Keep
your eyes open!...
December 19, 2008
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN IN JANUARY, 2009, GOD WILLING (James 4:15). A BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!
(Luke
2:13-14) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly army, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest:
and on earth peace to men of good will.
LINK: MERRY CHRISTMAS QUOTES
ESSAY by Fr. Tom Ryan: Christmas: the hope is real
At the beginning of Advent I
received a message from a friend whose husband committed suicide seven
years ago. "I haven't really engaged in our traditional family customs
in celebrating Christmas since then," she said. "There's been a kind of
tacit understanding among the family to that effect when the season
rolls around. The memories are too painful." But now there's a
grandchild, and this year will be different. "I'm taking out the
nativity set and decorating a tree," she wrote.
There are surely many who have
their own versions of the inner dialogue around the question of "to
decorate or not to decorate?" An increasing number of people live alone
and very likely ask themselves, "Why am I doing this? No one will see
it, and I don't need it."
But we do need it. Whether or not
anyone else will see it is beside the point. We have to do these things
to remind ourselves that the hope is real. Jesus really did come. It's
not just a legend or a dream. It really happened. And so we keep the
memory and its meaning alive by having a creche scene and a tree, by
buying gifts and going to Midnight mass, and having a real Christmas
dinner with friends or family.
The greatest service the church can
render the world is to tell the world its true story. And the chapters
of that story are "Creation," "Fall," "Promise," "Prophecy,"
"Incarnation," "Redemption," "Sanctification," "The Reign of God." Each
baptized believer is entrusted with that story and commissioned to keep
it alive and to pass it on. My friend will be doing that this Christmas
with her children and grandchild.
It's not unusual in the days
surrounding Christmas to think of those who have died. For some
families, it's the only time of the year when most or all of the family
gathers, so the holiday season is a rich repository of family history
and fond memories of happy times around the table or the tree, events
in which morn or dad played central roles distributing the gifts or
carving the turkey.
In keeping faith with the festival
of Christmas, we are doing more than recalling a historical event. We
are keeping the hope and the meaning alive of that event. We are
celebrating that from the moment of his birth until the end of time,
Jesus is always with us, encouraging us, forgiving us, loving us,
guiding us.
The precipice of discouragement is
never far. There is more than enough in the past hundred years alone to
plummet the human spirit into the pit of despair: two world wars;
regional conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Northern
Ireland; the rise of global terrorism; the whittling away of long
respected laws and social codes; the AIDS epidemic; the increasing
incidence of drug and alcohol addiction and of suicide; the growing gap
between rich and poor.
"But where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more," wrote Paul to the Romans. Feelings come and go,
but the facts of faith remain stable and sure: God has entered time,
become small enough to be enclosed in a child's body and limited to one
place. "God became what we are so that we might become what God is,"
said St. Irenaeus in the first century. And twenty centuries later,
that Light continues to shine in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it.
The hope is real, but needs to be
constantly nourished. So set up the creche, plug in the lights, and
tell the story to the next generation.
NEW AMERICAN: Faith Triumphs Over Persecution
CATHOLIC NEWSLINE: It's Christmas: Good time to come home to the ChurchLadder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 13- "On despondency"
3. A man in obedience does not know despondency,
having achieved spiritual things by means of sensory things.
December 18, 2008
(John 8:12) Again
therefore, Jesus spoke to: them, saying: I am the light of the world.
He that followeth me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light
of life.
VIA CNA: My Wish List for Christmas 2008 By Father Thomas Berg, L.C.
VIA Mission Moments: Repent and believe in the word of God
My
brothers, this is the time for each one of us individually to leave the
place of our sinfulness. Let us set out from our own Babylon to meet
God our Saviour, as the prophet warns us: «Prepare to meet your God, O
Israel, for he is coming» (Am 4,12 Vg). Let us leave the abyss of our
sins and willingly set out towards the Lord who has assumed «the
likeness of sinful flesh» (Rom 8,3). Let us leave our will to sin and
set out to offer repentance for our sins. Then we will find Christ: in
himself he atoned for the sin he had by no means committed. So he who
saves the penitent will grant us salvation...: «He shows mercy to those
who repent» (Sir 12,3 Vg).
You will say to me:... «But who can
leave their sins on their own?» Ah yes, but truly the greatest of sins
is the love of sin, the desire to sin. So leave this desire..., hate
the sin and, behold!, you have left sin. If you hate sin then you have
met Christ where he is to be found. Christ forgives the faults of those
of us who hate sin while waiting to pull out by the roots our evil
habits.
But you will say that even this is too much for you and
that, without God's grace, it is impossible for a man to hate his sin,
desire justice and want to repent. «Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men» (Ps
107[106],8)... Lord, save me from cowardliness and from the storm... O
Lord, with mighty hand, Jesus all-powerful, you have freed my mind from
the demon of ignorance and snatched my sick will from the plague of its
covetousness. Now set free my capacity for action so that with your
holy angels... I, too, may «do your bidding, obeying your spoken word»
(Ps 103[102],20).
Isaac of Stella (? – c.1171), Cistercian monk
VIA Dennis DeLaurier: The Window of the World
Look
through the Window of the World. What do you see? Is what you see
slowly becoming unrecognizable to you? Is it slowly changing? Is it no
longer what you saw when you were a child? Does it seem to be even
darker now? What do you see on the faces of people as they live their
lives? Look closely, for some of the darkness is hidden, as it hides in
the hearts of poor souls who are not physically dead, but are truly
dead to the Spirit. More and more are in a death spiral of the Spirit
and don't even know it. Their lives are filled with all that they can
take from the physical world as they use up the very fabric of their
allotted time. They only want more but never look inwardly to what
makes them unique as they are lost to things that they do not know that
they do not know. The light that is there in them is very small and the
flame is burning smaller and smaller with time. Soon it will be
extinguished and their death will be complete. Then there will be no
Jesus and no life. Then there will be no Jesus and no Spirit. Then
there will be no Jesus and only death. They have received what they
wanted, a life away from God. Deep in their minds they will not even
understand what a life away from God is, as that is the very
description of Hell!
There is only one escape from this death of
the Spirit, and that is the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ. To approach
this mercy is to approach a fountain of endless grace and love. The
smaller the light in our souls, the more Jesus will pour the fuel of
His mercy upon that light. There is only one escape from death and that
is the infinite mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus wants to save
souls for the glory of His Father. To do that, He has made it a simple
process. That process is to only trust in Him. If we place our trust in
Him, he will forgive unimaginable sins. The deepest and darkest sinner
will be rescued. Those who are great sinners will receive even greater
amounts of grace. In His trust nothing can harm you. In His trust you
can again live in His light. In that light you will never be lost.
Look
through the window of the world. See all the dying people. Even though
they do not know you or know they need you, they do. They need your
prayers, fasting and suffering offered up to Jesus who will provide all
they need to return to Him if you only ask.Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 13- "On despondency"
2. Despondency is a paralysis of soul, an enervation
of the mind, neglect of asceticism, hatred of the vow made. It calls those
who are in the world blessed. It accuses God of being merciless and without
love for men. It is being languid in singing psalms, weak in prayer, like
iron in service, resolute in manual labour, reliable in obedience.
December 17, 2008
(Jas 2:15-17) And
if a brother or sister be naked and want daily food: And one of you say
to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those
things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit? So faith
also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
HEADLINE: The Decline and Fall of Charity
If
you think retailers have it bad this Christmas, consider the effect
that a slumping economy will have on America's charities. Even prior to
the financial crisis, some of the most renowned charitable
organizations in the country were on life support. The American Red
Cross borrowed money for the second time in its 127-year history—the
first was after Hurricane Katrina, and the more recent $70 million loan
facilitated relief for the victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Edouard.
The Salvation Army spent more than $1 million on Gustav alone, but
raised just $30,000 to cover it.
Budget shortfalls are becoming
an across-the-board problem for aid organizations, The Washington Post
reported in September. Save the Children spent more than $100,000 on
diapers, cots, and bassinets on the Gulf Coast, and has only made up
about a third of that. Catholic Charities USA, which spent around
$200,000, had, at the time of the Post article, recouped $10,000.
Given
recent events, it isn't surprising that headlines are highlighting
greed on Wall Street, and conspicuous consumption at the upper echelons
of corporate America. These critiques are on point.
But the lack
of compassion for others that so rankles average Americans is just as
easily found – as sorry as I am to say it – among regular Americans.
Fifty years hence, today's society will be judged, according to the old
adage, by how it treated its poor. For that reason, generosity's
moribund status within America's churches is especially troubling.
RELATED HEADLINES
Local Charity Fund Drives Struggling
Religious sisters face financial shortfall
Charity demand up, donations down
U.S. Office Workers Who Used To Donate To Charity, Now Recipients Of Doleouts
Some charities hit hard by financial crisis
IN THE NEWS: Catholic Charities Named Country's Top Provider of Social Services
MORE OMINOUS FUTURE: ECONOMIC FORECASTS
From The "Panic" Of 2008 To The "Collapse" Of 2009
The Great Depression of the 21st Century: Collapse of the Real Economy
Global chaos to last well into 2010
8 really, really scary predictions
CURRENT ECONOMIC HEADLINES
Ecuador defaults, says to fight "monster" creditors
Georgia, Texas Banks Shut as Foreclosures Rise; Toll Reaches 25
Florida pension fund loses a quarter its value
Drop in consumer prices is most since 1932
COMMENTARY: The Darwin Depression: Time To Say Goodbye To How It Should Have Never Been
PRACTICAL ADVICE: Depression, Deflation and Your Survival
(Eze 7:18-19) And
they shall gird themselves with haircloth, and fear shall cover them
and shame shall be upon every face, and baldness upon all their heads.
Their silver shall be cast forth, and their gold shall become a
dunghill. Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them
in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They shall not satisfy their soul,
and their bellies shall not be filled: because it hath been the
stumblingblock of their iniquity.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 13- "On despondency"
1. As we have already frequently said, this- we
mean despondency- is very often one of the branches of talkativeness, and
its first child. And so we have given it its appropriate place in this
chain of vices.
December 16, 2008
(Gen 1:26-27) Then
God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he
created them.
VATICAN AFFIRMS 'DIGNITY OF HUMAN EMBRYO'
The
Vatican on Friday reopened ethical questions surrounding stem cell
research and techniques such as cloning with a document affirming the
"dignity of the human embryo."
"Dignitas Personae" (Dignity of
the Person), the first "instruction" on reproductive technology in more
than 20 years, comes as countries including the United States and
France prepare to review policies in the controversial field.
The
sweeping instruction lists biomedical techniques considered "illicit"
by the Roman Catholic Church such as in vitro fertilisation, cloning,
the therapeutic use of stem cells, producing vaccines from embryo cells
and the use of the "morning-after" contraceptive pill.
Such
practices go against the "fundamental principle" that the dignity of
the person must be recognised from conception until natural death, it
says.
Issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, the 33-page instruction updates a
1987 document, "Donum Vitae" (The Gift of Life), which asserted the
integrity of the human embryo.
The new instruction virtually
enshrines the embryo not only as a human being but also as a whole
"person" with all the philosophical and legal consequences that such
recognition might entail, according to Bishop Rino Fisichella,
secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"The
recognition is implicit, but we don't get involved in the philosophical
debate," Fisichella said as he presented the document.
The
document, approved by Pope Benedict XVI, also reprises the Church's
condemnation of in vitro fertilisation, while decrying methods that
prevent implantation of the embryo or cause its elimination as "falling
within the sin of abortion".
"The blithe acceptance of the
enormous number of abortions involved in the process of in vitro
fertilisation vividly illustrates how the replacement of the conjugal
act by a technical procedure ... leads to a weakening of the respect
owed to every human being," the document says.
The text also
warns against a "eugenic mentality" arising from advances in genetic
engineering, saying: "In the attempt to create a new type of human
being, one can recognise an ideological element in which man tries to
take the place of his Creator."
LINK TO TEXT: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20081208_dignitas-personae_en.html
U.S. BISHOPS: Questions and Answers on 'Dignitas Personae'
REVIEW: 'When Human Life Begins' by Rev. Richard Benson, C.M.
HEADLINES OF CONCERN
Chemically creating life in the laboratory
Assisted Reproductive Technology Linked to Birth Defects
Frozen mice cloned - are woolly mammoths next?
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 12- "On lying"
9. One lies for sheer wantonness, another for amusement;
one, to make the bystanders laugh; and another, to trap his brother and
do him injury.
December 10, 2008
FROM THE EDITOR: UNDER THE WEATHER (STREP THROAT). WILL PROBABLY NOT POST AGAIN UNTIL NEXT WEEK.
(Rev 3:15-16) "'I
know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold
or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
spew you out of my mouth.
APOSTASY IN THE HEADLINES
A different kind of hunger
Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children's dictionary
New bishop won't alienate pro-choice politicians
COMMENTARY: Individual Bishops Are NOT Above Canon Law
POPE BENEDICT XVI: Liberalism Needs to Rediscover God, Says Pope
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA FR. HECTOR R.G. PEREZ:
Lately I have heard of a local ongoing debate, which I fear is probably
pretty much universal, regarding the Season of Advent. The debate
focuses on whether Advent is just a time of preparation for Christmas,
could we then call it a pre-Christmas, or a penitential season.
The Church's answer, as usual, stands in the middle - "Virtus in medio
stat." While it is a time for preparation for the
great Feast of the Nativity of the Son of God made Man - and as such
what a wonderful event that is - it is also a penitential season, that
is, a time of penance and sacrifice. When we were little, those
of us who were fortunate enough to have had good old fashioned sisters
as our teachers in grade school, were told to make many acts of
penance and self-abnegation, sacrifices, special devotions and to have
a crib for the Baby Jesus in which we would put a piece of straw for
each act we performed. The idea was that we would have so many
acts of penance that we would make a comfy bed for the Baby
Jesus. It was childlike, yes, and simple. But isn't Christmas all
about childlikeness and simplicity? The idea was that according to
age-old Church practice Advent was - and is - a season of
penance. That is very difficult in the post-Christian and secularized
world in which most of us live. Christmas carols and decorations
spring up as early as Halloween (yes) in many places and for the most
part after Thanksgiving. Those same decorations are thrown out
and the carols cease the day after Christmas. We as Catholics should be
counter cultural - as Pope John Paul II often reminded us.
Christmas lasts for forty days until Candle on February 2nd - which
goes back to the Law of Moses which Christ came to fulfill to
perfection. The Vatican is a good sign of this since by order of
the Pope the ancient Roman practice of leaving up all Nativity scenes
(even in St. Peter's Square) until Feb. 2nd has been both kept up
and restored in the last few years (as far as St. Peter's is
concerned). Thus we have Forty Days of Christmas. It is then that we
should have Christmas parties and feasts, not before Christmas Eve. In
too many quarters, too many Parishes, and Catholic organizations we
have succumbed to the ways of the world. Instead of bringing the
light of the Truth to the world we have molded ourselves about its
erroneous criteria. This must change.
On the other hand we have
this time of Advent. It is a Season of Penance for which the Church
vests Herself in violet or purple (except Gaudete Sunday in Rose which
signifies a lessening of the rigors of penance). So it is a Penitential
Season, primarily. Yes, it is a time of preparation for the Birth of
Christ, just as Lent is a time of preparation for Easter. Does that
mean we start to celebrate Christmas before Christmas and forget the
penance which our Faith and Tradition tell us we must do? Does that
mean we start to celebrate Easter on Ash Wednesday and forget our
Lenten penance? I think we all know the answer. The Liturgy and
Discipline of the Church (which follows the Liturgy) tell us
otherwise. We prepare for Christmas - or for Easter - by
repentance, by penances, sacrifices, increased quality and time and
number of prayers and devotions. We gather, as it were, many
pieces of straw to make His crib more comfortable. So yes, this is a
time to performs acts of fasting and abstinence. Of giving witness -
"No I cannot partake of that because I am preparing for Christmas which
starts, not ends, on Christmas Day." It is a time of renewed
repentance. A time to make a good Confession of our
sins. Needless to say, we repeat with John Paul II, the desire and
advice to all that they should go to Confession regularly, at least
once a month. The just man sins seven times a day. Once or twice
a year is hardly sufficient to make a good thorough
confession or to partake in the elements of spiritual growth which this
wonderful Sacrament affords us. It is a time when we should try to
attend and participate in the Sacred Mysteries of the Mass and
perhaps in at least the readings of the Divine Office, the Liturgy of
the Hours which are so very beautiful. A time to
meditate more deeply in the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary with Her who
was so essentially central to their taking place and their
remembrance by the Evangelists and the early Church. With St. John the
Baptist who plays a central role in this Season we also must yell from
the rooftops: "Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand!" "Make straight
the ways of the Lord!" Fill in the valleys and bring down the
mountains of our sins so the Lord's coming will be easy and
fruitful for us. Repent! Prepare! Rejoice, because our salvation
is close at hand!
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 12- "On lying"
8. We notice various degrees of harm in all the
passions, and this is certainly the case with lying. There is one judgment
for him who lies through fear of punishment, and another for him who lies
when no danger is at hand.
December 5, 2008
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT
WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Luk 1:28) And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
POPE BENEDICT XVI:
We greet you and call upon you with the Angel's words: "full of
grace" (Lk 1:28), the most beautiful name that God himself has called
you from eternity.
"Full of grace" are you, Mary, full of divine love from the very first
moment of your existence, providentially predestined to be Mother of
the Redeemer and intimately connected to him in the mystery of
salvation.
In your Immaculate Conception shines forth the vocation of Christ's
disciples, called to become, with his grace, saints and immaculate
through love (cf. Eph 1:4). In you shines the dignity of every human
being who is always precious in the Creator's eyes.
Those who look to you, All Holy Mother, never lose their serenity, no matter what the hardships of life.
FR. PHIL BLOOM HOMILY EXCERPT:
In his life Dominic did not have many visions, but on today's Feast of
the Immaculate Conception, I would like to tell you about a vision
which underscores the motherly care of the Virgin Mary.
One night Dominic was praying alone
in the chapel of his monastery. He saw the heavens open with Christ in
the center and the Blessed Virgin Mary next to him. As St. Dominic
looked around, he began to weep bitterly. The Lord asked him why he was
so sad. "I am grieving," said Dominic, "because I see here members of
every religious Order, but of my own, not one."
Jesus then asked him if he would
like to see those of his own Order. Dominic replied that he ardently
desired to see them. The Lord then placed his hand lovingly on the
Virgin's shoulder and said, "I have given over your Order to my
mother's care." At this the Blessed Virgin drew back her mantle, and
opening it wide before St Dominic, it seemed to enclose nearly the
whole of that heavenly country, so vast was it, and beneath it he saw a
great host of his brethren.
The vision ended, but Dominic
remained in joyful, grateful prayer. When the first light of dawn
broke, Dominic rang the bell and gathered his brothers into the chapel.
He told his brothers about the vision and exhorted them to love Blessed
Virgin Mary and place themselves under her motherly care.
MORE ADVENT LINKS
Advent Provides Opportunity For Spiritual Preparation
Shedding light on Advent
Twelve Tips To A Better Advent Season
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 12- "On lying"
7. He who has obtained the fear of the Lord has
forsaken lying, having within himself an incorruptible judge- his own conscience.
December 4, 2008
POPE BENEDICT XVI:
"Many people in our own day, complain of a lack of time, because the
rhythm of daily life has become so frenetic for everyone. Yet even on
this subject, the Church has 'good news' to bring. God gives us His
time. We always have little time. For the Lord, especially, we do not
know how, or sometimes do not want to, find it. And yet God has time
for us. ... He gives us His time, because He entered history with His
word and His works of salvation, opening it to eternity and making it a
history of alliance.
REFLECTION VIA Fr. Loloy (Chinapost.com): There Was a Time
There was a time
when there was no time,
When darkness reigned as king,
When a formless void
was all that there was
in the nothingness of eternity,
When it was night.
But over the void
and over the night, Love watched.
There was a time when time began.
It began when Love spoke.
Time began for light and life,
for splendor and grandeur.
Time began for seas and mountains,
for flowers and birds.
Time began for the valleys to ring with the songs of life,
and for the wilderness to echo with the wailing of wind
and howling of animals.
And over the earth, Love watched.
Finally, there came a time
when Love spoke again.
A Word from eternity— a Word
Spoken to a girl who belonged
to a people not known by the world
Spoken to a girl who belonged to a family not known by her people
To a girl named Mary.
And all creation waited in hushed silence for the girl's answer.
And Mary spoke her yes.
And Love watched over Mary.
And so there came a time
when Love breathed again
When Love breathed new life
into Mary's yes.
And a new day dawned for the World
A day when light
returned to darkness,
when life returned to dispel death
And so a day came when Love became man—a mother bore a child.
And Love watched over Love—a Father watched His Son.
And, lastly, there came a time when you and I became a part of time.
Now is the time that you and I wait.
Now we wait to celebrate what the world waited for.
And
as we wait to celebrate what was at one time, we become a part of that
time; A time when a new dawn and a new dream and a new creation began
for man.
And as a part of time, Love waits and Love watches over us.
A HAPPY TIME FOR ALL!Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 12- "On lying"
4. I have seen some who, priding themselves on
their skill in lying, and exciting laughter by their jests and twaddle,
have pitiably destroyed in their hearers the habit of mourning.
December 3, 2008
POPE BENEDICT XVI ON ADVENT:
"First it invites us to reawaken the expectation of the glorious return
of Christ; then, as Christmas approaches, it calls upon us to welcome
the Word made flesh for our salvation."
BLOG (In the awareness of our need for God):
We all should await the Parousia or Second Coming of Christ. In patient
expectation, we prepare for the coming of Christ like the master of the
house who alone can really manage it and, with his necessary
guidelines, lift it out of the morass it has sunk into. We cannot allow
the long waiting to suppress our enthusiasm or drain our energy. We
have no choice but wait. But we should not be idle. All should be
asking themselves, "What should we be doing?" Diligently fulfilling our
responsibilities is the call of the hour anytime and anywhere. It is
the wise way of waiting. Hopefully and joyfully waiting for what is to
come is to believe that God is true to His promises even as we do our
part.
EXCERPT FISHEATERS ADVENT OVERVIEW:
...what Christians do (or should be doing!) during Advent and leading
up to Christmas is a foreshadowing of what they will do during the days
of their lives that lead up to the Second Coming; what non-Christians
refuse to do during Advent, and put off until after Christmas, is
precisely a foreshadowing of what they will experience at the Second
Coming.
We Christians are to prepare for the Coming of Christ
before He actually comes -- and that Coming is symbolized and recalled
at Christmas. Non-Christians miss this season of preparation, and then
scramble for six days after the 25th to make their resolutions. By
then, however, it's too late -- Christmas has come and gone, Our Lord
has already made His visitation to the earth, and He has found them
unprepared. This is precisely what will take place at the Second
Coming, when those who have put off for their entire lives the
necessary preparations will suddenly be scrambling to put their affairs
in order. Unfortunately, by then it will have been too late, and there
will be no time for repentance. The Second Coming will be less
forgiving than the Incarnation. There will be no four-week warning
period before the Second Coming, like we get during Advent. There will
be no six-day period of grace after the Second Coming during which to
make resolutions and self-examination, like the secular world does from
Dec. 26 until Jan. 1.
EDITORIAL: Time to rebuild what secularists tried to wreck
Some
of you will know -- but chances are most of you will not -- that the
Christian season of Advent begins this week. If Lent is the time to
detox, then Advent is the time to pre-tox; and time to redeem the soul
and purge it of impurities. And what better time to appreciate the
value of that season than the current times?
With the excesses
of the past decade laid bare, Paddy Kavanagh's poem of the same name
rings true: "We have tasted and tested too much."
Indeed we
have. Not that a roaring economy forced us to do so. I have never
agreed with those who say the Celtic Tiger made us more selfish.
Economic success never does this. What it does do is give us choices.
It gives us the ability to earn a lot of money, to consume more, and to
substitute the sensual for the spiritual. But it never, never, forces
us to or tells us that we should. This is something that many
misunderstood. Secular commentators on Ireland's success have spent the
past decade running down the traditional values and institutions that
make up our society. As a result, we don't just have undercapitalised
banks, we have an undercapitalised society, a society eroded by the
subprime, secularist confidence tricksters -- people who believe you
can build a successful society without religion, without strong nuclear
families and without trust and community.
But as the financial
turmoil of the world makes clear, far from being surplus to
requirements in a liberal capitalist democracy, the freedom that such a
society brings makes those things even more needed. The less the State
regulates us, the more we need to regulate ourselves.
Our own
government's need to intervene in the banking crisis shows just what
happens when self-restraint breaks down. It is no different from what
happened in the case of Baby P in the UK, a tragic case which warns us
to turn back from Britain's failed secular experiment. In that case,
the tragic death of a toddler was blamed on the failure by social
workers to intervene. But was it really? Was it not the fault of those
who relentlessly urged us that traditional families and the parental
duties that go with them are things of the past?
Who told us
that religion and the ethical code it imparts are no longer needed? Who
destroyed both of these things without leaving anything to replace it?
As if anything could.
All around us, that death- knell of
secularist credibility is being sounded. As the evidence of its failure
accumulates, how could it be otherwise?
US CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER DISPLAY: 'We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.'
INSPIRING: Catholic evangelist presents Hollywood vs. faith
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 12- "On lying"
3. Let no one who thinks rightly suppose that the
sin of lying is a small matter, for the All Holy Spirit pronounced the
most awful sentence of all against it, above all sins. If Thou wilt destroy
all that speak a lie, as David says to God (Psalm 5:4), what will they
suffer who stitch an oath on to a lie?
December 2, 2008
(John 8:44) You
are of your father the devil: and the desires of your father you will
do. He was a murderer from the beginning: and he stood not in the
truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh
of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.
PETER KREEFT: Between Heaven and Hell
ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Liturgical year end reminds us that this world isn't our final home
FROM THE MAILBAG
REFLECTION by Father Ted – November 28, 2008:
My dearest Lord Jesus, tomorrow
– Saturday, November 29th, is the last day of Your Church year.
Sunday begins another Church year.
As I come to the end of this ecclesiastical year You remind me that my purpose in life is to get ready to be with You in heaven.
And as I was taught as a little
child, You gave me life so that I could know You, so that I could love
You, so that I could serve You while I lived on this earth – and
then to join You in Your heavenly home.
Each day is a gift from You so that I can know You better, love You more, and serve You and my brothers and sisters.
Each day You want me to make time
for You – through prayer, through reading the Sacred Scriptures,
and also through some form of spiritual reading which will help me to
live each moment of each day with You and for You.
Yet as I was also taught as a
child, there are obstacles to getting to know You, and therefore
getting to love You and to serve You each day.
I have my weaknesses. The world,
which is opposed to You, strives to distract me or to entice me not to
focus upon You and my purpose in life. And, of course, there is Satan
and his associate devils to directly and indirectly tempt me not to
listen to You and not to do what You have asked of me – either
directly or through Your Church.
Satan does not want me to do Your
Will. He does not want me to know You, to love You, and to serve You.
Satan wants me to join him and his associates in hell – which
again You reminded me is real.
Hell was created for Satan and his
associates and for those humans who refuse to love You and to serve You
and Your children in this world.
Satan or one of his associates
frequently tempts us not to know You and not to love You as You want by
keeping us so busy during the week and on weekends that we do not have
time to pray to You and to worship You - especially on Sundays. He
wants us to neglect You and therefore to reject all the graces that You
offer to us so that we can know You and therefore love You as You want.
When we do not make time for You,
he convinces us that what You have commanded us to do by keeping Your
Ten Commandments and the Precepts of Your Church is irrelevant for us.
In fact he strives to persuade us that Your Ten Commandments and the
Precepts of Your Church will prevent us from being truly free and truly
happy.
But as You have reminded us – Satan is a liar; the father of lies.
So Lord, help us not to buy his
lies. Help us to listen to You. Help us to do Your Will. Help us to
make time for You each day – especially on Sundays. Help us to
know You and to love You and to serve You. Help us to become the saints
You want us to be.
During this new Church year, may we listen to You.
And by our example and by our
prayers may we help our brothers and sisters to realize that they too
have been created by You to know You, to love You and to serve You in
this world during their life-time so that they too will be with You in
heaven forever.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 12- "On lying"
2. A lie is the destruction of love, and a false
oath is a denial of God.
Links 
E-mail
Dr. Zambrano 
Home
Jubilee
2000: Bringing the World to Jesus
The
Tribulation Times Archives:
FAIR
USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We
are making such material available in our efforts to advance
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this
constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted
material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance
with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of
your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.