Prayer to the Christ Child

Prayer to the Divino Niño In Difficult Times

Divine Child Jesus,
In my difficulties: help me
From the enemies of my soul: save me
In my errors: enlighten me
In my doubts and pains: comfort me
In my solitudes: be with me
In my diseases: invigorate me
When others despise me: encourage me
In temptations: defend me
In difficult hours: strengthen me
With your maternal heart: love me
With your immense power: protect me
And, into your arms, when I die: receive me
Amen

Advent Prayers

The following ceremonies are meant for every day during the weeks of Advent, beginning with the first Sunday. Dinner and bedtime are made even more special with this ritual. The family says the prayer as the candles on the Advent wreath are lighted.

The First Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father in heaven,
our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

The Second Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father in heaven,
the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world.
May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him.
May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

The Third Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Fourth Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father, all-powerful God,
your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory, and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: http://www.loyolapress.com/liturgical-year-advent-prayers.htm

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the prayer that we address to you with filial trust, and present it to your Son Jesus, our sole Redeemer.

Mother of Mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice, to you, who come to meet us sinners, we dedicate on this day all our being and all our love. We also dedicate to you our life, our work, our joys, our infirmities and our sorrows. Grant peace, justice and prosperity to our peoples; for we entrust to your care all that we have and all that we are, our Lady and Mother. We wish to be entirely yours and to walk with you along the way of complete faithfulness to Jesus Christ in His Church; hold us always with your loving hand.

Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray to you for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service of God and souls. Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede with the Lord that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God, and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious, strong in the faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries.
Grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children.
Our hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to go continually to Jesus and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him, by means of the confession of our faults and sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul.
We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth.

Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.




His Holiness John Paul II
Mexico, January 1979. Visiting Her Basilica during his first foreign trip as Pope.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas

A Prayer of Impetration to Saint Nicholas


Glorious St. Nicholas, my special patron, from thy throne in glory, where thou dost enjoy the presence of God, turn thine eyes in pity upon me and obtain for me from our Lord the graces and helps that I need in my spiritual and temporal necessities (and especially this favor [mention your request], provided that it be profitable to my salvation). Be mindful, likewise, O glorious and saintly Bishop, of our Sovereign Pontiff, of Holy Church, and of all Christian people. Bring back to the right way of salvation all those who are living steeped in sin and blinded by the darkness of ignorance, error, and heresy. Comfort the afflicted, provide for the needy, strengthen the fearful, defend the oppressed, give health to the infirm; cause all men to experience the effects of thy powerful intercession with the supreme Giver of every good and perfect gift. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be


V. Pray for us, O blessed Nicholas.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let us pray.

O God, who has glorified blessed Nicholas, Thine illustrious Confessor and Bishop, by means of countless signs and wonders, and who dost not cease daily so to glorify him; grant, we beseech Thee, that we, being assisted by his merits and prayers, may be delivered from the fires of hell and from all dangers. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Just offer it up!

We have all heard the Catholic mantra "Just offer it up"

For someone with a chronic pain disease that is fairly easy. For a normal person, not so much. I find myself telling other people to do it all of the time, and about 85% of the time they dont know what I am talking about.  Sure they have heard of the concept before, but they dont know how to do said offering.

Well here's how!

You are standing in line at the grocery store with only one lane open. The checker is 16 and has no idea what he is doing, and its an old man who has 100 items and fusses at the poor kid about the price of every other item. Then a glass jar breaks. This is going to take forever and you just wanna get home to see your favorite tv show and eat dinner that is waiting for you. You are getting really annoyed, and here is the perfect opportunity to offer up your frustration. There is nothing you can do about it, so what you do is take your frustration and turn it into a prayer. something like this, "Lord, i know there is nothing i can do in this moment, so by your Divine power, enable my suffering to help others" And its a simple as that. And you can do this with just about anything.

So now, when someone tells you to just offer it up, you know what to do!

Our Lady of Manaoag - Pray for the Philippines

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF MANAOAG

Virgin Mother of God, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Thou who hast chosen to raise thy throne of mercy in Manaoag, to be the beloved protectress and patron of the Province of Pangasinan, and therefrom to bestow thy graces on us thy children, banished in this alley of tears, look down with Thine eyes of mercy upon me, who am beset with so many dangers of body and soul. Despise not my petition O dearest Mother, but intercede for me before thy divine Son now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

VIRGIN OF MANAOAG, Pray for us and present our intention to Jesus your Son and Our Lord:

(For those suffering the effects of the recent Typhoon and the recovery of the Philippines)

(3) Hail Mary's and
(3) Glory be to the Father

Prayer for Respect of Life

Prayer for Respect of Life


Heavenly Father, the beauty and dignity of human life was the crowning of your creation. You further ennobled that life when your Son became one with us in his incarnation. Help us to realize the sacredness of human life and to respect it from the moment of conception until the last moment at death. Give us courage to speak with truth and love and with conviction in defence of life. Help us to extend the gentle hand of mercy and forgiveness to those who do not reverence your gift of life. To all, grant pardon for the times we have failed to be grateful for your precious gift of life or to respect it in others. We ask this in Jesus' Name.

Amen.






http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1664

St. Therese's Morning Prayer

A MORNING PRAYER WRITTEN BY ST. THERESE





O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.


O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.


Amen.

Prayer for Benedict XVI

Almighty God, please bestow your grace and blessings upon Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus.  Give him good health of mind and body as he takes upon a new ministry in the Church.  Give him the wisdom and knowledge to engage the world via written word.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son.  Amen

Pray and Fast for Peace

Prayer for Laborers

A Prayer for Workers

O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of custodian of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power your sons, especially entrusted to you.

You know their anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow them, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which they were created by God. Do not allow the seeds of distrust to take hold of their immortal souls. Remind all the workers that in the fields, in factories, in mines, and in scientific laboratories, they are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at their side is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain them, to dry the sweat of their brow, giving value to their toil. Teach them to turn work into a very high instrument of sanctification as you did. 

Amen. 

-Blessed Pope John XXIII

Importance of the Rosary

When one mentions "Catholic prayer," usually the Rosary is the first that comes to mind.  The Rosary is not just a set of beads with medals on it.  It is not jewelry.  It is a prayer; a very powerful prayer that brings to mind the events of the Gospel that should be in the hearts and minds of all Catholics.  The Rosary is not a "competition" prayer, so to speak.  What I mean by this is that the Rosary is not a prayer that competes with the Our Father or prayers directed at God as some of our separated brothers and sisters believe.  The Rosary is directed at God.  It is not a prayer of worship to Mary.  Catholics DO NOT worship Mary.  Instead, the Rosary is a prayer where we join Mary as she reminds us of her Son's life.  We pray with her for God to help us sinners now and at the hour of our death. 

The Rosary is a life line in the spiritual life.  This is why we have 10 fingers comprised of 2 hands with 5 fingers each.  The combined 10 fingers of both hands are for the "Hail Marys," and the hand's 5 fingers are for the mysteries of the Rosary.  It is important that Catholics pray the Rosary daily.  With Mary, we can never wander far from Christ because she is His mother and He gave her to us on the Cross before expiring.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Angels

August Queen of Heaven, sovereign Mistress of the Angels, who didst receive from the beginning the mission and the power to crush the serpent’s head, we beseech thee to send thy holy angels, that under thy command and by thy power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them hence into the abyss of woe.

Most holy Mother, send thy angels to defend us and to drive the cruel enemy from us.

All ye holy angels and archangel, help and defend us. Amen.

O good and tender Mother! Thou shalt ever be our Love and our Hope.

Holy Angels and Archangels, keep and defend us. Amen

How i met this awesome guy named Jesus

Hi, I am a new writer on this blog, So i thought I would give yall my testimony before I really begin.

My story actually starts 16 years before I was born. my dad dropped out of high school at 15 and vowed that whenever he had kids, that they would go to private school no matter what. Fast forward 20 years and its time for me to go to school. By the grace of God the cheapest private school in Waco was Catholic school, so thats where i went. One of my preschool teachers happened to be a Sister. One of the first things she did was introduce us to this guy. His name is Jesus. From that point on my life would never be the same.

Fast forward to 1st grade. I am still going to Catholic school and my teacher asks us to raise our hands if we are Catholic. Naturally, us being 6 or 7 years old, most of us didnt know. So she told us to go and ask our parents. Being a good little student, I did. My parents said no. My mom was a lapsed Catholic and my dad was agnostic. I didnt like this answer so when my teacher asked me what they had said, I told her that they said no but I wanted to be Catholic. She called my parents and the priest and we got a meeting with Fr. David. Who was the priest at the church the school is attached to. I go on a rant and rave trying to explain the best as 6 year old me can on why I want to be Catholic. Finally I climb up on the desk on point to a picture of him and a Sister and say, "Fr, I want to be Catholic so I can be a nun like her!"

So over the summer I became Catholic. I thought it would be the coolest thing to have my dad to become Catholic too. So I begged him to become Catholic. I never got an answer from him until my 8th birthday. On my 8th birthday, my last present was him telling me that He was becoming Catholic.  I got my first communion with my class later that year and it was the most wonderful thing ever! the very next week was Easter vigil. We have a rule that you have to be in 4th grade to altar serve. But I wanted to be right there when my dad got baptized, so I bugged Fr. David so much that he let me. I probably made every mistake in the book and then some, but I was right there when my dad became Catholic.

The on fire ness of my faith died down after a year or so, but I still wanted to be a Sister at the bottom of my heart. Fast forward to the last week of 8th grade. Fr. David got transferred. He was my hero, and he was leaving... I was so mad at God that my faith fell. To make things worse, I thought that Fr, John, our new priest, was here to ruin my life. I hated going to church and skipped a lot of times. Forget about wanting to become a nun.

Later that year, Fr. John drug me and some of the rest of the youth group to this thing called Steubenville. I thought I would hate it, but had an open mind. Little did I know what a 3 day Catholic youth conference would do to me. After only being there for an hour, my life was transformed and my faith renewed with an unquenchable fire. On saturday night, during Adoration, I had my first vision in the Eucharist. When it was time to go I didnt want to. Sometime during this trip, I stopped hating Fr. John too.

A few weeks later, the feeling came back. The feeling that I wanted to be a Sister. But i still didnt tell anyone. I discerned in secret until my confirmation on April 18th 2012. 3 days after the though was so big in my mind that if i didnt tell someone that my head would explode. So after youth group I threw a note that I needed to talk at Fr. John. He sensed the urgency and ran after me and listened while I talked and cried the whole situation to him. He told me what I should do and prayed with me and made everything better.

So here I am now. 17 years old and on fire for my faith, just trying to discern weather my vocation is to engineering or religious life.

Backstory I - No Evidence for God, therefore No God

To each of my posts, there is usually a backstory.  I decided to start a series on this blog to give you some background information on what inspired me to write a particular post on my www.sacerdotus.com blog.

My post there, "No Evidence for God, therefore No God" has been extremely popular since its debut on November 13, 2012 (Year of Faith).  The post basically deals with the idea that "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" (Sagan) and expounds on how faith and reason are related, as C.K. Chesterton wrote:

"Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all."

The backstory of this post comes from a visit to a parish where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in a Monstrance.  While I was there praying before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I noticed a young girl enter who was blind.  The girl entered the large church building walking steadily with only the sound of taps from her 'white cane' as she made her way down the aisle.  This course of events fascinated me because this young girl despite being blind, knew where the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament was.  She genuflected right in line with the monstrance as if she had the vision that would allow her brain to calculate the distance and angles necessary to be in perfect alignment before the monstrance.  No one guided her.  She had only her stick and made here way perfectly to pray.

Sometimes I have problems finding the Tabernacle at churches and I have good vision, so I can't imagine how it must be to only perceive total darkness.  What's remarkable is that despite this, she was able to find Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  Immediately, Helen Keller came to mind along with the words for the blog which is now, " "No Evidence for God, therefore No God."

If this young blind girl was able to find Jesus without her eyes, an atheist can find God even without using his/her senses.  Thank you God and thank you young blind girl for the inspiration!   

 

Prayer to Saints Joachim and Ann

PRAYER TO SAINT ANN & SAINT JOACHIM

Grandparents' Prayer

Good Saint Ann and Saint Joachim, parents of Mary and grandparents to Jesus, be with me and all grandparents that we may be wise and loving, may share our time and stories and sense of humor, and may enjoy and not spoil too much the grandchildren who are close to our hearts, for they are the sign of God's life to us. 

 Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be with our grandchildren and all other grandchildren that they may love and respect their grandparents and all older people, may remember to call, visit or write, and grow in wisdom, age and grace before God. 

 Amen.

World Youth Day 2013

World Youth Day was begun by Blessed John Paul II and has been a great success.  This week hundreds of thousands of youth will converge in Brazil for World Youth Day 2013.  Pope Francis will be presiding over it - his first one. 

This event is awesome and I highly recommend it.  However, like with any large event, things can go wrong.  There are sometimes people who attend for the wrong reasons.  Instead of going to grow in faith, some use the opportunity to do things they normally would not do at home.  This was documented in Madrid where atheists and secularists began to photograph World Youth Day pilgrims doing things that are not becoming of Catholics. 

It is important that priests and youth group leaders explain to pilgrims that their actions will be heavily monitored by locals and the media.  We are all sinners and I don't expect all pilgrims to be St. Dominic Savio or St. Maria Goretti, however, they are called to holiness and the avoidance of scandal.  I remember the last World Youth Day I attended, we were warned of the media and others who would be following us as if we were celebrities.  The youth must be careful not to cause scandal amongst one another and others.

World Youth Day must not become a "Woodstock" for young Catholics to get away from their homes and act wild.  Let us pray for those participating in World Youth Day.     

 

10 Reasons why Gay Marriage is Dangerous

10 Reasons why Gay Marriage is Dangerous:

1) Marriage will not be considered a unique natural family building institution.

2) Churches will be harassed and labeled as bigots for remaining faithful to their beliefs and reason.

3) Businesses that deal with weddings will be sued if they do not conform with this redefinition.

4) Children will grow up confused.

5) Science will be teaching falsehoods in regards to biology.

6) Psychology will have to be altered in order to avoid contradictions in studies.

7) Evolution will be questioned because same sex relations serves no biological purpose in the advancement of a species. 

8.)The family will go and then society will follow.

9) Societies that have done this are now extinct.

10) All other subcultures will demand marriage under the same pretense.

Sacerdotus Radio

People always have told me that my big mouth would get me somewhere... well it has.  I am not only Social networks, but also on the radio.

I will be hosting a 30 min. long program where I will discuss all kinds of topics just like I do here on my blog.

There will be a number for callers to call in and join the discussion and ask questions; also a chat room.  I will also invite guests and co-hosts to join me.

I'm hoping that this will be a great success and that listeners will enjoy it and have fun at the same time.

Please donate to my blog if you can so that in the future, I can expand the time to 2 hours or more.


The radio program can be listened to on my blog, facebook or here:

Atheist Confession III

• How do you know?
• Why is that?
• Can you provide evidence for that?

These are common questions atheists, agnostics and skeptics in general ask when one discusses topics that are "extraordinary" such as religion, God, philosophy, UFO's/aliens, other dimensions/multiverses etc.  These questions are not bad if asked sincerely.  It is important for us to ask questions.  God would not have given us the ability to inquire if He did not want us to ask.  Jesus Himself said to ask and seek. (Matthew 7:7)

As an atheist first learning about the saints, I questioned a lot.  I remember aggravating a Franciscan brother with questions surrounding St. Francis' stigmata and vision of a naked lady on the field.  My curiosity was there, but doubts joined it as well.  The look on the brother's face was a "kodak moment" when I suggested that maybe St. Francis acquired leprosy from lepers and the medieval Church mistook it for the stigmata.  Moreover, I even proposed that perhaps St. Francis was having visions on the field due to his lack of proper nutrition.  Starvation can cause hallucination and delirium.

In any event, my questions helped me learn more.  It allowed my mind to objectively absorb whatever I read and was told on the matter I asked about.  Catholics should not be afraid of questions, nor should they be afraid to ask questions.  They should verify what they believe and learn the reasoning behind it.  This can help enrich their faith and help them defend it when it is challenged.  In today's world where truth is being watered down to a mere cultural opinion; it is important for Catholics to be well educated and own Catholicism, not only spiritually, but intellectually.  Atheism and skepticism aided me in learning more about God and Catholicism.   

Skittles Taste Good but are Unhealthy

Skittles - "taste the rainbow."

Most of us are familiar with with this slogan from the candy "Skittles." However, this post is not about candy, but about the LGBT movement that uses the rainbow symbol.

In light of the recent ruling on Proposition 8 and DOMA, it is obvious that the Catholic Church has a big battle ahead if she wishes to protect marriage from perversion and exist in society.

Unfortunately, some Catholics have "tasted the rainbow" and have become addicted to its apparent sweetness.  There are Catholics who believe that homosexual behavior is just and that homosexuals should be allowed to get married.

These Catholics even go to Mass every Sunday, pray, receive Communion and may even participate in certain ministries of the Church.  Some are ordained clergy and professed religious brothers or sisters!  This is unfortunate indeed and shows cognitive dissonance.  One cannot be Catholic and support homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage.  It is like a Muslim believing that eating pork is bad while having a pork chop for dinner.  A Catholic who adopts the LGBT agenda is only being a hypocrite and offending God.  It is one of the gravest of sins that cry out to God for vengeance. (Genesis 18:20-21)

Our Church is clear on the matter.

Chastity and homosexuality
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Jesus will never condone same sex unions of any kind, nor homosexual behavior.  This goes against  the nature and dignity of the human being.  I have heard some Catholics claim that Jesus was silent on what constitutes a marriage and that "God is love" so homosexuals should be allowed to "love" each other.  Well Jesus is clear on marriage:

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” - Matthew 19:4-6

While God is indeed love, this does not mean that all love is the same.  We cannot love our parents the same way we love our siblings, wives/husbands and even friends.  Each relationship is unique and a variation of love is given within them.

If you are Catholic and you support the LGBT agenda, then you are not Catholic.  You are only deluding yourself.  Catholics are called to be faithful to God and the teachings He left us which are taught by the Catholic Church.

I understand the emotion behind joining a self-proclaimed "civil rights" movement; however, 'For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mark 8:36)  You are not helping homosexuals by aid and abetting their dangerous immoral lifestyle.

The rainbow looks nice and skittles can be tasty; however, the rainbow is an illusion caused by the bending of natural light and skittles are unhealthy.

Don't fall for an illusion and bending of the natural law, and don't eat unhealthy things.    



 

Prayer to St. Joseph

To you, blessed Joseph, we come in our tribulation and after pleading for assistance to your Most Holy Spouse, we implore your help, too. In the charity that kept you united to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God and in the paternal love you embrace the Child Jesus, we humbly beg of you to turn benignly your eyes to the heirs that with His blood bought Jesus Christ and that with your power and help assist them in their needs. 

Protect, provident guardian of the Divine family, the chosen descendants of Jesus Christ; remove from us all mark of error and corruption, assist us propitiously from heaven, mighty liberator, in this fighting against the power of darkness; and as in other times you liberated the Child Jesus from the impending danger of His life, defend God's holy Church from the lurking of its enemies and from all adversity, and protect each one of us with your continuous help so that, taking example from you and sustained by your aid we could live saintly, die piously and reach in heaven the eternal bliss. Amen.  (Pope Leo XIII)

Catholic Witness

In this Year of Faith, Catholic witness is important.  Not only are we called to grow in faith; we are also called to be witnesses of Christ in the world.  We must show the world via our lives why it is worth it to be Catholic.  In today's world where doubt is growing; citing Scripture, Church dogmas etc, will not do much to sway harden hearts and minds.  When the Christian life is lived publicly, then this will sway many.

Human beings are wired to learn visually.  This is why it is important for children to use blocks and other objects that stimulate tactile and visual experience.  It is by this that we learn about the external world.  In child psychology, we learn that from about ages 2-4, children become "scientists."  They study everything and do their own experiments by testing how things work.  It is by this exploration that children begin to learn about the world and how they relate to it.

This does not end at childhood.  We still continue to learn in this manner.  Children learn the abc's and 123's faster with instruments that present these visually than by simply verbalizing them.  If I tell a child "A" or "1," my doing this will not guarantee that the child will learn what these are.  However, if I show them the letter A and number 1, then these images will remain in his/her brain and from there, he/she will be able to achieve mapping and encoding with them. 

Similarly, preaching the Word of God can only go so far unless we present it to people in a visual and tangible way. If I preach about love, then that message will come alive when those I preach to see me loving others.  If I preach about truth, then that message will come alive when people that I preach to see me telling the truth always.  If I preach about poverty and helping others, then this will come alive if people I preach to see me detached from material goods and see me provide for those in need.

This is why Pope Francis chose the name "Francis."  He wanted to imitate St. Francis who preached the Gospel not only with words, but through action.  Pope Francis has made it a mission to speak nearly daily on Christian behavior.  From saying not to be hypocritical, to having "funeral faces;" to recently stating that we must watch our tongues and how we talk about others; Pope Francis is reminding us the important of Christian witness.

As St. Francis is believed to have said: "Wherever you go, preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words."      

For God and Country

The phrase, "For God and Country" is often found inscribed on the corner stones of Catholic schools in the United States of America and perhaps other nations.  Its origin is found in Johan Salla, a commander in the Royal Forces of Alfonso the Chaste. 

As I was walking by a school, I noticed this phrase and began to think.  What does "For God and Country" really mean? 

In today's America where some polls claim that the majority of Catholics are for contraception, gay marriage and abortion when the mother's life is in danger; this got me thinking.  If these polls are indeed accurate, then this only means that American Catholics are losing their vision.  They are becoming blind to secular matters and have forgotten God.  They are focusing on the country part and setting aside God.

The nation is being placed before God.  The saying places God first and rightfully so.  Catholics cannot support secular rhetoric that opposes the Church's teaching.  One cannot be Catholic and be for contraception, abortion and/or gay marriage.  One of the most important factors of being Catholic is being counter-cultural.  Being a Catholic does not mean that a Catholic must obey all the social norms of the society he/she lives in especially when they are contrary to the Church's teachings.  We are called to transform nations into the image of Christ.  We are called to evangelize our nations, not conform to their ideas, especially when those ideas are contrary to God and His Church's teachings. 

While patriotism is fine and dandy, it should not become idolatrous.  It is OK to be proud of one's nationality; however, our nation of birth is just land and nothing more.  The people make the nation.  As Catholics, our true country - our true nation is Heaven. (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:16) 

Nations will come and go, but God's Word will always remain.  Greece and Rome fell, Egypt fell, the empires of Spain and Britain fell, eventually the United States will fall.  We must not rely on man-made nations, but focus on our true nation: Heaven.  In order to make our current nations better, we must be faithful to Christ and His Church by promoting the teachings and defending life, marriage and the true meaning of sexual relations as a channel to bring new life to the world. 

Catholics wake up!  You cannot be Catholic and support abortion, contraception and gay marriage.

In His Presence

We have just celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Pope Francis had the first ever global Eucharistic adoration. 

Adoration is an act that all believers in God must do.  Our Lord awaits us in the Blessed Sacrament.  He is present in the Blessed Sacrament Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  There is no better gift that to have direct access to the Creator in every Catholic Church and chapel throughout the world.

There is no reason why Catholics should skip spending time before the Blessed Sacrament.  Jesus asked His Apostles if they could watch for one hour. (Mark 14:37-38 )  They fell asleep instead of praying.  Our faith should not be asleep.  Every Catholic should try to make time to spend before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  Most parishes have separate adoration chapels where Catholics can come and visit Our Lord and spend time in adoration.

I'm sure Catholics can relate to this:  When I go to adoration, this sensation of peace and tranquility enters my heart.  The stresses of the day disappear.  Sometimes time seems to be suspended and I may find myself spending more than an hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

Jesus is truly there!  I invite you to go visit Him daily or as often as you can.  The Eucharist is a gift that our separated brothers and sisters in the Protestant faith deprive themselves of.  Catholics have it easy - God is among us in our Churches.    

Lukewarm Catholics

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth -Revelation 3:16

We live in a world today that is rapidly falling to relativism.  Relativism is the idea that no absolutes exist.  Every knowledge we possess is subjective and based on culture, circumstances and experience.  In other words, ideas such as what makes a male - a male, or right and wrong come from a particular culture's way of interpreting it and those ideas are not universal or truth.  Relativism is very dangerous to society as a whole.  It presents a confusion that brings society to a halt.  Truths that are solid as rock are questioned to the point of being labeled absurd.  Relativism allows for the ideas of abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, etc to exist.

• When we convince ourselves that human life is life whenever we say it is, then we can kill it at any stage, unborn or born when convenient.  
• When we convince ourselves that marriage is nothing but a contract developed by men, then we can allow strange unions such as same-sex ones or even multiple partner ones.  
• When we convince ourselves that there is no such thing as "male" or "female," then we can create all kinds of genders that please our desires even if our bodies and genetics clearly define sex.  

Unfortunately, many Catholics have fallen prey to relativism.  They question the Church's teachings, label them as archaic because of it.  These lukewarm Catholics do great harm to the Church, themselves and society.  Christ is all about truth, not lies.  Truth exists.  Truth is not based on popular opinion nor can it be molded to fit our needs, wants or desires.

Catholics who are lukewarm must be heated with the flames of the Holy Spirit.  They must wake up and stop being hypnotized by the world's lies.       

Mystery of the Blessed trinity

There is a story about Augustine of Hippo who is a Catholic saint and bishop. He is a well known philosopher and a celebrated champion of Christian thought.

Anyhow, one day he was trying to figure out God - in particular the idea of Father Son Holy Spirit as one God - he thought and thought and thought wondering how can God be 3 persons in one, how can God be God. Well while sleeping he had a dream that he was by the shore. He saw a small child digging a hole in the sand. Once dug, the child took a shell and went to the ocean and took water. He brought it back and poured it into the hole. The child then ran back and repeated the same action. Augustine smiled and went to the child and asked the child, "what are you trying to do?" the child answered, "I am trying to put the ocean in this hole." Augustine smiled again thinking the child said something cute. Augustine told the child, "The ocean is vast and immense, there is no way you can put it all into this small hole." The child looked at him smiling and replied, "neither can you put all of God in your mind." At that Augustine woke and realized that no one can truly grasp God. It would be like putting the ocean into a small hole dug in the sand on a beach.










From http://www.sacerdotus.com/2012/06/holy-trinity.html

Come Holy Ghost

Come Holy Ghost,

give us what we need most.

A heart that loves,

a mind that accepts truth.

Come Holy Ghost,

give us hope.

A heart that does not despair,

nor a heart that boasts.

Come Holy Ghost,

renew your Church.

Renew our hearts,

renew our souls.

Come Holy Ghost.

Atheist Confession II

As an atheist, prayer was always suspect to me.  How can one solve life's problems merely by talking to oneself?  Is this wishful thinking?  These are some of the questions I asked whenever I saw fellow classmates pray before exams, or witnessed Muslims spread out a rug and pray in the middle of a public area.

Atheists claim that prayer does not work.  To them, it is merely superstition.  This is interesting because prayer is the means by which believers "talk" to God and "listen" to God.  I say this is interesting because atheists always demand incontrovertible proof of God's existence.  Logic dictates that if prayer is the means by which believers experience God, then atheists would try it if they were seriously interested in proof.  However, this does not happen.

Prayer is really the only tangible way one can have "proof" of God.  I can prove God via many channels such as theology, philosophy, psychology, physics, biology and so on; however, these proofs will not present a living God as I present myself as a living human being to whoever I am having a discussion with.  We have to "test" for God.

What about the "don't test God" thing? (Luke 4:12)  Well, this is not really a test in the sense of challenging God as Satan was doing with Christ in the desert.  Prayer is the normative manner in which believers communicate with God, therefore, it is logical for an atheist to use this to "test" for God's existence, so to speak.

As an atheist, prayer gave that extra push to what I already discovered via the sciences and reason.  Any atheist who truly wants evidence of God must pray and talk to God.  There is no other way around this.  I had the courage to take that step, so if you are an atheist and are reading this, you can as well.    

I am all Thine

I am all thine, my Queen and my Mother.

Everything I have is yours.

I am all thine, my Queen and my Mother.

Teach us how to love one another.

Show me the way to Christ your Son.

Everything I have is yours.

Show me the way to Christ your Son.

Don't ever let me be shun.

Lead me by the hand my Queen and my Mother.

Alone I will fall down to the ground.

Lead me by the hand my Queen and my Mother.

Without you, sin has me bound. 

Atheist Confession I

Those of you who follow my other blogs: www.sacerdotus.com and rationallyfaithful.blogspot.com are aware that I used to be an atheist.  You can read more of my story here.

I get asked a lot, why Jesus?  Why the "Christian God?" Out of the many "gods" out there on planet Earth being worshiped by millions, why did I choose Jesus?

The question is one that we all should ask ourselves.  Why Jesus?  What makes Him so special?  This question will aid our journey of faith.

Apart from the academic aspect of why I chose Jesus, there is a deeper reason.  Out of all the gods described to us by different cultures, Jesus stood out to me the most because He was one of us. ( Hebrews 4:15)  Jesus is the only deity to incarnate Himself as one of us - a simple human being.  He had flesh and bones just like us.  He had veins that carried blood with nutrients and oxygen just like us.  He learned the alphabet and numerical system just like us.  He ate and drank, did all the functions of a human being just like us.  He also had to learn how to live in society just like us.  The only difference is that He did not sin.

This God named Jesus emptied Himself of the majesty of being the God of gods - the Supreme creator to become a tiny baby, grow, learn and suffer Rome's capital punishment - crucifixion.

The events of Jesus' life touched me deeply.  Jesus is a God who does not command us to worship out of fear, but rather, He invites us to love God with our whole being.  This God, in a sense treats us as if we were God.  All other gods which are man's attempt to define the one God all demand sacrifice, blood and blind obedience.  Jesus does the opposite.  He is the sacrifice, He sheds His blood, and He was obedient by accepting the plan the Father had for Him.

Some try to pass off Jesus as a "borrowed myth."  Like Thomas Paine, they try to impose "heathen mythology" on Jesus as if Jesus was some sort of a mythological invention.  We who are in academia know this is not so.  Even atheist historian and scholar, Michael Grant had this to say of Jesus Christ:

To sum up, modern critical methods fail to support the Christ myth theory. It has 'again and again been answered and annihilated by first rank scholars.' In recent years, 'no serous scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary.  

                                                   Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels

This speaks volumes coming from an atheist because it is usually the atheists who claim that Jesus is a mythological being that never existed.

 

Welcome to Catholic Faith Sharing

Welcome to all readers.

In this new blog, different Catholic (amateur and professional) writers will share their faith in many ways such as by personal testimony, prayers, poems, apologetics, and evangelization.  They will also share ideas to promote the faith, and pose questions on the faith in order to help us all learn more in this Year of Faith.

I hope you will take the time to read the posts, comment on them and possibly participate by sharing your Catholic Faith as a contributor yourself.