas or the Islamic Jihadists. Why?

Muslims also make the claim that Westerners are infidels and have loose or no morals, there is some justification for this thinking. Many Western countries do promote pornography, and some countries have legalized prostitution, no country is perfect. Yet is that reason enough to cause brutal acts of terrorism? Is it also not the case that when a female relative is raped the male relatives then commit what is known as honour killing in order to salvage the 'family name' and maintain its pride? Where is the compassion? There doesn't seem to be too much if you're a Muslim woman.

When we look at the Muslim faith do they not make the claim that all Muslims who are martyred will upon reaching Heaven gain for themselves 70 virgins? Here is a quote from a leader of Hamas, Muhammad Abu Wardeh, as he encourages his suicide bombers, "I described to him how God would compensate the martyr for sacrificing his life for his land. If you become a martyr, God will give you 70 virgins, 70 wives and everlasting happiness." There may be many things wrong with the West, but we do NOT deprave or sexualize Heaven into a LUST festival!

Just as we have our Desert Fathers who preached mortification, purity and holiness so that we may all enter into the Holiness that is Heaven untouched by any impurity. These are the words of Muslim fathers on their version of 'heaven', "Each time we sleep with a houri we find her virgin. Besides, the penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal; the sensation that you feel each time you make love is utterly delicious and out of this world and were you to experience it in this world you would faint. Each chosen one [ie Muslim] will marry seventy [sic] houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetizing vaginas." So according to Islam Heaven is little more than a house of prostitution!

No country is perfect nor are it's people as we all are frail human beings with our own fears and vulnerabilities, this though does not drive all people to commit violent acts of atrocities because our belief system is different. Muslims also claim to be a people of peace if so then why do so many support or benignly co-operate with terrorists on a daily basis by making excuses for what is the inexcusable, crimes against humanity? It is time that the more peaceful elements of Islam raised it's voice to overcome the raucous and rabid hatred of the Islamofacists, lest they be held accountable alongside the terrorists! To paraphrase an old saying, 'evil can only prosper when good men say and do nothing'.

When the tsunami struck parts of Indonesia where the Muslims are the majority it was the Western countries who donated the MOST amount of money to the needy families. The super wealthy Muslim countries donated the LEAST! As Paul Wolowitz said, "There's been very little generosity so far from parts of the Muslim world that are big on talking about jihad and other things, but when 200,000 people - all of them Muslim in the case of Indonesia - died in this catastrophe, there's not much help forthcoming." It seems the Muslims have become very professional at taking lives, and less than generous at trying to save lives. The Israeli Government and its people donated $ 100,000 to each affected country they also dispatched 150 IDF doctors and rescue workers as well as assisting with food, 9 tonnes of medicine, water, thouands of blankets, tents, sheeting and power generators to the stricken area's. Did the Muslims reject this offer because it came from Jewish hands? NO!

Rather than attack the Jews for simply existing or America for trying to help and aid the stricken countries let us instead place the blame for terrorist attacks on the people who are at fault and that is the Islamofacists who epitomise evil in our own time and hour.

Let us pray that when the day of evil arrives God does not find us sleeping.

Peace of Christ to ALL

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Spirit Warfare-The Hellish Truth

2006-07-15T07:59:00.000-04:00

One of Satan's great achievements during this century is not only in convincing many that he doesn't exist, it also encompasses those who refuse to believe that hell exists. Hell does exist, the Bible speaks of hell as does the Catholic Church, yet hell has also become an uncomfortable teaching, why is this so?

Let us first look at what Scripture teaches us, for it says in Job, "Complete darkness is in store for him; the fire which shall consume him needs not to be fanned. The heavens shall reveal his guilt, and the earth shall rise up against him. The flood shall sweep away his house with the waters that run off in the day of God's anger. This is the portion of a wicked man, and the heritage appointed him by God." Once again Scripture teaches us, in Deuteronomy,"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god' and angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a 'no-people'; with a foolish nation I will anger them. "For by my wrath a fire is enkindled that shall rage to the depths of the nether world, Consuming the earth with its yield, and licking with flames the roots of the mountains." We are also given a warning about what awaits those who refuse to believe in the existance of hell and therefore live their lives with no accountability and a refusal to repent. As it warns in the Book of Luke when Jesus speaks of the rich man who upon death finds himself in hell, he then wishes to warn his brothers but is told it is too late, will it be too late for you?

We also read in the Catholic Catechism these words,"The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.(1035)" Do we glibly carry on in sin as if hell were for everyone else but not you?

Another great and grave danger is when people resign themselves to spending time in Purgatory, mainly because they do not wish to amend their ways even though by their continuous wrongful actions they are challenging God's Justice. If you know your behaviour is unacceptable to God and you refuse to amend or sincerely repent of your sin, then you will be lucky indeed to escape hell fire. To rely on Purgatory in order for you to continue to sin is to usurp God's Authority and to treat your Heavenly Father with ill conceived contempt. Do you think God cannot see your obstinacy and your refusal to obey His Commandments? Or do some Catholics also embrace the theory 'once Saved always Saved'?

If the Bible and the Catholic Catechism are not enough we also have our Saints who through the Mercy of God also warns us of hell. As Saint Faustina writes in her diary, "Today, I was led by an angel to the chasms of hell. It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of conscience; the third is that one's condition will never change; the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it – a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God's anger; the fifth torture is continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and, despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant company of Satan; the seventh torture is the horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies. These are the tortures suffered by all the damned together, but that is not the end of the sufferings. There are special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like. I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence." Once can see that this is a terrifying description of what awaits those who show no sorrow or remorse for their sins against the Triune Spirit.

We also see in the writings of Sister Josefa Menendez these cautious words, "I saw several souls fall into Hell, and among them was a child of fifteen, cursing her parents for not having taught her to fear God nor that there was a Hell. Her life had been a short one, she said, but full of sin, for she had given in to all that her body and passions demanded in the way of satisfaction...". We read these words that were written in 1923, to what depths must society sink too in order for us to heed these dire warnings? The children of Fatima were also shown how terrifying is the pits of hell and so a prayer was instituted within the Church, "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Mercy."

We need to understand in order to obtain and gain God's Mercy we must seek it with all our hearts, mind and soul and then go and sin NO more. We know that Jesus came for the sick to heal them of their sins, he mixed with the sinner but did not become defiled by their proximity. But our Lord did not come to heal us only for us to return once again in full knowledge and consent to that self same sin. That is not remorse nor is it repentance but it is presumption!

Ask yourself when was the last time your Priest gave a sermon on sin and the effects it will have on your soul? When did your Priest warn you of the consequences of unrepentant and unconfessed sin? When has your Priest spoken about hell? Also for parents when was the last time you spoke to your children of hell and the consequences of their unrepentant sins? When was the last time you spoke of chastity, purity and holiness to your children?

Who guides your conscience Hollywood, the media or God? When the Catholic Church warns us not to read certain materials who of us immediately go out and buy it? As if an author or Hollywood had all the answers and the Church has lost its relevance. When we disobey the warnings of the Catholic Church and instead do the exact opposite of its Teachings and pay little heed of its warnings then we are little better than Adam and Eve who were tempted to disobey God and succumbed to that temptation. Adam and Eve also did not heed God's Commandment or warning and so suffered the consequences of which we still feel today.

In the words of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, "To be saved for all eternity, to be damned for all eternity, and to not make your every effort to avoid the one and make sure of the other, is something inconceivable."

If hell does not exist then neither does Heaven, for if we cannot attain Heaven we will then settle for hell.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Today’s Christianity:

2006-07-10T04:27:00.000-04:00

Pick and Choose Theology

There is a trend in today’s Christianity that is ever growing, and is an alarming trend that threatens the very foundations and tenets of our faith. That trend is not limited to any one geographical or denominational identifier, but, is widespread among all nations, all peoples, and all systems of Christian belief. Thousands and thousands of people who would identify themselves as Christian have willingly been led into pick and choose theology. Most of these pick and choosers tend to identify themselves as “progressive Christians”.

What was that? You’re asking me what is a "progressive Christian"? You sure you want the answer? Especially coming from me, one who is an unabashed conservative. You really want my answer? OK, then…you asked for it…too late to cry now, so here it is: A “progressive Christian” is a person or group of people who though they claim to be nominally Christian, do not have the faith, courage, integrity or intestinal fortitude to stand up for God and His truth, but, have the unwavering, unflinching, unmitigated gall to stand up for anything and everything that opposes God, opposes His Church, opposes the teachings of His prophets and His Apostles. They are the ones who will call sin good, and call that which is good evil.

We see these people making their outlandish and ungodly stands on television, radio, the internet, and in the print media as well. If there is a camera, a microphone or pen and paper to be had, they will do all that they can to try to destroy all that God has wrought. You will see them use terms like “social justice” where they accuse the conservatives of ignoring the poor and vulnerable while focusing on issues like abortion and same sex marriage.

I tend to think they want we conservatives to ignore abortion and same sex marriage issues, because deep down they know that theologically the “progressives” don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to those two issues. The “progressives” would like for us all to think…no, to believe that because man changes, God changes, too. I think they actually believe that God should reform to suit what they think and what they believe, and that God and His law are merely words written in a book that can be taken or discarded at will.

They really don’t understand scripture or the teachings of the Apostles and the Church, and they tend to prove so each and every time they open their mouths. For instance, when conservatives oppose the gay lifestyle that is so often promoted by these “progressives”, the progressives will tell us, and in quite a smug manner, too, that “if Jesus was walking on earth today, He would be spending His time with the gays and lesbians” and so forth. I have to agree. He more than likely would. What they fail to comprehend with what they have said, is that they themselves have just made an admission of the gay lifestyle being a sin, and that they are in need of His redemption! For when Jesus taught in Palestine, He was always with the sinners, and in Mark 2: 16 And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing that he ate with publicans and sinners, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 17 Jesus hearing this, saith to them: They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. For I came not to call the just, but sinners. Further, they also should realize, that as His instructions to them would be as His instructions to the woman caught in adultery in John 8: 10 Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee? 11 Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.

So, yes. I agree Jesus would be with them, and He would tell them, as He tells us all to “go and sin no more". His being with them would not be to approve their lifestyle, but, to reprove it.

What people do not want to realize, do not want to admit, is that no matter how much man changes, no matter how much the times may change, God does not change. God is not bound by time, He is beyond all time, and His ways and His thoughts are above our ways and our thoughts. God is not bound by what we may think is right or wrong, but, man is bound to honor and obey what God says is right and what He says is wrong, and there is nothing or no one who can change what God’s law is, and no matter what man may think it should be, God has told us all what His law is, and a feeble excuse on His Day of Judgment that “the times had changed” is not going to hold up. We know what His law is. It is up to each of us to do it. Calling oneself “progressive” is just an excuse to live as we please, and not as God pleases. After all, God’s way is tough. The progressive way is not, and is a way of denying that sin is indeed, sin.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.21 Woe to you that rue wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own conceits. 22 Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at drunkenness. 23 That justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him. 24 Therefore as the tongue of the fire devoureth the stubble, and the heat of the dame consumeth it: so shall their root be as ashes, and their bud shall go up as dust: for they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and have blasphemed the word of the Holy One of Israel.

2 Timothy 4: 1 I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, and his kingdom: 2 Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. 3 For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: 4 And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. 5 But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry. Be sober.

Focus On The Family-Parents Behaving Badly

2006-07-04T02:27:00.000-04:00

At times we all long to escape the pressures of life and simply let the world drift by, this feeling is normal. What is abnormal is when some people take this a step too far and choose to lose themselves in illicit drugs or alcohol, this soon leads to a downward spiral which has tragic consequences for the family.

Parenting is not an easy job in fact it is the most difficult job in the world. There are enormous pressures on parents to provide the best that money can buy for their family and also in having to be present to your children almost 24 hours a day. There are NO holidays when you're simply mom or dad, there are also no sick days when you can lay in bed and recover at your leisure, parents are on the go all day every day, week in and week out.

The illegal drug industry has progressed from the tenements and infiltrated into suburbia, where ordinary mom's and dad's are now existing on a cocktail of methamphetamine, alcohol, cocaine and marijuana. Though this might provide a temporary relief as your mind is overcome with the effects of these powerful drugs it is no cure for what you are trying to escape. When you finally come out of your doped induced euphoria parents still have to face the same problems, so drugs are not the answer to anyone's main problem.

When both parents are using illegal drugs such as the above mentioned then one can state categorically you are not a good parent. Many moms and dads fool themselves into thinking that they can abuse their own bodies, break the law and still think that they can be responsible and loving parents, this is contradictory and also a false belief. As many drugs induce feelings of paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and mood swings, homicidal thoughts as well as suicidal thoughts will also take over the mind of the drug abuser.

Children are very perceptive and very intuitive but they are not mature enough to handle the enormity of dealing with a parent hooked on drugs. Some parents may wish to live with the thought that their abuse of illegal drugs is NOT affecting their children, this is a dangerous day dream as children are very much affected by their parents loss of control while in a state of mind and mood altering drugs. It is frightening for the children to witness the decline into temporary madness that overtakes the parent who is busy having their 'trip'.

A parent cannot delude themselves with the thought that they only DO drugs when their children are asleep. This may hold up for a while until the drugs completely rule the life of the mother or father and they are unable to keep up a happy family facade. There comes a time when the parents attempts to hide their drug paraphernalia is gone and their children awaken in the mornings to a doped out and aggressive mom or dad. As the instruments used to dope themselves up lay strewn across the living room floor, including used syringes and smoked out pipes, is this really a good environment for children?

There many parents who delude themselves into thinking that they are in control of their drug addiction when in fact they are not. A mother or father cannot state their favourite drug of choice, including ecstasy and then say in the same breath that they are loving and responsible parents, NO they are not! Drugs do not unwind you, they destroy you!

It is also the case that many families who belong to various religious denominations are also abusing drugs to the detriment not only of their own health but the well being of their families and community. As they soon lose perspective and forget the Commandments of God as their entire bodies scream out for their next fix.

Whether you come from a religious background or non-religious, a rock star or a media star when you take illicit drugs you are breaking the law of the land. What kind of an example are you providing for your children? A case of do as I say, not as I do, it is the height of hypocrisy and once more your children will recognise it as such.

Drugs are an insidious evil which permeates and then destroys all those around you, including yourself. There is no such thing as a 'good illicit drug' there is also no such thing as a 'harmless drug' when the main issue of taking them remains. There is no escaping the world you live in or the environment you have created, drugs are not the answer to deep seated problems, which is the inability to cope with your daily demands.

Though the world is stressful the answer of how to deal with these stresses lay not in doping them out but in facing them and then overcoming your problems with daily prayer. It is prayer that will strengthen you and help you overcome that unhappiness that is eating at your inner core. When we forget to pray we soon stop frequenting Mass which leads to a downward spiral of isolation and then desolation.

In order to overcome this compulsion and seduction of the senses it is necessary to recognise the spirit guiding this insidious attack on the family. Many medical doctors only deal with the cure and not the cause, there are not to many medical parishioners who are knowledgeable about the spiritual aspect of our inner beings. Yet this is the very reason most people take drugs, in that many people feel an emptiness and fail to understand that this inner emptiness and loneliness lay in a longing for God and not the mind altering drugs that have become so prevalent. Until people acknowledge their own inner poverty and that we cannot be all things to all people the transitory feelings of euphoria which drugs provide will always be the prostitute of what is truly lacking, a relationship with the Triune Spirit.

There is no substitute that can provide the peace that Christ speaks of, and it is this very peace that the soul longs and yearns for. In order to have this peace we need to seek God with all our hearts and not to substitute this longing by using drugs which will become a 'god' to the soul that is caught in its vicious grasp.

No parent wants to harm their children, yet that is exactly what they do when they embark on this emotional rollercoaster of the drug induced state. If you are taking drugs, then please seek out a doctor for help to overcome your addiction but the most crucial aspect, seek God and restore your relationship with the one Being who loves you above all others, which is your Heavenly Father. The soul needs more than a rehabilitation program in order to gain peace of heart and that inner contentment that can only be found in the Triune Spirit. Think not of the deeds you have done or that your behavior can never be forgiven. Trust in Jesus to restore the relationship that has been broken by sin, through the Sacraments of the Church.

"Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet". Divine Mercy.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Focus On The Family- When Love Dies & Lust Begins

2006-06-29T06:06:00.000-04:00

When two people marry they do so because they love one another, but, very few people realise the cost it will be to themselves. Both sides expect the other to 'make them happy' without realising that happiness and contentment springs from within. No one person can bring you happiness that is something you give to yourself.

If you have low self esteem and feel unworthy to be loved, this abnormal view of yourself will affect not only you, but, your partner as you lay the onus on your spouse to provide what is lacking within yourself. This is the heaviest burden one can lay on another and is the quickest way to the divorce courts.

We have gone from a time when divorce was considered to be a scandal and a social disgrace, to the extreme opposite as divorce is considered a viable option. When the 'love is over' so ends the marriage. No marriage has ever been perfect and all marriages go through their ups and downs as spouses begin to take each other for granted and the marriage starts to feel stale. Is this an excuse to look for excitement outside of the marital bed?

When we look at past generations we wonder why the divorce ratio wasn't as high as it is today, and what made things then so different? Back in earlier times there wasn't the gratuitous sex and lust which the generation of today are inundated with. In days gone by the most popular TV shows were 'I Love Lucy' or 'The Honeymooners', then came 'The Walton's or 'Happy Days'. Television back then promoted the Sanctity of marriage while still being able to gain good ratings, mainly because it was the audience who dictated what was acceptable to them. What has happened between then and now?

As we have progressed in the technological field, so society has digressed when it comes to morality. Pornography can now be downloaded with a flick of a switch and no-one see's your dirty secret. This industry alone has flourished as more and more people both men and women become addicted to this type of sex industry. In many cases most adultery begins with this addiction to this insidious sexualization of society, where people are portrayed as meaningless machines to be used, abused and then discarded. Though many may try and hide their deeds in the dark the Lord sees all as the Word reveals in Numbers, "But if you do not do this, you will sin against the LORD, and you can be sure that you will not escape the consequences of your sin."

Then we have the internet chat rooms which is one of the main instigators of divorce in this day and age. As many marriages go through troubled times, the answer to their pain does not lay in escapist internet encounters, in the belief that because it is on the internet then it is not 'really a sin', yes it is! A spouse can betray their partner with emotional dalliances outside of their marriage, betrayal is betrayal no matter the format it takes, and it still remains a sin! Anyone who instigates or partakes in an internet affair is breaking their Covenant before God which is in the Sacrament of marriage. What many also do not understand is when a spouse betrays their partner, they also betray the children of their union. As infidelity affects all members of the family therefore the one who decides to stray from their marital Promise betrays their whole family. As it says in Matthew, "He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate."

The difference between the generations is what we have allowed to occur as the morals we once held dear become passé and promises become conveniently forgotten. What truly lies at the heart of infidelity though is selfishness, as a person seeks their own self gratification and pays no heed to the pain this will cause their entire family unit. The focus has become SELF centered rather than self GIVING and it is this that lay at the heart of the unfaithful spouse as they troll for ways to 'spice' up their own lives. They forget their loving families and instead become self absorbed to a high degree, as their children become hostages to their ill gotten lusts.

Through the onslaught of TV and the internet where television serials become more and more graphic leaving nothing to the imagination and where the internet can cause great harm. Still the responsibility over what people watch or do not watch is for each of us to decide. Therefore we are responsible and will be held accountable if we choose to immerse ourselves in activities that we know to be sinful.

In these days of blaming society for everything we leave out personal accountability. No one is holding a gun to the head of those who, despite their religious upbringing, continue to pursue acts which they know to be outside the Law of God. It is way too convenient to simply lay the blame for personal choices on the media or the internet as if the person were not at fault. Therefore like Pilate, they wipe their hands of their own sin. Was Pilate innocent? When a spouse decides to watch pornography, or engage themselves in internet affairs, are they also innocent? God says different as we read in Hebrews, "Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers."

Though there may be more temptation in the world now than what our grandparents had to endure, does that exonerate an entire generation from choosing to sin? We are responsible for the choices we make and as the Bible says when something causes you to sin then pluck it out. If you cannot resist the temptation to sin on the internet then stop using it. If television serials causes you to sin then turn the TV off.

Every couple knows when their marriage is beginning to fail, before the love you feel for each other dies, choose to spend time focusing and re-energizing your marriage with full knowledge of the Covenant you made between yourselves and God. And as you remember this Promise before God also keep in mind the happiness of your children, it comes before your own.

Be careful of the choices you make lest your children pay the price for YOUR mistakes!

Peace of Christ to ALL

Focus On The Family-Who's Looking After The Kids

2006-06-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

We live in a world that is exploding with information where everything is on the go and almost everyone is in a hurry, too much of a hurry to stop and think in which direction they are going or where they will end up. This 'go go go' attitude to life may work out for adults who can cope with high stress lifestyles but how does it affect the children of today?

In this hectic pace the only time where information stops its cacophony of sound is when we retire to bed, only then do we gain some measure of peace or are our minds still buzzing as we attempt to try and gain some much needed rest for our tired bodies and our minds? If adults find it hard to switch off then how do our children cope? If they are watching the same programmes as their parents or accessing the internet where information comes almost at the speed of light, how are they able to automatically switch off at bed time or are their brains buzzing too? So much so that sleep is elusive and they wake up in the morning still tired and stressed out even before the day truly begins. Is this the most beneficial lifestyle for today's children?

As the debate grows with the ADHD controversy where children as young as five years of age are being given mind altering drugs such as Ritalin which is a stimulant much like methamphetamine or they are being put on a program of anti-depressant drugs in order for them to deal with life. Once again is this the best we can do for our children to drug them into conformity? Do we truly want robotic children who sit in their class rooms like bombed out zombies as their individuality is negated in favour of some 'peace and quiet'. This 'illness' ADHD only seems to have been invented during these past decades, why haven't their been cases of ADHD all throughout the centuries? Maybe because it is a manufactured illness to benefit pharmaceutical companies to the detriment of a child's health and welfare.

For those who are in the 40 to 50 age bracket do you remember any child being diagnosed as ADHD when you attended school? Or were boys simply being boys and girls were girls as diversity thrived in the class rooms and where there was always the possibility that one or two children would be naturally pugnacious or irreverent towards those in authority? What has happened in these past few generations that the children who may have these very characteristics are now seen as 'ill' and in need of medication so that they will be able to fit in with all the other children. Who decided what was general normality? Or is there no such thing?

This is not to say that every parent is wrong or that teachers who are often overworked and underpaid are also at fault, what needs to be investigated is who made the decision to categorize what is normal and what is not? We also need to take a long hard look at the foods we digest and what is being put into them so certain foods will have a longer shelf life. How are these additives affecting the children who eat or drink them? It is a time consuming ordeal but parents may need to list the foods that their children are eating and perhaps re-adjust their lifestyle choices in favour of organically grown fresh fruit and vegetables and less on the fast food, highly sugar dosed cereals and the candy industry which is filled with high doses of additives.

Many children who have been diagnosed with ADHD are those who may have special gifts and talents in certain fields and who find themselves bored with subject matters that do not interest them or fail to ignite their imagination. There are different way's of teaching these gifted children one is the Montessori method which focuses on what a child is naturally drawn to and then builds their self esteem to help them become accomplished in their chosen field, whether that be mathematics, science or art etc. What the Montessori method does not do is dope up a child so that it will conform with the rest of the class and make life easier for everyone. As in all area's a child's welfare must always take priority over comfort.

When we allow our children to watch programs that may harm them or where there are no limits set as to what they watch and how long they are in front of their TV's or computers, should we be surprised if they do not have the ability to instantly switch off and instead remain hyper? The time has also come for parents to keep watch over the amount of time their children are spending in front of the TV or their computer screens. If children are spending more that two hours a day in front of both media mediums then they are being overloaded and it is time to switch off both the TV and the computer.

In today's society we are the most sedentary mainly due to the conveniences we now take for granted such as automatic washing machines, clothes dryers, microwaves etc. Many families have two cars so that children may now be driven to where they have to go rather than walk or catch buses, also unfortunately the world has become more dangerous for children as is seen every night on our TV news programs. This does not mean that all forms of exercise are out, it simply means formatting your life to include family orientated activities such as family friendly gyms, or taking your family to the park for an hour or two weather permitting. A lot of children's angst is due to the fact that their energy levels have not been used during the day and so high energy levels will soon turn to irritability, this does not mean that a child has suddenly contracted ADHD, and therefore needs to be medicated.

What children need most of all is routine and a mix of love and discipline. A child's feeling of security is reliant upon these parental fundamentals, even though all children will try and push the boundaries it is up to the parent to lay the rules and then make sure their children abide by them in a spirit of love and respect. When there are no rules for the child is it any wonder that they will grow to be unruly? As Proverbs warn us, "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him takes care to chastise him."

Rather than rely totally on Doctors and the pharmaceutical companies who make their living from the drugs they sell, perhaps it is time for parents to embrace their child's diversity and individualism without trying to make them conform into a set image of robotic behavior based on who's theory? Only the parent can make the decision, of what is the best treatment for their child. Therefore investigate all avenues before deciding what approach to take when treating your child, it's future depends on you.

A child who has been diagnosed with ADHD is not the parents fault nor is it the teachers fault, but it is their responsibility to look after the children.

Peace of Christ to ALL

The Language of Deceit

2006-06-19T05:07:00.000-04:00

"I don't see any reason to be tasteful about Auschwitz. It's baloney, it's a legend....I say quite tastelessly, in fact, that more women died on the back seat of Edward Kennedy's car at Chappaquiddick than ever died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz."

We live in a world where some think that words don't matter. One can practically say what they like, and how they like, with complete freedom, for it is 'only words'. The above quotation is from the revisionist and disgraced "historian" David Irving who was given a 3 year sentence for what exactly? After all he was only speaking a few words denying the holocaust ever happened. Why jail a man over some 'mere words'? If words truly do not matter, then David Irving should not have gone to prison, in that he was only preaching against the Holocaust so he could sell his books. So he chose profits over principles it wouldn't be the first time an author has done that.

Do words matter? It mattered to the authorities of Austria who arrested David Irving, and brought him to trial, where he was found guilty of breaking their laws. David Irving with every book published was continuing his lie and driving the holocaust denial movement forward. He had no regard at all for the truth, nor the harm he was doing to those who suffered and survived from those evil concentration camps. David Irving is now paying the price for his deceit.

When Dan Brown was asked if he considered himself a Christian, his response was such, "Yes. Interestingly, if you ask three people what it means to be Christian, you will get three different answers. Some feel being baptized is sufficient. Others feel you must accept the Bible as absolute historical fact. Still others require a belief that all those who do not accept Christ as their personal savior are doomed to hell. Faith is a continuum, and we each fall on that line where we may. By attempting to rigidly classify ethereal concepts like faith, we end up debating semantics to the point where we entirely miss the obvious–that is, that we are all trying to decipher life’s big mysteries, and we’re each following our own paths of enlightenment." Once again Dan Brown opines, "Two thousand years ago, we lived in a world of Gods and Goddesses. Today, we live in a world solely of Gods. Women in most cultures have been stripped of their spiritual power. The novel touches on questions of how and why this shift occurred…and on what lessons we might learn from it regarding our future." Can Dan Brown call himself a 'Christian' while denying everything that is Christian? In his book he insults and blasphemes Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene by claiming that they had sexual relations which produced a child. The question remains can God copulate with one of his creatures? By this blasphemous assertion Dan Brown has denied the Divinity of Christ thereby making himself a heretic. He misunderstands what faith is. It is not dependant upon what one finds reasonable but on what the Catholic Church Teaches which has been handed down to the Apostles and is the foundation of our beliefs today.

We see here two men who made their living by selling lies. One now sits in prison while the other is a multi-millionaire still thriving on his lies. We denounce anyone who could deny the horrors of the Nazi holocaust, yet many 'catholics' have supported the man who has blasphemed against God. Which camp do YOU fall into? It comes to something when a man can attack our faith by a lie and 'catholics' not only accept it, they applaud it. By supporting this outrageous lie written by Dan Brown they have helped in alienating perhaps an entire generation who will believe Dan Browns idea's of God rather than the Catholic Churches Teachings. Shame on them! As the Words teaches us in Luke, "He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin." Will anyone take note of this piece of Scripture? Who knows, as it is not written by Dan Brown!

We have seen many of these 'catholics' become outraged by the anti-Christian exploits of the ACLU, yet when it came to standing by their Faith, they sold out over a movie ticket. We have indeed raised a generation of Esau's. It is a contradiction to become outraged by this organization with its Anti-Christian stance yet in the next breath they supported Dan Brown and his denial of Jesus' Divinity. Many of these same 'catholics' refuse to read the Bible yet they devour the 'gnostic gospels' with relish. The ACLU has over a number of years demanded the removal of mainly Christian symbols from all public places, in case a minority found it 'offensive', and many councils all over America complied rather than confront this form of tyranny.

Catholics also support this religious tyranny by feeling too embarrassed or ashamed to say 'Merry Christmas'. They instead chose the more lukewarm 'Happy Holidays', rather than be seen as.... dare I say the word.....Christian? They also buy into this lukewarmness by feeling too embarrassed to call God by His Holy Name and instead refer to God as 'universal spirit' in order to be perceived as 'tolerant' and 'enlightened'. The Truths of the Catholic Church are not for these lukewarm pew sitters! As St Vincent of Lerins wrote, "If one yields ground on any single point of Catholic doctrine, one will later have to yield later in another, and again in another, and so on until such surrenders come to be something normal and acceptable. And when one gets used to rejecting dogma bit by bit, the final result will be the repudiation of it altogether." Also that great man of the Church Saint Augustine said, "If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." Do we ignore the words of our great Saints in favour of the latest novella?

Whether we want to believe it or not there is a move to de-sensitize people into accepting the Anti-Christian propaganda being espoused by various organizations, politicians, actors, various media outlets and the internet by belittling the beliefs of the Catholic Church. This can only succeed if Catholics become apathetic to their own faith and fate. Unfortunately many 'catholics' have reached this impasse. They no longer believe the Truths of the Catholic Church, and instead embrace every 'spirituality' so long as it sounds 'nice'. As Elie Wiesel once said, "Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.....I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." This is a man who lived through the ultimate in terror and persecution of the Nazi holocaust. Do we dare bury our heads in the sand as Christianity comes under attack? It was not hate that killed six million Jewish lives, though hate was the main ingredient. In the end it was apathy and indifference that helped the Nazi murder machine.

Many Christians all over the world face persecution daily in places such as Iran, China, North Korea, The Sudan and sadly many other countries. Yet they uphold the Tenets of their beliefs, while the Western world sell their faith for a bag of popcorn, as they propagate any 'religion' so long as it's not too Catholic!

Our own worst enemy is within our midst. It is those who espouse a different Doctrine, it is those who wish to be seen as 'enlightened' therefore they deny the Truths of the Catholic Church for any 'truth'. It is those who long to appear 'inclusive' so they promote any 'spirituality' as valid in order not to be seen as 'intolerant'. It is fellow 'catholics' who have betrayed the faithful as they go to Mass every week when their hearts are far from God for they have rejected the Truths of the Catholic Church and embraced the lies of the world. These same 'catholics' accept same sex unions, they long for the ordination of women, they willfully reject the Churches Teachings in favour of what they find 'reasonable'. They are heretics within the fold.

As Pastor Martin Neimoller once wrote;

First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.

When your time comes, will your faith stand the test or will you go silently? As silently as you lived your lack of faith? As Scripture warns us in Luke, "But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?"

Peace of Christ to ALL

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Spirit Warfare-When Words Seduce A People

2006-06-15T07:11:00.000-04:00

"This man is completely carried away; everything he says and writes has the mark of his egocentrism; this man is capable of trampling on corpses and eliminating anything that is an obstacle. I cannot understand how there are so many people in Germany who do not understand him, and cannot draw conclusions from what he says or writes. Has any of them even read his horrifying ‘Mein Kampf’?"

The above quotation is from Pope Pius XII who seemed to be the only man in Europe to understand Adolf Hitler's intentions from the beginning! This begs the question how was a whole nation deceived?

They were deceived because in the end people will believe what they want to believe and truth has very little to do with it. Adolf Hitler was not born with the title 'Der Fuhrer' neither was he born a monster, he became both of these in his short life. He was able to convince a Nation that genocide was the answer to all their perceived 'problems', how could he do this? Because the nation was ready to be seduced and they were.

As we know six million Jewish people, men, women and children lost their lives in the Holocaust. Alongside that we have the Polish resistance fighters, Catholic Priests and Religious, Russian prisoners of war, Gypsies and tragically the list goes on. This does not explain how a people who had embraced a cultural ethos for hundreds of years had now become a nation of murderers. This is a country that produced Ludwig van Beethoven, the philosopher and Nobel Prize Winner Hermann Hesse, the artist Hans Holbein and many more acclaimed artists and philosophers.

In order for Adolf Hitler to fulfill his dream of a Jewish free Germany he had to program the German people to see the Jewish people as he did, a people who he saw as rodents to be exterminated. What Hitler did not do was to attempt this from the outset, he knew that the German peoples had to be de-sensitized towards murder, that it would become acceptable, but this had to be done little by little and drip by poison drip. Using stealth and seduction Hitler did precisely that, he convinced the German peoples that murder was the answer to all their problems.

To succeed in this mission he also had to convince the German peoples that they were superior to any other race and all other nations. In other words he elevated the German people and isolated those who were not German by setting them apart as 'different' the 'not one of us' which made every German feel proud of his heritage at the cost of another's dignity. In order to maintain the fallacy of the perfect human specimen Hitler began a programe of forced sterilization of those who were deemed 'mentally deficient' after this success, he began the move towards forced euthanasia of those deemed by the Nazi's as unfit to live, approximately 60,000 Germans died using this legal method of murder. These orders were made law and carried out from 1935 to 1939 before Hitler began the Mass extermination of the Jews.

Another ground breaking move made by Hitler was to legalize abortion as he stated with these 'enlightening' words, "In view of the large families of the native population, it could only suit us if girls and women there had as many abortions as possible. Active trade in contraceptives ought to be actually encouraged in the Eastern territories, as we could not possibly have the slightest interest in increasing the non-Germanic population." Should we be too surprised that almost 70 years later most Western countries also embrace that 'theory' and have put it into affect? Also that 'catholics' are also embracing this 'enlightened' way of thinking and like the Nazi's genocide has also been sanitized into more acceptable terms as Pro-Choice, and the baby is called a 'cell'. We are in this day and age living the Nazi ideal, some simply don't know it yet, they are too busy supporting this genocide of the innocents.

In order to further de-sensitize people Hitler came out in favour of 'religion' by promoting a 'positive Christianity' with words that were deliberately ambiguous so as to seduce the faithful away from Christ and to focus on the Fatherland and the Germanic race. Unfortunately there were many who bought this cheap talk for cheap grace at the cost of many lives. Once again Adolf Hitler would show his 'true colours' once the war had begun and his rabid hatred of Christianity came forth, as Joseph Goebbels said, "The Führer is deeply religious, though completely anti-Christian...He views Christianity as a symptom of decay. Rightly so. It is a branch of the Jewish race." Hitler himself also added his own words when confronting the Christian 'threat' to his power, "Christianity is the prototype of Bolshevism: the mobilisation by the Jew of the masses of slaves with the object of undermining society." As the Germans threw out the Crucifix and embraced the Swastika should we not feel alarmed when within our own countries there are organizations which are attempting to ban the Crucifix from all Government buildings and institutions? Some have also taken the step to have the Ten Commandments removed from Government buildings, who is frightened by the Commandments of God? Only those who are breaking them!

The rise to power of Adolf Hitler happened because people wanted an excuse for their own failures, they wanted to feel proud again of their own origins and to feel superior to those deemed unworthy. They grew immune and apathetic towards outright savagery as one inhumane law after another was put into affect. Not all Germans accepted this dictatorial lifestyle and there were pockets of German resistance who paid with their lives in order to try and defeat this maniac, but they were in the minority. Just as there are many good strong and faithfilled Catholics who peacefully picket abortion killing rooms and protest this murder of unborn babies who have no voice.

Adolf Hitler used all the mediums possible to him so he could project his own madness to the German people thereby completely disabling any conscience they may have had about mass murder. His program of de-sensitization was complete through the notorious paper 'Der Sturmer' run by that rabid Jewish hater, Julius Streicher, this paper alone sold over 25,000 copies a week with headlines such as this 'The Jews are our misfortune' another headline was this one, "Whoever buys from a Jew is a traitor to his people." Drip by drip brought about the apathy and acceptance that Hitler had orchestrated from the beginning. As in today where many 'catholics' accept a different Doctrine over and above the Commandments of God and the Teachings of the Catholic Church. When many 'catholics' support an avid anti-christian message such as the Da Vinci Code book and movie, and with relish read the forbidden 'gnostic gospels' yet fail to read The Gospels by citing that they do not wish to be 'Sola Scriptura', that is an excuse too far. These 'catholics' do not read the Bible because they fear it, and believe that ignorance will pay off in the end. Deliberate ignorance is a deliberate choice and they fool no-one except themselves.

The final solution to the Jewish problem had begun with the unspoken acceptance of the German Nation, and the silence of many Western countries who also did not want to make their own countries a safe haven for the Jewish people. One of only a few to speak out was Pope Pius XII when he said, "Whoever exalts race, or the people, or the State, a particular form of State, or the repositories of power, or any other fundamental value of the worldly community... whoever raises these notions above their standard value and divinizes them to an idolatrous level, distorts and perverts an order of the world planned and created by God." Just as in Nazi Germany it becomes dangerous when a country accepts evil as a good, and murders it's most vulnerable citizens, rather than live by their Faith which opposes murder.

We may look at this particular time in history as an aberration, something that none of us would ever do, yet can we say this with true conviction? Is abortion now legal in nearly every civilized country? Is euthanasia not being performed in some Western countries? Are there not experiments done on stem cells in the name of research every single day? Are we not creating life in a test tube every single day in nearly every country of the world where 70 year old Grandma's are giving birth to newborns? Have we not become what we say we hate? When we listen to the screams of those who support Pro-Choice, as their faces become twisted and distorted and their screaming rises to an hysteric pitch, it is easy to visualize the comparisons to that man of evil, Adolf Hitler, after all he also supported abortion and euthanasia, what is the difference between then and now?

The most scary aspect is, that Adolf Hitler was not born evil, yet he became it. The entire German people were not born evil, yet they supported it. The worlds population at that time was not born evil yet they ignored it. When evil knocks at your door will you recognise it's dark message? Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI warns us with these wise words, "The more one understands the holiness of God, the more one understands the opposite of what is holy, namely, the deceptive masks of the devil"

How did Hitler murder over 6 million people, because he could. The question is did we learn from history or are we repeating it?

Peace of Christ to ALL

Spirit Warfare-When YOU Have Become The Enemy

2006-06-07T05:16:00.000-04:00

This is part one in a series on the power of words in both cause and affect.

*****************************

Imagine that there is no Heaven nor is there a hell and no religion too and that this is the only existance we have, does that not epitomize hell on earth? Yet this is the message of one of the most famous modern day songs, 'Imagine' by John Lennon. Here again we see the words, that we own no possessions and that we will have a brotherhood of man sharing all our goods with one another. When you look beneath the 'nice' wording you see quite clearly the Communistic Manifesto being subtly hidden beneath a nice tune.

Let us also look at the lyrics of 'The Internationale':

No saviour from on high delivers

No faith have we in prince or peer

Our own right hand the chains must shiver

Chains of hatred, greed and fear

E'er the thieves will out with their booty

And give to all a happier lot.

Each at the forge must do their duty

And we'll strike while the iron is hot.

Did the Russian people find their lot happier under the regime of Lenin and then Stalin? Or did they exchange one terror for a more horrifying state of existance which was just that, existance with no joy and no hope?

There can be no spiritual prosperity, when man can no longer think for himself but rather relies on a human system to do his thinking for him. What freedom is there if the individual can no longer make decisions for themselves and instead rely on governments any government to provide their needs for them? To hold this thought is to make man little more than 'collective thinkers' which blindly follows the crowd rather than use their own common sense or utilise their own unique gifts given from God above. When a people begin to rely on the government to do their thinking for them then the whole world is in trouble.

We have seen from history that Communism does not work for a man's mind or will cannot be subjugated by the chains of a theory which has proved itself evil for when one removes God from the picture man then is left to himself. Neither is capitalism working as only a few are able to climb the corporate ladder while others who though they may work fulltime cannot afford the basic necessities of life. Gaining money for money's sake will soon find the society that supports this theory morally bankrupt, and spiritually empty. As Alexander Solzhenitsyn once wrote, "Do not pursue what is illusory-property and position: all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade and can be confiscated in one fell night. Live with a steady superiority over life-don't be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn after happiness; it is after all, all the same: the bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing." What then can bring us the much longed for peace which every man yearns for?

There will never be peace on earth until God deigns it so, therefore it is a useless endeavor to look for any one person to obtain this peace most especially a peace which comes at any price. We see in the annals of history where Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler, did it bring peace? There will never be true peace on earth simply because the fact is we are all sinners and it is only Jesus who can give us the peace which Scripture speaks of, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."

As people of God we must become more aware of the power of words and look beneath the subtle nuances to the real meaning which is often hidden in the message. Such as these words from the famous author H. G. Wells, "Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo." Does this mean that in order not to be 'jealous' we should all lead immoral lives or applaud those who do? Or that Christians must remain silent in the face of evil? Neither should we think ourselves better than anyone else, therefore the best source to gain knowledge and understanding of human nature is through the Word of God, the Catholic Church and our great Saints. As we read in Jeremiah, "...For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart..."This is the fundamental question we must ask within our own hearts, do we seek God or goods? Do we seek to give of ourselves or gain for ourselves?

We see in recent events where relying on the nations government can lead to personal tragedy with untold consequences. When the people in the relevant regions were warned that they would be hit by hurricane Katrina many relied on the government to come to their aid IF they needed it. As we now know the people not only needed aid they soon became desperate for it, as the finger pointing began, yet why had so many continued their daily schedules as if nothing were amiss? Parents sent their children to school, many went to their places of employment, those who had elderly parents in nursing homes left them there. None of this was done because people did not care they simply put their loved one's and their lives in the wrong hands.

This way of thinking can lead to disastrous results as was seen in the tragic aftermath of hurricane Katrina, yet who elected a government to do our thinking for us? Or is it a case that many have begun to embrace the 'collective thinking' syndrome, where no-one is responsible for their own actions nor are they willing to take personal action in order to save their own families and friends. The real question to ask after this tragic experience is will people still rely on governments to save them? Or will they take their families safety as their own responsibility?

God did not create us on an assembly line, why then should we try and think as 'one' which is what the Communists tried to impose on their own people with disastrous results. It was also tried with Fascism once again with tragic results which brought untold misery to millions. Yet when we fail to think as individuals and embrace what everyone else is thinking and doing, how are we different from the communists and fascists?

The new fascism today is called toleration, everything under the sun must be tolerated. New laws are imposed where babies who are born with minor disabilities are aborted from their mother's wombs because they are not deemed 'perfect' enough. Where in some countries drugs are legal as laws go into affect to abort the babies of drug addicted people so they will not be a 'burden on society' yet the drug laws stay! Where pedophiles have begun their own political party so as to justify and place into law their own perverted way of life! It is the case that there are moves in many countries to recognise pedophilia as an illness much like alcoholics anonymous. Here though a person will not be condemned for the lust they feel for little children, pedophilia is not a lust it is an EVIL, yet we are seeing within many judiciary systems a 'sympathy' for the pedophile, and an outright contempt when protecting our most vulnerable citizens, our children.

If we think that this cannot happen, we need only look to those who support and applaud same sex marriages which is a mockery of the Sacrament of marriage and is an inherent disorder. As Pope Benedict XVI instructs the faithful in these words, "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is more or less strong tendency ordered to an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." Yet how many Catholics are willing to voice where The Church stands on this issue of active homosexuality? Or once again do our morals follow the collective thinking syndrome rather than the Church? Do Catholics also defy Scripture as they embrace 'toleration' for as we read in 1 Corinthians, "Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Collective thinking is dangerous for at the heart of it lies the disintegration of man's dignity and right to Truth as revealed by God through the Teachings of the Catholic Church. Those who support and propagate 'toleration' when it comes to deviant behaviour have become prostitutes to the Catholic Faith as they spread the lie which began with the father of lies and not the God of Truth!

When many can no longer tell what is evil and what is good, then where have you placed your faith?

Peace of Christ to ALL