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Holy Thursday: At the Lord's Supper approximately 2,000 years ago, Jesus instituted His Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist for Holy Communion with Him: Jesus said the blessing, broke the bread saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me," giving His Apostles the power to offer His Sacrifice as validly ordained Priests. Jesus gave thanks, gave them the cup saying, "This is my blood...which will be shed for many for the forgiveness of sins." Approaching death, Jesus spoke literally with emphasis, clarity and repeti...
"For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man … they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark [where just eight were saved as they continued preparations for forty days, a metaphor for gestation, anticipating new beginnings, a rebirth of humanity] … the flood came and [all others perished because of wickedness, evil, corruption, lawlessness, and depraved lives, see Genesis 6:5-11 ]. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man … Therefore, [be prepare...
As Advent begins, may we reflect upon Jesus, our Savior, who by the riches of God’s grace took on flesh by being born of the Blessed Virgin to be the perfect blood sacrifice for our redemption and for the forgiveness of sins (see Ephesians 1:7). By contemplating God’s holy word, praying daily, and filling our souls with sacramental grace through His Church, let our belief and repentance grow virtues of faith, hope, and love to produce the fruit of joy and peace. “...God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of...
The Source and Summit of the Catholic Faith is the Holy Eucharist from Scripture on the Lord's Supper when Jesus blessed and broke the bread and said, "...eat. This is my body." Taking the chalice Jesus said, "Drink....this is my blood..." (Matthew 26:26-30). Jesus said, "...my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6:22-[55]-71). In John 6:66, many disciples thought Jesus' saying was hard, so they walked no more with Him. Salvation is a gift for those with faith who cooperate...
If we expect respect then we should respect others, especially God, who is due our utmost praise and thanksgiving for His amazing commands that are not burdensome but awesome, since they are good for our souls. First commandment, we are to love God above everyone and everything else. This means we are to obey all of His commandments, not just the ones we choose. Second, we are to love all people by being merciful to their needs of body and soul such as providing food, clothing and shelter and charitably admonishing their sins, instructing them...
...have mercy on us and on the whole world" (Divine Mercy Chaplet). Genesis, Fall of Man: God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil but the serpent/Satan deceived Eve who ate, then gave some to Adam who ate, disobeying God, causing Original Sin, which we inherited, breaking the God/human relationship, closing heaven for millennia. AD 30-33 Divine Mercy Chronology: Jesus said, "Amen, amen,...Except you eat [my] flesh...you shall not have life in you. He that...
Do we love with mere sentimentality repeating words such as "I love you," saying to a person in need "I wish you well," or listening to or reading God's Holy Word all without further action? Apostle John said, "Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:11-[18]). "For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (John 3:1-[16]-21). By believing in Jesus, we act upon...
(Catholics worship God only and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.) What is the Rosary? In cooperation with the Holy Spirit, the Rosary is a recited prayerful meditation on Christ's life through His joyful, sorrowful, glorious and expanded luminous mysteries (meaning things hidden in God until He reveals them). We were commanded to pray the Rosary for peace in the world and for the conversion of souls by Church-approved Marian apparitions (supernatural appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary). *Read...
Reasons many oppose Jesus' one, true Faith: • Free will....whoever does not gather with Me scatters" (Luke 11:14-[23]). Without remaining with Jesus in His sacraments, whereby we obey His commandments, "we can do nothing" fruitful in His eyes (John 15:1-[5]-27). • Unbelief. Why would Jesus establish one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, where He would always be with us in His sacraments, if He didn't intend that we join Him there, see Matthew 28:16-[20]? Our participation is commanded by Je...
Because a spirit cannot die without a body, the Word of God humbly and obediently took on flesh from the Blessed Virgin Mary as Jesus, Son of God, to be the perfect sacrifice meriting our redemption from the slavery of sin. Amazingly, the Word of God who is the summation of the entire revelation of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20) offers us sacrificial, merciful love because of our sins so by cooperating, we can spend eternity with Him. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites...
and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God with us.’” Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23 The Perpetual Virginity of Mary is one of the Marian Dogmas of the Catholic Church. Dogmas are formalized truths from the apostles or sacred Tradition revealed by God to His Church and declared to be binding by the magisterium. Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary took the Son of God into her womb while remaining a virgin, see Luke 1:26-[35]-56. “And the LORD said to me, ‘This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no on...
While Catholics worship God only, we are devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Why? • We honor Mary (and the saints) because they modeled virtuous, holy lives. • “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith” –Saint Irenaeus (~125-202). • Jesus comes to us through Mary’s obedience and faith. • Because Mary humbly said ‘Yes’ to the Father when told she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of God, Jesus never denies His Mother any...
With numerous important voting issues, none is more critical than life. God’s Commandment states: “You shall not kill,” meaning to not kill unjustly. Even though science concurs with the Church that an individual human being exists at conception, 60+ million abortions have been wickedly legal in this country since 1973. However, God’s laws overrule man’s laws. We know the mantra: “It’s a woman’s choice; it’s her body”; not according to our Creator: “It is I who bring both death and life…” (Deuteronomy 32:39). Anyone who votes for a political...
“Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise.” Revelation 3:14-22 “…unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5 Punishments in families and in society such as time-outs and arrests can change bad behavior to good behavior to keep the moral order. Similarly, God chastises, or punishes, us who sin and serve other gods or idols, which are things that are more important to us than God, for example: ourselves, others, activities, beliefs, things, sins, etc. 1st Commandment: “I am the LORD thy God,…You shall not have strange gods before m...
Synopsis: God made us to know, love and serve Him and to gain eternal happiness with Him in heaven. God’s grace saves us through faith, when we do His will. With sin we disobey and offend God. God sent His dearly beloved Son, Jesus, who founded His universal/Catholic Church. Jesus’ willing sacrifice on the cross paid the price for our sins and restored our right relationship with God; Jesus’ resurrection restored our life. By God’s justice, through His Sacraments and Masses, everyone owes a grave debt of worship and thanksgiving to Him. Pa...
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;…” (2 Timothy 3:10-17). For proper biblical understanding, supportive scriptural context is often required. Consider this: “...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:1-[9]-21). By expressing faith in Jesus, we act upon faith to manifest faith; we obey all of God commands; we believe everything revealed by God. With fait...
It was August, 1993 in Chesapeake, Va., when we heard the tornado warning. My husband immediately yelled, “Get into the closets!” Soon I heard the deafening roar of the proverbial ‘freight-train.’ Terrified, I thought, ‘This can’t be happening!’ “Something” made me, I mean made me, cry out loudly, “HAIL, MARY, FULL OF GRACE!” Then all was calm. We looked outside to behold a bizarre sight. There were six huge pine trees twisted off about 20 feet up but just a few shingles sheared off the ridge of our two-story home. Sadly, other families suffer...
