tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28064370697177798612024-02-07T22:09:09.607-05:00View CatholicExpounding on Authentic CatholicismKaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-78777735158451906822018-06-06T00:23:00.000-04:002018-06-06T00:38:47.052-04:00الأخ وحيد بخصوص الاخوة الكذبة<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">هذا الرد على ادعاءات الأخ وحيد الذي يظهر على شاشة قناة الحياة في برنامج «الدليل» مكون من ثلاثة أجزاء. انقر <a href="https://viewcatholic.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-kindly-response-to-brother-wahid.html" target="_blank">هنا</a> للحصول على النسخة الإنكليزية لهذا المقال</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">في الحلقة بعنوان «<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKCm7bn7frk">تزوير موقف القديس بولس الرسول من وثنيي أثينا</a>» الحلقة ٤٦٨، قام الاخ وحيد باقتباس من مراجع التي بحسب فهمه تخالف تعاليم الكتاب المقدس وصلب العقيدة المسيحية التي هي لا خلاص بدون دم المسيح الكفاري.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">قبل أن أدخل في صلب الموضوع، أحب أن أوضح لكل قارئي هذا المقال وللاخ وحيد باني معجب بمحبته لخلاص النفوس و بغيرته على كلمة الله. ولكني أيضا أحب أن ادعوه أن يتامل بهذه الحقيقة. حياتنا التبشيرية لها طابعين. الأول هو محبتنا للحق والثانية كراهيتنا للهرطقة. أحيانا حينما كراهيتنا للهرطقة تفوق على محبتنا للحق، تتغلب علينا الشكوك فنرى هرطقات في أشياء خالية من الهرطقة. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">لو الكتاب الذي هاجمه الأخ وحيد لم يكن كتاب التعليم المسيحي للكنيسة الكاثوليكية، الكتاب الذي يحتوي على التعليم الرسمي للعقائد الكاثوليكية، لما أنفقت وقتي في كتابة هذا الرد. ويتمادى وحيد بوصفه للذين يعتقدون بهذا الكتاب بأنهم «ذئاب خاطفة» و«اخوة كذبة» (انقر <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+2%3A3-6&version=NAV" target="_blank">هنا</a> لتتعرف على خلفية هذا المصطلح). كان يمكن أن يكون أكثر صدقا مع مشاهديه لو أعطى اسم المرجع الذي استخدمه لكي يوظح لمشاهديه من هم الذي وصفهم ب"الإخوة الكذبة."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">في مقدمة برنامجه، يتكلم الأخ وحيد عن «فئات مختلفة" تحاول أن «تجد ما يدعم كلامهم من خلال آيات يحاولوا يطوروها حسب فكرهم لدرجة انهم يحاولوا تطويع الكاروز العظيم بولس الرسول محاولة…تطويع كلامه ليكون ليه موقف خاص من وثني أثينا». ويكمل كلامه بقرائة من أعمال الرسل ٢٢:١٧-٣١ ومن كتاب التعليم المسيحي للكنيسة الكاثوليكية، فقرة 843. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">هذه هي فقرة 843 بأكملها:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />843 " الكنيسة ترى في <span style="background-color: yellow;">الاديان الاخرى تلمّسها، "الذي يزال في الظلّ وفي خفاء الصّوَر" ، الله المجهول والقريب الذي يعطي الجميع الحياة والنفس وكّل شيء</span>، والذي يريد أن يخلص جميُع البشر. وهكذا ترى الكنيسة ان كل من يمكن أن يوجد من الصلاح والحق في الديانات هو "تمهيد لانجيل وموهبة من ذاك الذي ينير كل إنسان لكي تكون له الحياةُ أخيراً"<br /><br />الجزء المظلل هو الجزء الذي يقتبسه وحيد وواضح أنه يستخدم ترجمة مختلفة. وهذا هو الجزء الذي يفسره وحيد في الحلقة. <br /><br />يدعي وحيد بأن «هذا الموقف [أعمال ٢٢:١٧-٣١] أخذه البعض ليقول يعني زي منتو شايفين لا مشكلة فبولس لم يعترض أن للوثنيين آلهة يمكن من خلالها التعبد لله والوصول إلى الخلاص». هذا هو تفسير اخونا وحيد الكلام الوارد في فقرة 843. ويستمر في باقي الحلقة ليثبت من أعمال ٢٢:١٧-٣١ بان الفقرة 843 هي خاطئة وبان عابدي الاصنام لن يدخلوا ملكوت السماوات. <br /><br />كلام وحيد كاد أن يكون مضحكا لو لم يكن نابعا من شخص انا اعتبره باحث متمكن. لنقرأ معا ما الذي تعلمه الكنيسة في هذه الفقرة وما الذي لا تعلمه. <br /><br />843 " الكنيسة ترى في الاديان الاخرى تلمسها، "الذي يزال في الظل وفي خفاء الصور" الله المجهول والقريب الذي يعطي الجميع الحياة والنفس وكّل شيء، والذي يريد أن يخلص جميُع البشر. وهكذا ترى الكنيسة ان كل من يمكن أن يوجد من الصلاح والحق في الديانات هو "تمهيد لانجيل وموهبة من ذاك الذي ينير كل إنسان لكي تكون له الحياةُ أخيراً" (فقرة 843). <br /><br />الكنيسة الكاثوليكية "ترى" او تعترف بأن "الاديان الاخرى" تتلمس او تبحث عن "الله المجهول القريب". فالذين يعبدون الأوثان يقرون بوجود قوة تتفوق على القوى البشرية وهي قوة تستحق الإكرام والتبجيل من قبل البشر. وبالتالي هؤلاء الوثنيون هم على حق من ناحية، ومن ناحية أخرى، فهم مخطئون. هم على صواب باعتقادهم يوجد قوى تفوق البشر، ولكنهم اخطئوا حينما نسبوا هذه القوى إلى أصنام. القديس بولص يقول للاثينيين "أنا أبشركم بالإله الذي تعبدونه ولا تعرفونه" (أعمال 23:17). أي شكل من أشكال التدين هو محاولة للوصول إلى الإله الحقيقي. هذه المحاولة تفشل حينما يوجه الانسان هذا التدين إلى أصنام من صنع البشر. ولكن بالرغم من ذلك، هي تبقى محاولة، والدافع من وراء هذه المحاولة هو البحث عن الإله الحقيقي الذي "غرس الابدية في قلوب البشر" (الجامعة 11:3). إذاً في عبادتهم للاصنام، الوثنيون يتلمسون ويبحثون عن الله المجهول والقريب". فهو "قريب" لأنه هو الذي "يعطي الجميع الحياة والنفس وكّل شيء" وهو يريد أن "يخلص جميع البشر". هذا كل ما تعلمه الكنيسة الكاثوليكية في الفقرة 843.<br /><br />والآن لنرى ما لا تعلمه الكنيسة الكاثوليكية في الفقرة 843. الكنيسة الكاثوليكية لا تعلم في هذه الفقرة، كما ادعى وحيد، بأن عبادة الأوثان ممكن أن تستبدل الذبيحة الكفارية التي قدمها السيد المسيح على الصليب، والتي بدونها لا يستطيع احد أن يدخل إلى السماء. الاعتراف بوجود تلمس وبحث في الأديان الاخرة لا يعني اعتناق هذه الأديان كطريقاً آخر إلى الله بدون ذبيحة السيد المسيح الكفارية، كما يقترح وحيد. ولا يوجد اي عبارة في الفقرة 843 توحي بأن ايمان الوثنيين هو "ايمان خلاصي" أو هو ممكن أن يوصل الإنسان إلى الخلاص. وحيد هنا يفرض شرحاً خاطئاً على النص وهو شرحاً غير اميناً على النص الذي أمامه. <br /><br />لو كان وحيد قد قرء الفقرة بأكملها، لكان المعنى واضحاً جداً. فالفقرة 843 لا تنتهي في المكان الذي أنهى وحيد اقتباسه (ولا هي تبدأ من المكان الذي يبتدئ اقتباسه). تكمل الفقرة بعتارة مهمة جداً.<br /><br />"وهكذا ترى الكنيسة ان كل من يمكن أن يوجد من الصلاح والحق في الديانات هو "تمهيد لانجيل وموهبة من ذاك الذي ينير كل إنسان لكي تكون له الحياةُ أخيراً"<br /><br />في كل الأديان يوجد بعض "الصلاح" وبعض "الحق". جميع الأديان (بحسب علمي) لديها بعض "الصلاح"، كالزكاة أو اتباع بعض المبادئ الأخلاقية التي تشابه الوصاية العشرى. إذ نكون مخطئين جداً إذا لم نعتبر الصدقة على الفقراء شئ صالح وحق. ونكون مخطئين بخطورة إذا لم نعتبر أن الحظر الأخلاقي ضد السرقة أو القتل أمر صالح وحق. أن كانت "كل عطية صالحة تأتي من عند ابي الانوار"، اذاً مصدر كل شئ صالح وحق موجود في الأديان الاخرى هو الله بذاته (يعقوب 17:1). ولكن بالرغم من ذلك كل "الصلاح والحق" الموجودين في الأديان الاخرى هم ليسوا سبيلاً يمكن من خلاله اقتناء الخلاص والوصول إلى السماء. انما كل "الصلاح" و"الحق" الموجودان في الأديان الاخرى هما فقط "تمهيد للانجيل". الصلاح والحق في الأديان الاخرى هما يهيئان الشخص الذي يمتلكهم لقبول البشارة والميل إلى احتضان الانجيل حينما يعرض عليهم لان الانجيل يحتوي على كمال الحق والصلاح. الأرض المشتركة بين الانجيل والاديان الاخرى هي بمثابة باباً يتسربل من خلاله نور الانجيل فيشع ذلك النور ويبدد الظلمة في العبادات الوثنية. القديس بولص يستخدم هذه الاستراتيجية في أعمال 17 حينما يقابل وثنيين متدينين، اذاً التدين ميزة صالحة، فاستخدم هذه الميزة لكي يبشر الوثنيون الاثينيون عن الإله الحق الذي هم يجهلونه. <br /><br />لسببٍ ما، اختار وحيد أن لا يناقش النص الكامل من الفقرة 843، والتي تعلن وبكل وضوح بأن "الصلاح والحق" الموجودان في الأديان الاخرى هما فقط تمهيداً للانجيل الذي يحتوي على الحق المطلق. أن كان هذا النص من الفقرة 843 صحيحاً، اذاً تفسير وحيد للجزء الذي قام باقتباسه ليس أكثر من <a href="https://youtu.be/8xvFa_VcESU">مغالطة رجل القش</a>. في هذه الحلقة (8:45)، وحيد يتهم هذه الفئة التي تعلم بدخول الوثنيين إلى السماء بوثنيتهم، على حد تعبيره، يتهمهم بقطع ايات أو اقتباس نصف آية وترك الباقي، اي هم ياخذون الآيات من سياقها النصي. لو عمل وحيد بحسب نصيحته عن ضرورة احترام السياق، لما قام باقتطاف جزء من النص وتجاهل بقية الفقرة. </span></div>
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-27737267317263925302018-06-05T23:41:00.000-04:002018-06-06T00:32:52.756-04:00A Kindly Response to Brother Wahid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the first post in a three-part response to Brother Wahid, whose show Al Dalil appears in Al Hayat Channel. Click <a href="https://viewcatholic.blogspot.com/2018/06/blog-post.html" target="_blank">here</a> for the Arabic version of these posts.<br />
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In his episode, Number 468 titled “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=996-mtrgCYU&t=24s">Misrepresenting St. Paul’s Position Concerning the Pagans of Athens</a>,” Wahid cites some sources that, according to his interpretation, go against the core teaching of Christianity, which states that without faith in Christ’s Incarnation, death and Resurrection, a person cannot attain heaven.<br />
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Before I go on further, I have to make it clear to everyone, and to Wahid as well if he ever reads this, that I admire his work for the salvation of souls and his zeal for the word of God.<br />
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Nonetheless, I’d invite him to consider this: our evangelical walk is marked by two characteristics, love of truth and hatred for heresy. When the latter surpasses the former, we become overly suspicious and go on to see heresy where it does not exist.<br />
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I would not have taken pains to respond to Brother Wahid if the book that he attacked in these two episodes was not the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book that contains the official teachings of the Catholic Church. He goes as far as calling those who subscribe to what is written in that book “ravenous wolves” and “false brethren” (Read <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+2%3A3-6&version=NABRE" target="_blank">this</a> on some background on ‘false brethren’). It would have been more intellectually honest of him had he given the reference in order to make clear to his audience whom he was labelling as “false brethren.” Wahid prefaces his show with a note about how “different sects” try to recruit St. Paul in order to advance their personal views. He goes on to read from Acts 17:22-31 and from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 843.<br />
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Here is what CCC 843 says in its English translation:<br />
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<b>843</b> The Catholic Church recognizes in <span style="background-color: yellow;">other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things</span> and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."<br />
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The highlighted part is what Wahid has on the screenshot. That is the portion of the passage that he presented and commented on throughout his whole show. And here is his commentary on that passage.<br />
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He claims that “some have taken this circumstance [Acts 17:22-31] and interpreted it to mean ‘as you can see, St. Paul did not object that Athenians have idols through which they can worship God and attain Salvation’” (See 5:56-6:11). That is his interpretation of CCC 843. He spends the rest of the episode proving from Acts 17 and other scriptural passages that CCC 843 is wrong and that idol worshipers will not enter heaven.<br />
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Wahid’s claim would have been laughable had it not come from a man whom I consider to be a prominent scholar. First, let us read together what CCC 843 says and what it does not say:<br />
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“The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as ‘a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life’” (CCC 843).<br />
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It says that the Catholic Church “recognize,” or acknowledges the “search” of “other religions” for “the God who is unknown yet near.” Those who offer worship to idols concede to the existence of a greater power that surpasses that of humanity and that deserves humanity’s reverence. Consequently, these pagans who worship idols are right in some ways and wrong in others. They are correct in thinking that a greater power exists, but they are mistaken in believing that idols possess that power. St. Paul tells the Athenians that they “are ignorant of the very thing” they “worship” (Acts 17:23). Any form of religiosity is an attempt to reach the true God. Of course, that attempt fails when that religiosity is directed to a false god. Nonetheless, an attempt it remains. The impetus behind this attempt is a search for the True God, who “set eternity in the heart of men” (Ecc 3:11). In their idol worship, therefore, pagans are really “search[ing]” for “the God who is unknown yet near” to them. He is “near” to them since “he gives life and breath and all things” and since “he wants all men to be saved.” That’s all CCC 843 says.<br />
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What does CCC 843 not say? It does not say, as Wahid claims, that these pagans’ “search” is sufficient to make them enter heaven. It does not say that pagans’ idol worship is a substitution for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, without which no one can enter heaven. To “recognize” a “search” does not mean, as Wahid suggests, to embrace idol worship as an alternate pathway to heaven. Nowhere does CCC 843 even hint at pagans’ faith being salvific or capable of procuring salvation. Wahid here is imposing a reading on the text that clearly does not do the text any justice.<br />
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If he were only to read the rest of CCC 843, things would have been very clear. CCC 843 does not end where Wahid stops citing (nor does it begin where he begins citing it either). It goes on to say something very important. Here is what it says:<br />
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“Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as ‘a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.’”<br />
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There is some “goodness” and some “truth” in all religions. All religions (to my knowledge, at least) have some goodness in them, such as almsgiving and some moral code that in some way corresponds to the Ten Commandments. We would be gravely mistaken if we did not consider giving money to the poor to be good and true. We would be plainly wrong if we did not consider a moral prohibition against stealing or killing to be good and true. If God is “the giver of every good gift,” then the source of any goodness and truth found in other religions is God. Nonetheless, the “goodness” and “truth” found in other religions do not constitute a means by which the adherents of these religions will enter heaven. Rather, all “goodness” and “truth” that are in other “religions” are simply a “preparation for the Gospel.” They predispose those who possess them to embrace the Gospel when it is presented to them since the Gospel contains the fullness of truth. The common ground between Christianity and other religions serves as an entryway through which the light of the Gospel can penetrate and dispel the darkness of idol worship. St. Paul deploys this strategy in Acts 17, where he finds pagans who are religious, which is a good quality, and he uses that quality in order to present to them the true God of whom they were ignorant.<br />
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For some reason, Wahid chose not to discuss the latter half of CCC 843, which clearly states that the “goodness” and “truth” found in other religions simply set the stage for the fullness of truth that is found in the Gospel. If the latter half of CCC 843 is right, then Wahid’s interpretation of the first half of 843 is nothing more than <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IB8gWvelEA">a straw man</a>. At a later part in his episode, Wahid accuses those whose name he does not mention of citing verses half way through or taking verses out of their context. If he were to heed his own advice on championing a contextual reading (see 8:45), he would not have cut out that portion from CCC 843 and completely ignored the rest of the passage.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-9085556819067965072013-07-16T16:53:00.001-04:002013-07-16T16:53:34.250-04:00Christ, the Fairest of All Men III: Song of Songs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Our meditations on Song of Songs ended at the 7<sup>th</sup>
verse of the first chapter, where the “lovely” Bride poses a question to her
lover. She asks, “Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your
friends?”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2011/05/christ-fairest-of-all-men-with-video.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Song of Songs 1:1-3</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/08/christ-fairest-of-all-men-ii-song-of.html">Song of Songs 1:4-7 </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_QgXnawWA-_ep4cNqPq6Gt0OsAggsj2Y7Oas8mxRUZDaVhLb0Tyv9sFeD-AAZG5_TZnyUeNKUJaPLuN_K4_yhyeIGNXK_WGs09KBRE3x5f1oK2vugVqVjlL5r2A3rCXYB1ZBCCcdE0k/s1600/Song-of-Songs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_QgXnawWA-_ep4cNqPq6Gt0OsAggsj2Y7Oas8mxRUZDaVhLb0Tyv9sFeD-AAZG5_TZnyUeNKUJaPLuN_K4_yhyeIGNXK_WGs09KBRE3x5f1oK2vugVqVjlL5r2A3rCXYB1ZBCCcdE0k/s400/Song-of-Songs2.jpg" title="Song of Songs" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Song of Songs: Christ and His Church</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In this post, let’s look at the next four verses.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the
tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">9 I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the
chariots of Pharaoh.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">10 Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with
strings of jewels.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">11 We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The speaker in these four verses is the Bridegroom, who is
responding to the question posed to him earlier regarding the whereabouts of
his “flock” (1:7).<span> </span>Earlier, we
stated that the Bride’s love for her Bridegroom seems to be secretive and
unpublicized. Consequently, she goes about hidden and “veiled” so as not to
reveal her identity to the world (1:7). Moreover, there is a sense of having
lost the tracks of the Beloved; meanwhile, she is surrounded by the
Bridegroom’s “friends.” These “friends” do not satisfy her longing for the
Beloved. They are called “friends” of Christ in the same sense that Christ
called Judah a “friend” (Mathew 26:50). These friends do not really know Christ
because they have either strayed away doctrinally to join the folds of the
heretics and schismatics, or they have the sound doctrine but do not conform
their lives to the Gospel for leading a duplicitous and hypocritical lifestyle.
For this reason, the Bride yearns for the “Good Shepherd,” the one who will
nourish and feed his sheep (John 10:11).<span>
</span>He responds to her question and says:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">“If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the
tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Beginning with verse 8, and for the first time, we hear the
Bridegroom speaking. He labels his Beloved as the “most beautiful of women,” a
description that stands in direct contrast to the attitude of the “daughters of
Jerusalem” who “stare” at the Bride, repulsed at her “dark” skin (v.6).<span> </span>That which may seem hideous and
unattractive to the eyes of the world, may be “beautiful” and appealing to the
eyes of God, who looks not at the beauty of the flesh but rejoices in the
sanctity of the soul, which conforms its “image” to that of Christ (Genesis
1:27).<span> </span>Conversely, the world holds
in high esteem people with pleasing physical qualities that do not necessarily
reflect their deplorable inner condition, which is fully visible only to the
eyes of God.<span> </span>In effect, the
Bride becomes a mirror, which reflects the beauty of her Bridegroom. For this
reason, despite being “dark” on the outside, the Bride sees herself as “lovely”
as the “tent curtains of Solomon” (v.5). </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Lover’s advice for his Beloved is to “follow the tracks
of the sheep.” The “sheep,” whose “tracks” the Bride must follow, are the
Saints, whose “faith” we must “imitate” after considering the “outcome of their
life” (Hebrews 13:7). They are those whose “example” we must “follow” as a
“model” or a pattern to be imitated and repeated (Philippians 3:17). Does this
take away from the glory of God in any way? No, of course not. It does not
detract from the glory that is due to Christ because we only “imitate” those
“sheep,” which trod the “path,” in so far as they imitate and “follow the
example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).<span>
</span>In due time, these “sheep” turn into “shepherds” by the virtue of the
saintly life they lead. It is only fitting that we “graze by the tents” of
these faithful “shepherds.” Christ’s exhortation to his Beloved, the Church, is
to remain under the ministry of her shepherds rather than breaking off to form
a schism or a breakaway group. The Bridegroom goes on to say:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>9 “I liken you, my
darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh.”<br />
</i><br />
In our postmodern and thoroughly deconstructed world, this may not seem much of
a compliment. However, in ancient poetry, human beings, both men and women, are
often compared to certain animals. Thomas Wyatt compares beautiful women who
could be potential lovers, to “hinds” or female deer (Whoso list to hunt).<span> </span>In the comparison above, King Solomon
uses an analogy to describe the beauty and physical attraction of his beloved. The
effect of mares on stallions is identical to the effect of the Bride on other
men. Pharaohs only used the healthiest and most vigorous of horses. Thus, the
comparison is made to denote the gracefulness and beauty of the Beloved. When a
mare is placed in the midst of stallions, she becomes a great distraction to
the stallions. Likewise, the beauty and attractiveness of the Beloved are so
great, that all men are occupied and wholly taken by her looks. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>10 Your cheeks are
beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>11 We will make you
earrings of gold, studded with silver.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Detailing the beauty of the Bride, the Bridegroom goes on to
describe her features.<span> </span>Her “cheeks
are beautiful” because the beauty of Christ has been imprinted on her features.
It is only with “earrings” that her beauty is pronounced and made visible,
signifying that apart from Divine intervention, the Bride’s looks are not
complete and lack the pleasing appearance that is often associated with a young
lady at her own marriage ceremony. The same applies to her “neck,” which is
only made beautiful by the “strings of jewels.” To emphasize the role of the
Divine in adorning the Bride, the Bridegroom declares in the following verse
“We will make earrings of gold.” The maker of the “earrings” is God, Who
bestows His virtues and gifts upon His Church. All ornamental objects discussed
thus far represent the virtues or the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given
to the recipient of the Sacrament of Confirmation. <span> </span>This is further solidified in the words of God as He speaks to
Israel through the Prophet Ezekiel: </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">“I clothed you with an
embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen
and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put
bracelets on your arms and a <b>necklace
around your neck</b>, and I put a ring on your nose, <b>earrings on your ears</b> and a beautiful crown on your head. So you
were adorned with gold and silver, your clothes were of fine linen and costly
fabric and embroidered cloth” (Ezekiel 16:13).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are seven in total. They
include wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear
of the Lord. Seven centuries prior to Christ, Isaiah prophesies about a “stump
of Jesse,” from whose “roots a Branch will bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1). On this “Branch,”
the “<span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>pirit of the Lord shall rest; the spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge
and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the
Lord” (Isaiah 11:2, 3). Those who receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the
Sacrament of Confirmation are made more docile to the will of the Lover and
more obedient to His voice. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">We end our reflections on the verses above with a prayer
imploring Our Lover to intensify His love for us and stir in us a spirit of
obedience, righteousness and docility to His will in our lives, in Christ’s
name. <span> </span></span></div>
</div>
Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-10422419361812151152013-01-13T18:50:00.000-05:002013-01-13T18:50:43.715-05:00The Power of the Gospel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">A few years ago, I used to teach at a high school in Al Ain,
United Arab Emirates. Al Ain is one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE.
The country is located in the gulf region, and despite its receptiveness of
people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, Islamic extremism is
still rampant, while varying in degrees from the most ultra-orthodox to the
more moderate, yet practicing Muslims. In the midst of this setting, I would
conduct my affairs, going to school, shopping at the grocery store, and even
offering private English lessons to high school students. One of my clients was
a Grade 10 student, who was originally from Palestine, and judging by the full
hijab and traditional Islamic dress she would wear, she took her faith
seriously. She needed help with her novel, Charles Dickens’ <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">There is a love triangle in this novel between three
characters, Charles Darnay, Lucy Manette and Sydney Carton who has a great
physical resemblance to Charles Darnay. Carton is in love with Lucy, while Lucy
loves Darnay and later marries him. The settings are England and France during
the years of the French Revolution. I read the novel for my student in the
course of a month. At the end of the novel, Darnay, being an aristocrat, is
imprisoned in France. Without fully disclosing his plans to anyone, Carton’s
love for Lucy makes him decide to take Darnay’s place in prison. Carton visits
Darnay and exhorts him to exchange his clothing with those Carton is wearing.
Quietly and without much explanation, Carton slips into the convicted man’s
clothing and takes his place in the guillotine, while Darnay, in full dismay,
puts on Carton’s clothes, leaves the prison, and returns to his wife a free
man.<span> </span>As I was reading this part, I
could see my student from the corner of my eyes rushing to wipe off her silent
tears, which came streaming down her cheeks. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In the background of Dickens’ narrative, there is a clear
allusion to the universal theme of Redemption, where a person lays down his
life to save the lives of those whom he loves. There is something special about
Redemption, something that speaks to the core of our being regardless of our
cultural, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and regardless of all the confusion,
chaos and perplexity the postmodern society has wrought upon us, we can still
recognize a good story of redemption when we hear one. This was definitely the
story of Vicky Soto, a first-grade teacher who hid her students in the closet
and told the killer that they’re in the gym, which prompted him to pull the
trigger on her. Her heroic action has sparked endless tributes that flooded the
social media, demonstrating a great sense of devotion, gratitude, and
appreciation. Suddenly, online public forums became empty of all polemics and
bitter fighting over dogmatic views and were filled with a unifying gesture of
love and admiration for the heroine.<span> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The reaction to the horrifying incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School
is almost identical to my student’s reaction to the selfless sacrifice of
Sydney Carton. Both incidents stir an emotional response that lauds the person
sacrificing himself (or herself) for others. Ms. Soto’s sacrifice, like that of
Sydney Carton, embodies an idealized sentiment of profound love that is often
missing in our modern, selfish society.<span>
</span>However, the biggest commonality between these two narratives is they
both echo the greatest sacrifice of them all, that of Our Lord Jesus Christ on
the cross. In essence, it is Christ’s sacrifice that sets a model, an example
or a pattern; every time this model is mirrored, every time this pattern is
repeated, it is capable of rousing the hardest of hearts and the gravest of
sinners into a noble, dignified and righteous spirit. These examples of
Christ’s sacrifice are reminders of a longing that is imprinted on every heart,
calling back every sinner to Christ’s love and inviting them to consider their
eternal salvation. Unfortunately, often times these reminders go amiss, and the
voice of God amidst the narrative is ignored or unrecognized.</span></span>
</div>
Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-33429703930662088062012-12-30T18:46:00.000-05:002012-12-30T18:47:41.652-05:00To the Sinners, to Make Much of Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">---I hope Robert Herrick will not sue me---</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Gather ye sinners while ye may</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Old
time is still a-flying</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">And this lamb that ye behold today</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Tomorrow
will be a lion</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The great big lie, the worldly riches</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Will
never be fulfilling </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Like the chasing of the wind</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Vain is all your tilling </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Come to Christ, the only Way</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Faith,
hope and love will fill your morrow </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Earthly wisdom is deceiving</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">And much knowledge brings much
sorrow</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Tarry not, but know thy Saviour </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> before
‘tis late for day is spent;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Night will come with all its terror</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: x-large;"> and
His knocking forever end</span>
</div>
Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-52662473233016597992012-12-19T13:50:00.000-05:002012-12-19T13:50:35.606-05:00Twenty One Saint Everyone Must Know III - I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XXI - XIX Saints Gregory the Great, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-iv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XVIII - XVI Saints Jerome, John Chrysostom, Elijah</span></a><br />
<a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-xv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XV - XIII Saints Therese of Lisieux, Teresia Benedicta, Teresa of Avila</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know_8.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XII - X Saints John of the Cross, Benedict of Nursia, Thomas Aquinas</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-ix.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">IX - VII Saints Sultana Mahdokht, Dominic, Monica</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-vi.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">VI - IV Saints Augustine, John the Apostle, John the Baptist</span></a><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHRK3gP8yVbXtZJ8GR8DlPiIbRYTdtwusT9_zVQmfBtaSJFPMAO7wy5ecz2exz-GM9607HMoNyEjN_t-sojH_i33fW7ZfCgdnTeTAjh1E_Q1uVGlSduYbG1Oh_vpNIpuKIjuJKWGlZ_Y/s1600/saint-paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHRK3gP8yVbXtZJ8GR8DlPiIbRYTdtwusT9_zVQmfBtaSJFPMAO7wy5ecz2exz-GM9607HMoNyEjN_t-sojH_i33fW7ZfCgdnTeTAjh1E_Q1uVGlSduYbG1Oh_vpNIpuKIjuJKWGlZ_Y/s400/saint-paul.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Paul</span></td></tr>
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{page:Section1;} </style><span style="font-size: x-large;">3-St. Paul (5 AD – 67 AD) [Martyr]</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The “Apostle to the Gentiles” has seen his share of “trouble,”
“hardship,” “persecution,” “famine,” “nakedness,” “danger” and “sword”
(Galatians 2:8, Romans 8:35). While others boast in their lineage and all
matters that pertain to the “flesh,” St. Paul finds all these “rubbish” for the
sake of “knowing” Christ (Philippians 3:8).<span> </span>His sole desire is to “know Christ and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering” (Philippians 3:10). Pain is not
something that an average person would seek. Rather, only those who have tasted
the profound and intense love of Christ can wish to share with His suffering. Victory
cannot be achieved without a fight, nor can any prize be won without a
struggle. Eternity is no different. It is “through many hardships” that “we
enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The suffering we experience in our
lives serves many purposes given that we suffer for righteousness’ sake. One purpose
is that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and
character produces hope” (Romans 5:3,4). In turn, “hope” in Christ “will never
put us to shame” (Romans 5:5). St. Paul thinks that suffering “for Christ” is
“granted” to us as a gift and not a punishment (Philippians 1:29). Of course,
that does not mean that we suffer aimlessly. Instead, we unite our suffering
with Christ’s pain on the cross to “fill up” in our “flesh what is lacking in
Christ’s affliction for the sake of His Chruch” (Colossians 1:24). Indeed, it
is a great gift and privilege to suffer with Jesus for the sake of the
salvation of humanity. In this sense, all those who suffer with Christ are
co-redeemers because they participate in His sacrifice on the cross.<span> </span>This is the ultimate purpose of
suffering in a believer’s life. The tiniest pain a person undergoes is
magnified a hundred fold when it is united with Christ’s suffering on the cross
for the salvation of souls. We “glory” and “rejoice” in our sufferings knowing
that our eternal reward is far greater than the biggest pain in our lives
(Romans 5:3, Mathew 5:12). Having said all this, it would be foolish to attempt
to understand anything that St. Paul has written without seeking his help and
his intercession. His writings “contain things that are hard to understand,
which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to
their own destruction” (1 Peter 3:16). For this reason, anything St. Paul has
written is not meant for “private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20).<span> </span>Instead, we must “keep the traditions”
that he “passed down” to us, whether orally, “by word of mouth,” or in his
writings through his “letters” (1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15).<span> </span>Throughout the centuries, St. Paul has
been a great teacher and preacher.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA7XARmnnCSbFYDtSi_uiDnMSH3lXsWTqgT3JXHyKCtxyVjKB6XJbtG70qTzYfjzl2W39A3g7N2utrOWYCmgkIari0zqFCK3LGOn_XxERqx9SDXJAe7m5yH_ZR8oLTfgPCNjtMqAeWOw/s1600/el_greco_peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA7XARmnnCSbFYDtSi_uiDnMSH3lXsWTqgT3JXHyKCtxyVjKB6XJbtG70qTzYfjzl2W39A3g7N2utrOWYCmgkIari0zqFCK3LGOn_XxERqx9SDXJAe7m5yH_ZR8oLTfgPCNjtMqAeWOw/s400/el_greco_peter.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Peter</span></td></tr>
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--></style><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span>2-St. Peter the Apostle (1 BC – 64 AD) [Martyr]</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The first Pope who is ordained by Our Lord is definitely a worthy
servant of God whose intercession we should beseech at all times (Mathew
16:18). St. Peter knows from experience that we human beings are frail, flimsy
and fragile. For this reason, he “rejoices” every time he sees a sinner
standing up again and resuming his fight for his salvation (Luke 15:7). In
fact, he is more than willing to help you back up on your feet and “encourage”
you when you find yourself empty of any strength to bear your cross (1 Peter
5:12). The interesting thing about St. Peter is that he is not just the first
Bishop of Rome, but also the first bishop of a very important See, the See of
Antioch, which has had a tremendous influence on the Christian school of
thought. When Our Lord gives Peter the “keys of the kingdom of heaven,” He is
making a direct reference to an incident that takes place in the Book of Isaiah
(Mathew 16:19). During the reign of Hezekiah, Shebna’s poor performance and
selfish pursuits as the “steward” of the King’s household incurs God’s
punishment on him (Isaiah 22:15). God promises that He will “depose” Shebna
“from his office,” and install a new steward over the “master’s household”
(Isaiah 22:18,19). The new steward is Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who is given the
“key to the house of David,” and “what he opens, no one can shut, and what he
shuts no one can open” (Isaiah 22:22). Christ expresses the identical sentiment
towards St. Peter when he gives Peter the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
Moreover, Christ clearly says that “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mathew
16:19). This is a key passage to understanding the nature of Peter’s
relationship with Our Lord. God is the Master, and the Church is His household.
Christ give Peter the “keys” to indicate that St. Peter is the steward of God’s
household, the Church, which is a clear indication that St. Peter, as Christ’s
steward here on earth, has a primacy over the House of God, the Church. In the
year 64 A.D, the flames devour Rome, and Nero attempts to find a scapegoat that
will bear the blame. He uses this incident to rid Rome of all Christians. St.
Peter finds an escape route, and he flees the persecution that Nero hurls down
at Christians by crucifying them. On his way, St. Peter encounters the risen
Lord walking the opposite direction, towards the city of Rome. He poses a
question to the Risen Christ using the same words from John 13:36, “Quo Vadis,”
(where are you going) to which Our Lord answers “Romam vado iterum crucifigi,”
(I am going to Rome to be crucified again). Seeing this, St. Peter gains the
courage to go back and face crucifixion. However, he feels unworthy to take the
cross in the same posture as Our Lord. Instead, he chooses to be crucified
upside down.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOlTYBQLJsvo7u8MYUfumQ9I3p-kn0PKtx4VxeIm_7keKO0MUCxzpXcaB7x7ZeMmHpjybMnM0uwtZiWOcBaD6-6nfC4TUWcTIiRc974oKjkozFlgm2XI0zb-B2CeD_sKrihM5YMUnEGU/s1600/virgin-mary-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOlTYBQLJsvo7u8MYUfumQ9I3p-kn0PKtx4VxeIm_7keKO0MUCxzpXcaB7x7ZeMmHpjybMnM0uwtZiWOcBaD6-6nfC4TUWcTIiRc974oKjkozFlgm2XI0zb-B2CeD_sKrihM5YMUnEGU/s400/virgin-mary-5.jpg" width="331" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blessed Virgin Mary</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span>1-The Blessed Virgin Mary (late 1<sup>st</sup> c. BC – early
1<sup>st</sup> century AD)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Our Holy Mother is the Queen of all Saints. Her powerful intercession on
our behalf is never rejected or turned down by the Blessed Trinity. She plays a
special role in the Salvation History. She brings Christ into this world
willingly (Luke 1:38); she will happily take your pleas and your petitions to
Him. If you’re looking for Scriptural proof, look no further than the wedding
at Cana (Click <a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2011/07/biblical-proof-of-marys-immaculate.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2011/07/biblical-proof-of-marys-immaculate_31.html">here</a>). As soon as the wine runs out, she intervenes and
petitions her son and her God to perform “the first of his miraculous signs”
(John 2:11).<span> </span>Of course, in order
for our prayers to be answered, first we must follow her advice and “do
whatever He tells” us (John 2:5).<span>
</span>The Immaculately Conceived “woman” is so powerful that “flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm”
announce her appearance (Revelation 11:19, 12:1).<span> </span>Satan knows the privileges she enjoys in heaven, which is
precisely why he will convince you to stop saying your Hail Marys.<span> </span>After his failed attempt of destroying
the holy “Mother” of the “Lord,” he goes “off to make war against the rest of
her offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus” (Luke 1:43, Revelation 12:17). As a result of God’s love for us, He does
not leave us without a heavenly mother. Rather, He gives us Our holy “mother”
as a wonderful gift for us to enjoy her maternal love and care (John 19:27).
Often times, Catholics make a claim that seems to dismay our Protestant
friends. We think that “She will crush” the “head” of the “Serpent” (Genesis
3:15). St. Jerome uses “She,” referring to the Blessed Virgin, in the
Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15), when he translates the original text into Latin
during the 4<sup>th</sup> century to indicate the one who will destroy Satan.
Of course, he does not mean that Mother Mary has powers of her own and through
her own strength she overcomes Satan. Instead, it is by her obedience and submission
to the will of God, who uses her to fulfill His plan of salvation, that she is
able to crush Satan under her feet. Through her cooperation with God’s salvific
plan, Our Holy Mother participates in the act of Redemption of mankind. God
chooses her to bring about Christ on earth, who in turn saves mankind through
the cross. Having this enormous privilege, which no other human being has even
come close to, the Blessed Virgin enjoys a special intercessory powers that no
other Saint has had or ever will have. Do not be afraid to ask Our Holy Mother
for her prayers because she loves you more than your earthly mother will ever
be capable of loving you. This “woman,” who is prophesied about in Genesis,
gives birth to the Saviour willingly and generously (Genesis 3:15, John 2:4,
Galatians 4:4). No other character, aside from Our Lord, did the Scriptures
refer to more than the Theotokos, the Mother of God. I’ll be sure to revisit
her again in some future blog post.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">This concludes the list of Saints that everyone must know and <span style="font-size: x-large;">whose intercession we must all seek. May the prayers of these holy men and women pr<span style="font-size: x-large;">otect us from all harm and <span style="font-size: x-large;">guide us into <span style="font-size: x-large;">eternal joy with Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.</span></span></span></span> </span></span>
<br />
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-4811047305320906942012-12-12T14:04:00.002-05:002012-12-12T14:04:58.450-05:00Twenty One Saints Everyone Must Know VI - IV<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></a>
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XXI - XIX Saints Gregory the Great, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-iv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XVIII - XIV Saints Jerome, John Chrysostom, Elijah</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-xv.html">XV - XIII Saints Therese of Lisieux, Teresia Benedicta, Teresa of Avila</a> </span><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know_8.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XII - X Saints John of the Cross, Benedict of Nursia, Thomas Aquinas</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-ix.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">IX - VII Saints Sultana Mahdokht, St. Dominic, St. Monica</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW4PucdmtObO5G889BUg3QG_KzuWBgQiokl2Ysvbt7MD88jm3VivSDYrn9XHGU6XI36JZ3L4vJmzQuhNV_BFjB7vEu2N3zkdl665_9Mk54YuhPdx6Ga8tXHnkLvJZ3mF7WNdC__fEGtQ/s1600/SaintAugustin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW4PucdmtObO5G889BUg3QG_KzuWBgQiokl2Ysvbt7MD88jm3VivSDYrn9XHGU6XI36JZ3L4vJmzQuhNV_BFjB7vEu2N3zkdl665_9Mk54YuhPdx6Ga8tXHnkLvJZ3mF7WNdC__fEGtQ/s400/SaintAugustin.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Augustine of Hippo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">6-St. Augustine (354 AD – 430 AD) [Doctor of the Church]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The few lines I will write here will do a great injustice to
a man like St. Augustine because I can never describe the magnitude of the influence
he has had on the entire development of human thought. He is a Doctor of the
Church, and his contributions to the doctrine of the Catholic faith are too
numerous to be counted. St. Augustine is born to a Christian mother, St.
Monica, and a non-believing father who is later baptized on his deathbed.
Throughout his life, he embraces and repudiates various philosophies. In his
late teens, he is drawn to the Manichean heresy, a sect that combines Christian
elements with that of Babylonian, Judaic and Gnostic religions. Manichaeism
sees the universe as a duality consisting of matter and spirit. All matter is
evil, while all spirit is good. As time passes, St. Augustine’s continuous
fascination with sin and the meaning of evil prompts him to reject the
simplistic explanations of Manichaeism.<span>
</span>By profession, he is a teacher of Rhetoric. Throughout his life, he is
caught up in a life of licentiousness and promiscuity. However, his burning
desire for the Truth remains with him, and he realizes that his lower appetites
are a barrier to his pursuit of the metaphysical Truth. He studies the Bible
thoroughly. While in Rome, he and his friend Alypius host a friend who tells
them about the life St. Anthony, a desert monk. Suddenly, St. Augustine feels
his heart burning within him for a life of asceticism and renunciation. He
leaves his friend Alypius and goes to the garden alone. There, he begins to
weep greatly to express the great conflict in his heart between his carnal
desires and his pursuit of the Truth. The most difficult obstacle for him to
overcome is achieving continence. The thoughts passing through his head at this
time are ‘How long shall I go on saying “tomorrow, tomorrow”? Why not now? Why
not make an end of my ugly sins at this moment?’ (<i>Confessions</i> VIII, 12). While he asks these questions, he hears the
voice of a child. Let me give you his own account: </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I was saying these things and weeping in the most bitter
contrition of my heart, when, lo, I heard the voice as of a boy or girl, I know
not which, coming from a neighbouring house, chanting, and oft repeating, Take
up and read; take up and read. Immediately my countenance was changed, and I
began most earnestly to consider whether it was usual for children in any kind
of game to sing such words; nor could I remember ever to have heard the like.
So, restraining the torrent of my tears, I rose up, interpreting it no other
way than as a command to me from Heaven to open the book, and to read the first
chapter I should light upon. For I had heard of Antony, that, accidentally
coming in while the gospel was being read, he received the admonition as if
what was read were addressed to him, “Go and sell that you have, and give to
the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me” (Mathew
19:21). And by such oracle was he immediately converted unto You. So quickly I
returned to the place where Alypius was sitting; for there had I put down the
volume of the apostles , when I rose thence. I grasped, opened, and in silence
read that paragraph on which my eyes first fell—“Not in rioting and drunkenness,
not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Romans
13:13-14). No further would I read, nor did I need; for instantly, as the
sentence ended—by a light, as it were, of security infused into my heart—all
the gloom of doubts
vanished away (<i>Confessions</i> VIII, 12).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thus St. Augustine is thoroughly converted to Christianity.
After being baptized by St. Ambrose of Milan, he embraces a life of celibacy.
His writings have influenced the western hemisphere for centuries. If anyone is
seeking Truth earnestly, I recommend this Saint. He is my personal favourite.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAPwbul1eo7M82TrBmeJJeEKQj5eTzAsl9qJGgI9bvlVoHlkL5NnQRWReLH17iFsc-wbBRrS8HqJLFfmsfPxLvWcrgOSSdy8o_M8gf-JJqYEkmffb2kM-H3FaV0gAMFGBfZwzPoXnQwY/s1600/St.+John+Devotions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAPwbul1eo7M82TrBmeJJeEKQj5eTzAsl9qJGgI9bvlVoHlkL5NnQRWReLH17iFsc-wbBRrS8HqJLFfmsfPxLvWcrgOSSdy8o_M8gf-JJqYEkmffb2kM-H3FaV0gAMFGBfZwzPoXnQwY/s400/St.+John+Devotions.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. John the Apostle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">5-St. John the Apostle (c. 6 AD – c. 100 AD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This man truly understands love because it is the concept
that he discusses the most in his gospel and three letters. For St. John, love
is not strictly an emotional undertaking that is expressed by words and
feelings. Instead, it is the active participation in Christ’s sufferings.<span> </span>We do not love with “words,” but with
“actions” (1 John 3:18).<span> </span>This is
where the line is drawn between true love and some fake, sentimental feeling.
True love demonstrates itself in our deeds. We make a conscious decision to
obey Our Lord regardless of how we feel or think. Moreover, all love is to be
measured against the ultimate act of love performed by God on the cross for us.
If it is anything less than sacrificial, then it is inferior to what Christ
gave us because “there is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for
a friend” (John 15:13).<span> </span>Somewhere
else, St. John writes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This is further proof of
Christ’s divinity. If “God is love,” and no one has “greater love” for us than
Christ, then Christ is God. After embracing this profound love, a human soul
finds itself prepared to give itself for the benefit of others. As a result, we
waste ourselves for others.<span> </span>Our
identity is shaped by this love. We demonstrate it at work, in school, on the
streets and at home. Another important concept in St. John’s writings is the
idea of being “born again” (John 3:5). The first birth is from our parents; the
second birth is achieved by “water” and “Spirit,” which is the Sacrament of
Baptism (John 3:5).<span> </span>Baptism washes
our soul from Original Sin, and it allows us to enter the Kingdom of God. It is
the doorway to other Sacraments, namely the Eucharist. St. John’s gospel
imitates the style of the Book of Genesis and its creation narrative. The first
creation in Genesis is a physical one, which is later subject to the Fall of
humanity through which death and suffering enter the world. However, the second
creation narrative written by St. John is a spiritual creation that reveals the
work of God in humanity. God’s aim is to save humanity, and He does not
accomplish it by fixing the old, but rather, He recreates humanity again.<span> </span>Those who are not “born again” will die
twice, while those who are “born again” will die only once. First death is the
separation of soul and body, and the second one is the eternal separation of
the soul from God. Therefore, born once, die twice; born twice, die once. Without
the second birth, no one can “enter” heaven (John 3:5).<span> </span>St. John is the “disciple whom Jesus
loved the most” (John 13:23).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. John the Baptist</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">4-St. John the Baptist (5 BC – 28 AD) [Martyr]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Few men can be compared with this fearless prophet. St. John
the Baptist’s ascetic way of life underlines his vision for the future Kingdom
where he will be spending his eternity. Rather than wasting time worrying about
what to “eat,” what to “drink” or what to “wear,” he runs off to the desert
seeking God’s “Kingdom” and His “righteousness” (Mathew 6:33). His diet consists
of “locusts and wild honey” (Mark 1:6). When standing in front of vicious
tyrants, we find him unafraid of declaring God’s judgment and righteousness.
King Herod falls in love with Herodias, his brother’s wife, while his brother
is still alive. St. John tells him that “it is unlawful” to “take his brother’s
wife” (Mark 6:18).<span> </span>Herodias in
turn holds a “grudge” against John and convinces Herod to “chop off” his head
as a reward for the sexual favour rendered to Herod by Herodias’ daughter (Mark
6:19,27). The sense of perversion and depravity in Herod’s circle is especially
underlined when the niece gratifies her uncle’s sexual cravings and convinces
him to marry her mother.<span>
</span>Nonetheless, the “greatest man born of a woman” announces the truth of
God bravely and earnestly regardless of how unpopular and rejected it may be
(Luke 7:28). How many of us today are ashamed to speak out against abortion,
contraception or homosexual acts because our position is unpopular? St. John is
especially singled out because he is one of the three characters from the New
Testament whose coming is prophesied in the Old Testament. Of course, the other
two characters are the Blessed Virgin and Lord Jesus. To be grouped among the
holy names of Jesus and Mary is a tremendous honour bestowed on a human being.
As already noted, St. John’s coming is already foreshadowed by Prophet Elijah.
The two characters have many common attributes. Moreover, the Old Testament
announces the coming of St. John on more than one occasion. Prophet Malachi
says that a “messenger” will “prepare” the way for God (Malachi 3:1). Again,
Isaiah says about St. John that there is going to be “a voice of one crying in
the wilderness, ‘prepare the way for the Lord’” (Isaiah 40:3). May the
intercession of this holy prophet, martyr and saint grant us the courage to
declare God’s words everywhere we go. </span></div>
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-37763331237412626912012-12-10T11:43:00.001-05:002012-12-10T11:43:41.541-05:00Twenty One Saints Everyone Must Know IX - VII<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XXI - XIX Saints Gregory the Great, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-iv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XVIII - XVI Saints Jerome, John Chrysostom, Elijah</span></a><br />
<a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-xv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XV - XIII Saints Therese of Lisieux, Teresia Benedicta, Teresa of Avila</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know_8.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XII - X Saints John of the Cross, Benedict of Nursia, Thomas Aquinas</span></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">St. Sultana Mahdokht with her brothers and St. Abda</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">9</span>-St. Sultana Mahdokht (? - 319 AD) [Martyr]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> On the Iraqi-Turkish border, approximately 60 KM northeast of the city
of Dohuk is a valley called Sapna. The valley is towered by Matena Mountain
from the north and Cara Mountain from the south. Nestled in this green valley
is an old Chaldean village called Araden. The name of the village comes from
old Aramaic language meaning the Land of Eden or Garden of Eden, signifying the
beautiful natural scenery that adorns the area.<span> </span>There is a church in this village that dates back to the
early 4<sup>th</sup> century, around the year 325 A.D.<span> </span>It is named after St. Sultana Mahdokht,
whose Feast Day is celebrated on January 12<sup>th </sup>in the liturgical
calendars of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of the East.
Sultana Mahdokht is the sister of Meharnarsa and Adorfrowa. Their father is
Prince Pholar, who is in charge of the Dorsas principality during the reign of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapur_II">King Shapur II</a> <span style="font-size: x-large;">of the Sassanid </span>Empire.<span> </span>Pholar is given
orders by King Shapur to round up all Christians for interrogation, and put
them to death if they do not renounce Christ. Sultana’s beauty and education
gain fame throughout the entire Persian Empire, and she is scheduled to appear
before the King’s representative who is to assess her and report back to the
King. After the meeting takes place, the representative is extremely impressed
with the character, beauty and knowledge of the princess and her brothers. On
their way back home, they begin racing; the horse of the youngest, Meharnarasa,
falls down and the prince’s thighbone is almost completely detached from the
rest of his body sending him into a coma. While in this dire condition, the
Bishop of a nearby village appears in the scene and is taken with compassion
for the wailing princess and her brother. He kneels down and begins praying for
the injured prince.<span> </span>A short while
afterwards, the prince is revived and the leg is reattached to the body by the
prayers of the Bishop. Meharnarsa tells his brother and sister about the vision
he has while in a coma. He sees the Bishop kneeling before the throne of Christ
asking for the prince’s life, a request to which Christ consents. Sultana and
her two brothers embrace the faith and ask to be baptized. They find themselves
a cave somewhere nearby to dwell in where they remain hidden from their
father’s search and rescue attempts. All sorts of spiritual gifts are given to
them while living in this cave, including the gift of healing and prophesy.
Three years later, as their end draws near, God sends them two angels to notify
them of their imminent martyrdom. This is when a wandering horse leads two
stable boys belonging to their father to the cave. The three Saints recognize
the horse and the stable boys and ask the two boys to inform their father of
what they have seen. Prince Pholar makes numerous failed attempts to retrieve
his lost children. At this point, King Shapur has heard about Sultana’s beauty
and has declared to Pholar his intentions to marry her. In every attempt Pholar
makes to bring his children back, a miraculous intervention transpires that
prevents his troops either from harming Sultana and her brothers or
apprehending them and bringing them into custody. Finally, after the power of
God becomes clearly manifest in the three Saints, they give themselves up for
decapitation in the presence of their mournful father. The troops hesitate to
carry out the sentence, which is issued directly by the King after finding out
about their apostasy from Zoroastrianism and embracing the Christian faith. The
three Saints offer to protect anyone who decapitates them. The eldest son is
beheaded first, then Mehernarsa and finally Sultana Mahdokht embraces her fate
joyfully instead of denouncing Christ and marrying the King of Persia. Their
remains are kept in the church mentioned above located in the village of
Araden. This church is built on the same ground where these holy martyrs are
slain.<span> </span>St. Sultana Mahdokht has
performed miracles that are too many to be listed here. My own mother has seen
the fruits of devotion to this holy Saint in a form of a healing from an
illness the doctors could not resolve. St. Sultana Mahdokht has granted prayers
of barren women who could never conceive. Her prayers of intercession have
healed many sick people in the village as well as devotees from other places.
May her prayers accompany us everywhere and give us the same courage to witness
for Christ as she so bravely has done 17 centuries ago.<span> </span>The village of Araden happens to be my
village where I come from.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Domini<span style="font-size: x-large;">c</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">8</span>-St. Dominic (1170 AD –
1221 AD) </span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The truth is we do not know much about this Saint. Of all his writings,
little to nothing has survived to this day. However, his legacy has come down
to us in a form of a vibrant and lively Order named after him.<span> </span>His orthodoxy in a time of rampant
heresy throughout Europe is inspiring.<span>
</span>He travels through Europe establishing different priories and houses for
the Order of Preachers to defeat the Cathari heresy, which has its root from
the different Gnostic philosophies that appear in the 1<sup>st</sup> century
A.D. The Catharis round up multitudes of converts by utilizing on the
wickedness of some clergy in the Church and using the sinful behaviour of
Catholic clerics as a catalyst to spur the adherents of the Catholic faith into
abandoning the Church and joining their heresy. Closely tied to Manichaeism,
the Catharis teach that the universe consists of a duality, which is made of
matter and spirit. Everything physical is wicked and must be treated as sinful,
whereas only the spirit is good, and it must be protected from the flesh.
Contrary to this view, the Catholic Church teaches that God created all things.
Therefore, all things are good, including our bodies and all physical matter
around us as well. However, due to Original Sin, our bodies have become
corrupt. This corruption is not so extensive that our bodies cannot be
salvaged. Rather, through God’s grace offered to us by the Sacraments, we are
able to salvage our bodies and temper their rebellious passions, mending their
unruly cravings, thereby redeeming our bodies and spirits as well. In fact, all
matter in this universe is redeemed too. In Christianity, evil is not really a
substance per se. Instead, evil is a corruption of good. The Dominican theology
has been taught for 2000 years by the Catholic Church. St. Dominic’s inspiring
sermons have won back many wayward Christians who have abandoned the Church.
His order has produced numerous Saints, among which the most famous being St.
Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Louis de Montfort, and St. Rose of
Lima. May the zeal of this fervent preacher inspire us to love the sinners and
desire their salvation.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">7</span>-St. Monica (331 AD – 387 AD) </span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">She is the mother of St. Augustine. St. Monica always reminds me of a
faithful mother who can never bear the thought of her son, the child who has
issued forth from her womb, suffering eternal damnation because of his
rejection of the Gospel. This painful truth makes her cry and weep intensely.
She visits St. Ambrose repeatedly to petition him to intervene in her son’s
case. Finally, St. Ambrose famously responds, “woman the child of those tears
will never perish” (<i>Confessions</i>, III,
12).<span> </span>For 20 years she continues
praying, crying and imploring God to save her son. This sentiment embodies the
perfect love of a mother and the sweet maternal instinct in a woman who has set
her priorities straight. It is good for a mother to offer food and other
necessities to her children, but their eternal destiny comes first and
foremost. It is more important than even the children’s life on this earth. Out
of her loving concern for her rebellious son, she travels to Rome, then Milan.
After her son is baptized into the Catholic Church, she speaks these words to
St. Augustine, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Son, for myself, I have no
longer any pleasure in anything in this life. What I want here further, and why
I am here, I know not, now that my hopes in this world are satisfied. There was
indeed one thing for which I wished to tarry a little in this life, and that
was that I might see you a Catholic Christian before I died. My God has
exceeded this abundantly, so that I see you despising all earthly felicity,
made His servant—what do I here?” (<i>Confessions
</i>IX, 10).<span> </span>Shortly after, she
fell ill, and on her deathbed, she says to her two sons, “Lay this body
anywhere, let not the care for it trouble you at all. This only I ask, that you
will remember me at the Lord's altar, wherever you be” (<i>Confessions</i> IX, 11). </span></span><br />
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-11797382648598422372012-12-08T19:31:00.002-05:002012-12-08T19:31:40.928-05:00Twenty One Saints Everyone Must Know XII - X<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></a>
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XXI - XIX Saints Gregory the Great, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-iv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XVIII - XVI Saints Jerome, John Chrysostom, Elijah</span></a><br />
<a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-xv.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XV - XIII Saints Therese of Lisieux, Teresia Benedicta, Teresa of Avila</span></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. John of the Cross</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">12-St. John of the Cross
(1542 AD - 1591 AD) [Doctor of the Church]</span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Along with St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross is responsible for
reforming the old Carmelite order and founding the Order of the Discalced
Carmelites. The term discalced refers to a person who is barefooted, which in
turn signifies the poverty in which the members of this Order live. The charism
of this Order is mainly contemplative prayer. St. John of the Cross writes his
spiritual masterpiece, the Dark Night of the Soul, to elaborate on the
spiritual experience that we encounter in our path to a complete union with
God. After achieving some success in our spiritual undertaking and having
attained some mastery over the Seven Deadly Sins, God retracts His Spirit and
leaves us in a complete desolation and aridity. This happens after the soul has
tasted the profound love of God and the beauty and wonder of His delightful
presence. As a result, the “wounded soul” is plunged deep into despair and
misery (Dark Night of the Soul, Book II, Chapter xiii, Paragraph 8). Contrary
to what a believer may think when undergoing such experience, God is actually
infusing an abundant grace into this soul to provide it with enough strength
enabling it to overcome its weaknesses and imperfections. At the time, the soul
may imagine all sorts of horrifying possibilities while attempting to explain
the aridity it experiences. It may think that God, her sole lover, has
“abandoned” her due to her imperfections and wickedness (Dark Night of the Soul
Book I, Chapter x, Paragraph 1). This prospect sends the soul into frenzy. It
becomes terrified, scared and frightened of what its end might be. Little does
the soul know that God is actually crowning her with new graces to bring her
closer to a full union with Him. According to St. John, some souls experience
two such Nights (not restricted to a period of time between evening and morning
but rather it may be an extended period of time). The first one is harsh, and
it is the lot of many. However the second one is far more severe and few people
experience it. The entire process is intended to purify, purge and cleanse the
soul of its imperfections. The first Night, which is the less severe, serves to
cleanse the senses, while the second Night, frightening and dreadful as it may
be, purges the spirit, bringing it even closer to God. If you are experiencing
such Nights, then St. John of the Cross urges you to offer yourself completely
and wholly to God’s work in you. Remain passive and docile to God’s work until
He decides it is time to offer you some consolation or delight, depending on
which Night you are experiencing, to help you continue on the path towards Him.
St. John of the Cross has been a personal guide for me in certain periods of my
life. For that, I am forever indebted to him.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Benedict of Nursia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">11-St. Benedict of Nursia
(480 AD – 547 AD)</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">St. Benedict is another
man whose writings never made it down to our time. His only writing that has
survived is his Rule, the Rule of St. Benedict. Everything we know about St.
Benedict is passed down to us in a book written by St. Gregory the Great titled
The Dialogues. St. Benedict is widely recognized as the founder of western
monasticism. His ascetic lifestyle is very similar to the life of the Desert
Fathers who wander into the desert to live a life of solitude, austerity and
prayer. His authority over evil spirits is noteworthy.<span> </span>At one time while he is tempted with
the sin of flesh, he finds a thorn bush and throws himself on it while naked
(do not try this at home) “</span>and there wallowed so long that, when he rose
up, all his flesh was pitifully torn” (Dialogues II, 2)<span style="font-family: Georgia;">. Thus he is determined to defend his purity. Of all the great
miracles this holy man has performed, nothing surpasses the establishment of
the first monastic Order in the west. The Benedictines today are widespread
throughout Europe and North America as well as wherever the Catholic Church is
present. I like St. Benedict because his lifestyle is closely related to that
of St. John the Baptist and Prophet Elijah, which we will read about shortly.<span> </span>His renunciation of worldly pleasure of
any sort is truly commendable. Another story that has been engraved onto my
mind is that of his sister, St. Scholastica. After many years of separation,
the two finally meet again together alone in a building not very far from his
Abbey. The two spend a great deal of time speaking of spiritual matters and
things of heaven. The time comes when St. Benedict has to leave, but his sister
insists that he stay a little longer. St. Benedict refuses to stay a second
longer. St. Scholastica puts her head down in prayer, and as soon as she raises
it, storms and thunders fill the sky, making it impossible for her brother to
depart at that hour. Seeing this, St. Benedicts looks at his sister and says,
“God forgive you, what have you done?” (Dialogues, II, 33). They end up
spending the entire night comforting each other with matters of heaven. The
next day, St. Scholastica leaves to her Nunnery, and three days later, her
brother sees her soul going up to heaven like a dove.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Thomas Aquinas</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">10-St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225 AD – 1274 AD) [Doctor of the Church]</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It is only apt that I should include the Angelic Doctor in this list
because, along with St. Augustine, his writings are the most frequently cited
sources in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. His Summa Theologica treats
almost every subject under the sun that deals with the science of philosophy.
For centuries, atheists have been attempting to disprove God’s existence.
Unfortunately for them, they have to wrestle against the five proofs St.
Aquinas has posited in his Summa. So far they’ve been unsuccessful. Any theist
wanting to bolster his arguments is bound to resort to St. Aquinas in one way
or another. The most prominent of those today who engage the atheists in public
debates (I would count Dr. William Lane Craig being the most voracious of them)
use the same arguments, perhaps sometimes tailored and modified in one way or
another. St. Aquinas’ thorough knowledge of the Scriptures has gained him a
great deal of affection and respect not just among the Catholics, but also
among the Protestants as well.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">One thing about St. Thomas
is that he is always very protective of his chastity. His family attempt to dissuade
him from pursuing religious life. They send a prostitute to his chamber to
seduce him. He takes a burning log and chases her out of the room. Once he returns
to his room, two angels appear to him and gird him with a chord of chastity, a
testament of his purity of body and soul.</span>
</span> St. Aquinas is the Patron Saint of all scholars
and students.</span></span>
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-43411737535854932392012-12-06T09:51:00.000-05:002012-12-06T10:02:56.627-05:00Twenty One Saints Everyone Must Know XV - XIII<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></a>
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XXI-XIX: Saints Gregory the Great, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know-iv.html">XVIII-XVI: Saints Jerome, John Chrysostom, Elijah</a> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Therese of Lisieux</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">15-St. Therese of Lisieux (1873 AD – 1897 AD) [Doctor of the
Church]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">St. Therese of Lisieux is another Carmelite Saint. Born Marie Francois Therese Martin, she
enters the convent at the early age of 15. While still at home with her father,
she tells him about her wish to enter a convent. They both break down in tears.
Composing himself, her father picks up a flower from the ground and says to her
that in the same fashion that God cares for the flower, likewise he cares for
us as well. St. Therese recalls this conversation and says that when she hears
her father speaking, it is like he is telling her life story. She takes the
flower as a symbol of her, as she later becomes known as The Little Flower.
Initially, of course, her application to enter the convent is rejected because
of her young age. Determined to join the Order, St. Therese travels to Rome
with her father where she is granted a private audience with the Pope along
with the rest of the pilgrims from Lisieux. There, she kneels at the feet of
the Holy Father and begs him to let her enter the convent. Pope Leo XIII defers
the matter to the superior of the convent. Finally, she is accepted into the
convent at the young age of 15. While in the convent, St. Therese embraces the
“little way,” or the faithful obedience to Christ in the smallest and most
menial tasks. Her outlook on the path to holiness was based on two
understandings. First, God’s love is expressed through His mercy and forgiveness.
Second, all attempts to become perfect are futile. The first precept, removes
any fear a person may have of God. St. Therese sees fear as a stumbling block
in our path to be closer to God. Hence, trusting in His endless love and mercy
grants us the joy and strength we need to persevere in our fight. She has a
special devotion to Jesus the Child who dispels any unreasonable fear of an
omnipotent God. The second principle leads a soul to trust in God’s mercy and
not depend on her virtues and righteousness regardless how far she travels on
the journey towards holiness. The “little
way” makes us more attentive to everyone around us, rather than traveling far
seeking grand designs and ambitious undertakings to satisfy God. After much suffering
and pain, St. Therese dies at the age of 24 with a fervent spirit of
faithfulness and a heart burning with love for Christ. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">St. Teresia Benedicta of the Cross</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">14-St. Teresia Benedicta of the Cross (1891 AD – 1942 AD)
[Martyr]
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Originally, her name is Edith Stein. She is born to a Jewish family, but
she becomes an atheist by the age of 16. St. Teresia is a remarkably intelligent
woman. She completes her PhD in Philosophy by the age of 25. Six years later,
after reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, Edith Stein converts to
Catholicism in 1922. St. Teresia wishes to join the Carmelites but is prevented
by her Spiritual Director whose inclination was that she goes out in the world
and engages the field of education for the benefit of all women. She takes on a
teaching position at the Institute of Pedagogy in Munster in 1932. However,
state-imposed anti-Semitic laws are passed in 1933, and St. Teresia is stripped
of her teaching position. In that same year, she joins the Discalced Carmelite
Order in Cologne. For fear of the growing anti-Semitism, the Order transfers
her to their Monastery in Netherlands. In 1942, the Dutch Conference of
Catholic Bishops sends a letter to all Catholic parishes to be read publically
condemning the horrors of Nazism. This prompts the Nazi regime to retaliate by
arresting all Jewish converts to Catholicism who are previously exempt. At the age of 50, she is rounded up and
sent to Auschwitz, where she is gassed, along with her sister who is also a
convert. St. Teresia’s courage to embrace the faith and her willingness to die
for the sake of Truth is truly inspiring. Her work on the writings of St. John
of Cross (The Science of the Cross: Studies on St. John of the Cross) confirm
her understanding of suffering and pain, "One can only gain a
scientia crucis (knowledge of the cross) if one has thoroughly experienced the
cross. I have been convinced of this from the first moment onwards and have
said with all my heart: 'Ave, Crux, Spes unica' (I welcome you, Cross, our only
hope)." May the Lord grant us the same courage and insight as this
wonderful Saint. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span>13-St. Teresa of Avila (1515 AD – 1582 AD) [Doctor of the Church]</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">St. Teresa is the founder of the Order of the Discalced Carmelite for
women. This holy woman enjoys a great sense of humour. She asks God for a
Spiritual Director and a man who will help her establish the Order for men as
well. Shortly after, St. John of the Cross, who was noticeably short, shows up.
She playfully calls him “half a friar.” He becomes her Spiritual Director. St.
Teresa is a mystic who writes prolifically on prayer. Although her spirituality
is almost identical to St. John’s, she notes some slight differences in the
stages that a soul passes through prior to reaching a union with God. She
outlines these stages in her book, The Interior Castle. Rather than seeing the
road to heaven as an exterior undertaking or an external endeavour, she
describes it as an internal journey where a Christian must explore his soul
like a castle. We must look deep
down in this castle’s innermost chambers to find the pearl that resides inside,
which is Christ. God created the human soul in “His own image” (Genesis
1:27). Therefore, there is nothing
“comparable to the magnificent beauty of a soul” (Interior Castle, Book I,
Chapter i, 1). This interior
castle consists of numerous chambers that are divided into Seven Dwelling
Places. The more progress we make in our spiritual life of prayer, the closer
we reach the Seventh Dwelling Place where Christ resides and where the complete
union happens. In the first two Dwellings, the soul contends against Mortal
Sin. There is nothing more frightful, “black, foul smelling, filthy and
wretched” than a soul that is in “Mortal Sin” (Interior Castle, I, i, 3). She
has lost all its glory and magnificence that God has bestowed on her. As the
soul engages in spiritual warfare to gain back its beauty, which is done
through spiritual prayer and the Sacraments, the Devil wages endless battles
against her. For St. Teresa, the deciding factor that determines the outcome of
each spiritual battle a soul engages is humility. There is no greater virtue
than humility because it is only through “humility” that “the Lord allows
Himself to be conquered with regard anything we want from Him” (Interior
Castle, IV, ii, 9). When the soul
reaches the Third Dwelling Place, a purgative and dry process lays ahead of the
soul that is very similar to St. John’s Dark Night of the Soul. Like St. John,
St. Teresa says that these periods are meant to cleanse us and purge us of our
sinful habits. She also makes a distinction between the cleansing of the senses
and the cleansing of the sprit, which occurs in a later Dwelling. Finally, when
the soul reaches the Seventh Dwelling Place, which very few souls achieve, a
complete union or spiritual marriage with God takes place. God takes the soul
as a bride, granting her the wondrous beauty, love and splendid majesty of the
Creator. St. Teresa is an
excellent guide for the weakest of all beginners to the most trained and
skilled of all believers.</span></span>
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-64950311306150518652012-12-04T11:58:00.002-05:002012-12-04T17:27:06.806-05:00Twenty One Saints Everyone Must Know XVIII - XVI<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/12/twenty-one-saints-everyone-must-know.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">XXI - X<span style="font-size: x-large;">IX</span></span>: Saints Gregory the Great, <span style="font-size: x-large;">Ignatius of Antioch</span>, Polycarp </span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Jerome</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">18-St. Jerome (347 AD – 420 AD) [Doctor of the Church]</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">St. Jerome is a great ascetic who lives a hermetical lifestyle in the
deserts and monasteries for some periods of his life. He is a prolific writer
best known for his translation of the Septuagint into Latin. His writings also
include commentaries on Scriptures, letters to friends and heretics, and the
collections of previous Church Fathers. Most of his writings have a
rhetorical/polemic nature, whereby usually he defends the orthodox doctrines of
the Church against heretics and schismatic groups. It is not possible to
discuss his works in any comprehensive manner in this tiny blog post. However,
to have a taste of this fervent and passionate defender of orthodoxy, one of
his letters will suffice. In response to a monk named Jovinanus, whose
theological stances have been condemned by the Council of Milan in 390 AD.
Copies of his writings are sent to St. Jerome, and a request is made that
Jerome composes a refutation as a response to Jovinian’s errors. Jovinianus
makes several statements that depart from the positions of the universal
Church. He claims that consecrated virgins and married women are equal in God’s
eyes; everyone receives an equal reward in heaven; food eaten in thankfulness
is as rewarding as fasting and abstinence. To begin with, St. Jerome labels
Jovinanus as the “Epicurus of Christianity” and designates his style of writing
as “barbarous,” while his “language” is “vile” and nothing more than a “heap of
blunders” (<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/30091.htm">Against Jovinanus, Book I, chapters 1</a>). St. Jerome goes on to
explain the classical Catholic position on Consecrated Virginity and
marriage. He says that we do not
follow the heretical teachings of Marcion and Manichaeus who “disparage
marriage”; nor do we fall for the errors of Tatian, who deemed “all
intercourse” and all “food” to be “impure” (<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/30091.htm">Against Jovinanus, I, 1</a>). Instead,
we consider marriage to be “honourable among all, and the “bed” to be
“undefiled” (<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/30091.htm">Against Jovinianus, I, 1</a>). However, “while we honour marriage, we
prefer virginity.” St. Jerome is echoing the sentiment St. Paul expresses on
the subject in <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/1co007.htm">1 Corinthians 7</a>. After presenting his thorough refutation of the
heretic, St. Jerome concludes his treatise with a warning to the Romans, where
Jovinianus was spreading his heresy. He tells the Christians in Rome to
“beware” of Jovinanus’ name because it is derived from the “idol,” Jove
(<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/30092.htm">Against Jovinianus, II, 38</a>). St. Jerome’s vigorous defense of Church teachings
and doctrines reveal his great zeal for the Lord and His Bride, the Holy
Catholic Church. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">St. John Chrysostom </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">17-St. John Chrysostom (347 AD – 407 AD) [Doctor of the Church]</span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">St. John is a great preacher of the gospel whose eloquence and skill of
persuasion earn him the title ‘golden mouth.’ As a Church Father, St. Chrysostom is greatly venerated for
his contributions to liturgy and theology as well. He preaches powerful sermons
against all the corruption in the Church and within the civil authority, which
is what ends up causing him his episcopacy in the See of Constantinople. Demonstrations occur in Antioch to protest
the heavy taxes levied by Emperor Theodosius I. The demonstrators go as far as
destroying statutes of the emperor. To appease Theodosius, the Bishop of
Antioch goes to Constantinople, leaving the pulpit to Chrysostom. During the period of the Bishop’s
absence, St. John composes and delivers 21 homilies that describe proper
Christian behaviour and its incompatibility with the destructive attitude
witnessed earlier. As a result of these homilies, people of Antioch reflect
deeply on their behaviour and a large number of pagans convert to Christianity.
The emperor’s anger is also abated. Later, St. Chrysostom is made the
Archbishop of Constantinople, which at the time is a very prestigious See, and
his departure from Antioch is done in secret because it would stir protests due
to his popularity and prominence as a preacher. As an Archbishop, he refuses to
entertain any extravagant and luxurious gatherings of clergy and civil servants
as well. His support of Origin puts him at odds with the Archbishop of Alexandria,
while his severe denunciations of lavish dressing and immodesty of women
clothing stirs Eudoxia, the wife of the Eastern Emperor, into hostility and
malignity towards him. Eudoxia and the Patriarch of Alexandria, along with
others, form an alliance against St. John, resulting in his removal and
banishment. However, the people of Constantinople love John too much to let him
go. They protest against the sentence, and St. John is brought back to his
position. Shortly after, a silver
statue of Eudoxia is erected very close to his cathedral, and grand ceremonies
are celebrated for the occasion. St. John of course, cannot ignore this
extravagancy. Instead, he writes a sermon comparing Eudoxia to Herodias and
himself to St. John the Baptist in an analogy. This time, he is banished to the
Caucuses. He continues to write letters that greatly influence public opinion
as well as ecclesial authorities in influential Sees such as that of Rome and
Milan. The latter intervene, but they are unsuccessful in bringing him back.
Moreover, his letters irritate his enemies further, banishing him further to
Pitiunt. He does not reach this destination. He dies on the way there. What I
admire about this Saint is his courage, eloquence and knowledge of the
Scriptures. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prophet Elijah</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">16-Prophet Elijah (9<sup>th</sup> century BC)</span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Prophets of the Old Testaments are all considered Saints in the Catholic
Church. St. Elijah is a powerful figure from the Old Testament whose sanctity
and holiness enable him to be assumed into heaven without experiencing physical
death. His assumption serves as a precedence of the Blessed Virgin’s
assumption, which takes place approximately 9 centuries later. St. Elijah is
also a type of St. John the Baptist, meaning that as a character in the Old
Testament, his significance is not limited to the Old Testament, but rather he
serves as a foreshadow for another character who will appear in the New
Testament. St. Elijah preaches against the idolatry and sinfulness of Israel
that has fallen into the hands of a deprave king, King Ahab. Likewise, St. John
preaches against King Herod who, as I previously note, marries his brother’s
wife while his brother is still alive. Prophet Elijah leads an ascetic
lifestyle alone in the desert for most of the time. St. John also lives in the
“wilderness,” eating “locust and wild honey” (Mathew 3:4). Prophet Elijah is
opposed by a woman named Jezebel, the wife of the King, and St. John is also
opposed by Herod’s prospective wife, who instructs her daughter to request
John’s head on a platter.
Moreover, the Scripture itself testifies to John having the “power and
spirit of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). Elijah demonstrates strength and fortitude not
just in the austerity of his lifestyle, but also in his convictions and faith.
With a simple prayer, he blocks “rain” and brings it back (1 Kings 17:1). The
oath he uses frequently is “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve”
(1 Kings 17:1, 18:15). The oath
underlines the nature of God that Elijah is serving. He is a living God who is
active and at work in His creation. He is a personal God who communicates and
speaks to His children. Prophet Elijah also includes the phrase, “whom I serve”
in his oath to denote that personal relationship that he has with God. It is a
relationship that is not delusional or a thing of his fancy. Instead, it is a
concrete exchange between the Creator, who is invisible albeit real, and His
creature whose faith grants him a sense of certitude in that which is
indiscernible to the human senses. Another remarkable aspect of Elijah is his
complete disregard for comforts of the flesh in order to maintain the spiritual
strength necessary to carry out his mission in life. Rather than living in a
luxurious house and enjoying the high prestige granted to Ba’al’s priests, he
prefers to live in the desert and in caves as long as he remains faithful and
obedient to the LORD. Consequently, God does not reject any of his prayers,
including when Elijah requests “fire” from heaven for his “sacrifice” to be
“burned” as a proof that the LORD is God (1 Kings 18:38).</span></span>
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Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-11820840129997094272012-12-02T20:01:00.000-05:002012-12-04T17:24:36.504-05:00Twenty One Saints Everyone Must Know XXI - XIX<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Church, or the community of believers, is surrounded by
a “cloud of witnesses,” righteous souls of brothers and sisters who have passed
on to the glory and whose presence sustains their brothers and sisters on this
earth (Hebrews 12:1). These souls are the various Martyrs and Saints whose
witness for Christ strengthens their contemporary brothers and sister, while
also planting the seed of the Church among the heathens. Today, the Saints
still shower us with their prayers and intercession, helping us in our journey
to our heavenly home. Their protection and intercession is a gift of God who
promises that “watchmen” will always be “posted” around the “walls of
Jerusalem,” which refers to the Church of the New Testament (Isaiah 62:6).
These “watchmen” will never be “silent day or night” (Isaiah 62:6). They will not
“give themselves rest,” nor will they give the Lord any “rest till He
establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:7).
Having been promised this heavenly assistance from Our Lord, it is important to
get acquainted with these prayer warriors who constantly intercede for us while
we continue our fight against the Devil, the world and ourselves. There are 21
Saints that everyone must know and whose intercession all believers must seek.
Here they are.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Gregory the Great 540 - 604</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">21-St. Gregory the Great (c.540 AD – 604 AD) [Doctor of the
Church]</span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">St. Gregory comes from a family of Saints. His mother is St. Silvia. His
two aunts, Tarsilla and Emiliana, are also canonized Saints. Close to the age
of 30, St. Gregory becomes the prefect of Rome; this position has lost much of
its magnificence and prestige at the time, even though it remains the most
important one in Rome. Upon retiring his station in the political arena,
Gregory enters St. Andrew’s monastery, to which he is later appointed an Abbot.
This period in Gregory’s life seems to be the most peaceful and serene time in
his life. In 590 AD when Pope
Pelagius dies, Gregory is elected as next pope. He implores the Emperor Maurice
not to confirm the appointment. However, his correspondence is blocked by
Germanus, the prefect of the city, and rather than receiving Gregory’s
petition, the emperor receives a formal schedule of the election sent by the
prefect. St. Gregory never recovers the peace and quiet that he enjoys at St.
Andrews after he becomes the pope. The invasion of the Lombards, one of many
barbarian tribes that overrun Rome, puts an end to the imperial power, which
the city has been practicing over the rest of Italy. However, Gregory’s rise to
papacy not only saves Rome from falling into anonymity and mediocrity, but also
shapes much of medieval ecclesiology. His correspondence with the Bishop of
Constantinople and other Eastern Churches, clearly pronounce the primacy of the
Bishop of Rome over the Church Universal. Aside from being venerated in the
Catholic Church, St. Gregory is also honoured by the Eastern Orthodox, the
Anglican Communion as well as the Lutheran churches. John the Faster, the
Patriarch of Constantinople, ascribes to himself the title of Ecumenical Bishop
at a local synod that is held in 588 AD. St. Gregory rejects the title and
refuses to acknowledge it. Instead, he writes an Epistle that clearly spells
out the primacy of his office over the rest of the Church, both Western and
Eastern. He writes, “As regards the Church of Constantinople, who can doubt
that it is subject to the Apostolic See? Why, both our most religious lord the
emperor, and our brother the Bishop of Constantinople continually acknowledge
it” (Epistle 9.12). Under his papacy, Church-State relations seem to be a thing
that current governments in the west could look to as a pattern to be
reproduced. Being greatly concerned with the wellbeing of his sheep, Gregory
advocates a form of cooperation between Church and State to ensure the safety
and wellbeing of the citizens. St. Gregory’s distinguished performance as a
pope cannot be outlined in detail here. However, one important contribution he
makes to Christendom is his care to evangelize the British. He sends St.
Augustine of Canterbury, the Apostle to the English, to the British Isles where
Christianity is restricted to isolated monasteries, which gradually decline
into insignificant presence after the Roman legions retreat from the area in
410 AD. The mission is very
successful, and the Catholic faith is established as the main religion of the
Isles. Paganism and other deviations from the Christian faith give way to the
Catholic Church. For this reason, the British affectionately label St. Gregory
as “our Pope,” “our Master,” “our Apostle,” or “our Gregory.” After fourteen
years of serving as a pope, St. Gregory dies in 604 AD; he is canonized
immediately after his death by popular acclamation.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hQPa01dUVC0QxMwgTCdlTE60EfU1FRcEEpRagIQSlWnvu4EKwPdBVZrFwFVP1AqMbkWfDPcWbpiajtp8RTdSkgOi6WYotSRGZzZ5So0UbaqL3OzVrpVFg5bIzZeMLNV08Lhff3gBWB4/s1600/St_Ignatius_of_Antioch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hQPa01dUVC0QxMwgTCdlTE60EfU1FRcEEpRagIQSlWnvu4EKwPdBVZrFwFVP1AqMbkWfDPcWbpiajtp8RTdSkgOi6WYotSRGZzZ5So0UbaqL3OzVrpVFg5bIzZeMLNV08Lhff3gBWB4/s320/St_Ignatius_of_Antioch.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Ignatius of Antioch </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">20</span>-St. Ignatius of Antioch (c.50 AD – 98-117 AD) [Martyr]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">It is believed that St. Ignatius is the child whom Our Lord
takes in His loving arms and of whom He says, “Whosoever shall receive one such
child as this in my name receives me” (Mark 9:35). He is the third Bishop of
Antioch, the first being St. Peter and the second, Evodius. He is appointed to
the See of Antioch by St. Peter the Apostle. St. Ignatius is also known as
Theophorus, which means God-bearer. After Emperor Trajan (98 AD – 117 AD) wins
a battle in Syria, he desires an empire that is more closely united.
Consequently he decrees that Christians must make a sacrifice to the gods along
with their pagan friends, or face death. St. Ignatius uses every means at his
disposal to strengthen his flock and keep them from participating in this
worship. His ministry earns him a reputation of which Trajan himself hears.
Consequently, he is ordered to appear before the emperor in front of whom
Ignatius calls himself Theophorus, God-bearer. Trajan asks him, “Do we not then
seem to you to have the gods in our mind, whose assistance we enjoy in fighting
against our enemies?” Ignatius bravely responds “You are in error when you call
the demons of the nations gods. For there is but one God, who made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and all that are in them; and one Jesus Christ, the
only-begotten Son of God, whose kingdom may I enjoy” (Martyrdom of Ignatius,
2). With this response, Trajan orders Ignatius to be taken to Rome where he is
to be offered to the beasts as a spectacle for people’s entertainment. St.
Ignatius clasps his hands jubilantly and thanks God for granting him the
opportunity of offering himself as a martyr. On his way to Rome, he writes
seven epistles, six of which are written to churches and the seventh is written
to St. Polycarp, his friend, the Bishop of Smyrna. In his Letter to the Romans,
St. Ignatius entreats the Romans, who plan a rescue attempt, not to interfere
with his martyrdom. He states, “All the pleasures of the world, and all the
kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die in
behalf of Jesus Christ,
than to reign over all the ends of the earth” (Epistle to Romans, 6). St.
Ignatius finally makes it to Rome after a long and arduous journey accompanied
by guards whom he likens to “leopards” (Epistle to Romans, 5). There, he is fed
to the lions. He dies bravely as a true witness of Christ. His remains are
taken to Antioch, and later to the Temple of Tyche, which is converted to a
church by Theodosius II. This soldier of Christ is another example of bravery
whose “blood” becomes the “seed of the Church” (Tertullian, Apologeticus 50).
St. Ignatius is the pupil of St. John the Apostle. He is the earliest of the
Church Fathers who affirm the Catholic doctrine of Real Presence (the
consecration of the bread and wine at Mass turns them literally into the body
and blood of Our Lord). He says that he desires “the bread of God, the heavenly
bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink
of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life”
(Epistle to Romans, 7).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EkCO0eVEgB4AR4TROWj40rxB8vGddK9GjAa1gwIXZQRaG9xyjiJS04t3aGCFedcXx2gxQE3iio9CsTZMzIc_xh9RoRY_0fQwc2N0n1f_LSGLHlM7-sCNMT8i8A6EAgVgVWgX2exwYv0/s1600/polycarp-burning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EkCO0eVEgB4AR4TROWj40rxB8vGddK9GjAa1gwIXZQRaG9xyjiJS04t3aGCFedcXx2gxQE3iio9CsTZMzIc_xh9RoRY_0fQwc2N0n1f_LSGLHlM7-sCNMT8i8A6EAgVgVWgX2exwYv0/s320/polycarp-burning.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Polycarp </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> 19-St. Polycarp (69 AD – 155-167 AD) [Martyr]</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">An eyewitness account of this holy martyr’s death says that St. Polycarp
dies valiantly and boldly declaring Christ as King and Lord during the reign of
either Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 AD - 180 AD) or Emperor Antonius Pius (138
AD – 161 AD). St. Polycarp is another witness to the Apostolicity of the
Catholic Church. He is ordained as Bishop of Smyrna by St. John the Apostle. At
the age of 86, Polycarp agrees to escape the city after much persuasion due to
the explicit search warrant issued to apprehend him. Finally, when the Roman
soldiers successfully locate him in a house outside of the city, rather than
embracing the opportunity given to him to flee, he greets them graciously and
offers them food and drink while they allow him to remain another hour to
pray. Two hours later, he is taken
into the city where he is to be fed to the beasts. On his way, he crosses paths
with Irenarch Herod, the officer in charge of enforcing the decree issued by
the emperor that everyone must offer incense to the gods of Rome. Herod takes
him into the chariot and asks him, “What harm is there in saying, Lord Cæsar,
and in sacrificing, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, and
so make sure of safety?” St. Poly responds, “I will not do as you advise me”
(Martyrdom of Polycarp, 8). Then he is pushed out of the chariot violently.
Once he arrives at the stadium where the crowds cheer wildly and viciously,
thirsty to see another bloody spectacle made of the rebellious Christians who
refuse to offer incense and be fed to the beasts instead, St. Polycarp hears a
voice saying to him, “Be strong and show yourself a man, O Polycarp” (Martyrdom
of Polycarp, 9). He enters the
stadium and the proconsul persuades him to “have respect” for his “old age” and
agree to offer the sacrifice, upon which he will gain his freedom once again.
St. Polycarp rejects the offer. The proconsul persists and urges Polycarp to
“reproach Christ” (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9). Polycarp’s response is “Eighty
and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I
blaspheme my King and my Saviour?” (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9). When threatened
with wild beasts, St. Polycarp embraces the prospect of being devoured by wild
animals fearlessly. Consequently, the proconsul decides to burn him. His hands
are tied and great piles of wood are gathered to carry out the endeavour, which
is applauded by the cheering crowds. Once the wood is set on fire, rather than
devouring the martyr, the flames spread around him in an arc, and his body
appears to be like gold when it is placed inside a furnace. His body is not
harmed. Also, the odour of frankincense fills the place. After a long while,
the soldiers see that his body is not being consumed by fire. The proconsul
orders one of the soldiers to pierce Polycarp’s body with a dagger. The soldier
carries out the command, and Polycarp’s blood comes gushing down, putting out
the blazing flames. The audience
marvels with a great sense of awe at the miraculous incident. St. Polycarp is
also a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch. The two meet each other while St.
Ignatius is on his way to Rome to be devoured by beasts. May the prayers of
this holy martyr grant us the courage to remain steadfast in our witness for
Lord Jesus Christ. </span></span>
</div>
Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-74496040091142731412012-08-13T16:00:00.000-04:002012-08-13T16:00:13.978-04:00Christ, the Fairest of all Men II: Song of Songs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In a <a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2011/05/christ-fairest-of-all-men-with-video.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I began writing an exposition on the Song of Songs, one of the poetic books in the Bible. I stopped at the third verse. This entry is a continuation of that post, and it consists of verses four, five, six and seven of the first chapter of that Book.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeDN-o5qFJes1I9g_N4LMWTH5LF9lDiBvkCIHeJ1YA5CY_xija1fhogH2nm7AIG842YEOE2qZGG7jRuJpmZwdJhPRfd8kbw7xpAG04BDRyVufvykpf4aSPA5KJJpJZGzHjkMz1jqesKw/s1600/Gustav_Klimt--Il_bacio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeDN-o5qFJes1I9g_N4LMWTH5LF9lDiBvkCIHeJ1YA5CY_xija1fhogH2nm7AIG842YEOE2qZGG7jRuJpmZwdJhPRfd8kbw7xpAG04BDRyVufvykpf4aSPA5KJJpJZGzHjkMz1jqesKw/s320/Gustav_Klimt--Il_bacio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christ and His Church: let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">As I previously noted, the Song of Songs is a poem written in a form of a romantic conversation between two lovers, the Bride and her Bridegroom. Figuratively, the poem explains the relationship between an individual soul (or the Church in its entirety) and Christ, “the fairest of all men.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Take me away with you – let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">After tasting the profound love of her Bridegroom, the Bride now wishes to immerse herself further in that love. She implores her lover to “take” her “away with” Him.<span> </span>She wants to leave everything behind and join her lover. This is an answer to a call that is made by the Bridegroom. Christ invites his Bride to “go into” her “room” and “close the door” behind her for a moment of solitude where the encounter between the two lovers is facilitated (Mathew 6:6). In response to this invitation, the Bride says, “take me away.” In other words, “yes, I will go into my private room where no prying eyes will disturb us. Take me to wherever you are and bring me closer to you.” The object of the sentence changes from a singular pronoun to a plural one to signify the Bride’s personal relationship with Christ as well as the communal nature of this relationship, One Church, many souls.<span> </span>Moreover, the level of intimacy deepens as She begs her lover to “bring” her “into his chambers,” or to take her to his bedroom.<span> </span>Of course, in this bedroom, there is not going to be sexual activity, but rather a spiritual union. If the Bride is the human soul and the Bridegroom is Christ, then their union is accomplished through the act of prayer.<span> </span>Rather than bodily pleasure, the result of this union is spiritual delight whereby the soul’s desire is fully satisfied and nourished.<span> </span>The lower appetites become diminished and the physical senses are suspended. They are replaced by an immense thirst for yet a deeper union with the Divine essence, which is accomplished only through Christ. The effect of this union also has a physical dimension as well.<span> </span>The heart is at complete peace, while serenity and tranquility take over the mind. God created humanity for this purpose, to rejoice and delight in this encounter with the Creator of all Beauty.<span> </span>Occupied with this delightful exchange, the Bride recognizes the rectitude of her Bridegroom’s lovers, “they are right to adore you.”<span> </span>Instead of expressing jealousy over the multitudinous lovers, She expresses her sympathy and agreement with them because no virgin can behold the immaculate gaze of this Bridegroom and remain uninterested.<span> </span><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Bride recognizes her physical imperfections. She realizes she is not perfect. Fortunately, these imperfections are only skin deep. They do not penetrate her inner beauty and affect her virtuous soul.<span> </span>Even though she is “dark” on the outside, she is still “lovely” and beautiful in the inside.<span> </span>Beauty is redefined here. It is not the physical quality or proportionate arrangement of facial features. Instead, it is the virtuosity of the spirit that “shine[s]” on the Bride’s countenance “like the sun” and makes her look “lovely” (Mathew 13:43). She compares herself to the “dark tents of Kedar.” These tents are made of black goat hair that helps absorb heat during the cold winter months, keeping the inside of the tent warm and cozy.<span> </span>Likewise, the Bride’s unattractive features keep her humble and modest to the extent that she appears “lovely” despite her physical imperfections.<span> </span>During the summer months, the “dark tents” provide shade from the hot sun. Similarly, the Bride’s physical imperfections prevent pride, vainglory and self-worship from entering her heart and rendering her wrathful, lustful, envious, gluttonous, greedy and slothful. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">While speaking to the “daughters of Jerusalem,” the Bride turns their attention away from her exterior unappealing looks. She is “darkened by the sun,” or she has been exposed to elements for a long while. The “sun” represents all the temporal allurements and worldly cares that often keep us occupied and too busy to seek God, the source of all comfort. The reason for her coarse and unrefined features is that her “mother’s sons” are “angry” with her. They make her “take care of the vineyards,” which is a task that is rough and daunting on her body. The “vineyards” must be worked for a financial gain or a steady income.<span> </span>Meanwhile, her “own vineyards,” or her spiritual needs, are “neglected” and uncared for. Her earthly relations do not care about her spiritual needs. Instead, their purpose is to use her to harvest financial benefits and reap monetary gains. This treatment has a harsh effect on her body but not on her soul.<span> </span>Her soul remains unbroken and steady in its pursuit for the Bridegroom. Consequently, she goes about searching for her lover.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">She asks the Bridegroom “where” he “graze[s]” his “flock” and “where” He “rest[s]” his “sheep” when it is “midday.”<span> </span>Knowing that none of her earthly relations is willing to provide her with any comfort and consolation, she directs her attention elsewhere; she seeks the Shepherd “whom” she “love[s].” Fear of loneliness and physical exhaustion are the two main deterrents that make her embark on this search. She is lonely. No one wants to speak or associate with her because she is “dark” and seemingly unattractive. Also, the long hours under the “sun” have made her exhausted and fatigued.<span> </span>The heavy task of pursuing earthly riches, which is forced on her, causes a great deal of exhaustion. It is important to note the time of day is “midday.” The “sun” is scorching.<span> </span>As a result, she goes on a search for a lover who will give her the consolations and the comforts that her soul is seeking. She asks, “Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?” The question denotes a secrecy that surrounds her love for the “fairest of all men.” No one knows that she is in love with the Bridegroom, and she resents the fact that she is “like a veiled woman,” all alone with no one with whom she can share her feelings. Indeed, it is difficult to fall in love with Christ and not be able to share these feelings with the entire world. <span> </span>The veil is a symbol that signifies all obstructions that prevent us from proclaiming our love for Christ. Rather than being with the “flocks” of her lover’s “friends,” the Bride seeks to join His own personal flock, or His Church.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I’ll stop here for today. May our Beloved, Jesus Christ the “Fairest of all Men,” nourish and satisfy our thirst for love and affection at all times.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-57960177264014012712012-07-31T16:18:00.000-04:002012-07-31T16:18:12.190-04:00Jean-Paul Sartre and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In my <a href="http://www.viewcatholic.blogspot.ca/2012/07/jean-paul-sartre-and-shakespeares.html">previous post</a>, I discussed the correlations between Sartre’s Atheistic Existentialism and Shakespeare’s <i>Macbeth</i>. In this post, I would like to explore some Sartrean conceits in Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel, <i>Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQqw_zgwBu0Yi0CnMkhWtEWo3TI4HqZ66PwIxYIvs-FowaF23awXHWYh-vhf9v-Yt9_qLQrHN52p-6cFAHbfISI-hDWPomiOzZE2mkC0olVlkySS3e1Gr7Hkt7TTXl17rxpqTPSbzuhM/s1600/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQqw_zgwBu0Yi0CnMkhWtEWo3TI4HqZ66PwIxYIvs-FowaF23awXHWYh-vhf9v-Yt9_qLQrHN52p-6cFAHbfISI-hDWPomiOzZE2mkC0olVlkySS3e1Gr7Hkt7TTXl17rxpqTPSbzuhM/s320/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley </td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The novel consists of a frame narrative, whereby one story enfolds another, which enfolds yet another story. The first narrator is Robert Walton who is sailing towards the “northern pole” (Shelley 20).<span> </span>On his way, he encounters Victor Frankenstein whose sledge is carried to Walton’s ship via an ice fragment.<span> </span>Frankenstein is carried onto the ship, and after becoming acquainted with the captain of the ship, he begins telling his story in hopes of deterring Walton from his ambitious pursuit of “knowledge” and “dominion,” which he desires to bestow upon humanity (Shelley 24).<span> </span>Frankenstein comes from a well-to-do family in Geneva. His goal in life is to gain “glory” and recognition that would “attend the discovery” of medical means to “banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death” (Shelley 42).<span> </span>Victor goes to Ingolstadt for his post-secondary studies, and he is extremely successful in gaining the recognition of his colleagues and professors due to his genius and dedication.<span> </span>Natural philosophy, Chemistry and Physiology in particular, becomes the object of Victor’s interest. He seeks to create a “new species” that “would bless” him “as its creator and source” (Shelley 61). This new race “would owe” its “being” to Victor, and “no father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as” he “should deserve” the gratitude and appreciation of this new and perfect race (Shelley 61).<span> </span>After spending many sleepless nights in his “secret toil,” disturbing the “unhallowed damps of the grave” and torturing “living animals to animate the lifeless clay,” Victor is successful in constructing a giant human frame and bestowing life on this “lifeless” cadaver (Shelley 62).<span> </span><span> </span>Much to Victor’s horror, the creature comes to live, not with the “beautiful” features and proportionate “limbs” with which Victor constructs it, but rather as a “wretch, miserable monster” whose “yellow skin scarcely covered” his “muscles and arteries beneath” (Shelley 66, 67).<span> </span>Seeing this giant wretch, Victor is incapable of beholding the miserable work of his hands; he flees his house, leaving the monster he has created all alone.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The monster flees into the woods. Then, he goes into a village where his fearful countenance sparks horror around the villagers who end up chasing him off their village with shovels, stones and other harmful projectiles. Finally, he finds a hovel attached to a cottage where a French family resides. Here is where Sartrean motifs become more pronounced. As of now, it is unclear whether the creature could be considered a human being, a beast or maybe even a combination of both. Despite his humanlike frame, his inner character still has an undefined nature. It is clear that prior to his existence, the beast has no essence or nature. It is only after he comes into the world and begins experiencing reality that he begins to assume some defining attributes that help the reader understand his essence. One night, the creature goes out on a walk and finds a “portmanteau” that contains three books (Shelley 171). John Milton’s <i>Paradise Lost</i> is one of them. He reads the book and begins reflecting on some existentialist questions such as “Who was I?” and “What was I?” (Shelley 172). These questions demonstrate that the creature has a rational human soul that is able to reflect on itself, which indicates his humanity. However, when he encounters a savage treatment at the hands of other humans, he goes into the “wood” and gives “vent” to his “anguish” with “fearful howlings” (Shelley 183).<span> </span>His conduct degenerates into an animal-like behaviour.<span> </span>Both instances demonstrate that the creature’s nature is defined after his existence and through the experiences he encounters in life.<span> </span>His “existence precedes” his “essence.” Initially, the monster goes to great extents to win the favour of mankind. His fervent desire to please and satisfy others is an indication of the grave responsibility he feels to project an exemplary behaviour and serve as an example to be followed by others. The attempt to behave in the best manner possible makes the creature experience a great deal of “anguish” and pain, especially when he sees others resolved to mistreat him regardless of his decency.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The creature has no divine revelation to help him understand a sense of right and wrong. However, he is able to develop a code of ethics simply by watching the behaviour of others. At one point, while he watches the affectionate treatment of the family members, he is greatly moved by their love and kindness towards one another.<span> </span>Their example inspires him to stop stealing food from their “store” for his own “consumption” because he could see that his action is inflicting pain on others (Shelley 148).<span> </span>He is able to develop a code of ethics, not by reading a religious book or a divine revelation, but rather through observation and emulation. In this sense, the monster fulfills a Sartrean vision of “abandonment.” The absence of the creator is the epitome of “abandonment” for the creature because he is left all alone to form his own moral code. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In spite of his virtuous behaviour, everyone abhors the monster because of his ugliness. When the monster finally meets his creator, he petitions him to create a female monster whose hideousness is equivalent to his own. At first, Victor consents to this supplication and begins working on it. However, when he is nearly finished with the female monster, he reflects on the consequences of his action and decides it is unethical to proceed with his design. He destroys his work. The monster sees this and is outraged.<span> </span>Due to the creator’s inaction, the possibilities in the monster’s life become very limited. He is bound to live in reclusion, isolation and loneliness.<span> </span>There is no prospect of change occurring in his life. For this reason, he falls into “despair.”<span> </span>Of course, his “despair” makes him go on a rampage that results in the total annihilation of the Frankensteins. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sartre’s philosophy once more produces a tragic ending that is indicative of the injury and damage his atheistic views inflict on humanity.<span> </span>Despite the endless effort the monster makes to remain a virtuous creature at first without his creator, he fails miserably in continuing to uphold his noble sentiments.<span> </span>When faced with injustice, the monster feels justified in inflicting harm on others.<span> </span>The burning flames of vengeance and retribution devour him simply because there is no loving God who is willing to share in his miseries and afflictions.<span> </span>There is no compassionate God whose sacrificial love makes Him come down to earth and live the miseries of all humanity. Victor certainly fails in fulfilling his role as a creator. Moreover, the monster’s personal moral code is skewed because it is his own and not something that is given to him by a perfect Being like God.<span> </span>Both works, Shakespeare’s <i>Macbeth</i> and Shelley’s <i>Frankenstein</i>, reveal the darkness that resides inside the human psyche.<span> </span>They both testify to the fallen nature of humanity and the mortal wound with which human beings are born.<span> </span>Sartre’s atheistic views emanate from the same fallen nature as Macbeth’s lust for power and Victor’s desire for glory, which produce a monster with a burning desire for revenge. This only proves that human beings need an exterior force to heal their fallen nature. It is only through God the Creator, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that humanity will be healed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Works Cited</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Atheistic Humanism.” <i>Issues in Religion</i> 2. Ed. Allie Frazier.<span> </span><span></span>Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing,<i> </i>1975. 388-394. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Shelley, Mary. <i>Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus</i>. Manila: Lampara Publishing House, 2011. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-11178562977721747742012-07-21T17:51:00.002-04:002012-07-21T18:10:25.044-04:00Jean-Paul Sartre and Shakespeare’s Macbeth<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jean-Paul Sartre is an atheist philosopher who has recently been labeled as the “<a href="http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2012/04/kreeft-the-pillars-of-unbelief-sartre/">Apostle of Absurdity</a>” in a series of articles called “Pillars of Unbelief” by <a href="http://www.peterkreeft.com/home.htm">Peter Kreeft</a>, a professor of Philosophy at Boston College. In his articles, Kreeft outlines the dangerous impact of six modern thinkers on contemporary culture. Sartre’s name qualifies to be in this list, and rightly so. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfz5i7ifOzSf5EvjviULfHVujV6Bw8PNkhd9cSg6QRgRp3s85jhTQCCdv7S46W3zUnHZ0usUn72pLT2_tlDHtELKKk9LWO3Qv1cogjh8tCAkS8uKoXt7C7n0argjSNTBCPVo7kMYxt78/s1600/jeanpaulsartre_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfz5i7ifOzSf5EvjviULfHVujV6Bw8PNkhd9cSg6QRgRp3s85jhTQCCdv7S46W3zUnHZ0usUn72pLT2_tlDHtELKKk9LWO3Qv1cogjh8tCAkS8uKoXt7C7n0argjSNTBCPVo7kMYxt78/s320/jeanpaulsartre_1.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sartre’s version of atheism is called Existentialism because it sees life as the outcome of choices made by each individual in accordance with his will. Sartre goes a little further than most 19<sup>th</sup> century atheists. For atheists such as Marx, Nietzsche and Strauss, the concept of God has a looming presence somewhere in the background despite all efforts done to suppress it. This is clearly manifested in the manner in which they conceptualize humanity. Throughout their writings, human beings are endowed with a preset nature that leaves the reader pondering, ‘if God does not exist, where does this nature come from?’</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sartre seeks to distance himself further from the Christian mindset, which has overwhelmingly enveloped the western culture for centuries, and resolves to answer this question with the famous phrase, “existence precedes essence.” Since God the Creator does not exist, human beings are not a platonic projection of a preconceived and predefined blueprint. Instead, they gain essence or nature through their will, which is manifested by the choices they make in this life. Prior to their birth, human beings do not have a nature or essence. Their nature is only developed gradually and progressively by their choices after they are born. Sartre defines a threefold doctrine that is a result of this worldview. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1-Anguish </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Human beings are in constant “anguish” due to the “profound responsibility” that accompanies every decision (Sartre 390). When deciding on something, each person is a “legislator deciding for the whole of mankind” (Sartre 392). His actions constitute a template for the rest of humanity. Therefore, he bears the liability and blame for the consequences of his decisions. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2-Abandonment </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Human beings are in a state of “abandonment” (Sartre 392). God’s omission necessarily implies that man is left to his own devices. This means that man is left to himself to construct a code of ethics because there is no God who issues or decrees precise definitions of good and evil. All things are “permitted if God does not exist” (Sartre 392). This concept is exceptionally significant because its ramifications are prevalent in the moral code of contemporary ethics. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3-Despair </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Finally, due to the limited “possibilities,” a human being is bound to fall into despair (Sartre 393). There is no God to save or to intervene in any given situation, and the outcome of each action is limited to the few possible outcomes that must follow the action. Hence, there is no hope to expect something beyond these possibilities. It follows that human beings are in a constant state of despair. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The application of this worldview turns reality into a horrifying experience that leaves its subscribers in a state of constant grief, dismay and struggle. Shakespeare’s character Macbeth is a testament to this fact. As the play begins, Macbeth is a faithful soldier in the service of his country and his king. On his way back home from the battle, Macbeth is accompanied by Banquo, another brave and loyal soldier who fights by Macbeth’s side and assists Macbeth in securing victory for Scotland against the Norwegian transgressors and Scottish traitors. Macbeth’s initial success stirs him into lofty ambitions and grand designs. Three witches appear to him and stir his ambitions further by suggesting that he will be the King of Scotland. Macbeth takes this for a prophecy that must be fulfilled in one way or another. He begins to harbour a murderous “thought” in his mind for which, up till now, the “horrid image” of murder is “fantastical” (I.iii.136, 140). He plans to murder the king and take his throne. At this point, Macbeth’s religious beliefs, at least his creedal affiliations (as opposed to his sanctity, see the Catholic doctrine of <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08573a.htm"><b><u>Justification</u></b></a>), are not atheistic. This is clearly demonstrated in his constant references to Christian concepts such as “heaven’s cherubin,” a Christian angelic rank, or Judgment in “life to come” (I.vii.7, 22). He makes these references when he is pondering the nature of his ambition. His murderous intention is temporarily thwarted for several reasons among which his religious fear of eternal damnation is listed as the first deterrent. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, bullies him into committing the murder and usurping the throne of Scotland. After King Duncan’s murder, Macbeth’s character changes drastically. He finds himself degenerating into a bloodthirsty murderer who is willing to cut his friends’ throats and slaughter his cousins’ families. Perhaps without even realizing it, he gradually sheds his Christian morality and begins to discover the true nature of his belief system. There is no clear indication as to when exactly this takes place before his famous Aside, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” (V.v.19). However, in this speech, Macbeth shows that he has completely deserted his Christians beliefs. Here is the speech in its entirety. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">She should have died hereafter;<br />
There would have been a time for such a word.<br />
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,<br />
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day<br />
To the last syllable of recorded time,<br />
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools<br />
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!<br />
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player<br />
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage<br />
And then is heard no more: it is a tale<br />
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,<br />
Signifying nothing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">(Patrick Steward’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnaXDRwu84">performance</a> of this speech)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Lbhk_yNjMqY" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Setyon, Macbeth’s armour bearer, brings Macbeth the news of his wife’s passing. Macbeth responds to this news with purported indifference; he says that she would have died sooner or later. The lines that follow depict Macbeth’s new perspective in life. Finally, Macbeth is in touch with an inner reality; his worldview is more Sartrean than it is Christian. Under this alleged indifference, Macbeth feels the sting of his wife’s death, and all the “anguish” that accompanies the bereavement of a life’s companion is masked under a dismissive attitude. Not only is Macbeth responsible for his wife’s death, but also for his own ruin as well as his kingdom’s descent into civil war. Considering the overwhelming sense of responsibility and the tremendous “anguish” that Macbeth feels, he chooses not to face the consequences of his actions. Rather, he reacts with a dismissive speech about the meaninglessness of life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The speech begins with a monotonous description of time, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.” Macbeth sees time as a cyclical motion whereby a repetitive and meaningless routine is constantly recurring. Nothing in life is meaningful for Macbeth because all human actions are inconsequential. Life after death is no longer of any significance. This can only signify that Macbeth’s belief in God, regardless of its authenticity, has finally subsided, and he sees life as a short time lived here on earth. While alive for a short time, Macbeth feels “abandoned,” forsaken, forgotten and forlorn. This notion is further solidified when he sees all his thanes and noblemen leaving him and “mingl[ing] with the English epicures” (V.iii.8). Of course, he feels deserted and estranged because God is no longer a real force and an existent Being for him. Instead of living in fellowship, grace, and consolation of God, Macbeth feels alone, alienated and “abandoned.” As a result of God’s absence, Macbeth turns to his own constructions of good and evil. He legislates his own code of ethics. Morality for him becomes a personal endeavour He feels that there is nothing wrong with a “false face” hiding “what the false heart doth know” (I.vii.82). Nor is there anything wrong with “things” that are “bad begun” being sustained and made “strong” by further “ill” (III.ii.55). Macbeth’s distorted sense of right and wrong is a direct result of not having a measuring stick to guide and steer him towards the right path that is untainted by his own crooked whims, biases and persuasions. Self-aggrandizement and selfish ambition are the driving force, or the supreme ruler in his life. Of course, this supreme ruler, the god, which has become the new object of worship for Macbeth, stands in direct contrast with the Supreme Ruler, God the Creator and Author of all morality. In either case, Macbeth, just like everyone else, is bound to worship someone or something. Rejection of God means another god will creep in and take control of people’s lives. In this case, Macbeth’s ardent desire for the throne and the power that comes along with it has become the god, which has gained his total devotion, veneration and worship. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">All thanes and noblemen desert Macbeth and join Malcolm. Macbeth fortifies the castle at Dunsinane Hill and awaits Malcolm’s advancing forces. The possible outcomes at this point are limited. Malcolm’s “push” will either “cheer” Macbeth, in which case Macbeth will rule over Scotland tyrannically and with an iron fist, or it will “disseat” him, bringing death along with it (V.iii.20, 21). For Macbeth, it is either death or a life that is empty of “honour, love, obedience and troops of friends” (V.iii.25). The number of limited possibilities excludes divine involvement or a miraculous intervention by God to save Macbeth or offer him a safe exist out of this dire situation. This is precisely why Macbeth falls into “despair” and feels that life is not worth living; it would not make a difference for him if the “candle” were to be put “out.” Macbeth clearly feels Sartre’s sense of despair. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Now that Macbeth has consciously adopted Sartre’s views, he looks at life and describes it using four metaphors. First, it is a “brief candle,” because it does not last for a long time. Life is short because there is no eternity to prolong it and make it worthwhile. Due to its brevity, life is not worth living, and extinguishing this life would not make a difference. Note the sense of despair and hopelessness in this life that is lived far from God. The second metaphor compares life to a “walking shadow” because there is nothing authentic in this life. A shadow is not an authentic and a real object. It is weak, fickle and erratic. All these traits make a shadow unimportant or insignificant. Life is just a “shadow” because it is insignificant. Third, Macbeth compares life to a “poor player” who “struts and frets his hour upon the stage.” After that, he is “heard no more.” Again, the “hour” signifies the brevity of life. The performance of this “player” is incomprehensible and senseless. Finally, life is compared to a “tale” that is told by an “idiot” whose speech is incoherent and unintelligible. All his passions and enthusiasms are “sound and fury,” which signify “nothing.” The stark contrast between Macbeth’s character in the beginning of the play and his character in the end demonstrates clearly the dangers in the Sartrean worldview. Macbeth is no longer the loyal servant of Scotland who is full of vigour and life. He has completely abandoned God, and along with God, all desire to live a life of service and sacrifice. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The development of Macbeth’s character demonstrates a movement from a Christian worldview to a Sartrean way of life. It is not a coincidence that Macbeth ends up lonely, miserable and dead. Often, experts are quick to point out the absurd violence in this play. This violence denotes the sense of pain and depravity a human being suffers in his denial of God’s existence. During the battle against Macdonwald the rebel, Macbeth advances through the ranks and “unseam[s]” him from his “nave” to his “chaps” (I.ii.22). In the final scene, Macduff walks in a room where the rest of Scotland’s nobility are gathered while carrying Macbeth’s head in his hands. The visual imagery is that of a surgery being conducted. Cutting a person open and purging him from any devotion to God the Creator is a painful process, and will only result in a dreadful conclusion. Sartre’s atheistic views are extremely dangerous, and their consequences will only slice the belly of humanity open and decapitate it, rendering it miserable, hopeless and dead. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Works Cited</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Atheistic Humanism.” <i>Issues in Religion</i> 2. Ed. Allie Frazier. Blemont: Wadsworth Publishing,<i> </i>1975. 388-394. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Shakespeare, William. <i>Macbeth</i>. Ed. Mary Ellen Snodgrass. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, 2006. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-90330157167705471192012-07-06T15:22:00.000-04:002012-07-06T15:22:56.754-04:00Silent Words (A Tribute to my Chinese Students)<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The worst time of year for me is the month of June. The students are exhausted and agitated, and any task that has a touch of complexity will only be received with rolling eyes, heavy sighs, slow-moving pens (or pencils) and half-opened eyes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Worse yet is the constant awareness of the imminent separation after the last days of school. Suddenly, losing the habitual routine of a typical school day and the familiar faces that accompany that routine becomes an agonizing prospect.<span> </span>A desire springs up in both students and teachers (maybe it’s just me and not all teachers). This desire seeks to imprint every last, precious moment spent together into the banks of eternal memory.<span> </span>The most appealing thing about these last moments is that few thoughts are actually verbalized, few words are said; and yet, the meaning conveyed in these silent words is of such great magnitude that eyes are unable to hide it and tears are unwilling to ignore it.<span> </span>The human soul begins to wrestle with two forces, a yearning for an everlasting fellowship and a fear of loneliness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The soul longs for an eternal fellowship, a permanent friendship, a never-ending companionship that lasts forever.<span> </span>This longing is a deep-seeded passion that signals something yet deeper inside of us. It shows that deep down inside, every human being yearns for a sense of belonging to a community that never dissipates or scatters. Unfortunately, nowhere on earth will that community ever be found. Every gathering disperses, every assembly disbands and all communities eventually scatter.<span> </span>Since this desire exists inside human beings, there must be a real place where it is actualized. Naturally, one is bound to look at the most idealized concept known to humanity, heaven. It is only in heaven where a joyful and eternal fellowship never ends. How else can I describe my students’ yearning for an eternal fellowship, other than a prayer, a petition or a supplication for a never-ending gathering where joy is constant?<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The usual method of capturing these last moments is by resorting to pictures.<span> </span>What do these pictures indicate? What do they mean? We carry pictures of our loved-ones in our wallets to be a reminder for us everywhere we go. Likewise, when pictures are taken during the last days of school, it is almost as if to say, “I would like to take you with me everywhere I go,” or “I would like a piece of you to accompany me everywhere,” or better yet, “I would like this moment to last forever,” which are all unrealistic sentiments that are impossible to fulfill.<span> </span>As I already stated, the pictures constitute a memory. The attempt to obtain memories by capturing these last moments of departure is inspired by a fear, a fear of being forgotten and abandoned. For this reason, we implore one another, “do not forget me,” or “please remember me.” <span> </span>Consequently, we begin to write short anecdotes or pass souvenirs to one another, which often include pictures.<span> </span>Just like every human being yearns for an eternal fellowship, likewise this fear of being forgotten is also a common sentiment found inside every human being.<span> </span>It is impossible to be accompanied by a friend at all times. At one point or another, we are bound to be alone with no familiar faces around us. Since this fear of loneliness is a real experience that everyone undergoes at one time or another, there must exist a place where this fear is non-extant. It is impossible to recognize a fear if there were no real experience that stands in contrast to this fear.<span> </span>A child would never fear darkness if there were no light. A student would never fear failure if there were no success. Likewise, the existence of fear indicates that there is a place that is fully secured at all times. Where else can a person find this place other than heaven? Where else can a person not worry about being forgotten other than heaven?<span> </span>The pictures indicate that we are all looking for heaven, a perfect state of being where a person never feels lonely and forgotten.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Silent words are louder than spoken ones. <span> </span>The expressive eyes of my students on our last day were like the eyes of a dead deer, seeking to communicate their dissatisfaction at this moment of departure. The words I thought I heard were “please don’t go,” or “please stay here.” I, in turn, did not verbalize my thoughts either. All I could think of was “I am afraid you will forget me,” and “I will miss you.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-15811706777204139852012-07-05T13:58:00.002-04:002012-07-05T13:59:33.780-04:00A Chaldean Renaissance?<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru6ZsfBZY8WsEEQ6Guome8XsytQ8vN1ISBOGR7iGueS91eVFUo-8tIXRT4V_fJmGFDacp7m7VMWP-DtZyIYfeUgEEyRiheHz1zSFAPh480poVUZKc5LCXLBZB0huukrhi_UvqUBuuffU/s1600/picture+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru6ZsfBZY8WsEEQ6Guome8XsytQ8vN1ISBOGR7iGueS91eVFUo-8tIXRT4V_fJmGFDacp7m7VMWP-DtZyIYfeUgEEyRiheHz1zSFAPh480poVUZKc5LCXLBZB0huukrhi_UvqUBuuffU/s1600/picture+1.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;"> His Excellency Sarhad Jammo, Bishop of St. Peter
Chaldean Diocese in San Diego, California, has recently repeated what he heralds
a “Chaldean Renaissance” taking shape, much to the surprise of what one would
expect in the current <a href="http://www.kaldaya.net/2012/Articles/04/23_Apr10_BishopSarhadYousipJammo.html">state of affairs</a> regarding Iraqi Christians</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">.
Before we look at some of the things that solidify an assertion that there is
something such as a renaissance taking place amongst the Chaldean people and
Church, it’s important to note why one would expect otherwise.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzQ8pl87idcGwUkM90qUZbWFQIU43HDwOhZ07MQHHixvPLl2VNKKHswRgefIll9a6iceHpnM4vRTZmskZ1rKp7qOm8uTq3nuCgpVLghTvOv8ZFIQ5qAQpnUfyk1A6bkVaTyA7Bf0-7XE/s1600/picture+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzQ8pl87idcGwUkM90qUZbWFQIU43HDwOhZ07MQHHixvPLl2VNKKHswRgefIll9a6iceHpnM4vRTZmskZ1rKp7qOm8uTq3nuCgpVLghTvOv8ZFIQ5qAQpnUfyk1A6bkVaTyA7Bf0-7XE/s400/picture+2.jpg" width="361" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">In the
opening paragraph, the Bishop addresses a certain pessimism that still hovers
in the perceptions and feelings of many fellow Chaldeans or Christians of Iraq
for that matter. He as anyone else is not slow to link this expression to the
socio-political-economic conflict that has inflicted Iraq during the war and
insurgency in the last 9 last years, decreasing in gravity yet latent
nonetheless. The Bishop has in fact for many years tirelessly addressed and
dialogued on this topic of Chaldean “Identity”, a setting that has had war and
Diaspora as its point of departure. He notes that our script currently is
summed up as being the “conquered”. He divides the areas in which this is
concerned, ecclesiastically, politically, and language wise. The Chaldean
people seem to be vulnerable to whatever nearby influence exists whether it’s Arabs
or Western culture. What has been engraved in the Iraqi or Chaldean mental and
moral horizon is drawn from the dense history of trial and tug-of-war between
varying ideologies, cultural exchanges, religious movements, imperial banners,
wars, loss, and the like. More than a dozen different empires have occupied or
called the land between the two rivers home, from the pre-Christian Hellenistic
period, Babylonian and Assyrian empires, the Abbasid Islamic Caliphate, the
half a millennium rule of the Ottoman Empire to the Ba’th political/Saddam
Regime. However, many places around the world can provide a list of occupants
or empires that have covered their land, so what I would contend that the
Bishop wishes to address in our pessimistic symptom is the gravity of recent
trajectory events, of at least this century, past and present. It’s a
historical fact that much of Europe relatively solidified their nationalistic
movements in the 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> centuries from “empires”
to the “modern nation state” as we have it today, different
political-geographic boundaries, a more democratic style of governing, and an
overall increasing awareness of ethnic and national identity. Whether this took
place in France during Napoleon, Greece’s independence from the Ottomans in the
1820’s or even Italy’s Risorgimento of the 1860’s. Things had pretty much
settled down by the time the era of modern military technology ensued at
capacities unparallel in history. This is what the “20<sup>th</sup>” century
has been known for compared to the two previous we mentioned. In this latter,
we see those genocides and mass killing of people which is still “embedded in
the memory and vigilance” of people today, specifically Iraq. Its people have
faced toppling of monarchial power, then Saddam and his campaign of strife with
Iraq during their war of the 80’s, Kuwait/U.S, sanctions during the 90’s and
then the recent Iraq War. It would not be surprising to identify a subtle yet
mental tone among those generations of Chaldeans which is a bit strenuous at
times. Regardless of setbacks, our people are known for being hard working,
talented, cultured, pious, and faithful, all the qualities that are a witness
to this modern age. Hence, cultivating a stable identity remains an important
goal in the midst of uncertainty in a time of external influence,
understandable for a shepherd seeking the welfare of his people. This stands as
an important reason for why we share an interest in pursuing a similar report
and if possible, a vision for the current future. As our Lord pressed Peter to
feed his sheep as a testament to his love for Him, so do we assent to such an
endeavor of taking care of those entrusted to us, whether priest or lay person,
as a thanksgiving for the impact our Chaldean Christian heritage and faith has
had on our identity, morally and spiritually. This “awakening” is exactly the
kind of terminology we can fit to explain the increasing investment in once
again establishing ourselves as people capable of something to offer, of
something worth passing on. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">In
September of 2008, I attended a conference, first of its kind for our family in
our limited experience; this was the ECRC “Awake my soul” conference at St.
Joseph Chaldean Parish in Troy Michigan which is held annually. Let’s just say
that the experience left us feeling on cloud nine; it was a truly Catholic
experience. Whether it was the guest speakers from Catholic academic
institutions and organizations, singers, bishops, adoration, night vigil, or
books and media on sale, this one out of many events put on by this dedicated
and efficient team of people has been a noted success for the people of St.
Thomas Diocese in getting people to Church. The other really popular event
noted for reviving the faith of many has been the Kairos Retreat, the sister
one being the Emmaus Retreat, held in California. The ECRC by the Chaldean
Diocese in Michigan is a testament to the vital efforts and success in reaching
out to the Chaldean people and getting them involved in the faith through
extensive resources and a community centered approach. Another sign of a
visible renaissance in the Chaldean Church is in the growing vocations in
diocesan and religious life; the number of seminarians in the United States is
steadily growing, even though vocations back in Iraq took a hit because of war.
These men and women are a joyful, energetic and increasingly dedicated group
who wish to become involved in every area of Church and community life. On the
side of the airwaves, there is the recently opened Chaldean Media Center or Kaldu
TV from San Diego, providing viewers the Chaldean Mass, liturgy of the hours,
community events and much more. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">Yet
another personal inspiration to me is the great witness of the <a href="http://www.ankawa.com/english/?p=3478">Pontifical College of Babel</a></span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.ankawa.com/english/?p=3478"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;"></span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">.
This place of higher learning for philosophy and theology continues to seek and
preserve its freedom in teaching and cultivating with the mind of the universal
church. Much gratitude must go to the western missionaries such as the
Dominicans and Carmelites who helped the Church of the East broaden their
horizons in terms of all that the Catholic Church had to offer, starting in the
14<sup>th</sup> century onwards. They were instrumental in deepening our
understanding of logic, philosophy, theology and spirituality. To this day,
there are Chaldean Dominicans and Carmelites, playing an active role in the
Church; in fact just up to a decade ago, there was a French Dominican Seminary
in Mosul Iraq. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">Overall,
these are just a few things that are a sign that indeed the Chaldean Church is
undergoing a renaissance not because of something extrinsic to it but by God’s
grace leading the people and its leaders to a renewed enthusiasm for its rich
heritage. Whether it’s preserving and promoting the Chaldean language for the
next generation in the Diaspora or the rights of the Chaldean minority in Iraq,
the message is the same. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 115%;">For
more information, go to: </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.kaldu.org/">www.<b>kaldu</b>.org/</a><cite>
</cite></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.chaldean.org/">www.chaldean.org</a><span class="bc"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span class="bc">Written by Mark Owdeesh </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-91375074818024109932012-02-01T22:39:00.000-05:002012-02-01T22:39:39.959-05:00Biblical Proof of Purgatory<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">To the untrained reader of Scriptures, rejecting the doctrine of Purgatory is the easiest thing to do.<span> </span>However, in the 16<sup>th</sup> century in response to the Protestant rebellion against the Church, the Council of Trent has infallibly declared that “there is a purgatory” (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii), which makes this doctrine an article of faith that cannot be denied, altered or revoked. This, of course, does not mean that those of us who are seeking to understand the doctrine and further investigating its veracity are automatically excommunicated and must not partake of the Eucharist. Rather, it means that we must fervently seek and exhaust all possible venues from whence we might ascertain the truth.<span> </span>After having done all that, when possibilities diverge each according to personal interpretation of Scriptures, we must then yield to the Magiesterium (the Pope in communion with the rest of the bishops around the world) whose authority far surpasses any one single person who feels his personal interpretation is any better than anyone else’s version. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Keeping this mind, let us look at the doctrine in the Scriptures and what basis it has in the Deposit of Faith that is handed down to us by the Apostles.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1-God is Fire</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The nature of God is fire. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews instructs us to “worship” the Lord in “reverence” and “awe” because “our <b>God is a consuming fire</b>” (Hebrews 12:28-29). This is a direct quote from the Book of Deuteronomy when Moses was exhorting the Israelites to obey the Lord, again, because “<b>the Lord</b> <b>God is a consuming Fire</b>” (Deuteronomy 4:24).<span> </span>The same imagery is also used to describe Our Lord Jesus being a Just and Righteous Judge of mankind.<span> </span>St. Paul tells the Thessalonians that “Our Lord Jesus” will be “revealed from heaven in <b>blazing fire</b>” (2 Thessalonians 1:7). Also, Our Lord says, “I’ve come to bring fire on earth” (Luke 12:49). These are only a few of endless Scriptural indications where God is portrayed as fire.<span> </span>There are many other passages that clearly indicate the nature of God being fire including His appearance to Moses in the bush among many others.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2-The Effect of this Fire</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">On this earth, there are two extremes, two polar ends of a spectrum. On one end of the spectrum, there are those who are so holy and docile to the Holy Spirit that they have conformed their own will to that of God to an extent that they are constantly rejoicing in His presence. This state is what we know as Heaven. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who are so depraved of any light and truth that they have completely rejected God in their lives, a condition which we know as Hell.<span> </span>Most of us are somewhere in between these two extremes, travelling on a journey whose end is Christ the Saviour. At times, when we falter (and which one of us does not falter?), we resort to the Sacraments to rise up again and “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12). We are repentant yet still bearing weaknesses, God-loving yet still contending against sin.<span> </span>We are still being cleansed, purged, and purified. This is the condition that we label as Purgatory, a state of being whereby a human soul is still being purified and undergoing a process of purgation from any self-love remaining and any temporal effects of sins already committed to render God’s fire as a complete source of joy and splendour rather than punitive flames that devour the wicked. The Divine fire has a threefold effect on mankind. Depending on where it fits between the two extremes, the human soul will react differently to God’s presence.<span> </span>God’s threefold effect on human souls is as follows:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-indent: -36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span>i.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><b>Divine Fire Makes the Holy Saints Shine.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">God is a constant and steady source of joy for those who have reached a high level of holiness by practicing the Sacraments faithfully. The Divine fire makes these holy ones shine. “<span lang="EN-CA">The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another; and <b><u>star differs from star in splendour.</u></b><span> So will it be with the resurrection of the dead</span> (1 Corinthians 15:41-42).<span> </span>Take special note of how the “sun,” the “moon,” and each of the “stars” shine differently. They are not all the same. Some shine more glowingly than others. The “sun” shines more than the “stars.” While some “stars” shine more brilliantly than others. Each saint shines at a different level, depending on the soul’s level of holiness. This is indeed Heaven, rejoicing in God constantly and at all times. The danger is to think that it is only in the afterlife, after the resurrection, that we can rejoice in God. This is not true at all. Heaven begins here on earth for the “Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21). God’s fire makes the holy saints shine in splendour.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-indent: -36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span>ii.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><b>The Divine Fire Torments the Unrepentant Sinners.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">To the unrepentant sinner, God is a torment. “<span lang="EN-CA">At the time of your appearing <b><u>you will make them like a fiery furnace</u></b>. In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up and <b><u>his fire will consume them</u></b>” (Psalms 21:8-9). This, of course, is nothing other than Hell. God’s burning fire is hell for those who refuse to repent and re-orient their lives according to God. </span>"For behold, the day is coming, <b>burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze</b>," (Malachi 4:1).<span> </span>Suffice it to say, that for those who are stubborn and whose heart has hardened, God is definitely not a source of joy, but rather He is a font of wrath and judgment. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-indent: -36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span>iii.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><b>The Divine Fire Purifies the Repentant Sinner.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">God, in His endless love and mercy understands our weaknesses.<span> </span>While his desire is that “all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4), it is still written that “nothing unclean will enter heaven” (Revelations 21:27). This concept is not an alien one to the Scriptures, “<b><u><span lang="EN-CA">I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities</span></u></b><span lang="EN-CA"> (Isaiah 1:25). “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? <b><u>For he will be like a refiner’s fire</u></b>…<b><u>He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver</u></b> (Malachi 3:2,3).<span> </span>God’s fiery blazes purify those who have repented while making every possible attempt not to fall into sin. The adjectives used to describe God are “refiner” and “purifier,” someone who affects a transformation on a dirty object to make it cleaner, purer and more wholesome.<span> </span>The biggest objection one may raise is that this process of purgation only lasts for as long as we are alive on this earth.<span> </span>This is partly true because there are some of us who undergo enough purification on this earth that we no longer need to go through Purgatory.<span> </span>Canonized Saints are among these people. The suffering and pain these Saints go through purges them of any self-love and further satisfies the temporal effect of sins committed prior to their conversion. However, for the majority of us who practice the Sacraments faithfully and resort to Confession every time we fall into Mortal Sin with the honest resolve of not repeating our mistakes again, we end up going through this afterlife purgation.<span> </span>Further reference is made by St. Paul:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 108pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because <b>the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames</b>. <span lang="EN-CA"><span> </span>(1 Corinthians 3:11-15).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Our works will be judged after death. They will be “revealed” or tested “by fire.” Some works will be “burned up,” while the person will still be “saved.”<span> </span>The original Greek word for “only as” is ‘houtos,’ which means ‘just as’ or ‘in the same manner as’. The comparison in the simile is between a man who will “suffer loss” yet still be “saved” and a man who goes “through flames.” The common ground these two men share is that they both go through fire. This state cannot be heaven, since there will be no “mourning and pain” in heaven (Revelation 21:4); nor can this state be hell since no man in hell can be saved. This can only refer to a purgative state that a man goes through after death where there will be an expiation of some sins (Venial Sins).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Some objections are constantly being touted and paraded almost in every non-Catholic circle about this doctrine. The truth is that Christians have held this doctrine since the Apostolic years; this doctrine was also known in the Jewish faith previously. The historical testimonies are endless, but we will limit ourselves to three quotes from the earliest centuries of Christianity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"And after the exhibition, Tryphaena again receives her. For her daughter Falconilla had died, and said to her in a dream: Mother, thou shaft have this stranger Thecla in my place, in order that she may pray concerning me, and <b>that I may be transferred to the place of the just</b>." Acts of Paul and Thecla (A.D. 160).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Accordingly the believer, through great discipline, divesting himself of the passions, passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, viz., to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance from the sins he has committed after baptism. He is tortured then still more--not yet or not quite attaining what he sees others to have acquired. Besides, he is also ashamed of his transgressions. The greatest torments, indeed, are assigned to the believer. For God's righteousness is good, and His goodness is righteous. And though the punishments cease in the course of the completion of the expiation and purification of each one, yet those have very great and permanent grief who are found worthy of the other fold, on account of not being along with those that have been glorified through righteousness." Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 6:14 (post A.D. 202).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"During the time, moreover, which intervenes between a man's death and the final resurrection, the soul dwells in a hidden retreat, where it enjoys rest or suffers affliction just in proportion to the merit it has earned by the life which it led on earth." Augustine, Enchiridion, 1099 (A.D. 421).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Note the geographical territories to which each of these works attests. <i>Acts of Paul and Thecla</i> is known to have originated in Asia Minor. St. Clement of Alexandria gives an Alexandrian testimony, while St. Augustine offers a western witness to the doctrine of Purgatory. Also, note how there is always an emphasis on prayers for the dead. In fact, the Scriptures give us an account of Judas, a Jewish warrior, who offered sacrifice for the “sins of those who were slain” (2 Maccabbees 12:43). Then, it is written, “It is holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sin” (2 Maccabbees 12:46).<span> </span>Why is there prayer being offered for the dead? If there is no Purgatory, but only heaven and hell exist, then praying for the dead would be useless. If the soul is in Hell, then there is no prayer in the world that can bring it out of there. If the soul is in Heaven, it does not need our prayers. Only souls in Purgatory can make use of our prayers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Common Objections and Myths </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1-Purgatory is a place between Heaven and Hell.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Purgatory is not a place that is a little less tormenting than Hell, nor is it a place a little less joyous than Heaven.<span> </span>It is a state of being. Those who reach this state are already saved. They need further cleansing of the temporal effects of their sins to see the holy face of God. As for the time spent in this state, it is unknown how time is defined in the afterlife. We have a linear conception of time. However, souls that have departed this life do not know time as seconds, minutes or hours. The cleansing will continue until the soul is completely purged of the effects of sin it had committed during its lifetime.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2-Purgatory contradicts God’s justice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Some complain that since God’s justice was fulfilled by Christ’s blood when it was shed for us, there is no need for further cleansing in the afterlife. If this complaint had any value, why does God punish David even after He forgave him? Sin is a chain reaction that affects everything around it, including the sinner. It has a temporal effect on human soul, which must be undone for the soul to see the face of God. After David commits murder and adultery, Prophet Nathan informs David of God’s plan to punish him for his misdeed. David repents and confesses his sin, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replies, “the Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die” (2 Samuel 12:13, 14).<span> </span>Although David repents, he is still suffers the consequences of his sins. In this passage, it is clear that there is a temporal effect of sin even after the sinner repents and offers sacrifice, which refers to Christ.<span> </span>It is this effect of sin on our soul that must be purged and cleansed.<span> </span>Christ’s blood is lacking when it comes to the effects of sin. The Bible says so, “I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s affliction” (Colossians 1:24). God punishing David even after a sacrifice is offered to appease God’s justice shows that it is part of God’s justice to further purify the sinner before entering Heaven. The idea of Purgatory is not contradicting to God’s justice. Rather, it is part of his loving plan to complete our salvation through purification of fire. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3-If Purgatory Exists, then I’ll Just Continue Sinning</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">On the contrary, the existence of Purgatory is a further incentive for us to live a holier life. Catechism teaches that it is only those souls who “die in God’s grace and friendship” will make it to Purgatory (CCC 1030). This means that a person cannot be living in Mortal Sin. If a Mortal Sin is committed, then we must repent and have recourse to the Sacrament of Confession. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">4-What About the Thief on the Right Side?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Our Lord says to the thief who repents on the cross, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).<span> </span>A common misconception with this verse is that Christ transfers this man to Heaven immediately after his death.<span> </span>This is not true because Our Lord was resurrected on the third day, and the gates of heaven were not open prior to the resurrection. The word “today” does not mean a time span of 24 hours. It refers to an unknown period of time since “with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8). While the thief is saved immediately after Christ pronounces his words, he will enter heaven, “today” does not mean that he will forego Purgatory. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Finally, as the Scriptures say, “it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.” It is important that we always remember our loved ones who have passed on with constant and fervent prayers, knowing that one day, we too will need prayers even after our journey in this earth is expired. </span></div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-85359946442825274252011-08-16T18:28:00.000-04:002011-08-16T18:28:15.965-04:00What do you do if you are young, pretty, and intelligent? You consecrate your life to Jesus!<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_C7axxV0Ywfgl8ZenwBW4f2g4mZVmvF4SYUXf0xotejnyuE2QZdOIRjUc4HMOyZ2aK0f-jOYkiLQHr-qOaayJ0DQQIa0KzatghpyP6bVXF6Fuj0jtAUFZUFfit2hIoY5cOwowl6k1CE/s1600/6010246919_7794545018_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_C7axxV0Ywfgl8ZenwBW4f2g4mZVmvF4SYUXf0xotejnyuE2QZdOIRjUc4HMOyZ2aK0f-jOYkiLQHr-qOaayJ0DQQIa0KzatghpyP6bVXF6Fuj0jtAUFZUFfit2hIoY5cOwowl6k1CE/s320/6010246919_7794545018_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">That is certainly what this young lady has done. Mary Anne Marks is a graduate from Harvard. She finished her undergrad in English and Latin Literature. She was chosen to give the Latin Salutary at the 2010 Harvard Ceremony (video below). After graduating from Harvard, she joined the Ann Arbor Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, the <a href="http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2010/02/video-of-dominican-sisters-on-oprah.html">“Oprah Sisters.”</a> Currently, she is going into her second year of novitiate. The Ann Arbor Dominican order is growing massively due to its observance of orthodox Catholic teaching. In fact, this seems to be <a href="http://womenofgrace.com/breaking_news/?p=7104">the pattern of recent times</a> whereby young people are seeking religious communities that are faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium. (You can watch a full interview with Mary Anne <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2010/07/mary-anne-marks-the-interview.html">here</a>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">During the past few decades, there has been a great confusion around Catholic and non-Catholic circles alike, about the importance and degree of honour attributed to the Consecrated life. Many people believe that marriage is the only rational and realistic choice in life. This is definitely not true. Since the time of the Apostles, there have always been people who have devoted their lives to Christ, starting with the Apostle of the Gentiles who openly declared, “I wish that all men were even as I am” and “to the unmarried and the widows: it is good for them to remain [unmarried] as I am” (1 Corinthian 7:7,8). Of course, this calling is not for everyone. Those who “cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn in passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9). “He who marries does well, and he who does not marry does better” (1 Corinthians 7:38). </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPicUvGhg7Y0Lc0EHK1gwgk2Ij7blnOJcMejtWMyJrWyk1MKP1dv5higWLYPgECblzNF5S-B7Vwv9_CR8kHL2N-pSUvkOaBZb0DLbWJnJhE7uisPMmC7r812rSduzsBVNYofIAv6qEcy4/s1600/6010237733_e3da0e9905_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPicUvGhg7Y0Lc0EHK1gwgk2Ij7blnOJcMejtWMyJrWyk1MKP1dv5higWLYPgECblzNF5S-B7Vwv9_CR8kHL2N-pSUvkOaBZb0DLbWJnJhE7uisPMmC7r812rSduzsBVNYofIAv6qEcy4/s320/6010237733_e3da0e9905_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIui1n3N1foCbKiBuQv1WxvOWNr4IxefsnvRuBpk27rXLa1EFUn8TXh1Ox4l94OwkO477VmUGKmak_3JBIFpGD9aig-a9oSZ_RbLszSXWT2adSHiQSJ0Z7spXDT3lpsBthoBN3lqB4-g/s1600/6010210365_abac7ac58a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIui1n3N1foCbKiBuQv1WxvOWNr4IxefsnvRuBpk27rXLa1EFUn8TXh1Ox4l94OwkO477VmUGKmak_3JBIFpGD9aig-a9oSZ_RbLszSXWT2adSHiQSJ0Z7spXDT3lpsBthoBN3lqB4-g/s320/6010210365_abac7ac58a_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-88056358347871768912011-07-31T20:29:00.002-04:002011-08-01T11:16:55.935-04:00Biblical Proof of Mary’s Immaculate Conception II<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">As promised in my <a href="http://viewcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/07/biblical-proof-of-marys-immaculate.html">previous post</a>, this blog entry is dedicated to offer further Biblical evidence of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Previously, it was made clear from the typology that exists between Eve and Mary that the latter was the Second Eve, whom God protected from the stain of Original Sin. Another typology in the Bible that cannot be ignored is the Ark of the Covenant foreshadowing the Blessed Virgin Mary. The chest-like object in the OT was made of incorruptible acacia wood that was covered with pure gold. The spiritual meaning of these two elements when the Ark is seen as a reference to Mary is that Mary is also incorruptible. She is empty of any sin that would render her corrupt. Now, let us look at the evidence from the Scriptures.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Ark of the Old Covenant contained the two tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written (Exodus 25:16). The Ten Commandments are the word of God. Likewise, Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant contained the “Son of God,” the “Word made flesh” inside her womb (Luke 1:35, John 1:14). The Ark of the Old Covenant had the Rod of Aaron, which represents priesthood (Hebrews 9:4); Mary bore inside her womb “Jesus our great High Priest” (Hebrews 4:14). “Inside the Ark, was a golden jar containing manna,” which the Israelites in the OT “ate” and yet they “died” (Hebrews 9:4; John 6:58)). The Blessed Virgin carried inside her womb the “true bread from heaven” on which whoever feeds “will live forever” (John 6:32,58). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYcH9zcwUGa7ttPhkeu8QlTtrGcVW2nZulR0Q_8cbM4zRX2Csvv6fcfHzFNngjrxkuTNF0XxOdcRJLT0C-Dl4XaLJfZEhNDtO-JRb0HkW-yQZXIZbLm_Xi9PYmhmo4N3lp8r3we0_Eb4/s1600/september-8-blessed-virgin-mary-birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYcH9zcwUGa7ttPhkeu8QlTtrGcVW2nZulR0Q_8cbM4zRX2Csvv6fcfHzFNngjrxkuTNF0XxOdcRJLT0C-Dl4XaLJfZEhNDtO-JRb0HkW-yQZXIZbLm_Xi9PYmhmo4N3lp8r3we0_Eb4/s640/september-8-blessed-virgin-mary-birthday.jpg" width="502" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">If all this is not enough for my reader to be convinced that God intended the Ark of Covenant to foreshadow the person of Mary, let us delve deeper into Scriptures and see what the word of God tells us. Using plain language commonly known to OT writers, Luke indicates the significance of the Ark in the OT by comparing it to Mary during the Annunciation and the Visitation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In the OT, the Ark represented the physical presence of God among the Israelites. When it was brought into the “tabernacle,” it became “overshadowed” by the Spirit of the Lord and “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:21, 34). The same word is used to describe the Spirit’s presence over Mary when Gabriel gave her the good news, “The power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). Immediately after the Annunciation, Mary takes a trip that is reminiscent of another trip taken by the Ark in the OT. King David wanted to transport the Ark to Jerusalem, a city in Judea. He brought “the Ark of God” to “the house of Obed-Edom, which was on the hill” country of Judea (2 Samuel 6:2,3). In like manner, Mary “arose and went into the hill country, to a city in Judah” (Luke 1:39). The house of Obed-Edom was “blessed” by the presence of the Ark (2 Samuel 6:11). The word “blessed” is used three times in reference to Mary being in Elizabeth’s house (Luke 1:39-45). </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">David “danced with all his might” in front of the Ark while he “was wearing a linen ephod,” a priestly garment (2 Samuel 6:14). </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">John the Baptist, a priest’s son, who himself was destined to be a priest, “leaped” with joy in Elizabeth’s “womb” at the presence of Mary (Luke 1:41). David and his company greeted the Ark with loud “shouts of joy” (2 Samuel 6:15). Elizabeth also “shouted with a loud voice and said to Mary, ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb’” (Luke 1:42). David said, “how is it the Ark of the Lord should come to me?” (2 Samuel 6:9). Elizabeth asks the same question about Mary, “How is it the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). The Ark of the Lord “remained for three months in the house of Obed-Edom” (2 Samuel 6:11). Conversely, Mary “remained” in the house of Elizabeth “for three months” (Luke 1:56). After “three months,” the Ark was brought into Jerusalem to its resting place in the Temple where the “glory of God filled the house of the Lord” (2 Samuel 6:12, 1 Kings 8:9-11). Mary also went back to her house “after three months” and eventually “took Jesus” to the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 1:56, 2:22). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Finally, our last piece of evidence brings us back to John the Apostle, to whom Mary was entrusted as a “mother” by Our Lord Jesus (John 19:27). St. John writes in his Book of Revelation “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple” (Revelation 11:19). This is the last verse in chapter 11. In the next verse, he writes “Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1). Keep in mind that the chapter divisions were only introduced during the medieval times. Prior to that, the chapters were one big chunk of text, unbroken and undivided, pronouncing more clearly the relation between the Ark and the woman. They are one. The “Ark” of the New Covenant is the “Woman” who appears in heaven. Later on in the chapter, this “woman” gives birth to a “son, a male child who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter” (Revelation 12:5). Who would this child be other than the “seed” of the “woman,” which was destined to “crush” the “head” of the Serpent? (Genesis 3:15). If this child is none other than Jesus, then the “woman” is none other than “the mother of Jesus” Our Holy Mother Mary (John 2:3). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">No serious reader of the Bible can deny these truths that are inspired by the Holy Spirit. No serious scholar of the Scriptures can deny the clear indications that demonstrate the undeniable similarities between the Ark of the Old Covenant and Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant. This brings us to a conclusion, which if denied, can be a great stumbling block in our path for salvation. The same reverence and veneration that were offered to the Ark of the Old Covenant must likewise be also given to the Ark of the New Covenant. In fact, when Uzza touched the Ark of the Old Covenant undeservingly, the Lord “struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:7). What would happen if anyone disrespects our Holy Mother in any way? What would happen if anyone attributes any sinfulness to her? Those who do, stand on a very dangerous ground. Finally, if God wanted to create a woman and protect her from the stain of original sin, would it be possible for Him? Could He do it if He wanted to? The answer is of course He can. God can do anything He wants, including designing a woman from scratch who will bear His Son in her womb. Those who deny Mary’s Immaculate Conception are denying God’s power and majesty. May our Holy Mother shower us with her maternal love and bring us closer to her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.</span></div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-1250067163947243892011-07-24T13:07:00.001-04:002011-07-24T13:09:42.623-04:00Biblical Proof of Mary’s Immaculate Conception I<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The doctrine of Immaculate Conception in the Catholic faith states that God preserved Mary from the stain of original sin from the moment of her conception. The Blessed Virgin was born without a sin according to God’s will. God the Father handed this gift to her, so that she may fulfill her role as the “Mother of the Lord” in the plan of salvation (Luke 1:43). Like many other foundational doctrines of the Christian faith, such as Trinity, there is no one verse in the Bible that states the doctrine of Immaculate Conception. Instead, an in-depth analysis of certain Biblical passages is required for a reader to discern this truth from the Sacred Scriptures. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">It is important that we understand typology in the Bible before we say anything about Mary. Typology is when a person, an object or an action in the Old Testament refers to a person, an object, or an action in the New Testament. The Bible is full of those. Lord Jesus says, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mathew 12:40). In this passage, Our Lord is teaching us how to read the Scriptures, by identifying types in the OT with figures in the NT. In this case, Jonah is a type of Jesus, and the three days inside the whale correspond to the three days Our Lord’s body remained inside the grave. Adam in the OT is another type of Jesus. St. Paul says, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, <b>who is a type of Him who was to come [Jesus]</b>.” So, Jesus is the New Adam, the Adam of the New Testament.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The fact that a New Adam exists means that God is recreating the human race after its miserable fall. We turn to St. John’s Gospel to see the evidence for this. St. John writes, “<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Note the similarity between this verse and Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1 repeatedly uses the words, “there was night and there was morn, and the --- day” to denote the passage of time (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). In his creation account, St. John does something very similar. He uses the words, “the next day” successively to denote the passage of time (John 1:29, 35, 43). In Genesis, the seventh day was a day of rest, a feast day. Likewise, in John’s gospel, there is a feast, a wedding taking place in Cana (John says this took place “on the third day,” after the first four days that had passed according to John 1:29, 35, 43). All this is to say that in John’s gospel, there is another creation story where God is recreating the universe. However, there is a contrast between the two creation stories. In the first creation account, everything is physical, including human beings’ birth, “Eve became the mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20). In the second creation story, the birth is not a physical one, but a spiritual one: “no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again” of “SPIRIT and water” (John 3:3, 5). In Genesis, mankind’s habitat is earth, a physical environment. In John’s gospel, the kingdom of God is a spiritual realm: “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). In Genesis, the first man to be created was Adam. In John’s Gospel, the first man to be “begotten” is Jesus (John 3:16). If there is a first Adam and a first Eve in Genesis; and we have our New Adam in the NT, then where is the second Eve, the New Eve who will, along with our New Adam, Lord Jesus, usher in the new creation that is taking place in the NT?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The New Eve appears at the wedding of Cana on the seventh day in the same way the First Eve appeared on the seventh day in Genesis 2. Note that the Blessed Virgin appears next to Jesus in wedding at Cana in a similar manner as Eve appeared next to Adam in the Garden of Eden. There are some differences. Eve eats from the forbidden fruit and thereby dooming mankind through her disobedience. Mary, on the other hand, in a complete act of obedience, surrenders her will to God so that mankind can be saved: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Eve encourages Adam to eat of the fruit and bring death into the world; “Jesus’ mother” encourages him to perform his “first miracle,” thereby beginning his life-giving mission of salvation (John 2:3, 11). Eve encourages God’s servant, Adam to disobey God; Mary encourages “the servants” to obey God and “do as he says” (John 2:5). Eve was standing with Adam next to the Tree of Knowledge; Mary “stood” next to Jesus under the wood of the cross, which is also called a “tree” (John 19:25; Acts 5:30). Eve cooperated with Adam to bring “death into the world” (Romans 5:12); Mary cooperated with the Lord to “give life” (John 10:10). Eve was the physical mother of all humanity, “the mother of all living”; Mary is the spiritual mother of all “her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and hold fast their testimony about Jesus” (Revelation 12:17). Eve was called a “woman” prior to her disobedience (Genesis 2:23); Jesus calls Mary “woman” throughout the gospel of John, beginning with Christ’s mission until its end when he was hung on the cross (John 2:4; 19:26). We must pause here for a second.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCZNBTrW3inBlYfFviovFdJNaq0j10pSR-50MYKbidQZKnjsHJuzoD97l_N-6jE4uRMi4F-S-JOpQYuup84TUSXTcyjHS4uljhCnsCIG8SkEcL2vNP2RW_qdJc-7VuEmvDs7kW_cTfZM/s1600/Assumption+Murrillo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCZNBTrW3inBlYfFviovFdJNaq0j10pSR-50MYKbidQZKnjsHJuzoD97l_N-6jE4uRMi4F-S-JOpQYuup84TUSXTcyjHS4uljhCnsCIG8SkEcL2vNP2RW_qdJc-7VuEmvDs7kW_cTfZM/s1600/Assumption+Murrillo.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This point particularly has a great deal of significance for a proper understanding of the Scriptures. When Our Lord calls his mother “Woman,” his intention was not to disrespect or rebuke her; otherwise, he would be guilty of breaking the fourth commandment, “Thou Shall Honour your Father and Mother” (Exodus 20:12). Our Lord’s intention was to reveal to mankind that she is the New Woman, the New Eve, the “woman” who was also prophesied about in Genesis 3:15 when God said to the Serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the WOMAN, between your seed and her seed; He will crush your head and you will bruise his heal.” Also note that Eve’s name does not change from “woman” to “Eve” until she committed her first sinful act of disobedience (Genesis 3:20). The Blessed Virgin on the other hand, manages to retain the title of “Woman” from the beginning of the gospel all the way to its end, signifying that she did not commit any act of disobedience, not even once. Prior to her fall, while she was called “woman,” God created Eve without a sin; by keeping the title of Woman throughout the gospel, God is telling humanity that the New Eve is also created without a blemish or stain of sin. The first woman of the “old” creation in the OT was created without original sin; likewise, the first woman of the “new creation” in the NT, Mary, is also without original sin (2 Corinthians 5:17). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The imagery of a woman alongside a man, both working together to accomplish a single mission is a recurring theme that runs throughout the Bible. We will look further into this when I discuss Mariology in other posts. For the time being, it is sufficient to demonstrate the similarities between Eve in the OT before falling into sin and Mary in the NT. Any serious Biblical student must acknowledge these truths that are unequivocally revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Sacred Scriptures. This completes the first part of the twofold scriptural proof of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. In my next post, I will show another typology in the Bible where the Ark of the Covenant is a clear foreshadowing of the Blessed Virgin. May Our Holy Mother, the New Eve, intercede on our behalf in front of the King to help us feel her motherly love and protection and bring us closer to Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ. </span></div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-821255429991133672011-07-15T17:14:00.001-04:002011-07-15T19:37:22.234-04:00On Babies and Tampons<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Retail sales have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/17/retail-sales-plunge-in-may-petrol-prices">sunk</a> to a new low in the United Kingdom. I imagine storeowners are rushing to put together an advertisement campaign to boost the consumers’ confidence and encourage them to spend their money. Campaigners in the U.K. are doing just that, except their target demographics are not just any consumers. They are targeting females with impregnated wombs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8612743/TV-adverts-for-commercial-abortion-clinics-given-go-ahead.html">given the green light</a> for private abortion providers to air television advertisements and promote their services. I would like to understand this situation a little better, as I imagine my esteemed reader would like as well. The best way to go about analyzing this development would be through a Comparison. Hearken back, gentle reader, to your grade 9 English lessons on Comparisons. To compare two objects or concepts with each other means to find the similarities they share with one another. Here, the two objects we would like to compare are babies and tampons, more specifically aborted babies and dirty tampons. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bear with me for a minute.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wHoEAvjIez6DsnqQkv3_GTUNKmMhojdWweKdYKVMWf92VcOLJeasbrXf8gf6juLutc1ILpUbs1tY58nAxMvDA83nrra_GRkycUgmssKgK7Jn6EIcX_cbLVgvhoB4_SRXyNqml8TUhU4/s1600/Aborted+Babies+Chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wHoEAvjIez6DsnqQkv3_GTUNKmMhojdWweKdYKVMWf92VcOLJeasbrXf8gf6juLutc1ILpUbs1tY58nAxMvDA83nrra_GRkycUgmssKgK7Jn6EIcX_cbLVgvhoB4_SRXyNqml8TUhU4/s1600/Aborted+Babies+Chart.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa2YrkBDBUFAUTr32rCYw8kgVkbe30gJzJjepsQ74YmSEH4Ao1rLYtl8dUWjnn4Go-9AMPc-qiL-YVRC7RvRXAnLvrDzvPhP5JwW-hyNjQDTGaHZ9uyksLM1NN8zBiKvVL1Fa_I1-Mxs/s1600/Aborted+Babies+Chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Now, I ask my reader. After reading through this comparative chart, are you grossed out? Are you repelled? Are you disgusted, appalled and sickened at my veracious, candid and blunt comparison? Then you should know, that is the magnitude of the debauchery currently taking place in England re the abortion business. This is the depravity to which life in, Europe in general and UK in particular, has been reduced. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">If you can find any more similarities between these two objects, please feel free to post them in the comments section.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-20082424202097114322011-06-28T17:14:00.000-04:002011-06-28T17:14:02.874-04:00The Utter, Utter Failure of Postmodernism<style>
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</style> <div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Almost two weeks have gone by after the riots in Vancouver, city officials, along with provincial administrators are <a href="http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/civiclee/archive/2011/06/23/more-questions-arising-out-of-vancouver-riot.aspx">still bewildered</a> with the disturbances that took place in Vancouver city on June 15, after a championship game of hockey ended with the Canucks losing the Stanley Cup to Boston Bruins.<span> </span>Premier Christy Clark has <a href="http://www.globaltoronto.com/Vancouver+police+announce+task+force+probe+post+riot/4970248/story.html">ordered</a> an investigation, as well as an “independent review,” to analyze the possible causes of this behaviour.<span> </span>Psychiatrists also weighed in to see the driving force behind the disruptive conduct of the rioters that day.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OfAFqmklBrSWiMwsLZh-vD0BQME33pzIHI2b-KHvXt8yDyG-vgn-54JvTcCfRAsOYuyNBRj2-jajgzgIyr2zS1C1qToEY_S7KGNg_5Gkt_Bpf8nuQuYrzFc1JHF_LgI7WmdNtfdxMzo/s1600/somalia-libya-egypt-vancouver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OfAFqmklBrSWiMwsLZh-vD0BQME33pzIHI2b-KHvXt8yDyG-vgn-54JvTcCfRAsOYuyNBRj2-jajgzgIyr2zS1C1qToEY_S7KGNg_5Gkt_Bpf8nuQuYrzFc1JHF_LgI7WmdNtfdxMzo/s640/somalia-libya-egypt-vancouver.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Meanwhile, this photo has been floating around the World Wide Web comparing the riots in Vancouver with those in Somalia, Libya and Egypt.<span> </span>The satirical theme behind this comparison is obvious.<span> </span>While all four countries witnessed deadly demonstrations, the reasons behind these demonstrations varied drastically.<span> </span>Somalia, Libya and Egypt were fighting for freedom, while Vancouverites were just plain old silly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">No nation on the face of the planet wakes up one morning and suddenly finds itself looting, stabbing, and setting cars on fire because of a silly hockey game.<span> </span>This is a result of a wrong turn that was made earlier.<span> </span>Somewhere down the road, Canadians have lost touch with the meaningful, and instead, chose to attach their lives to the meaningless.<span> </span>This, in a nutshell, describes the postmodern condition.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For 17 centuries, there existed a large narrative that governed the lives of the majority of today’s highly developed nations.<span> </span>This narrative was none other than God, as revealed through Our Lord Jesus Christ.<span> </span>Based on this narrative, people would choose their path in life and make important decisions; based on this narrative, a man would choose the type of woman with whom he would want to spend the rest of his life.<span> </span>According to the norms set by God, the majority of people in the western nations carried out their daily routines, whether at home, work or on the streets.<span> </span>The majority of the western populations subscribed to this narrative and surrendered their lives to this unequivocal Truth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today, however, this grand narrative known as God, has been replaced with countless small narratives, and instead of God governing our lives, it has become <i>gods</i> who are in charge of us now.<span> </span>Rather than the foundational Truth that draws the dividing line between right and wrong, anti-foundational truths have taken the helms of our lives, steering us in which ever direction our unbridled desires wish to take us.<span> </span>These smaller narratives include our area of specialization (our job), or sports; they could also be an illicit sexual relation, or perhaps drinking, smoking cigarettes and even drugs.<span> </span>Today, some people attach their lives to their area of study or their job so strongly that it becomes the guiding principle and the ultimate arbitrator of right and wrong in their lives; others, find in sports the pleasure that keeps them occupied throughout their day; still others, devote their lives to finding a relationship in which they can be gratified and fulfilled.<span> </span>All I wrote so far is nothing new.<span> </span>Jean-Francois Lyotard wrote about it in his essay entitled <a href="http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/lyotard.htm">“The Postmodern Condition.”</a><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Note that every small narrative mentioned above has to do with the means and not the end, the path but not the destination.<span> So long as the means consist of some temporary pleasure, the end is irrelevant. Consequently, anything becomes acceptable so long as it produces a transient moment of satisfaction. </span>This summarizes the utter, utter failure of the postmodern condition, once God goes out the door, everything is permitted. <span> </span>Even though the effect of this condition has proliferated every aspect of human life in the western world, it will suffice to look at three areas where the detrimental outcome of postmodernism has clearly manifested itself.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1-Family </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Due to the removal of the foundational Truth, or the grand narrative labeled above as God, a broader definition has been ascribed to the term ‘family’.<span> </span>As a result, no one can really understand what this term means anymore.<span> </span>Is it two human beings who share residence and resources with each other? Or does it consist of a man and a woman, who live together under a state license that grants them the status of ‘marriage’?<span> </span>Of course, at times the term ‘marriage’ needs a qualifier such as ‘same-sex,’ or ‘gay.’<span> </span>If the term can be so radically redefined as to include same-sex couples, then why stop there? Why not make this term so inclusive that any group of people, whether it is three men and two women, or five men and one woman, or any number of any of the sexes who live and share resources together also be labeled as ‘family’?<span> </span>This endless confusion is not a random result of human evolution, nor is it some free libertarianism that attempts to free humanity of its “mind-forged manacles,” to put it in Blakean terms. Instead, it is a direct result of human beings abandoning the source of all order, the grand narrative, the author of all Truth, God.<span> </span>Redefining family has had a devastating effect on today’s society.<span> </span>The population of some countries <a href="http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/nohumans.html">can no longer sustain itself</a> because of the abortive measures employed by the postmodern ‘family.’ Life is no longer a sacred gift, but rather has been reduced to a “choice.” Parental roles are being exchanged in an attempt to paint a false image of equality.<span> </span>Females are even encouraged to be leaders of the household, and any talk of submission to the husband is immediately dismissed as misogynistic or inequitable. All this confusion in the make-up and role-definition of family unit has caused so much turmoil, that currently there are only a few households left, whose members are not suffering from some sort of domestic breakdown or relational trauma. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2-Antidepressant Population </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The most prescribed of all drugs today are antidepressants.<span> </span>People are just not happy.<span> </span>The confusion of postmodernism has made us embark on an endless search for happiness.<span> </span>Some people attempt to find this happiness in sports; others remain content with sporadic and temporary pleasures by gratifying their fleshly desires; still others try to find a meaning in their lives through their area of specialization, as noted above.<span> </span>When all this proves futile and incapable of producing a lifelong happiness, people turn to drugs.<span> </span>This phenomenon is mostly prevalent in the most secularized societies in the west.<span> </span>In 2008, the United Kingdom, <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/027651_antidepressants_prescriptions.html">issued 36 million prescriptions</a> for antidepressant drugs, which is “nearly one for every adult in the population.”<span> </span>In Sweden, nearly <a href="http://www.thelocal.se/32938/20110331/">9% of the entire population is diagnosed with depression</a>.<span> </span>Over the last decade, “the use of antidepressant drugs has skyrocketed” in the United States.<span> </span>In 2005 alone, <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2007-07-09/health/antidepressants_1_antidepressants-high-blood-pressure-drugs-psychotropic-drugs?_s=PM:HEALTH">113 million prescriptions</a> were given out.<span> </span>These statistics are very telling re the nature of effect postmodernism has had on the western world.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3-Morality</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Once the author and source of morality has been removed, everything becomes permissible.<span> </span>Dostoyevsky articulated this same notion in his <i>Brothers Karamazov</i>.<span> </span>If there is no defining Truth that acts as a measuring stick to the rules, which govern our lives, human beings begin to construct their own sense of morality.<span> </span>As a result, the dismemberment and skull cracking of babies who sleep peacefully in their mothers’ wombs is a “choice” that belongs to the individual rather than an objective evil.<span> </span>Human definition of right and wrong has gone so astray, that anyone who defiantly opposes the foundational Truth, is not only accepted, but also praised and exalted.<span> </span>Patrick Madrid recognizes this in his book, <i>The Godless Delusion. </i>He notes the striking similarity between the eugenic practices of the Nazi regime and current leaders of the bioethics represented by Peter Singer, a world-renowned atheist bio-ethicist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“In the <i>Nazi Doctors</i>, Robert J. Lifton quotes a 1973 interview in which the father of Baby Knauer [the first victim of Nazi infanticide] recalled the reasons Brandt and Hitler agreed to the killing of his son:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">He [Brandt] explained to me that the Fuhrer had personally sent him, and that my son’s case interested him very much. The Fuhrer wanted to explore the problem of people who had no future – whose [lives were] worthless. From then on, we wouldn’t have to suffer from this terrible misfortune, because the Fuhrer had granted us the mercy killing of our son. Later, we could have other children, handsome and healthy, of whom the Reich could be proud” (<a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/who-is-a-jew-38">http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/who-is-a-jew-38</a>). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In his book, <i>Practical Ethics</i>, Singer writes:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“When the death of a disabled infant will lead the birth of another infant with better prospects for a healthy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater if the disabled infant is killed. The loss of a happy life for the first infant is outweighed by the gain of a happier life for the second [even if not yet born].<span> </span>Therefore, if killing the hemophiliac infant has no adverse effect on others, according to the total view, it would be right to kill him” (The Godless Delusion, 95-96).<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Note the similarity of the two views expressed by the Nazi regime and Peter Singer.<span> </span>Brandt was hung during the Nuremberg trials.<span> </span>Today, on the other hand, Peter Singer holds a very prestigious tenured chair at Princeton University.<span> If there is no ultimate Truth to which we must measure everything in our lives, then no one can blame anyone for committing the most depraved acts of violence and wickedness. The perpetrators of these acts are simply acting based on their own sense of right and wrong.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Postmodern condition has done a great damage to the fabric of the western society.<span> </span>Premier Christy Clark and all the psychiatrists in the world do not need to be analyzing the situation any further.<span> </span>The cause of all this insanity in Canada and the rest of the western societies is not some psychological defect or some hidden deficiency that needs to be brought to light through the use of human intellect and resources.<span> </span>Rather, it is the postmodern condition.<span> </span>It is the determination to forsake and completely abandon God, the author of all Truth, the giver of all morality and order.<span> </span>Once God departs from our lives, all sorts of sicknesses begin to creep in.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-33201076385531831462011-06-12T18:46:00.000-04:002011-06-12T18:46:11.866-04:00Homosexualist Indoctrination of Children<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dan Savage, an outspoken homosexual activist, has been quite <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/05/17/son-of-prominent-rightwing-bigot-finds-out-about-it-gets-better-project">vociferous</a> re the <a href="http://www.cwalac.org/cwblog/?p=394">reaction of Penny Nance </a>from Concerned Women of America to a homosexualist advertisement promoting the gay lifestyle.<span> </span>Fox aired the advertisement during American Idol, a show that has been rated family-friendly by Parents Television Council.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Savage begins his response with naming the group, Concerned Women of America, as an “officially-designated hate group.” Then, he moves on to offer three thoughts on Nance’s response.<span> </span>First, he expresses surprise at the prospect of a fourth grader who does not know about “heterosexual sex,” and compares this fourth grader to an animal who is raised in a “skinner box.”<span> </span>This is a homosexual activist’s idea of raising a healthy child; any fourth grader who knows not about sex is basically an animal that is trapped in a box, namely a mouse because mice are usually trapped in a “skinner box.” Later on in life, when this ‘sexually-enlightened’ child grows up to be a pedophiliac priest, Savage will be the first to weep crocodile tears over the victims and whine about the ‘wickedness’ of the Church and her ‘utter failures.’<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Savage’s second thought is too obscene and filthy to be mentioned here in my blog.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The third thought is what I would like to make the object of my post here.<span> </span>It is not empty of obscenity.<span> </span>However, let’s try to navigate our way through it carefully, discarding the filth and focusing on the argument.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">It turns out that Savage’s campaign is targeting a specific audience. This audience “needs to know more than most” that not the entire world consists of “hateful s_ _ _ s.” <span> </span>One might stop here and wonder, what exactly does Savage mean by the qualitative adjective, “hateful,” which serves as a modifier to the following noun, “s_ _ _ s.”<span> </span>It becomes clear when the reader finds out that Savage’s targeted audience consists of “kids with parents like Nance,” or kids whose parents are religious.<span> </span>Undoubtedly, for Savage, all religious people, just “like Nance,” are “hateful s_ _ _ s.”<span> </span>They are “hateful s_ _ _s” precisely because they disapprove of homosexual lifestyle, and Savage feels that it is his ordained duty to encourage kids, 4<sup>th</sup> graders, to accept homosexual lifestyle. It does not take a genius to figure out that Savage’s attempt to preach his debauchery to young children really has nothing to do with bullying, but everything to do with converting or proselytizing; the filthy language that he deploys is demonstrative of his perverted mindset.<span> </span>It gets better, indeed.<span> </span>Savage tells the 4<sup>th</sup><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">grader that not the “entire world is populated with hateful s_ _ _ s,” but rather many people are “rooting” for him including “trans porn stars.”</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span>How many parents encourage their 4<sup>th</sup> grader to become a “porn star,” let alone a “trans” one?<span> </span>I cannot imagine any parent, anywhere, religious or non-religious, Christian or non-Christian, who would encourage his/her 4<sup>th</sup> grader to become a “porn star.”<span> </span>Of course, the only reason Savage feels this is acceptable is because he is not a part of a TRUE marriage, which is only between a man and a woman.<span> </span>He does not have a son of his own. He has not experienced the blessings of a true fatherhood, whereby a father offers his life happily as a selfless sacrifice for the good of his child. <span> </span>Savage scorns, despises, and even derides the concept of family precisely because he does not have the gift of fatherhood. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I do not think that it will ever get better for Savage, nor for anyone else who subscribes to his contempt for family to find peace in this life, unless they discontinue promoting this lifestyle, and take up a true marriage.<span> </span>I included a <a href="http://publicactionnow.blogspot.com/2011/06/co-sign-penny-nances-letter-to-google.html">link</a> for Penny Nance’s letter to Fox Channel.<span> </span>I encourage you to sign it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2806437069717779861.post-92059304194471082932011-06-07T16:49:00.000-04:002011-06-07T16:49:36.004-04:00Abortion Zombies: Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Co.<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.talkradionews.com/news/2011/6/6/poll-pelosi-least-popular-congressional-leader.html">A recent poll</a> shows Nancy Pelosi to be the least popular U.S. Congressional leader. I do not imagine that Pelosi’s theological blunders have anything to do with these poll results, but I am sure that these views certainly contribute to the composition of her character, which has been deemed “least popular.” In any case, there is nothing more amusing (or frustrating, depending how you look at it), than <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IepLtfNSM7I">to see Pelosi theologizing</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Pelosi has previously deemed herself an “ardent, practicing Catholic,” who has been “studying the issue” of life “for a long time.” The conclusion of her thorough scholarship was that “over the centuries, the Doctors of the Church have not been able” to define when life first begins. “St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Watching her utter these words during the interview, it is not difficult to see the eyes tearing up and the anxiety level rising to the point of almost choking on her words and clearly revealing her guilty conscience. The reporter’s question, “When do you think life begins?” went unanswered. Pelosi’s interview triggered plenty of response from faithful Catholics as well as pro-lifers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Tom Brokaw asked U.S. Vice President Joe Biden the same question. Unlike Pelosi, Biden is “willing to accept that life begins at the moment of conception.” However, his problem is that answering this question is a matter of personal “judgment” and for him “to impose” his “own judgment on everybody else” would be “inappropriate in a pluralistic society.” He goes on to speculate his opponent’s counter-argument, “what about fascism…you gonna say fascism is alright?” Then he answers his own question, “fascism isn’t a matter of faith. No decent religious person thinks fascism is a good idea.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The common revelation that emerges from both of these interviews is the difficulty of reconciling the two politicians’ views on abortion with their faith. Clearly there is a difficulty there. Pelosi’s statement made almost three years ago was never retracted despite the numerous protests it sparked from the various levels of the Church, the highest of which came from <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2009/feb/09021801">the Pope</a> himself. Biden, on the other hand, <a href="http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=29157">received a correction</a> that had the tone of a rebuke from Archbishop Charles Chaput, where he told Biden that he "should refrain from communion." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The truth is that within each one of these two politicians, there exists a huge, irreconcilable gap between their personal views and the faith they purport to follow. This gap cannot be described in any other way except as a schizophrenic severance within their character. If a person believes that life does not begin at the moment of conception, or if one thinks that this is a matter of personal choice, then perhaps it would be healthier to recognize that he/she does not follow the Catholic Church, which clearly teaches otherwise. This is not a matter of a believer who falls into sin due to human weakness. Nor is this some passive character flaw that should be ignored and kept hidden. This is a case of intentional defiance of Church doctrine by those who claim to be among the ranks of her membership. The only path to reconciliation is either the Church changes her doctrine, which has <a href="http://www.lightministries.com/id524.htm#doctrinal_1">never been known to happen</a>, or Pelosi, Biden and co. change their mind and begin to live the faith they claim to follow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Pelosi and Biden are not a new anomaly. Many people, especially in our postmodern society, seem to be suffering from this psychological illness. The worst part is that the high-ranking positions these two Civil Servants occupy place them in a position that has a great deal of influence on how we live out our lives. They have enough legislative powers to impose on the masses the funding of such “moral evil” as abortion (Catechism 2272). In fact, they have made it their crusade to impose the funding of abortion with their promulgation of Obama’s health care plan. </span><br />
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</span>Kaisar Marogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831080672383640360noreply@blogger.com4