Who is like unto God?

New Blog! www.monk2be.com

2011-02-22T07:36:00.000-05:00

Hello,

I should have posted his months ago. I am now blogging from a new location. Please come and join me at http://www.monk2be.com

See you there!

God Bless!

Michael

Donations

2010-12-05T23:44:00.000-05:00

I hate to blog about this, but it is something that I need to ask.

I know that it is a tough time economically for everyone. As a Postulant with a religious community, I find myself needing many things and not having the money to purchase the necessities of life. I would like to offer something in exchange for your generosity, I will keep each and every one of you in my prayers. Please attach a prayer request with your donation.

Thank You! Donate Here

Prayer from the Heart

2010-12-05T23:33:00.001-05:00

This past month has been filled with many sufferings. However, the graces that I have received during these moments of sorrow, have been plentiful and heart warming. I often find myself in the chapel with a burning desire to sit before Our Lord in silence. Last week I was kneeling before the tabernacle asking God to open my heart to interior prayer when I heard these words flow out from my heart:

Oh Jesus, I throw myself at thy feet
I am a sinful and sorrowful soul
I lack charity for others and I lack peace of heart
I am sending my dear guardian angel to bring a fragment of my soul to lay before your throne
Though, I am so unworthy to lie within your presence
I ask that you take my uncleanliness and purify it
Make my soul as white as snow
As pure as the mantle of thy Mother
Set it on fire with your divine love
....
Jesus, I wish for you to cleanse my eyes of all they have witnessed
My ears of all they have heard
My tongue of all it's spoken
My heart of all it's darkness
And my soul of it's disease
....
I give you my mind, so it will only think of you
I give you my tongue so it will only speak your words
I give you my heart to cleave as thy wish
I give you my eyes to only see your face in everyone I meet
and I give you my ears so they will only hear what you wish them to hear
....
I open myself up to you
Every channel and portal, I throw open to welcome your graces
Fill me with your divine love, peace, and joy
Create in me a tabernacle fit to hold your precious body and blood
I beg of you to have mercy on me
Send down your Holy Spirit and let your light be my light
I am yours and everything that I have is yours
Do with me as thy will.

--------------------
I then meditated on these words and let them sink in. This is one of my first experiences with such a prayer coming from the heart. I hope it is not the last.

Persecutions - How to deal with them

2010-11-06T00:25:00.000-04:00

Today in class we were discussing persecutions and how to deal with them when they enter our lives. Life when lived well presents many opportunities to suffer through various persecutions, how we react to these determines how efficacious they are towards our spiritual life. Sometimes when we least expect it, we will encounter a persecution from a family member, loved one, friend, or someone we don't even know. As long as you are standing by truth and the teachings of the Church you will know interiorly that you are in the right and that the suffering that your experiencing can be offered up to help bring grace into the lives of someone who may really need it at that particular moment.

Just today I was persecuted by someone I never met because I made a stand against something this person had a different opinion on. This week during a mass with Cardinal Rigali, he spoke on how to respond to someone that is persecuting you. He said that we must respond with charity, no matter how insulting the person is or angry in their message to us. It is our duty as Catholic's to respond with love, for it is through love that we will open their hearts and minds to the will of God.

Love as Christ would love, Forgive as Christ forgives, and Pray as Christ prays.

When it Rains it Pours!

2010-10-29T10:16:00.001-04:00

You know what they say, when it rains it pours? It's a proven fact and this week has been a great example of what happens when a hurricane of bad news just hit's you right on the head. This has been one of my toughest weeks yet in the Seminary. To be honest with myself, I have to say that I never really learned how to study and these last 2 months I have really struggled to learn a good pattern of study and now I think I have finally found one that works for me. Unfortunately, I discovered this new study habit only a week before midterms. That being said, I did study my butt off for my midterms and 3 of them I felt I did very well on.

After a week full of trials and disappointments, I was looking forward to today when I would get back the test results for a class that I feel I did very well in grade wise. What I got was a complete shocker and I'm just at a loss for words. I'm trying to compartmentalize this new disappointment on top of everything else that has happened this week. I look forward to next week, the Seminary will be having 40 hrs of adoration, which will give me adequate time to rest, spend time with our Lord, and hopefully forget about all the pain from this week.

Please pray for me, that I will be given the strength to handle all trials I am being sent and will be sent in the future.

Wanderings of a Pilgrim living within the confines of a Monastery

2010-10-26T10:47:00.003-04:00

I have now been in the order for a little over 2 months and what a journey I have been on! It is amazing how much one can go through upon entering a new place and being introduced to new experiences.

Fr. Gould mentioned to my Mom a few weeks ago that there is only 1 Catholic Priest that has been made a saint, however with religious there are many. At first I was incredulous, however, after living in this life, I can totally see how if one perseveres there are many opportunities to reach the heights of sanctity. There are many different people living in community, and each has a differenct personality and sometimes they can rub you the wrong way, which takes time and patience to learn to deal with and prayer to love them all the more. I can only imagine how crazy I make some of them with my weird idiosyncricies! =)

As one brother once told me when I was annoyed one day. "There are saints and there are saint-makers"... How True!!! =) I hope that I am a saint and not a saint maker!

I must say that this life is absolutely wonderful.. don't get me wrong, sometimes I wish I was back home in my comfort zone. However, this life is truly great, my brothers are good men all trying to serve and love the Lord and my life is one filled with prayer, joy, peace, and happiness. I have had mystical experiences and close encounters with the Lord here and I hope that God will continue to bless my vocation and help me to persevere to the Novitiate House in LeRoy, NY next year.

May Our Lady of Divine Mercy Bless you!

The Sinner's Practical Guide to Sainthood

2010-07-27T17:40:00.001-04:00

As a young child I loved to read the lives of the saints and all their heroic adventures and the amazing things they did. One question always remained in my mind, how does one become a saint? One thing that I saw consistently through each of these stories was that each person had a deep prayer life and a filial love for God and his Holy Mother.

Another virtue that I saw in each of these gentle souls was a depth of love for their fellow man and a generous nature in which they truly loved each person regardless of status in society, wealth, or cleanliness. Many of these men and women lived very poor existences and relied upon the generous nature of others for support, food, and clothing. I also noticed upon further reading that some of these great saints endured great mortifications to their bodies in order to mortify their bodies of it's sinfulness. A passage stands out in my mind from one of the readings long ago "The soul should never be a slave to the body, instead the body, should be a slave to the soul". That in it's essence, in order to reach peace with ones spirituality, the body needs to be mortified and not given into over every little whim or desire.

When I was 20, a Priest from Holy Angels Catholic Church in Mt. Airy, NC told a story one day about a young man from the parish who wanted to be a saint. This young man had read a story about a saint who dug through trash and ate rotten food as a penance and offering towards God to help save souls. One Sunday morning, this Priest heard some noise out behind his house, it sounded like an animal was going through his trash. He grabbed a broom and stepped out the backdoor and switched on the light to find this young man on his knees with a small pile of items including rotten apples, tomatoes, and other rotting food that Father had put out for the trash man. He was bewildered and asked the young man what the devil he was doing, he was surprised with the answer he was given and then invited him into his house where they had a nice chat. He told the young man that the path to sainthood wasn't paved in rotten food. What was done in the 14th century and worked for one saint who was called to live that life wasn't exactly what this young man needed to do in order to reach heaven and sainthood. He explained that we are all called to be saints, however, we become saints by living the lives that God called us to live. Each of us are different, some are married and through the married life they are given crosses to carry. Carrying those crosses and living their lives devoted to God and making sacrifices will lead a person seeking saintliness into a holy life. In all the paths of life that we are called, whether it be the married, consecrated, or single life, we are all called to become saints without having to dig through someone's trash.

Years later, I found myself in the same predicament this young man had entered into, just in a different way. As my faith began to grow deeper, I began to study the lives of the saints and the different paths of mortification that they did. After finding several references to hair shirts, coarse clothing, and bindings.. I came across the cilice. Oh, what a tool this looked like. It was a sharp chain that a person could put around their arm or leg to inflict pain that you would then offer up and sacrifice for. I thought that sounded pretty easy to do, if I didn't like it, then I would just take it off and try something different. I searched for weeks for a cilice and couldn't find anything. Finally I came across a Christian site in Spain that was offering a cilice for a good sum of money, I forked out the change, I figured it was a good investment towards my sainthood which was practically on order. A week later, I got my package and eagerly ripped it open to find a beautiful gold colored spiked chain that looked like the spike strips used in high speed police chases. I sat down in my chair and eagerly wrapped the chain around my upper leg right below the knee cap and then tied the leather strips together. It was painful, I found myself staring at this thing and just waiting for the super white halo to plop on my head as if this was the last thing needed in order to earn my wings. A few minutes went by and I decided to stand up and take a walk around with it on. As I jumped to my feet, a searing realization entered my mind, all the blood that was trapped int he sitting position shot up and as my leg expanded, I came to an even more painful realization that I now had a chain of practical barbwire wrapped around my leg with the pressure growing stronger every second. I tried to walk, but it was to painful, so I bent down to try and undue it and again came to a shocking discovery that the pressure had caused the metal bond in a fashion that I couldn't get, besides that I noticed a few holes beginning to bleed and that was when I knew I had to get it off! I ended up half jumping, half dragging my painful leg and body over to the garage and tool box to get the pliers. It took a few moments to get it off, but it felt like ages had gone by. The pain was mind numbing.

The lesson I learned as I sat back down in my chair and stared at this simple chain was... that sainthood doesn't happen because of something that we do. It happens, because of the life that we live and how we live that life in regards to our love and faith in God. I could chop off my toe and say it was for God. That doesn't make me saint. However, living my life totally for God and doing his will when it is against my own and doing things because they are the right things to do and not because I think it will get me something.. THAT is in it's most basic form, the Sinners Guide to Sainthood. The picture at the top of this post is my cilice, I found it this week while going through some old boxes.

My Journey into Religious Life

2010-06-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

I remember as a young man being asked by my Priest Monsignor Duncan if I wanted to serve on the altar. I was at the age of 10 at that time and was terrified of the prospect of getting on the altar and serving in front of all those people. It wasn't until two year later when Monsignor retired and we were assigned a new Priest did I finally answer his request. From the first moment I set foot on that altar I was attached to it like a magnet to a refrigerator! I served 8 years until I moved from that Parish in Mount Airy, NC to Warrenton, Va at the age of 20. I tried to serve at my new parish, however the Priest said I was too old and my career as an altar boy officially came to a screeching halt and I entered retirement... much to my sadness.

I believe it was while I was serving I felt the call to be a Priest. I had always dreamt of it as a child, Mom was always purchasing a new saints book for me and I loved to read their lives and adventures over and over again. By the time that I hit my early 20's, the last thing I wanted to actually do was be a religious, I wanted money and the fantasies of the world! I began to do stupid things in my life, like fall into the trap of Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) where I was continually being sucked into fantasy of working from home and being a rich man and I ate it all up, I followed everything these people told me.. I hassled family and friends, called people endlessly on the phone, and then even went to the extremes of badgering Christ about it and then getting mad when he didn't drop that pot of gold into my lap. I remember one particular day, now that I look back on it years after it happened.. I just shake my head and laugh at the mere stupidity of myself.. I was in a new program called "Club Colossal" (just the name rings of stupidity) and I was convinced as a founding member that I was going to be making 10,000 bucks a month selling leads and selling positions in my downline. So I ran into Church and had this wild idea that I would make a deal with God that I would prob never live up to. I ran up to the altar in a frenzy and knelt down and told God that when I was making 10k a month I would give it all up for him and do whatever he wanted, ie: follow him as a religious.

And so I found myself lost once again in the turmoil of scam and now I realize that God not only heard my prayer, he answered it. Granted, it wasn't in the way that I wanted.. but here I find myself in 10K of debt and entering religious life!! Ironic isn't it? HAHA! God has a sense of humor. He must have looked at me and just shook his head and said "Child, I accept, however this will not end the way in which you originally proposed".

At first I ran from the idea of a vocation... I would do anything and everything to avoid even the topic of it. I began to become just a shell of what I was meant to be. One one side I would feign holiness in Church, but as soon as I got home I become the soulless cyber addict. I spent years and years just trying to reach a life of richness and I spent gobs and gobs of the money that I worked hard for in my day jobs. There were definitely times in those years that I had an inkling of a calling and as time went by I continued to feel a call grow stronger and stronger and I would find that the more that I tried to avoid it, it would rise from stangers who would tell me that I should look into religious life or I should be a Priest. Some morning I would wake up in bed and have some religious song playing in my head or I would wake up with a dream of being a monk or a Priest. It was around the age of 25 that I began to take my life more seriously and the prospect of a vocation, I began what would be a major conversion in my life. I finally stopped running from God and one day stopped by Church and told him that I was open to what he wanted in my life and if he wanted me to be Priest then I would do as he asked. It was at and around that time that I felt a peace enter my life. I began to say the rosary again, daily, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. I began devotions, adoration, stations of the cross, spending time in Church and getting to know Our Lord more intimately.

I remember one day kneeling down in Church before mass and I asked God what he wanted me to be, where I should follow him through. I had no more finished my prayer when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and ask if they could sit down, it was just a few moments before sunday mass began and the pews were filling up fast. I remember not even looking over, just scooting down a few feet and then sitting back and looking over at the person who had tapped me on my shoulder...IT WAS A MONK IN A FULL HABIT!!!!! I almost fell out of the pew.. and then looked around and saw that the pew in front of me was empty and the pew behind me and yet this man chose to sit in my pew. I took it as a sign from God and was like "WOW!". It was a Benedictine monk and remember being just enthralled with the man, he probably felt suffocated by the sheer amount of looks I was giving him during and after mass. =)

After mass, I followed this man outside and we spoke. There were a few things that just threw up red flags for me immediately. 1. He was also a police officer for Prince William County Police (that was a big one) 2. His monastery was in Indiana and he was living outside of it. 3. He had two children who he was taking care of. None the less, given all these things, I was enthralled with the man and believed everything he said, he had an answer to ever question I gave him and I even thought about answering his request and visiting his monastery. But again, these questions continued to bother me and I felt I needed to visit a Benedictine monastery and ask them about this man. So I went up to the oldest Benedictine Monastery in the USA in Latrobe, PA and visited for a week of vocation discernment. It was there that they had a book of all the Priests, Monks, Convents, and Monasteries in the world that were Catholic. We didn't find his monastery, in fact after further research we found that he was an Episcopalian and his monastery was founded as a joint place between a Buddhist 'woman' leader and a man who one day decided he wanted to start a monastery..

I returned home with a broken heart feeling utterly betrayed by this cop. When I got home I learned that he was not properly vetted by our Priest and returned one weekend as an ordained Priest from a Caribbean island and concelabrated mass with the Priest as well as heard confessions on a Saturday. He also handled the money after mass. Luckily nothing was missing, however when the Bishop found out about this sacrilege he was banned from all the Churches in the Diocese and the Priest that was originally at the Church was moved. Needless to say I felt the Benedictines were not the ones for me and I continued my search. I began to search online for religious orders and what I found were a bunch of liberal old men who didn't wear habits and had such things as prayer mazes at their monastery and other new age crap. I created a system that worked rather well. I would visit a site and would go immediately to the pictures, if I saw a group of old men with gray hair and no habits I would close out the website and move on. I sent out my name to several of the places that I found, however when looking into the further or visiting them I realized that they were not were I wanted to be.

I let my vocation and the desire to slide and entered a dark period in my life. I began to lose my love for the rosary and for Holy Mother and it was then that I found myself in a dark place that would take me years to escape from. I ended up going to confession weekly for years confessing the same addictive things over and over again and not getting anywhere in my spiritual life. Back in the fall of 2008 I found a silent retreat down in Hampton, Va and experienced a miracle from Mother Mary and had a second conversion.. this time it was to stay and brought me into a deep relationship with God. It has taken me the last two years to come back in all totality with God and to have that relationship that I once had.. perhaps even deeper now. It was back in 2008 during this period of renewal that I found a religious order known as the Mercedarian and got in contact with them. I remember speaking with the then vocation Dir. Fr. Matthew Phelan who is now the Superior and he invited me up for a visit and around the time that I was thinking of going up to see, my much beloved Grandfather passed away unexpectedly. I told Fr. Matt that I needed to mourn and I would get back in touch with him when I was ready. Little did I know, I was going to forget about them. It wasn't the right time for me to go up there.

I started a new job with a Catholic Charity in December of 2009 and couldn't attend the March for Life in D.C of this year. Mom however, was able to go and in the hundreds of thousands of people in the march.. who did Mom end up next too? Yup.. the Mercedarian Friars! She came home all excited about an order of young guys that she had just met and wanted me to look into them. I remember thinking to myself.. this group sounds really familiar. I looked them up and realized that I had lost contact.. I read my last email back in 2008 and quietly said "wow...". Was it mere coincidence that Mom ended up next to them? I think not.. it was providence, this was God working in my life. Mom told me that one of the ladies from Church told her after the March for Life "I feel Michael is going to have something to do with this order". What she said range true. I got back in contact with the Friars who were now under the direction of a new vocational director "Fr. Joseph Eddy".. Fr. Joe asked me if i wanted to come up and visit and I said absolutely. I went up on March 15th and stayed for a week. I spent a day at St. Charles Seminary and had a marvelous time. All the brothers were very welcoming and the house was absolutely beautiful. I felt right at home and I had a spiritual high the entire time I was there. I enjoyed everything, from the daily prayer, to the community rosary and recreation. I knew this is where I wanted to be.

While there I spent some time in the beautiful chapel located in the house and asked God for 3 signs if this is where he wanted me to be.

1. The order would invite me in

2. I would have an outward sign from someone not associated with the order that this is where I should be.

3. That my debts would be paid off or the order would accept me and allow me to work something out with them in regards to the money that I owe.

All 3 things have been answered in this order:

Upon my last day there, Fr. Joe told me I was a good fit and asked if I wanted to apply. First sign was answered.

I got home and excitedly was telling Mom all about the order and my experiences and where the Novitiate house was... in Leroy, NY. Mom was like.. "Hold up.. are they the Fathers of Our Lady of Divine Mercy?" .. I told her "No, the Fathers of Mercy are a different order". Mom said, "No, I this isn't the Fathers of Mercy". We bantered back and forth for a few minutes and then she told me hang on .. she was going upstairs to get a card from a group she has been dealing with in Leroy, Ny. Mom came back downstairs and told me that since I was born she has been having masses said for me and prayers said through a group called "The Fathers of Our lady of Divine Mercy" in LeRoy.. she laid down the card and I flipped it over to find none other than the seal of the Mercedarians and it was signed by Father Provincial!!!!!!! I almost fell out of my chair. Here was my second sign.. neither she nor I knew that this was the same order! It nearly blew my socks off. =) God answers these things in mysterious ways. My third sign was answered as well.

I went back up to the Philadelphia House in May for my grueling psychological exams and was accepted into the Postulancy program on June 2nd. =D

On August 20th I begin a new chapter in my life. May God and all of his angels assist me.

Fr. Jack and Obedience

2010-05-29T00:28:00.000-04:00

My late Spiritual Director Fr. Jack Fullen was a wise and holy man and I was blessed to receive many lessons on spirituality and living our lives in obedience. In March after taking him out for what would be his last trip to the House of Mercy, I brought him back to his house and got him situated in his house and bowed my head to receive his parting blessing. Afterwards I asked him when I could come back over to have some spiritual direction and he said that he was booked up for the next week doing his daily physical therapy and exercises at the house and he would be too tired to work with me. I jokingly suggested that he forget the exercise at his house and instead relax. He reprimanded me rather curtly that he had been ordered by his doctor to do this for his health and he was not going to shirk on his duty, no matter how sick he felt, he was acting in total obedience.

I marveled at his courage and total submission to the will of God. I went home with this on my mind and realized that he had just given me one of his greatest lessons, Obedience! Here was a man that suffered daily, felt awful all the time, and could do what most of us do - disobey the doctors orders to suit our own well being. However he did not do any of that, instead he did his exercises daily and tried his best to recover and live a normal life again. In the end, that was not the will of God.

I remember a saintly Monsignor from my childhood, he was on Dialysis for the last 10 years of his life and the doctors told him that he could only drink 16oz of water a day and only eat so much. He measured out his drink and food for each day, he was completely obedient to everything his doctors asked of him and he never complained about anything. Fr. Jack and Monsignor Duncan both constantly carried the words upon their lips 'Thy Will be Done'.

Let us pray today and ask God to teach us how to be Obedient to his will and that of our superiors.

Elizabeth - A Saint in the Making

2010-05-27T01:40:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, while making some rounds at the nursing home next to Fauquier Hospital as a volunteer Chaplain; I came across an older lady named Elizabeth who is a Catholic and a real dear woman. Elizabeth is the diamond in the rough for me, when I first came across her, she was very quiet, and was enjoying listening to the TV through the hand held hospital bed speaker that was strewn across her lap. At first glance, I wasn't quite sure how to approach her, I looked around her room for some type of connection, something that I could use as an introduction or starting point, perhaps a family portrait or some other object that would mean a great deal to her. As I looked around I didn't really see a family presence in her room, I noticed a cross on her wall with two rosaries hanging from it and then noticed that she had a 1 decade rosary in her hand and she was earnestly twisting each bead as she whispered the Hail Mary over and over again.

After watching Elizabeth for a few seconds I entered her room and introduced myself. I noticed she quickly looked me over and then gave me the most beautiful smile. I was put to ease, but it was hard to understand her words. As I leaned over to her mouth so I could hear her better, I noticed that she had two Immaculate Medals on and she was quite happy to show them to me. This was my first impression of Elizabeth, a woman of great faith, living a life devoted totally to God.

Over the next couple of months I continued to visit Elizabeth at least once a week, sometimes twice. I found out that she loves to write and jot down notes and thoughts on her stationary and I asked her if there was anything that I could get her. She gave me her signature smile and whispered that she would like some bobby pins, paper clips, and an organizer to put her papers in - if it wasn't too much trouble. =) I got Mom to go buy the supplies and a few days later went into her room with her items, her face lit up and she almost cried, I had also brought her a statue of Our Lady of Fatima which she was so pleased to hold in her fragile little hands.

Elizabeth told me a few weeks ago that she won't be here much longer and not to feel like I need to bring her anything new. She is suffering from a terminal illness and I believe only has about 6 months to a year left. That being the case, I am going to go in and visit her as often as I can, her family I found out live in Connecticut and it is difficult for them to come down to see her, however I was pleased to see today that they sent her a picture of her 3 yr old grand-baby. Three weeks ago I got Fr. Melmer to accompany me to the Nursing home to visit some patients and give them last rites, we made a visit to Elizabeth's room and she almost leaped with joy at the sight of Father. Fr. gave her last rites and then communion and Elizabeth was so happy that she shed a few tears. I began bringing her reading materials each week so she doesn't have to reach the same things over and over again.

Today, I picked Mom up after Holy Hour and took her over to visit Elizabeth and another patient in the nursing home. I also brought a new statue for Elizabeth (the old one got broken by a cleaning crew), and also brought in some new reading material. She was happy to tell me that she spent 5 hrs reading the last magazine that I brought her and as always she was diligently saying the rosary while we entered and during our visit with her. I visited one other patient before seeing Elizabeth and it was amazing the difference I felt upon entering Elizabeth's room. While the other ladies room was 'cold' or desolate feeling, empty rather, she is a fallen away Catholic who refuses to go to confession before receiving communion and actually got into a long drawn out fight with Fr. Melmer over that very issue. Upon entering Elizabeth's room tonight I felt a noted difference, a 'scent' of holiness as I walked into her room, as if I could feel the angels in the room and was hit by the grace that was flowing from Elizabeth's bed.

I am learning each time that I visit Elizabeth a new lesson in my own life. To persevere, to love others more, and to truly pray. I am reading a book right now titled "The Way of a Pilgrim" and in it, the pilgrim is learning about interior prayer and how to truly unite ourselves with God with continual prayer in the heart, mind, and spirit. I get reminded of this prayer when visiting Elizabeth, here she is, suffering in a hospital bed and instead of feeling sorry for herself or despairing, she is facing the reality of her death and she is using her time here to pray, to truly unite herself to God every moment of everyday. I believe that woman is not only holy, I believe she is a saint in the making!

May we be blessed to live our days like those being lived by Elizabeth.

Musings of a Pilgrim

2010-05-24T23:09:00.002-04:00

It has been months since I have posted on my much neglected blog. Much has happened in my life, many things have changed, most for the better.

I started a new job in December 2009 working as the director for a small non-profit in Manassas, Va serving the poor in the area. Much to my disappointment the job didn't work out and I got laid off on March 15th 2010.

During the time working at the Catholic Charity I began to look into a religious order and applied for entry. I made two visits, my first in March and my second in May.

I have a few major obstacles in front of me that could very well block my entry or delay my entry into the order by a year. Either way, it is all in God's hands.

In early May my spiritual director Fr. Jack Fullen died (unexpectantly) and I feel like a boat without a sail.. I'm just going wherever the sea takes me. I really need to get a new spiritual director, that is something I should look into this week.

On other news, I just got a new pacemaker installed (installed, right? Odd sounding?).. that went well. Although it feels like I just shot in the chest, things are good and I am improving everyday.

I am also still volunteering at my local hospital and that is very rewarding.

As for now that is all that has gone on for the last 6 months...

Until next time!

God Bless,

Michael

When God Lifts the Veil

2009-12-03T23:46:00.007-05:00

Sometimes we find ourselves wondering when God will answer our prayers and when he doesn't answer them in the time that we ask or other times when he doesn't answer them the way that we think, our first thought is that God is ignoring us, not answering our prayer. However, there are other times in our life when we pray and God opens a door and then lifts the veil and allows us to look into our past and see the path that he chose and the way that he answered our prayer. Today was one of those days for me. God lifted the veil and allowed me to see how he had lined things up perfectly in answer to my prayer.

Last April I found myself looking madly for a job that offered health benefits, I applied everywhere and sent out around 5 resumes a week with no answer, this had been going on for several months. Then one day I happened to see an advertisement for a commission only job working the phones in a local HVAC business. I immediately submitted my resume and promptly received an answer inviting me in for an interview. I went and really got excited about the job and the people whom I was going to be working for. A few days later I was hired on and began to work in a whole new world, one built in an industry that I was unfamiliar with and a commission only based income that I was not used to being paid on. Days turned into weeks and soon after much hard work I was promoted to the Marketing and Inside Sales Manager. I loved my job the people I worked for. It was awesome.

About that same time I decided to start looking for a spiritual director and soon was recommended to contact Fr. Jack Fullen from Holy Trinity Parish in Bristow. I tried to meet with him twice and things just didn't seem to work out, he was busy, I was busy.. we missed appointments. Finally he and I set a date and I sat down with him and we had a great talk. I knew immediately that I was dealing with a very holy man and I listened to everything that he said and was determined to have bi-weekly sessions with him. Before leaving that session, Fr. Jack asked me with my PC skills if I would be interested in helping the House of Mercy in Manassas with some computer related work. I thought it would be a great idea to volunteer and help those people who are in need of assistance and prayer. A few nights later Fr. Jack contacted me and asked me to meet him at Holy Trinity to meet with the founder of the House of Mercy and discuss website design, ect.

There I met Kellie Ross, an amazing woman who has dedicated her life to The House of Mercy and we talked about different options concerning the website, social networking, web 2.0, ect. Kellie then mentioned that she would be interested in me working with their charity, however I felt at the time just starting out at my current job that I had a duty and obligation to fulfill my position there and I told her that I would be happy to volunteer my time and services whenever they needed it. As life goes, things quickly became extremely busy for me and not only did I not go to anymore spiritual direction with Father, I didn't really volunteer any time with Kellie. My thoughts over the remaining months kept on going back to the House of Mercy and the great work they do there.

At my current job I found myself getting so overwhelmed with all the things I was involved in, that I began to burn the candle at both end and soon I was just completely burnt out. I stretched myself to thin trying to pull off to many things at one time and it was then that my marketing job began to sink. Things just weren't panning out, no matter how hard I tried to paddle, it seemed that I was constantly being pushed downstream. Last week I felt particularly worn out and began to go to church on a daily basis praying for an answer, that God would help boost my marketing and help create more sells for my company. Sadly a few days later I was pulled into my managers office and we both discussed the tragic slump in marketing and my boss decided to pull me out of marketing and have me focus only on the inside sales. I was sad and depressed to say the least. I felt that I put 110% into this job and now it was being taken away from me. I thought immediately "God must have a plan"!

On Tuesday December 1st during my lunch break deep in prayer at Church I felt inspired to contact Kellie again and offer my services in the volunteer capacity. After a few hours of searching, I dug up her number from last July and gave her a call. The conversation was awesome and I asked if I could volunteer some of my time, I then felt inspired to ask if she was still looking to fill the webmaster/marketing position and we spoke about that for a few minutes. She invited me to come up today (Thursday) and discuss what she needs completed with the site and her goals for her Charity over the next few months to a year. Kellie offered me a position with The House of Mercy as the Director of Communications and I accepted and will be starting in my new position near the end of December. As I left there I felt completely at peace. I went home rejoicing that God had heard my prayer and had answered it so quickly. It was then that I realized that he had planned this out from the very beginning.

From last year when I couldn't find a job to save my life, to the day that I started at One Hour, then I got promoted, I learned important marketing and management skills, I couldn't have gotten where I am today if it wasn't for the experience and knowledge that I learned as the Marketing Manager. Also since I was full time God made sure that I was put on health insurance and covered so when I went to the doctors and got medicine I wasn't charged an arm and a leg. During all this time, I was learning to have a deeper faith with Christ through the direction of Fr. Jack who pointed me to some very good books, and then right when one job was ending God set me up with another one that will bring me closer to my goal, which is to enter the seminary and help the poorest of the poor. While I am sad to leave my job and I'll miss the people I work with, I know in my heart that everything will be fine and work out, because in the end, God is in control.

Today the Veil was lifted and as you can see.. God had a plan, was in control of this plan, and he let me in on a little secret... we must alway say:

"Jesus, I trust in You".

Eucharistic Miracle Reported in Poland

2009-10-15T10:27:00.001-04:00

Possible Eucharistic Miracle in Sokolka Poland

This is being reported elsewhere on English language Catholic blogs (example: Fr. Z reported on this) but I've been able to find some additional information using Google and translation tools.

First, the report from Kronika Novus Ordo, translated from Polish, that is being reported on other English language blogs, dated October 14, 2009:

Communication from the Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok on the case of Eucharistic phenomena in Sokółka

Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok announces that the Ecclesial Commission appointed by Archbishop Edward Ozorowski (on 30 March 2009) to investigate the phenomena of the Eucharist in Sokółka has just completed its work. It examined and interrogated the witnesses and the pathomorphology experts. Here follow conclusions.

1. On 12 October 2008 a consecrated Host fell out of hands of priest distributing Holy Communion. He has picked It up and placed in the vasculum in tabernacle. After the Mass, vasculum with contents has been transferred to the safe in sacristy.

2. On 19 October 2008 after opening the safe one could see a red stain on the Host, giving the impression of being the blood stain.

3. On 29 October 2008 the vessel with Host was transferred to the tabernacle in the chapel of the rectory. Next day The Host has been removed from the water and placed on the corporal in the tabernacle.

4. On 7 January 2009 the sample from the Host has been taken and examined independently by two professionals in pathomorphology of Medical University in Bialystok. They have issued a common statement as follows: "the sample sent to assess (...) in our opinion (prof. Maria Sobaniec-Lotowska and prof. Stanislaw Sulkowski) looks like the myocardial tissue, at least of all the tissues of living organisms it most resembles."

5. The Commission found that the Host, which was sampled for the
assessment is the same that has been moved from the sacristy to the tabernacle in the chapel of the rectory. Third party intervention was not found.

Files of this case has been submitted to the Apostolic Nunciature in Warsaw.

The Case of Sokolka does not oppose to the faith of the Church, rather confirms it. Church believes that the words of consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit, transform a bread into the Body of Christ and wine into His Blood. It also provides a call to ministers of the Holy Communion to distribute the Body of Christ with faith and attention and to faithful - to receive It with reverence.

Fr. Andrzej Kakareko

Chancellor

I was able to find a photo [left] of Fr Adrzej (Andrew) Kakareko from the website of St. John the Baptist parish of Bialystok. He is listed as "Chancellor of the Curia, Archbishop of Bialystok and official of the Court". This seems redundant as I think any member of the Curia would be referred to as "an official of the Court".

It's difficult to paste the news reports I've been finding because of technical limitations but I've been reading reports that this particular area, statistically speaking, is rich in vocations and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is some local skepticism, however people seem to be very open-minded for the time being, based on what I am reading. Also, one Polish Catholic commentator noted that this is not really a time of serious social upheaval in this area. Take that for whatever it's worth. One priest noted, and rightly so, that the real miracle is the Eucharist itself.

One Door Slammed Shut

2009-10-06T00:15:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I have been looking into several monastic orders to discern if this is where God is calling me to be. I visited with one particular order, the Benedictines in Latrobe, Penn back in 2005 and enjoyed my visit. I disclosed during my many interviews up there that I was born with Congenital Heart Disease and that I had conquered a large number of Open Heart Surgeries. After visiting I left and never heard from the Benedictines again, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and sent a thank you follow up email several months after my visit and never received an answer. After still not hearing from them I thought it was God's will that I not pursue the matter any further.

Almost 5 years later (in January), I decided after much contemplation to contact the Benedictines again and request another visit. My spiritual life has exploded over the last 5 years and I felt that now was a better time to come up and visit since I was more open to listening to God and what he wanted instead of what I wanted. I contacted the Benedictines and submitted their information form. About 5 days later I got a call from the vocation director and he was all excited on the phone, said that my story and info had really inspired him and he sounded as if he was at a loss of words on the phone. So we set a date to have a phone interview and he called me on Sunday the 4th. I was happy to hear from him and after a few moments on the phone he invited me up to one of their Come and See weekends. We spoke for a few moments longer and then he asked me about my health since I had indicated on the form that I have a heart condition. Once I told him a little of my history his whole demeanor changed and he said "Oh, your this guy...), he then told me that he was starting to remember who I was and this is why he wanted to know more info before he invited me up for a weekend. I proceeded to try and reassure him that my heart was healed as of 2006 and that my doctors had given me the go-ahead on pursuing a religious vocation. He then told me bluntly that my heart was the reason why they never followed up with before (well gee, wish they had told me this 5 yrs ago!!), and that I didn't have a chance in the world of getting into his monastery or really any monastery since they can't afford to have someone like me with my health problems on their bill. So what your tellin me is that out of the 175 monks at that abbey, they are all healthy and none of them have any health problems? Long term, I would prob be the least expensive to have on their health bill considering that I had all my issues as a youngin.

The call ended as abruptly as it had started and to say that I was dissapointed would be an understatement of the century. I am heart broken (no pun intended). I have made it through alot in my life, in fact more than most people go through in their life times. I feel a call to serve God and yet I get stopped at the front door of a monastery of all places. Obviously this is not where God wants me to go, so where is it? That is the pivotal question right now and something that is greatly weighing on my mind is this, with my bad heart, how many other orders and people will turn me away because they are afraid of a liability or they just don't understand?

The search continues...

Chaplaincy at Fauquier Hospital

2009-07-14T23:26:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I went to volunteer at Fauquier Hospital to help others out (since I spent a significant amount in the hospital as a child) and I think I found my calling for now. I am going to interview tomorrow with the Chaplain to see if I can be a volunteer Chaplain and help others find God as well as comfort them in their sickness and sorrow.

Please pray that if this is God's will, then it will be done accordingly.

Purgatory Part II - The Early Church Fathers

2009-04-25T11:05:00.002-04:00

From my earlier post last night on purgatory, I wanted to write somemore on the subject as far as what the early Church Fathers believed regarding purgatory. The early church fathers were the men who followed in the footsteps of the apostles and many of them knew the first apostles and then trained other people according to their teachings and sermons.

Let us take a look at what these Church fathers actually believed and taught on the existence of purgatory - I would also like to remind people that the bible was not even a book until the year 367-404AD when it was finished by St. Jerome. If you have a bible today - thank a Catholic. =)

Clement of Alexandria

The believer through discipline divests himself of his passions and passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, passes to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance for the faults he may have committed after baptism. He is tortured then still more, not yet attaining what he sees others have acquired. The greatest torments are assigned to the believer, for God's righteousness is good, and His goodness righteous, and though these punishments cease in the course of the expiation and purification of each one, "yet" etc. (Patres Groeci. IX, col. 332 [A.D. 150-215])

The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity

"[T]hat very night, this was shown to me in a vision: I [Perpetua] saw Dinocrates going out from a gloomy place, where also there were several others, and he was parched and very thirsty, with a filthy countenance and pallid color, and the wound on his face which he had when he died. This Dinocrates had been my brother after the flesh, seven years of age, who died miserably with disease. . . . For him I had made my prayer, and between him and me there was a large interval, so that neither of us could approach to the other . . . and [I] knew that my brother was in suffering. But I trusted that my prayer would bring help to his suffering; and I prayed for him every day until we passed over into the prison of the camp, for we were to fight in the camp-show. Then . . . I made my prayer for my brother day and night, groaning and weeping that he might be granted to me. Then, on the day on which we remained in fetters, this was shown to me: I saw that the place which I had formerly observed to be in gloom was now bright; and Dinocrates, with a clean body well clad, was finding refreshment. . . . [And] he went away from the water to play joyously, after the manner of children, and I awoke. Then I understood that he was translated from the place of punishment" (The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity 2:3–4 [A.D. 202]).

Cyprian

It is one thing to stand for pardon, another thing to attain to glory; it is one thing, when cast into prison, not to go out thence until one has paid the uttermost farthing; another thing at once to receive the wages of faith and courage. It is one thing, tortured by long suffering for sins, to be cleansed and long purged by fire; another to have purged all sins by suffering. It is one thing, in fine, to be in suspense till the sentence of God at the Day of Judgment; another to be at once crowned by the Lord (Letters 51[55]:20 [A.D. 253]).

Cyril of Jerusalem

Then we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition, next, we make mention also of the holy fathers and bishops who have already fallen asleep, and, to put it simply, of all among us who have already fallen asleep. For we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn sacrifice is laid out (Catechetical Lectures 23:5:9 [A.D. 350]).
--------------------------------

What is also interesting to note: In In 2 Timothy 1:18, St. Paul prays for Onesiphorus, who has died. Why would St. Paul pray for the dead if Purgatory did not exist?

Did Purgatory End When Christ was Resurrected?

2009-04-25T02:42:00.004-04:00

I believe this is a question that many people ask themselves. Using the idea of the good thief on the cross and how Jesus said to him "Amen, I say to you, today you will be in paradise with me". Many non-Catholics use this verse to say that Purgatory does not exist and that Jesus took the thief immediately to heaven. My question to this theory is this, how could Jesus take the man to heaven that day when in fact Christ didn't open the gates of heaven until he was resurrected. In fact, when he died he didn't go up to a party in heaven, instead he went down into the "Prisons" to preach the good news to those that were waiting for him. Jesus also said that a day to him is like a thousands years to us, therefore saying "Today" could have meant that the thief wouldn't have been in heaven for a very long time or it could have been a very short time before he made it. However the fact still remains that Christ waited 3 days before the gates were opened by him.. and it was those 3 days that the theif had to wait for in the least bit.

I have heard a few people say that when Christ died his sacrifice finished everything and that there was no longer any need for purgatory and so Christ ended it. How can this be when the New Testament points to many different verses at the teaching of purgatory:

In (Matthew 12:23-36) Jesus speaks of sins to be forgiven in the life to come. If we are in heaven then there is no need to have forgivess and if we are in hell, we cannot be forgiven.. therefore what did Jesus mean by this? Only one answer; Purgatory.

Take a look at (Corinthians 3:13-15), St. Paul speaks about those that are saved through the next life through fire. Heaven will not have fire.. Hell you cannot be saved in.. so what is left? Purgatory.

Again in (Peter 3:18-20), St. Peter speakes upon Jesus speaking to the spirits in prison and of the gospel preached to the dead in (1 Peter 4:6).

The bible also affirms it again that we are to pray for the dead in (2 Maccabees 12:44-46) which is only in the Catholic bible since Luthers teaching would not have worked if he hadn't removed the 7 books of the bible to take out those books that would have challenged his new ideology.

Did Purgatory End When Christ was Resurrected?

No, I think not. How could it be when the bible has so many numerous verses that continually point to its very existence. The bible says we must be cleanes through fire before we can be pure enough for heaven, therefore.. how many of us die pure like God? None. How many people make it straight to heaven after they die? Very few.

USCCB - Over 150K New Catholics 2009

2009-04-14T14:56:00.001-04:00

I read a report this week from the USCCB that over 150,000 new Catholics came into the church during the easter vigil in the United States. Last year, there was around 87K new converts which means that it nearly doubled for this years total! That is indeed great news, amid the anti-Catholic media we still have a decent number of converts coming into the church.

http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-071.shtml

The Rite: Makings of a Modern Exorcist

2009-04-13T13:16:00.004-04:00

I recently bought the book called 'The Rite' which is about Fr. Gary who is a Priest from California and was chosen by his Bishop to go to Rome to train as an exorcist. The book starts out with a prologue of a woman who is being exorcised and apparently has a very powerful demon within her that the Priest is struggling to release her from. The story then goes on to tell about the Fr. Gary's background and how it came that he was chosen to go take the exorcism course in Italy. I am now about two thirds of the way through the book and I have read some pretty fantastic stuff thus far regarding exorcism and the ways that people have been infested, oppressed, and possessed. Most if not all of the people who truly are experiencing some time of demonic influence in their lives have dabbled in the occult and thereby opened themselves up to the devil. There are a few cases however of people that were cursed by their parents or other family members and they are the ones that really suffer the most terrible pains and aggrevations through this demonic force that is presenting itself through them.

I know that not many people believe in Exorcism today or really even believe in demons. However, that being said, I know for a fact that there is a devil and that this type of stuff happens all the time. I remember watching a movie called Constatine a few years ago about a man who once served evil and then began to fight evil and he had a friend who didn't believe that the things he had told her was real, until one day he introduced her to it and it was as if a veil was lifted and she saw another world open up before her very eyes. I think that this is how the spirit would is derived. It is right in front of our faces, many people just brush by it and have no idea that it is there or that it even exists. And then there are those people that find themselves delving into this spirit world and they are then infected as though they caught a virus and they are not able to be freed of it until they visit someone just like Fr. Gary - an exorcist.

This world is real people, it is out there, and we need to guard ourselves against it. This is not a fantasy playground, it is not for jokes or playing around it, this is a very serious place and it seems that more and more people are getting caught up in the new age worldliness and are slowly being sucked into this ethereal battlefield designed to seal their doom.

To anyone who is interested in learning more about spiritual warfare, how to protect and guard yourself, or if you are an unbeliever and think that your living in a safe haven.. I recommend that you take a moment and buy this book - it is well worth the 15 bucks on ebay or half.com

God Bless,

Michael

Easter Vigil

2009-04-13T01:45:00.003-04:00

How good it is of us to be here!

Those were the first words that came into my head as I walked into Church on Saturday night at 7:45pm for the Easter Vigil Mass. All night I had been looking forward to this mass, it is by far my favorite out of all the easter services since this is the mass where you get to watch the converts being recieved into the Church. I was certain that the church was going to be packed and that I wouldn't be able to find a seat. However, much to my dismay and shock, the church was practically empty. There was around 200 people including all the converts and their families and besides us, the church was about 2/3 empty. Since this is the Mass where the converts come in, the service itself usually lasts about 2.5-3hrs and I bet you a pretty penny that is why most of the Catholics didn't show up. We Catholics are notorious for 2 things.. our drinking and leaving church as fast as we can.

I have to say this though, I was quite happy to see 3 young men in their late teens and early 20's that were being baptized and then confirmed. I saw an old man that I thought was a sponsor, but then it turned out to be a convert himself! Later on after mass when we were at the reception for the converts my mom spoke to the older man and learnt that he had been coming to our church for 35 years with his wife who has always been a Catholic and it was just now after all that time that he was given the gift of faith and he wanted to become a Catholic! In all we had around 10-15 new converts this year. I heard a statistic from a local parish priest that in the United States, over 150,000 new converts entered the Catholic Church!!! It is so good to see Christ still working in peoples lives.

I am going to see if I can help out with the RCIA this year, I have been wanting to participate in it for the past 2 years, however things just haven't panned out thus far in my attempts to assist the new converts or those seeking the truth.

God Bless and happy easter!

Michael

Answer from God

2009-04-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

Last night during Easter Vigil Mass I prayed that my Grandfather who died last Sept. 07' would be released from purgatory (where I feel he is) and would enter heaven as Christ rose from the dead. I offered up my communion for this intention as well as my other intentions for the souls in Purgatory. Unbeknownst to me, my Mom asked God for a sign last night to let her know where her Father was and if he was saved.

I didn't go to bed until well after 1:30am this morning - I just felt so alive from the evening mass that I wasn't sleepy. I climbed into bed and went to sleep before saying my night prayers (laziness). During the night I had a dream. I was back down on my Grandfathers old property and as I looked around at the mountain landscape I saw my grandfather sitting in his old recliner chair in the middle of an old overgrown logging road. He was doubled over in pain and he looked just as I last saw him, suffering with his emphysema. In my dream I immediately ran over to him and knelt down in front of him, I looked up at him and said "Pops, your going to feel some bad pain in the next few minutes, and then it will be over". He looked at me and grabbed my hand and said "Thanks Mike". He then passed out and fell out of the chair onto the ground. I grabbed him as he fell and laid him down on his back and at this point he was gone, his heart was beating so fast, I remember laying my hand on his chest and telling him that I loved him and that it was soon going to be over. As I sat there and cried I then heard his voice and I turned around and there he was. He looked the same age as when he died (in his 80's), however he seemed to have an aura about him and he told me that he was doing much better, that he was feeling better and was ok. When I awoke this morning, I think I had just finished the dream, it was so fresh on my mind and I had this feeling, this urging that I must go up and tell mom what I dreamt of. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, it was as if a whip was lashing and driving me to do so. As soon as I told mom, she broke down and cried. I didn't want to cause her any pain, however she then told me that last night she had asked God for a sign that Pops was ok, that he had been saved. We both also took it was a sign that he was not yet in heaven and that he will need many more prayers before he reaches eternity. But the good thing is that he was saved and that I hope he is not suffering much and will soon be released.

Faces in Montana plane crash -vs- Faces in WTC Attack

2009-03-26T13:32:00.005-04:00

This image was taken after the plane carrying the fmaily of Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp the famous abortionist. The plane crashed into the Tomb of the Unborn - everyone on board died. Is it mere coincidence that he lost 2 daughters, two sons in law, 5 grandchildren, and 4 family friends at the tomb of the very children he was killing?

Ok, I am not one of these people that run around looking for Satan in everthing or imagining seeing him. That being said, I recently read a post on spiritdaily.com that posted a picture of the fire during the Montana plane crash at the cemetary. The spiritdaily post had asked about faces in the fire. It was when I took a closer look at the photo that I saw not only one face, I saw 3 different distince faces which were quite creepy! I then remembered that during the Sept. 11th attacks, there were similiar faces taken by the AP and CNN. I found those pictures and pasted them into the photo of the Montana crash and then outlined the faces with paintbrush. I did not doctor or add to these photographs.

You be the judge.

Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE)

2009-02-23T13:06:00.004-05:00

Over Presidents Day weekend I attended a 4 day silent retreat with the IVE in Chillum, MD. There were two things I experienced at the retreat.

1. The retreat centered on St. Ignatius of Loyola's meditations, I took 30 pages of notes which I have now shared with family and friends who can appreciate some of what I learned during my retreat. I arrived at the retreat house experiencing exhaustion within my soul, my body was also weak from the daily struggles in life. During my time I found God again, I was given a chance to see beyond the veil that seperates him and I, and it was a breath of fresh air! I would highly recommend the retreats to anyone who is interested in breaching their knowledge of themselves as well as delving into a greater love for God and all things divine.

2. I have a clearer view of the call to God that I feel. I am more aware of God in my life now and I will be actively searching for my vocation as a Priest through the many channels I have discovered. I feel I may be called to serve in my old Diocese of Charlotte NC and I am contacting the director of vocations there to speak with him about the direction in which I feel I am being led.

Please keep me in your prayers, I will need many as I begin this new journey in my life.

Wakeup Call

2009-01-18T10:28:00.002-05:00

Last night a good friend of mine announced that he was getting married. Surprisingly, I was completely shocked. Not for the reason of him getting married, I was able to take a step back and see that life is passing me by and it seems that I am just standing still while everything around me is changing. I am extremely happy for my friend that he has found his true vocation in life and I wish him and his future wife all the joys, blessings, and happiness that a married life centered around God will bring. However, it has shocked me to the core and I believe that God is telling me that it is time to stop kicking the tires, goofing off, and wasting time.

I pray that I find where God wants me to serve him through.

The 5 Day Mass Challenge

2009-01-17T23:22:00.003-05:00

So I know that I am a total slacker sometimes and have never been a daily mass person, most mornings I am quite content to lie in my nice warm bed and sleep. However last Sunday I was speaking with Mom and mentioned that I was going to attend mass sometime during the week. She was extremely skeptical and told me that there was no way that I was going to have the self will to make it one day, so I in turn told her I could do it for 5 days straight. I know, I know.. that is really quite sad that we even had to have this discussion. I won the challenge and got Grace as my prize, not only did I do 5 days, I even went today on saturday. What can I say? I am a saint! =D

I can tell you from my 5 daily masses, I recieved some really awesome graces. I will now be going all next week and hopefully attend daily mass from here on out. It is quite beautiful to see the changes we can have in our lives just by going to mass. It was well worth it and I think God had this planned in order to prepare me for some shocking but good news today. I got a major wakeup call from God/Life today and really feel that he is telling me it is time to move on with my life and follow him.

Father Neuhaus, The Knight

2009-01-10T19:04:00.003-05:00

As Catholics we all know or have known a Priest that played an important part in our lives and we remember those men as family and count them among out friends. However, ever so often, a Priest comes along that stands out from the rest. He is a man that stands for Christendom, a Captain of an army, a knight we all dream of standing next to. Fr. Neuhaus was one of those men, he was a knight for the Church and he will be greatly missed. I personally hadn't ever met the man, however I have read many of his articles, letters, and have heard him speak. We need more good men in the Church such as he to stand up for what they believe in, protect Holy Mother Church, and guide the Christians of the world to the light of Christ.

"Father Neuhaus was an inspirational leader, admired theologian and accomplished author who devoted his life to the service of the Almighty and to the betterment of our world," Bush said in a Jan. 8 statement. "He was also a dear friend, and I have treasured his wise counsel and guidance."

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0900117.htm

Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican

2008-10-25T13:07:00.003-04:00

When I was 15yrs old my mom bought a movie called the Scarlet and the Black. Over the years I fell in love with this movie and was so addicted to it, that I would watch it at least once a 5 times a month or more. The Scarlet and the Black is a TV movie based on the book by J.P. Gallagher called 'The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican'. The book and movie tell the life of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, an irish priest who is credited with saving over 6,500 POWs, Jews, and other people during WWII and the Nazi occupation of Rome. Through a network that he created with his contacts in Rome, this good Irish Priest stowed away Jews in the German College next to Nazi headquarters, The Vatican, Monasteries, Convents, Churches, and even civilian homes that were willing to hide the Jews and POWs and running the risk of being caught and killed for doing so. I am writing my Final Paper in my Holocaust on this very man and his inspiring story, I highly recommend everyone to check out his story, buy the book, and watch the movie!

Pax Tecum!

Senator who Died - Election Story.

2008-10-15T11:05:00.002-04:00

And lo and behold, a senator died and went up to the Pearly Gates. You see, God always gives us choices all through life. He permits many things to happen. At any rate, he was at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter said "Well, you know God gives you choice and you can choose between Heaven and Hell. "Well, you mean I can investigate these?" So St. Peter said, well why don't you go down to Hell and see what it looks like and then come up to Heaven and see what choice you want to finally make." So the senator gets on the elevator and goes down, down, down, and down. Wow! He sees all the political parties and everything else, and his old cronies he worked with in the senate and everything else. They’re drinking cocktails and some of them are having fun. There is a swimming pool and they have all sorts of hors d’oeuvres. It's a blast. He starts laugh and joke and talk about the old times with his old buddies. "Man this is Hell? It's a wonderful place. I think I want to stay." St. Peter said "No, you have to go back up and make a choice." St. Peter takes him back up and they look into Heaven. Everybody is at peace. There's no wild parties. There's none of the other stuff. Everybody looks very happy. And he says "Frankly, Peter, I would rather go with buddies, they were having a great time and the devil seemed like a nice guy. I want to go to Hell." He said "Ok, I'll take you back down." And he gets down there and he gets off the elevator and, the stench would curl your nostrils. It's a waste land. It looks terrible and there is trash falling from the sky and his friends are dressed in rags. The Devil is hideous looking and is madly whipping all those who are lax in picking up the trash falling from the sky. The Devil walked up to the Senator and said welcome to hell. The Senator looked at the devil and said "Yesterday it was so wonderful, we had parties and everything was great, what happened?". The devil looked at him with a big smile and said "Yesterday we were campaigning, today you VOTED"!

The Moral of the story... beware who you vote for, it may looking like apple pie, but once you make your choice you may see the trash you just voted for.

Healing Time

2008-10-14T23:29:00.002-04:00

It's now been almost a month since my grandfather passed away. It has been really difficult for me over the past month. He left a gaping hole in my heart and will be sorely missed. =( It is funny what an impact one person can have on the life of another. We each need to take more time out of our busy lives to spend it with those that we love, you never know when that time or opportunity is going to pass. I started to have a major conversion experience 2 weeks before my grandfather passed, I didn't know then why I was having it, but I know now. God was building me up, strengthing me for the coming tole that he was about to extract, the sheer shock and loss that I was to feel and experience. However he has been there every step of the way, and the graces that I have received from this has been immense!

God is truely a loving God.

Pax Tecum,

Michael

Another Death in the family

2008-09-25T19:47:00.002-04:00

On tuesday the 23rd, I was awakened to the phone ringing. I had this feeling that something was wrong and ran to pick it up. My mom was on the phone and in tears, she told me through sobs that my grandfather Ivan had passed away an hour before at 9am.

Two years ago my grandmother Anita, Ivan's (Pop's) wife passed away with cancer. We knew that she was sick and were able to prepare ourselves for the death that we knew was coming. However when I got news that Pop's had died, it was so unexpected. I feel devestated, and the hole in my heart is aching for him. What is interesting is that he died within 3 weeks to the year when his wife died. Will this hole ever feel? When will I find peace? I weep in sorrow for the loss that I feel, I await the day when I can meet my grandparents again.

Naples hails miracle as saint's blood liquefies!

2008-09-20T13:08:00.002-04:00

In Naples Italy twice a year the blood of a St. Gennaro who was martyred in the year 305 A.D. liquifies on September 19th his feast day and on the first Saturday in May. It is said that after he was beheaded a Christian lady went over and sponged up some of his blood, put it into a glass vial and since the first time it was recorded in the year 1389 A.D., the blood has continued to liquify on these two dates. In the history of this miracle the blood has only not liquified 5 times, each time that it didn't a major disaster hit the area. In November 1980 the blood didn't liquify and a major earthquake hit southern Italy and killed over 3,000 ppl. So the people in this town celebrate greatly each time that it does liquify. This is a miracle that can be seen twice a year.. and there are people in this world that say that miracles do not happen. What a shame they are not able to see this one. When I was over in Italy 2 years ago, I went and saw this vial of blood in the Church, it was not liquified, in fact it looked as crusty and hard as dried blood normally looks, it is a pure miracle that this turns to liquid every year.

Awakening in the Spirit

2008-09-20T02:05:00.002-04:00

I have had many troubles lately. Both spiritual and in the physical world. I lost my job 6 months ago and have been out of work forking out 400 bucks a month for expensive health insurance, with little to no money left to cover all my costs and I have asked myself. Why? Why me Lord? Why did this happen now? And I have come to the conclusion that it has been a time of trial for me, a time of shedding of my old skin, and through this tribulation I feel that God has been preparing me for something great and a place to serve him in the near future. I submit on average 3-5 resumes a week and get no response. I call people and get voicemails. So what is the deal Lord? And I hear the word, patience.

I have been spiritually dead for the past 2 years. I fell into some bad things a couple of years ago - no not drugs, or alcohol, just some bad habits and bad temptations. As I fell into this dismal hole I soon stopped praying, I stopped everything that had to do with God outside of weekly mass and thought that i was living my life free of all obligations. It is no wonder that things have finally crashed for me, and thank God that they did. I realize now the things that caused me to fall, and the things that I forsaked in order to fall. The real struggle now for me will be to give up those things that I am so used to doing and moving on to Christ. Jesus said "Come follow me".. and this month I am going to do just that. I am going to quit all vices, start praying, and living my life according to the scriptures and Holy Mother Church.. I will give it all to Christ and from there only he knows.

Please pray for me as I begin this journey, I know it will be no easy task in full battle with the enemy and what he will have in store for me in his mission to create another hole for me to fall into.

Apostolic Christians - Roots and Theology

2008-09-20T01:33:00.002-04:00

Punk,

I set this up to invite you to a discussion on faith and morals. You seem to be a great guy that has alot of knowledge on your faith and readily available to share and evangelize. I would like to discuss this further with you, if you are open to the dialogue. My email is saint.michael.the.archangel@gmail.com send me any questions you have for me, or any topic that you would like to discuss and I will create a topic about it. I love to blog, and am intrigued by your faith and would like to know more about it first hand from you.

Pax et Lux (Peace and Light),

Smeagol (Michael)

Up for Hire!

2008-04-17T08:56:00.002-04:00

God works in mysterious ways, everyone knows that and almost everyone recognizes it when something happens that they cannot explain whether it be for the good or the bad. I started working at an online university over 2.5yrs ago and had been internally promoted 3 times finally to a position that I thought would land me a good place to grow, but in reality it was the worse place I have ever worked in all my life.

I am not accustomed to working with open homosexuals that flaunt their sexuality in such a perverse way, but here is where I met me doom. I tolerated it, b.c I knew that if I said anything about it I was a goner. Well I ended up being a goner anyways, so I should have said or done something about it.

The positive thing is that I got a free Bachelors degree out of it and brought many good experiences with me from that place. I am not actively searching for a strong Catholic organization that adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church and doesn't tolerate behavioral and psychotic issues. God has a plan for me and I think this is his way of freeing me of the Hell I was working in. Now I just need to listen to him and hopefully I can see where he is pointing me towards.

Pax Christi,

Michael

Evangelicals go lent?

2008-03-09T01:12:00.002-05:00

Interesting article on MSNBC today that evangelicals are starting to take lent on, giving up chocolate, and things of sacrifice that were seen as too "catholic" in the past are now starting to get popular. Well its about time.. they must see that sacrificing for God draws people in, that by cleansing the spirit, we cleanse our souls.

I remember a few years back when I was an altar boy I heard that the protestant churches were adding statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe to attract the mexicans.. and what happened? They ended up coming into full communion with the church.. God has a sense of humor as should we all! =D

When Lutheran Attack

2008-03-08T22:31:00.002-05:00

I sometimes get way ahead of myself and my mouth frequently gets me into trouble. That being said I was recently reinvited back to a Lutheran blog to speak on a few topics. I got banned within 2 days of being back (big surprise since I am a hardcore Catholic), and I was reminded of that movie "the Village". The village was about a group of people that willingly took themselves away from the world and put up a big wall to block everything they didn't understand out. In doing so they isolated themselves to a few books and the same repeated thinking generation after generation.

To me the Lutheran church and ideology is just like that. They got a few books, concord, confessions, and their misinterpreted bible and threw up this big wall around their teachings and minds to block out anything that might cause them to challenge their belief system. Don't get me wrong, the people on this forum as extremely intelligent, most of them are pastors and they are highly educated.. and yet they fail to see the simplicity of Christs message about unity, love, and communion in his one body.

I left their forum for a while to allow them to recoup after my massacre, I do not think they enjoyed one second of me being there. I leave as a humbled and contrite Christian who is seeking a better way of approaching such hard headed individuals. Maybe God will bless me with the gift of a better tongue to answer them with wisely, a mind that will not deceive me, and a heart to learn to love my fellow Christians who are off the trodden path.

Pax et Christi,

Michael

Christian Folder on WAHM

2008-01-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

I am being bombarded by a few cowards who dare to call themselves Christian and yet curse, badmouth, backstab, and act like 5 year olds. I call upon all those that have harrassed me, to post here your reasons on why Abortion and Contraception is ok, why you think I am wrong and you are right.. better yet, why you take one Priests opinion over that of the church?

You Tube Debate on Catholicism & why it is the true Christian Religion!

2007-11-07T07:28:00.000-05:00

I found a video on youtube that is about the Catholic Church and the many truths that she has. A Person by the name of C2D has had a field day of bashing my faith and the true faith ordained by God.. that is the Catholic one. Catholic was derived from the Latin word Kathlicos which meant universal. The Universal church aka Catholic has been mentioned as early as 67AD by one of the apostles and from then on it was officially in the writings of the Church Fathers.

C2D claims that the Catholic Church is the anti-Christ and so on and so forth. Making such claims that he cannot prove is frivolous and won't really be going anywhere. I would like to discuss why the Catholic Church is the one and ONLY church ordained my Christ and why it should remain the ONLY church that can claim that it goes back to Christ. The Holy Spirit said that Hell would not prevail against his church untill the end of time.. he didn't say multiple churches... he meant his one and Only Kathlicos church.

The Protestant reformation is a Heresy, one of the longest living heresies in the history of Christianity. I believe the only other heresy that lasted close to this was back in the 200-500. Still further is new (faith) continues splitting up. Christ only meant to have one fold.. he didn't want to have 48K different non Catholic churches all proclaiming to be with his flock.. no Christ started one church, intended one to stay until the end of time.

What are your thoughts on this.. and if your non-catholic can you prove to me that the church that you attend can be traced back to christ through a hierarchy of leaders here on earth and that Christ if he were to come today would approve of your new religion against the old one that he started?

Pax Christi,

Michael

Is the Priesthood needed, and was it ordained by Christ?

2007-11-05T12:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a question, is the Priesthood needed, and was it ordained by Christ. Most Protestant faiths do not have a Priesthood, they had leaders such as Pastors, but none that are actually ordained by an authority that is linked directly to Christ. The Jewish people have a Priesthood as do the Catholics... but why not the Protestants?

The Holy Eucharist

2007-10-08T21:37:00.000-04:00

Jesus told us at the last supper taking the unleaven bread "Take this and eat of it, for this is my body which has been given up for you, Do this in remembrance of me".. then taking the wine he offered it up saying "Take this and drink of it, for this is my blood, which is going to be shed for you, do this in remembrance of me".

Participating in the ritual of the last supper is the pinnacle of Catholic belief and theology. It is the most important part of the mass, and it is a time when we gather about the table to share the body of Christ with our fellow Christians. Note Christ's words, "This IS my Body, This IS my Blood". Catholics believe that this is the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, it isn't just a symbolic picture, and it isn't a representation.. it IS the real body and blood of Christ transfigured through the power of the Priest at which time Christ is present to change the wine into blood and the bread into his flesh.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it truly the body and blood of Christ, and are you familiar with the many Eucharistic miracles that have happened over the years and still happen today?

SDA the cult that is dying out

2007-10-06T13:24:00.000-04:00

First off I just have to say that I posted last night on the WAHM boards in response to a question about the Heretic Ellen G. White who was supposedly a Prophetess of God for the Seventh Day Adventists. The SDA are a cult started in the 1800's by William a Preacher for the Baptists. William had a vision (supposedly) where God told him that in 1844 he was going to return.. when God didn't return william had to change his beliefs a bit, then again God did not return on the next day that he said he would. He tried to close out his new sect but instead it split into a bunch of smaller groups that all started espousing different beliefs. One of the them was led by Ellen, Ellen said she had a vision, her vision too did not work out and she had to revise her prophecy just as her predecessor. Not very surprising... Anyways today there are around 600K of these cultish members who do not serve Govts, pay taxes, drink beer or alcohol (in public, but are known to in the privacy of their homes), gamble, sin, cuss, ect... the list goes on. Basically they are awaiting the immediate return of Christ who will take them to heaven for a thousand years while the devil and non SDA are left here to rot and suffer. The jehovahs are a break off of this group as well.. My post listed biblical verses, and common logic to the question this particular person asked and less than an hour after I posted it, the whole thing was removed and I was accused of thinking I was right and condemning others. What i find sad is that when people are confronted with the truth they tend to call you a liar, hide the truth, and then flame you.. I got all three and more. That is fine, we'll see who is left laughing in the end.

The Catholic Identity

2007-07-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

Is the Catholic church the one and only church of Christ? And what do you view of the recent document release by the Pope affirming the teaching that the Catholic Church is the one and only? Give me your thoughts on all this.

The Third Secret... has it been fully revealed?

2007-05-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

Back in the 1930's 3 little children in Spain were to witness what is now called the greatest apparition in history. This occured in Fatima and is now a world renowned shrine. Jacinta, Franciso, and Lucia were to witness a multitude of visions of our Blessed Mother, hell, and other spiritual visions that would come to shape the world. There were 3 secrets tied to this vision and we were told the first two back in the 1930's, the 3rd secret was written and sent to the Pope who made a decision not to make it public... and so did the following 2 Popes after him. In the year 2000 Pope John Paul II made the 3rd secret public due to alot of pressure from several factions including the people that seemed to follow Fr. Gruner and his crusade of what he says is the Vatican hiding info from the people about the full 3rd secret. So I am asking you all now.. do you think the full entirety of the 3rd secret has been revealed and if not, why?

Spiritual Warfare...

2007-05-11T23:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, So it took me way longer to come back than I expected! I will try to keep my blog up to date from now on. I want to bring this blog around to focusing more on faith, current issues in the world. I find myself in constant spiritual battles most of the time... there is always that person whispering something tempting in my ear, or trying to get me to break my vows.. ect... I seem to only find solace in Prayer and my best friend St. Michael the Archangel... who is also my patron saint.

I'm back!

2007-01-23T07:59:00.000-05:00

This is just a note to all my loyal bloggers, I am back! Yes, St. Michael is coming back to blog once again! So keep a lookout, I will posting again very soon.

Loss of a Dear Family member

2006-10-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

5 days ago on october 15th, I lost my grandmother to cancer. This week has been one of the toughest so far. I miss her so bad, I called her everyday for the past 8 years that she was sick to see how she was doing. Now I can't write her, or call her. She was a member of the Lefvbrite movement and I worried for her salvation, but luckily my family was able to get a Roman Priest to talk to her, hear her confession, and give her the last rites in the church a week before she died. I am deeply saddened by this loss, and am at a point where I don't know what to do with my life.

I did have a dream last night of her, don't know if it means anything, but in it I was traveling to Rome with my family to witness her canonization as a saint and her body was found to be incorrupt and was being transferred to a church nearby. I guess that was just my mind trying to put my nervous system to ease.

For all the Catholics that read this blog, please keep her in your prayers, her name is Anita we called her (Nini).

Awesome Eucharist video!

2006-10-08T23:43:00.000-04:00

Here a a really beautiful Eucharistic procession!

2006-10-04T11:09:00.000-04:00

Ordination Homilyof Catholic Priest Part 3 Be Eucharistic Priest

2006-10-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ordination of Catholic priest part 2. Five promises

2006-10-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

Great talk on the Priesthood and the promises of it.

Back to work!

2006-10-02T15:18:00.000-04:00

Today was my first day back to work, it felt like I was walking into a new job. There were so many new faces and so much to learn after being out for nearly 2 months! But now that I am back, it feels good to work again.

On a more spiritual note, today is the feast day of the Angels. So thank your guardian angel and say a prayer to him.

Pax Christi,

Michael

Do not be afraid... Come follow me!

2006-09-22T13:04:00.000-04:00

I am starting to really enjoy the use of inputing video into my blog. Here is a great film on the priesthood and the necessity of it.

Latin High Mass by Archbishop Fulton Sheen - soon to be a saint!

2006-09-21T22:30:00.000-04:00

Jesus comes to New York in the flesh and blood!

2006-09-21T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is a truly moving video! What an awesome procession, I wish I was there to see it.

The Rosary and how scriptural it is explained by a Priest from the SSP

2006-09-21T17:11:00.000-04:00

This is a great explanation, for both Catholics and for Protestants that don't understand the Rosary.

Baptists and their anti-drinking clause

2006-09-16T10:48:00.000-04:00

Recently I was visting one of my fellow bloggers church web site. Its a Baptist Church and on its constitutions, it states this "To strive to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, tobacco, and illegal drugs." Thats good and all for an individual who makes that decision, but to impose that on all present and future parishioners, is rediculous. Where in the bible does it say not to drink alcohol? Actually from what I have read and seen, all they drink back there is alcohol, in form of wine, ect.. I don't think they had desani water back then. In fact, here is something that is really crazy, Christ himself drank, his first miracle was changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. And also at the last supper, and many more countless times I am sure. Why abstain from Alcohol, is God himself drinks it? I can understand not getting drunk, but the principle of the matter is wack.

Did Jesus have Brothers and sisters?

2006-09-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

This is going to be a really long post. This is not my work, but it explains it way better than I ever could. If you study the texts from the bible, you will see that in fact Jesus did not have brothers or sisters as many Protestants claim.

A group of persons closely connected with the Saviour appears repeatedly in the New Testament under the designation "his brethren" or "the brethren of the Lord" (Matthew 12:46, 13:55; Mark 3:31-32, 6:3; Luke 8:19-20; John 2:12, 7:3-5; Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5). Four such "brethren" are mentioned by name in the parallel texts of Matt 13:55 and Mark 6:3 (where "sisters" are also referred to), namely, James (also mentioned Galatians 1:19), Joseph, or Joses, Simon, and Jude; the incidental manner in which these names are given, shows, however, that the list lays no claim to completeness.

Two questions in connexion with these "brethren" of the Lord have long been, and are still now more than ever, the subject of controversy: (1) The identity of James, Jude, and Simon; (2) the exact nature of the relationship between the Saviour and his "brethren".

(1) The identity of James, Jude and Simon. James is without doubt the Bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 12:17, 15:13, 21:18; Galatians 1:19; 2:9-12) and the author of the first Catholic Epistle. His identity with James the Less (Mark 15:40) and the Apostle James, the son of Alpheus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18), although contested by many Protestant critics, may also be considered as certain. There is no reasonable doubt that in Galatians 1:19: "But other of the apostles [besides Cephas] I saw none, saving James the brother of the Lord", St. Paul represents James as a member of the Apostolic college. The purpose for which the statement is made, makes it clear that the "apostles" is to be taken strictly to designate the Twelve, and its truthfulness demands that the clause "saving James" be understood to mean, that in addition to Cephas, St. Paul saw another Apostle, "James the brother of the Lord" (cf. Acts 9:27). Besides, the prominence and authority of James among the Apostles (Acts 15:13; Galatians 2:9; in the latter text he is even named before Cephas) could have belonged only to one of their number. Now there were only two Apostles named James: James the son of Zebedee, and James the son of Alpheus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). The former is out of the question, since he was dead at the time of the events to which Acts 15:6 ssq., and Galatians 2:9-12 refer (cf. Acts 12:2). James "the brother of the Lord" is therefore one with James the son of Alpheus, and consequently with James the Less, the identity of these two being generally conceded. Again, on comparing John 19:25 with Matt 27:56, and Mark 15:40 (cf. Mark 15:47; 16:1), we find that Mary of Cleophas, or more correctly Clopas (Klopas), the sister of Mary the Mother of Christ, is the same as Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joseph, or Joses. As married women are not distinguished by the addition of their father's name, Mary of Clopas must be the wife of Clopas, and not his daughter, as has been maintained. Moreover, the names of her sons and the order in which they are given, no doubt the order of seniority, warrant us in identifying these sons with James and Joseph, or Joses, the "brethren" of the Lord. The existence among the early followers of Christ of two sets of brothers having the same names in the order of age, is not likely, and cannot be assumed without proof. Once this identity is conceded, the conclusion cannot well be avoided that Clopas and Alpheus are one person, even if the two names are quite distinct. It is, however, highly probable, and commonly admitted, that Clopas and Alpheus are merely different transcriptions of the same Aramaic word Halphai. James and Joseph the "brethren" of the Lord are thus the sons of Alpheus.

Of Joseph nothing further is known. Jude is the writer of the last of the Catholic Epistles (Jude 1). He is with good reason identified by Catholic commentators with the "Judas Jacobi" ("Jude the brother of James" in the Douay Version) of Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, otherwise known as Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18). It is quite in accordance with Greek custom for a man to be distinguished by the addition of his brother's name instead of his father's, when the brother was better known. That such was the case with Jude is inferred from the title "the brother of James", by which he designates himself in his Epistle. About Simon nothing certain can be stated. He is identified by most commentators with the Symeon, or Simon, who, according to Hegesippus, was a son of Clopas, and succeeded James as Bishop of Jerusalem. Some identify him with the Apostle Simon the Cananean (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18) or the Zealot (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). The grouping together of James, Jude or Thaddeus, and Simon, after the other Apostles, Judas Iscariot excepted, in the lists of the Apostles, (Matthew 10:4-5; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) lends some probability to this view, as it seems to indicate some sort of connexion between the three. Be this as it may, it is certain that at least two of the "brethren" of Christ were among the Apostles. This is clearly implied in 1 Cor 9:5: "Have we not the power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?" The mention of Cephas at the end indicates that St. Paul, after speaking of the Apostles in general, calls special attention to the more prominent ones, the "brethren" of the Lord and Cephas. The objection that no "brethren" of the Lord could have been members of the Apostolic college, because six months before Christ's death they did not believe in Him (John 7:3-5), rests on a misunderstanding of the text. His "brethren" believed in his miraculous power, and urged him to manifest it to the world. Their unbelief was therefore relative. It was not a want of belief in His Messiahship, but a false conception of it. They had not yet rid themselves of the Jewish idea of a Messiah who would be a temporal ruler. We meet with this idea among the Apostles as late as the day of the Ascension (Acts 1:6). In any case the expression "his brethren" does not necessarily include each and every "brother", whenever it occurs. This last remark also sufficiently answers the difficulty in Acts 1:13-14, where, it is said, a clear distinction is made between the Apostles and the "brethren" of the Lord.

(2) The exact nature of the relationship between the Saviour and his "brethren". The texts cited at the beginning of this article show beyond a doubt that there existed a real and near kinship between Jesus and His "brethren". But as "brethren" (or "brother") is applied to step-brothers as well as to brothers by blood, and in Scriptural, and Semitic use generally, is often loosely extended to all near, or even distant, relatives (Genesis 13:8, 14:14-16; Leviticus 10:4; 1 Chronicles 15:5-10, 23:21-22), the word furnishes no certain indication of the exact nature of the relationship. Some ancient heretics, like Helvidius and the Antidicomarianites, maintained that the "brethren" of Jesus were His uterine brothers the sons of Joseph and Mary. This opinion has been revived in modern times, and is now adopted by most of the Protestant exegetes. On the orthodox side two views have long been current. The majority of the Greek Fathers and Greek writers, influenced, it seems, by the legendary tales of apocryphal gospels, considered the "brethren" of the Lord as sons of St. Joseph by a first marriage. The Latins, on the contrary, with few exceptions (St. Ambrose, St. Hilary, and St. Gregory of Tours among the Fathers), hold that they were the Lord's cousins. That they were not the sons of Joseph and Mary is proved by the following reasons, leaving out of consideration the great antiquity of the belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary. It is highly significant that throughout the New Testament Mary appears as the Mother of Jesus and of Jesus alone. This is the more remarkable as she is repeatedly mentioned in connexion with her supposed sons, and, in some cases at least, it would have been quite natural to call them her sons (cf. Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19; Acts 1:14). Again, Mary's annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Luke 2:41) is quite incredible, except on the supposition that she bore no other children besides Jesus. Is it likely that she could have made the journey regularly, at a time when the burden of child-bearing and the care of an increasing number of small children (she would be the mother of at least four other sons and of several daughters, cf Matthew 13:56) would be pressing heavily upon her? A further proof is the fact that at His death Jesus recommended His mother to St. John. Is not His solicitude for her in His dying hour a sign that she would be left with no one whose duty it would be to care for her? And why recommend her to an outsider if she had other sons? Since there was no estrangement between Him and His "brethren", or between them and Mary, no plausible argument is confirmed by the words with which he recommends her: ide ho uios sou, with the article before uios (son); had there been others sons, ide uios sou, without the article, would have been the proper expression.

The decisive proof, however, is that the father and mother of at least two of these "brethren" are known to us. James and Joseph, or Joses, are, as we have seen, the sons of Alpheus, or Clopas, and of Mary, the sister of Mary the Mother of Jesus, and all agree that if these are not brothers of the Saviour, the others are not. This last argument disposes also of the theory that the "brethren" of the Lord were the sons of St. Joseph by a former marriage. They are then neither the brothers nor the step-brothers of the Lord. James, Joseph, and Jude are undoubtedly His cousins. If Simon is the same as the Symeon of Hegesippus, he also is a cousin, since this writer expressly states that he was the son of Clopas the uncle of the Lord, and the latter's cousin. But whether they were cousins on their father's or mother's side, whether cousins by blood or merely by marriage, cannot be determined with certainty. Mary of Clopas is indeed called the "sister" of the Blessed Virgin (John 19:25), but it is uncertain whether "sister" here means a true sister or a sister-in-law. Hegesippus calls Clopas the brother of St. Joseph. This would favour the view that Mary of Clopas was only the sister-in-law of the Blessed Virgin, unless it be true, as stated in the MSS. of the Peshitta version, that Joseph and Clopas married sisters. The relationship of the other "brethren" may have been more distant than that of the above named four.

The chief objection against the Catholic position is taken from Matt 1:25: "He [Joseph] knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son"; and from Luke 2:7: "And she brought forth her firstborn son". Hence, it is argued, Mary must have born other children. "Firstborn" (prototokos), however, does not necessarily connote that other children were born afterwards. This is evident from Luke 2:23, and Ex 13:2-12 (cf. Greek text) to which Luke refers. "Opening the womb" is there given as the equivalent of "firstborn" (prototokos). An only child was thus no less "firstborn" than the first of many. Neither do the words "he knew her not till she brought forth" imply, as St. Jerome proves conclusively against Helvidius from parallel examples, that he knew her afterwards. The meaning of both expressions becomes clear, if they are considered in connexion with the virginal birth related by the two Evangelists.

Sabbath on Sunday???

2006-09-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

Recently I was discussing this topic with several friends and family. If the Jews celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday, why do we Christians celebrate it on Sunday? I have copied a post straight from New Advent online Dictionary.

Sunday (Day of the Sun), as the name of the first day of the week, is derived from Egyptian astrology. The seven planets, known to us as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon, each had an hour of the day assigned to them, and the planet which was regent during the first hour of any day of the week gave its name to that day (see CALENDAR). During the first and second century the week of seven days was introduced into Rome from Egypt, and the Roman names of the planets were given to each successive day. The Teutonic nations seem to have adopted the week as a division of time from the Romans, but they changed the Roman names into those of corresponding Teutonic deities. Hence the dies Solis became Sunday (German, Sonntag). Sunday was the first day of the week according to the Jewish method of reckoning, but for Christians it began to take the place of the Jewish Sabbath in Apostolic times as the day set apart for the public and solemn worship of God. The practice of meeting together on the first day of the week for the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice is indicated in Acts, xx 7; I Cor., xvi, 2; in Apoc., i, 10, it is called the Lord's day. In the Didache (xiv) the injunction is given: "On the Lord's Day come together and break bread. And give thanks (offer the Eucharist), after confessing your sins that your sacrifice may be pure". St. Ignatius (Ep. ad Magnes. ix) speaks of Christians as "no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day, on which also Our Life rose again". In the Epistle of Barnabas (xv) we read: "Wherefore, also, we keep the eight day (i. e. the first of the week) with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead".

St. Justin is the first Christian writer to call the day Sunday (I Apol., lxvii) in the celebrated passage in which he describes the worship offered by the early Christians on that day to God. The fact that they ment together and offered public worship on Sunday necessitated a certain rest from work on that day. However, Tertullian (202) is the first writer who expressly mentions the Sunday rest: "We, however (just as tradition has taught us), on the day of the Lord's Resurrection ought to guard not only against kneeling, but every posture and office of solicitude, deferring even our businesses lest we give any place to the devil" ("De orat.", xxiii; cf. "Ad nation.", I, xiii; "Apolog.", xvi).

These and similar indications show that during the first three centuries practice and tradition had consecrated the Sunday to the public worship of God by the hearing of the Mass and the resting from work. With the opening of the fourth century positive legislation, both ecclesiastical and civil, began to make these duties more definite. The Council of Elvira (300) decreed: "If anyone in the city neglects to come to church for three Sundays, let him be excommunicated for a short time so that he may be corrected" (xxi). In the Apostolic Constitutions, which belong to the end of the fourth century, both the hearing of the Mass and the rest from work are prescribed, and the precept is attributed to the Apostles. The express teaching of Christ and St. Paul prevented the early Christians from falling into the excesses of Jewish Sabbatarianism in the observance of the Sunday, and yet we find St. Cæsarius of Arles in the sixth century teaching that the holy Doctors of the Church had decreed that the whole glory of the Jewish Sabbath had been transferred to the Sunday, and that Christians must keep the Sunday holy in the same way as the Jews had been commanded to keep holy the Sabbath Day. He especially insisted on the people hearing the whole of the Mass and not leaving the church after the Epistle and the Gospel had been read. He taught them that they should come to Vespers and spend the rest of the day in pious reading and prayer. As with the Jewish Sabbath, the observance of the Christian Sunday began with sundown on Saturday and lasted till the same time on Sunday. Until quite recent times some theologians taught that there was an obligation under pain of venial sin of assisting at vespers as well as of hearing Mass, but the opinion rests on no certain foundation and is now commonly abandoned. The common opinion maintains that, while it is highly becoming to be present at Vespers on Sunday, there is no strict obligation to be present. The method of reckoning the Sunday from sunset to sunset continued in some places down to the seventeenth century, but in general since the Middle Ages the reckoning from midnight to midnight has been followed. When the parochial system was introduced, the laity were taught that they must hear Mass and the preaching of the Word of God on Sundays in their parish church. However, toward the end of the thirteenth century, the friars began to teach that the precept of hearing Mass might be fulfilled by hearing it in their churches, and after long and severe struggles this was expressly allowed by the Holy See. Nowadays, the precept may be fulfilled by hearing Mass in any place except a strictly private oratory, and provided Mass is not celebrated on a portable altar by a privilege which is merely personal.

The obligation of rest from work on Sunday remained somewhat indefinite for several centuries. A Council of Laodicea, held toward the end of the fourth century, was content to prescribe that on the Lord's Day the faithful were to abstain from work as far as possible. At the beginning of the sixth century St. Caesarius, as we have seen, and others showed an inclination to apply the law of the Jewish Sabbath to the observance of the Christian Sunday. The Council held at Orleans in 538 reprobated this tendency as Jewish and non-Christian. From the eight century the law began to be formulated as it exists at eh present day, and the local councils forbade servile work, public buying and selling, pleading in the law courts, and the public and solemn taking of oaths. There is a large body of civil legislation on the Sunday rest side by side with the ecclesiastical. It begins with an Edict of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, who forbade judges to sit and townspeople to work on Sunday. He made an exception in favour of agriculture. The breaking of the law of Sunday rest was punished by the Anglo-Saxon legislation in England like other crimes and misdemeanours. After the Reformation, under Puritan influence, many laws were passed in England whose effect is still visible in the stringency of the English Sabbath. Still more is this the case in Scotland. There is no federal legislation in the United States on the observance of the Sunday, but nearly all the states of the Union have statues tending to repress unnecessary labour and to restrain the liquor traffic. In other respects the legislation of the different states on this matter exhibits considerable variety. On the continent of Europe in recent years there have been several laws passed in direction of enforcing the observance of Sunday rest for the benefit of workmen.

Medical Leave

2006-08-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

I will not be posting much, if any for the next month or two. I am going in this friday the 4th for Open heart Surgery. It will be my 11th! Yes, I am a frequent flyer when it comes to this. Please keep me in your prayers that all will go as God wills.

Pax Christi,

Michael

Martin Luther's Devotion to Mother Mary

2006-07-26T15:16:00.000-04:00

Despite the radicalism of early Protestantism toward many ancient Catholic "distinctives," such as the Communion of the Saints, Penance, Purgatory, Infused Justification, the Papacy, the priesthood, sacramental marriage, etc., it may surprise many to discover that Martin Luther was rather conservative in some of his doctrinal views, such as on baptismal regeneration, the Eucharist, and particularly the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Luther indeed was quite devoted to Our Lady, and retained most of the traditional Marian doctrines which were held then and now by the Catholic Church. This is often not well-documented in Protestant biographies of Luther and histories of the 16th century, yet it is undeniably true. It seems to be a natural human tendency for latter-day followers to project back onto the founder of a movement their own prevailing viewpoints.

Since Lutheranism today does not possess a very robust Mariology, it is usually assumed that Luther himself had similar opinions. We shall see, upon consulting the primary sources (i.e., Luther’s own writings), that the historical facts are very different. We shall consider, in turn, Luther’s position on the various aspects of Marian doctrine.

Along with virtually all important Protestant Founders (e.g., Calvin, Zwingli, Cranmer), Luther accepted the traditional belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary (Jesus had no blood brothers), and her status as the Theotokos (Mother of God):

Christ…was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him… "brothers" really means "cousins" here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers. (Sermons on John, chapters 1-4, 1537-39).

He, Christ, our Savior, was the real and natural fruit of Mary’s virginal womb…This was without the cooperation of a man, and she remained a virgin after that. (Ibid.)
God says…"Mary’s Son is My only Son." Thus Mary is the Mother of God. (Ibid.).

God did not derive his divinity from Mary; but it does not follow that it is therefore wrong to say that God was born of Mary, that God is Mary’s Son, and that Mary is God’s mother…She is the true mother of God and bearer of God…Mary suckled God, rocked God to sleep, prepared broth and soup for God, etc. For God and man are one person, one Christ, one Son, one Jesus, not two Christs…just as your son is not two sons…even though he has two natures, body and soul, the body from you, the soul from God alone. (On the Councils and the Church, 1539).

Probably the most astonishing Marian belief of Luther is his acceptance of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, which wasn’t even definitively proclaimed as dogma by the Catholic Church until 1854. Concerning this question there is some dispute, over the technical aspects of medieval theories of conception and the soul, and whether or not Luther later changed his mind. Even some eminent Lutheran scholars, however, such as Arthur Carl Piepkorn (1907-73) of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, maintain his unswerving acceptance of the doctrine. Luther’s words follow:

It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary’s soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God’s gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin" (Sermon: "On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God," 1527).
She is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin—something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil. (Personal {"Little"} Prayer Book, 1522).

Later references to the Immaculate Conception appear in his House sermon for Christmas (1533) and Against the Papacy of Rome (1545). In later life (he died in 1546), Luther did not believe that this doctrine should be imposed on all believers, since he felt that the Bible didn’t explicitly and formally teach it. Such a view is consistent with his notion of sola Scriptura and is similar to his opinion on the bodily Assumption of the Virgin, which he never denied—although he was highly critical of what he felt were excesses in the celebration of this Feast. In his sermon of August 15, 1522, the last time he preached on the Feast of the Assumption, he stated:
There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know. And since the Holy Spirit has told us nothing about it, we can make of it no article of faith…It is enough to know that she lives in Christ.

Luther held to the idea and devotional practice of the veneration of Mary and expressed this on innumerable occasions with the most effusive language:
The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart. (Sermon, September 1, 1522).

[She is the] highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ…She is nobility, wisdom, and holiness personified. We can never honor her enough. Still honor and praise must be given to her in such a way as to injure neither Christ nor the Scriptures. (Sermon, Christmas, 1531).

No woman is like you. You are more than Eve or Sarah, blessed above all nobility, wisdom, and sanctity. (Sermon, Feast of the Visitation, 1537).

One should honor Mary as she herself wished and as she expressed it in the Magnificat. She praised God for his deeds. How then can we praise her? The true honor of Mary is the honor of God, the praise of God’s grace…Mary is nothing for the sake of herself, but for the sake of Christ…Mary does not wish that we come to her, but through her to God. (Explanation of the Magnificat, 1521).

Luther goes even further, and gives the Blessed Virgin the exalted position of "Spiritual Mother" for Christians, much the same as in Catholic piety:

It is the consolation and the superabundant goodness of God, that man is able to exult in such a treasure. Mary is his true Mother, Christ is his brother, God is his father. (Sermon, Christmas, 1522) Mary is the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of all of us even though it was Christ alone who reposed on her knees…If he is ours, we ought to be in his situation; there where he is, we ought also to be and all that he has ought to be ours, and his mother is also our mother. (Sermon, Christmas, 1529).

Luther did strongly condemn any devotional practices which implied that Mary was in any way equal to our Lord or that she took anything away from His sole sufficiency as our Savior. This is, and always has been, the official teaching of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, Luther often "threw out the baby with the bath water," when it came to criticizing erroprevalent in his time—falsely equating them with Church doctrine. His attitude towards the use of the "Hail Mary" prayer (the first portion of the Rosary) is illustrative. In certain polemical utterances he appears to condemn its recitation altogether, but he is only forbidding a use of Marian devotions apart from heartfelt faith, as the following two citations make clear:

Whoever possesses a good (firm) faith, says the Hail Mary without danger! Whoever is weak in faith can utter no Hail Mary without danger to his salvation. (Sermon, March 11, 1523).
Our prayer should include the Mother of God…What the Hail Mary says is that all glory should be given to God, using these words: "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Christ. Amen!" You see that these words are not concerned with prayer but purely with giving praise and honor…We can use the Hail Mary as a meditation in which we recite what grace God has given her. Second, we should add a wish that everyone may know and respect her…He who has no faith is advised to refrain from saying the Hail Mary. (Personal Prayer Book, 1522).

To summarize, it is apparent that Luther was extraordinarily devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is notable in light of his aversion to so many other "Papist" or "Romish" doctrines, as he was wont to describe them. His major departure occurs with regard to the intercession and invocation of the saints, which he denied, in accord with the earliest systematic Lutheran creed, the Augsburg Confession of 1530 (Article 21).

His views of Mary as Mother of God in Catholicism, and his opinions on the Immaculate Conception, Mary’s "Spiritual Motherhood" and the use of the "Hail Mary" were substantially the same. He didn’t deny the Assumption (he certainly didn’t hesitate to rail against doctrines he opposed!), and venerated Mary in a very touching fashion which, as far as it goes, is not at all contrary to Catholic piety. Therefore, it can be stated without fear of contradiction that Luther’s Mariology is very close to that of the Catholic Church today, far more than it is to the theology of modern-day Lutheranism. To the extent that this fact is dealt with at all by Protestants, it is usually explained as a "holdover" from the early Luther’s late medieval Augustinian Catholic views ("everyone has their blind spots," etc.). But this will not do for those who are serious about consulting Luther in order to arrive at the true "Reformation heritage" and the roots of an authentic Protestantism. For if Luther’s views here can be so easily rationalized away, how can the Protestant know whether he is trustworthy relative to his other innovative doctrines such as extrinsic justification by faith alone and sola Scriptura?

The Last Nail into the Coffin of Sola Scriptura?

2006-07-25T21:11:00.000-04:00

I know several people who are fundamentalist Christians and believe in the term Sola Scriptura. Its one of the many main things that seperate our Protestant lost brothers and sisters from the true identity of Christ. They do not believe among other things in Oral Tradition as is taught in the true church that Christ founded... that would be the Catholic one. Here I have gathered together a ton of verses and pure logic to put to death the very idea o Sola Scriptura, it is simply not biblical.

Doctrinal Examples

Matthew 2:23

Scripture says that Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth after their sojourn in Egypt, "that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’" (Matt. 2:23). All commentators admit that the phrase "He shall be called a Nazarene" is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. Yet Matthew tells us that the Holy Family fulfilled this prophecy, which had been passed on "by the prophets."

The proposed solutions to explain this verse are legion. They range from trying to find some word-play on "Nazarene" in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, to viewing this text as loosely "fulfilling" a conglomeration of Old Testament passages that refer to a despised Messiah. The serious grappling by scholars with the text is admirable, but in the end their solutions seem farfetched.

It may be that we should seek resolution in simplicity. When read in Greek, the introduction to this prophecy differs from all the other "fulfillment" sayings in Matthew (for example Matt. 1:22, 2:15, 3:15, and others). Thus, the failed attempts to locate the Old Testament background to this prophecy, coupled with this unique introduction, suggest to me that the simplest solution is probably the correct one: Matthew is drawing on oral Tradition for this saying. If this is the case, it is significant that he places this prophecy on the same level as ones he attributes to specific authors of the Old Testament. This then would be an example of God’s own Word being passed on via oral Tradition and not through written Scripture.

Matthew 23:2

Just before launching into a blistering denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus delivers this command to the crowds: "The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice" (Matt. 23:2-3).

Although Jesus strongly indicts his opponents of hypocrisy for not following their own teaching, he nevertheless insists that the scribes and Pharisees hold a position of legitimate authority, which he characterizes as sitting "on Moses’ seat." One searches in vain for any reference to this seat of Moses in the Old Testament. But it was commonly understood in ancient Israel that there was an authoritative teaching office, passed on by Moses to successors.

As the first verse of the Mishna tractate Abôte indicates, the Jews understood that God’s revelation, received by Moses, had been handed down from him in uninterrupted succession, through Joshua, the elders, the prophets, and the great Sanhedrin (Acts 15:21). The scribes and Pharisees participated in this author itative line and as such their teaching deserved to be respected.

Jesus here draws on oral Tradition to uphold the legitimacy of this teaching office in Israel. The Catholic Church, in upholding the legitimacy of both Scripture and Tradition, follows the example of Jesus himself.

In addition, we see that the structure of the Catholic Church—with an authoritative teaching office comprised of bishops who are the direct successors of the apostles—follows the example of ancient Israel. While there are groups of Christians today that deny continuity between Israel and the Church, historic orthodox Christianity has always understood the Church to be a fulfillment of Israel. This verse about Moses’ chair illuminates why we say that the successor of Peter, when he gives a solemn teaching for the whole Church, is said to speak ex cathedra or "from the chair."

Whereas under the Old Covenant the administration of God’s people came from the "chair of Moses," Christians under the New Covenant look to the "chair of Peter" for direction on questions of faith and morals. But there is a notable difference between the magisterium under the Old Covenant and our teachers under the New Covenant. The successors of the apostles, and especially Peter’s successor, have the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth, and they have Jesus’ promise that the "gates of hell will not prevail" against the Church (Matt. 16:17-19).

1 Corinthians 10:4

Paul shows how Christian sacraments—baptism and the Eucharist—were prefigured in the Old Testament. He treats baptism first: "Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (vv. 1-2). Next he highlights the Eucharist, prefigured by the manna in the wilderness (v.3; cf. John 6:26-40), and the water that God provided for Israel: "All drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4).

The Old Testament says nothing about any movement of the rock that Moses struck to provide water for the Israelites (Ex. 17:1-7, Num. 20:2-13), but in rabbinic Tradition the rock actually followed them on their journey through the wilderness. In a further development, another Tradition, given by Philo, even equates this rock with preexistent Wisdom: "For the flinty rock is the Wisdom of God, which he marked off highest and chiefest from his powers, and from which he satisfies the thirsty souls that love God."

It seems that Paul is drawing on this Tradition, but he elevates it to even a higher level. Christ himself was the Rock who provided for the people of Israel, which in turn makes their rebellion all the more heinous (1 Cor. 10:5ff.). Paul does not hesitate to draw on stock oral Tradition to illustrate and enhance his presentation of the gospel. The details provided in these Traditions preserved under the Old Covenant shed fresh light on the preparation that God made through Israel for the building of his Church and on the characteristics of the Christian sacraments.

1 Peter 3:19

In his first epistle Peter tells of Christ’s journey to the netherworld during which "he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah" (1 Pet. 3:19). There is a growing scholarly consensus that the interpretive key to this verse is found in Genesis 6:1-7, in which "the sons of God" cohabited with "the daughters of men" and produced ghastly offspring. According to ancient interpretation, these "sons of God" were actually rebellious angels who sinned by mating with human women.

It appears likely that this is Peter’s view as well. "For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until judgment…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial" (2 Pet. 2:4, 9). Note the close link to Noah and Geneses 6. Compare too Jude 6, which says that "the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day…" These references are evidence that Peter has this traditional interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4 in mind when he writes of Christ’s preaching "to the spirits in prison."

Additional background is found in the extra-biblical book of 1 Enoch. In this work, which was popular both in ancient Jewish and early Christian circles, the righteous man Enoch (Gen. 5:22-24) goes at God’s command to the place where these sinful angels are imprisoned and proclaims their impending judgment and punishment for their sin.

The parallel to Peter’s epistle is too close to dismiss. It seems possible that Peter views Enoch as a "type" of Christ and that in 1 Peter 3:19 he portrays Christ as a "second Enoch," who goes to the spirit world and proclaims the final downfall of these evil spirits (compare Col. 2:15). Peter’s source for this analogy is Tradition, not Scripture.

This example is significant because it highlights one of the important functions that Tradition still plays for us. As is all too clear from the divisions within Christendom, Scripture may be interpreted in many different ways. Sometimes the Traditions passed on in the Catholic Church provide the interpretive key to certain passages. This was important in the early Church, because heretics of all stripes appealed to the Bible in support of their doctrine.

It is simply false to suppose that the early Church relied on sola scriptura to defend Christian orthodoxy. "There is no reason to infer," says J.N.D. Kelly in Early Christian Doctrines, "that the primitive Church regarded the apostolic testimony as confined to written documents emanating from, or attributed to, the apostles." Rather, the early Church Fathers argued that the interpretations of the heretics were not in line with the "rule of faith," that is, the deposit of Tradition passed on by the apostles to the bishops of the Catholic Church and preserved through an unbroken lineage.

A specific application of this is the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. The data of the New Testament concerning the "brothers and sisters" of Jesus are ambiguous by themselves, although I would argue that the biblical evidence leans toward the Catholic interpretation. But we have additional help in the form of the Traditions preserved in the early Church which say that Mary remained a virgin and bore no other children besides Jesus. So Tradition can sometimes serve as arbiter and interpreter in cases where the meaning of Scripture is unclear.

Jude 9

Jude relates an altercation between Michael and Satan: "When the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’" (Jude 9).
As H. Willmering says in A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, "This incident is not mentioned in Scripture, but may have been a Jewish oral tradition, which is well known to the readers of this epistle." Some versions of the story circulating in ancient Judaism depict Satan trying to intervene as Michael buries the body. Several of the Church Fathers know of another version in which Moses’ body is assumed into heaven after his death. Jude draws on this oral Tradition to highlight the incredible arrogance of the heretics he opposes; even Michael the archangel did not take it on himself to rebuke Satan, and yet these men have no scruples in reviling celestial beings.

This text provides another example of a New Testament author tapping oral Tradition to expound Christian doctrine—in this case an issue of behavior. In addition, this text relates well to a Catholic dogma that troubles many non-Catholics—the bodily Assumption of Mary. There is no explicit biblical evidence for Mary’s Assumption (although see Rev. 12:1-6), but Jude not only provides us with a third biblical example of the bodily assumption of one of God’s special servants (see also Gen. 5:24, 2 Kgs. 2:11), he shows that oral Tradition can be the ground on which belief in such a dogma may be based.

Jude 14-15

This one’s a real show-stopper, perhaps the best example of all. St. Jude speaks of the rebellious upstarts of his day, saying, "It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’"

This statement may also be found in the non-Scriptural book of 1 Enoch (1:9); but Jude’s use of it does not really say anything about the inspiration of 1 Enoch. Rather, he asserts that the saying itself actually hales from the venerable Enoch, whose righteous life is mentioned in Genesis 4-5.

Here is a tradition, a prophetic revelation, which was passed on orally for millennia before being captured first in a non-inspired written document (1 Enoch) and then in an inspired document (Jude). Did the writers of the New Testament ever regard oral tradition as divine revelation? This example more than any other shows that the answer to that is a resounding, Yes!

Who will be saved?

2006-07-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

Recently I was talking with my best friend who tried to convince me that only about 144,000 people will be saved. I asked how he got that number and he tried to give me examples of prophecy from the bible. But to no avail, nowhere does it say in the bible that only a certain number of people will be saved. I asked him if Gods chosen people would be saved and he said most would go to hell, a few would be saved though. As a Catholic, I was wondering if he thinks that I am damned to hell forever. What do you think? Do you believe that only a select few will be saved and the rest will be damned?

The incorruptibles

2006-07-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

I am always intrigued to learn more about the incorruptibles. An incorruptible is a body of a Catholic that has lived a life of great sanctity when they die, theirbodies do not corrupt like normal peoples. There only a few hundred known incoruptibles left in the world. During the reformation, the reformers /devils destroyed most of the great saints bodies that were incorrupt and the ones that made it through that time, only did so by people hiding them. I myself have seen a few of these bodies, and they are beyond belief. Science cannot explain how a body cannot corrupt, nor can they explain how it happens. Just recently I heard about a new incorruptible here in the states. This was a nun who had died about 50 years ago and she was a very holy and simple soul. When she was buried, she had a palm branch in her hands, and when her body was exhumed during an expansion of the convent she lived in, the branch was still green and her body looked as if she was still alive, she had color in her cheeks and everything. I would like to hear from you and what you think about the incorruptibles.

Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel

2006-07-17T06:46:00.000-04:00

Back in the late 5th century to the 6th an apparition of St. Michael happened in the southern mountains of Italy on Mount Gargano. It is a place of refuge, healing, and peace for those that seek out the promises of the great Archangel Michael. Here is a little history on the shrine.

The episode of the bull

One day a rich lord of Siponto (who some have identified as Elvio Emanuele, the 33rd leader Commander of the Siponto armies) used to pasture his herds on the Gargano mountain. All of a sudden the most beautiful bull disappeared. The owner searched for him anxiously in all the most hidden places and at last found him on top of the mountain kneeling down at the opening of a cave. Angrily he shot an arrow at the rebellious animal, but instead of hitting the bull the arrow unaccountably wounded the foot of the wealthy lord. Worried by the event, he went to see the bishop who, after hearing the account of the extraordinary adventure ordered three days of prayer and penance. As the third day ended, the Archangel Michael appeared to the bishop and spoke to him: “I am the Archangel Michael, and am always in the presence of God. The cave is sacred for me, I have chosen it; I myself am its watchful custodian... There where the rock opens wide the sins of men can be forgiven... What is asked for here in prayer will be granted. Therefore, go to the mountain and dedicate the grotto to the Christian religion”. But because this mysterious mountain was almost impossible to reach and it had also been the place of pagan cults, the bishop hesitated a long time before deciding to obey the words of the Archangel.

The episode of the victory

The second apparition of Saint Michael, known as “of the Victory” is traditionally dated in the year 492, even if scholars of today refer the episode to the war of the Longobard duke, Grimoaldo, and the Greeks in 662 - 663 when the victory that took place on 8 May was attributed by the Longobards to the intercession and help of Saint Michael. According to tradition the town of Siponto besieged by enemy troops was on the point of surrender. The bishop Saint Lorenzo obtained a truce of three days from the enemy and he turned to the Celestial Leader with faith, prayer and penance. At the end of the third day the Archangel Michael appeared to the bishop and foretold a complete victory. This message filled the hearts of the besieged with hope. The defenders left the town and fought a furious battle accompanied by thunderbolts and lightning of extraordinary intensity. The victory of the people of Siponto was complete with the extermination of the enemy.

The episode of the dedication

The third apparition is called “the episode of the Dedication. "According to tradition in the year 493, after the victory, the bishop now wanted to obey the Celestial Protector and consecrate the grotto to Saint Michael as a sign of gratitude, encouraged also by the positive opinion expressed by Pope Gelasio I (492 - 496), but the Archangel appeared to him again and announced that he himself had already consecrated the grotto. So the bishop of Siponto, together with seven other Apulian bishops went in procession with the people and clergy of Siponto to the holy place. During the procession a wonderful thing happened: some eagles sheltered the bishops from the rays of the sun with their outspread wings. When they arrived at the grotto they found that a primitive altar had already been erected, covered with a vermilion altar cloth and surmounted by a Cross; moreover, according to the legend, they found the footprint of Saint Michael in the rock. With immense joy the holy bishop offered the first divine Sacrifice. It was 29 September. The grotto itself is the only place of worship not consecrated by human hand and over the centuries has received the title of “Celestial Basilica”.

The fourth apparition

A terrible pestilence raged all over Southern Italy in the year 1656. Archbishop Alfonso Puccinelli, unable to find human means of stopping the epidemic, had recourse to the Archangel Michael with prayers and fasting. The Archbishop even thought of forcing the divine will by placing a supplication written in the name of all the towns- people in the hands of the statue of Saint Michael. And then as dawn was breaking on 22 September, while he was praying in a room of the bishop’s palace of Monte Sant’Angelo, there was a sort of earthquake and Saint Michael appeared to him in dazzling splendour and ordered him to bless the stones of the grotto engraving them with the sign of the cross and the letters MA (Michael Archangel). Whoever kept those stones devoutly would have been immune from the plague. The bishop did what he was told to do. Very soon, not only the town was delivered from the plague, but also all those who asked for the stones wherever they lived. As a perpetual memento of the prodigy and out of eternal gratitude, the Archbishop erected a monument to Saint Michael in the square of the town where it stands to this day, in front of the balcony of that room where the apparition is said to have taken place, with the following words inscribed in Latin:

"To the Prince of the Angels Conqueror of the Plague Patron and Guardian we place this monument in eternal gratitude Alfonso Puccinelli 1656"

The celestial basilica

The sacred grotto was chosen centuries ago as the destination of pilgrimages, a place of prayer and above all of reconciliation with God. In fact the apparitions are a sign, an invitation to man to bow down before the Divine Majesty. Within the span of fifteen centuries of history Christians from the whole world have come to the shrine of the Gargano, “house of God, and gate of heaven", to find again peace and forgiveness in the arms of our loving Father and to give honour to Saint Michael the Archangel, Prince of the Heavenly Army, proclaiming like him with their lives: “Who is like God!” We find many Popes amongst the pilgrims (Gelasio I, Saint Leone IX, Urbano II, Alessandro III, Gregorio X, Saint Celestino V, Giovanni XXIII when he was Cardinal, Giovanni Paolo II); Sovereigns (Ludovico II, Ottone III and his mother Teofane, Enrico II, Matilde of Canossa, Carlo d’Angio, Alfonso of Aragona, Ferdinando the Catholic, Zygmunt Stary, king of Poland, the Bourbon kings Ferdinand I and Ferdinand II, Vittorio Emanuele III and Umberto of Savoia);

Various heads of government and ministers; some were saints (Anselmo, Bernardo of Chiaravalle, Guglielmo of Vercelli, Francis of Assisi, Brigid of Sweden, Bona of Pisa, Alfonso de Liguori, Gerardo Maiella, the Venerable Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and many others) but above all thousands of pilgrims who have come from all the nations, attracted by the extraordinary fascination of the Celestial Basilica, where they find hope, forgiveness and peace, through the intercession of Saint Michael Archangel.

St. Michael the Archangel

2006-07-16T13:11:00.000-04:00

I want to write a little on St. Michael the Archangel. To understand who Michael is, we have to read back into the history of the world and the history on the creation of the angels. What is an angel? Simply put, an Angel is a messenger of God. It is a spirit and does not have a physical body that we humans have. You may also note that in the old testament there were times, that angels appeared in bodily form. God allowed them to appear in a body, but it wasn't a human body, it was merely a coating of what a human looks like. I know that is a bit confusing to think about, maybe that is a little too deep for my first post.

The first time that we hear about St. Michael is in the old testament. St. Michael, who ranks among the seven archangels, is also one of the three angels mentioned by name in the Scriptures, the others being St. Raphael and St. Gabriel. St. Michael is spoken of twice in the Old Testament, and twice in the New. In the Apocalypse (chapter xii) we find the most dramatic reference to St. Michael. Here John recounts the great battle in Heaven, when the wicked angels under Lucifer revolt against God, and how Michael, leading the faithful angels, defeats the hosts of evil and drives them out.

Because of this victory, St. Michael is revered in Catholic tradition and liturgy as the protector of the Church, as once he was regarded as the protector of the Israelites. In the Eastern Church, as well as among many theologians in the West, St Michael is placed over all the angels, as prince of the Seraphim.

His emblems are a banner, a sword, a dragon, and scales. The name Michael is a variation of Micah, meaning in Hebrew, "Who is like God?"

I will post more on the only Basilica in the world that hasn't been consecrated by a Priest, it was consecrated by St. Michael himself, in a stone rock we have the very "foot"print of the angel that resided there as his place of rest and prayer.