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Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
My Christmas Pledge
I Promise...
1. To make my Christmas a holy day with Christ,
not a holiday without Him.
2. To observe Christmas as the birthday of Christ,
not a day to give and receive material gifts.
3. To remember that the real symbols of Christmas are the Star, the Stable and the Crib,
not Santa Claus and his reindeer.
4. To teach my children that "Santa Claus" is the nickname of St. Nicholas,
who gave to the poor in honor of Christ.
5. To help one poor family,
in honor of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Holy Family of Bethlehem.
6. To send Christmas cards remindful of Him, the Infant Savior,
not decorated only with candy canes, dogs, ribbons and wreaths.
7. To make room in my home for Him
with a Christmas Crib to remind me that He was born in a stable.
8. During the Christmas season, in a special way, to honor Mary, His mother
who kept the first Christmas vigil beside the manger.
9. To begin Christmas by leading my family to His altar
to receive the Bread of Life.
10. Today and every day, to give "Glory to God in the highest"
to work and pray for "Peace on earth to men of good will."
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Gay Marriage Makes Just ANY Relationship OK
One of the arguments that people that oppose gay marriage used to deny legal marriage for gays is that allowing gays to marry opens the door for every other sort of “marriage”–marrying gays, multiple partners, animals, even children–and this eventually destroys society. Gays denied that their support of gay marriage created that slippery slope toward destroying marriage and the family, but a recent CNN report seems to make the lie to that denial.
On October 26, CNN published a story on Polyamory–the practice of having three, four or more people together in a “marriage”–with the practice being mostly portrayed as a perfectly normal, even desirable, form of “marriage.”
As America has argued about gay marriage, homosexuals claimed that they were not looking to destroy marriage as an institution nor were they trying to eliminate the nuclear family. They claimed that all they cared about were their “rights” to “love who they love.”
Of course, no one ever said they should not be allowed to “love who they love.” That argument was a red herring used to tug at heartstrings. In fact, all of the arguments gays used were emotional arguments and this is the reason that foes of gay marriage said that allowing gay marriage is just one more step toward legalizing just any sort of relationship, that gay marriage was a slippery slope to a host of illicit “relationships.”
Now we get this CNN piece that presents multiple partner “marriages” as a perfectly acceptable form of relationship. A major news organization has just present polyamory as normal, the exact thing that gays said would never happen.
Polyamory is part of the “because I feel like it” style of relationships, the very sort that fans of gay marriage said would never happen if they got their way.
But now that gay marriage is becoming widely accepted in the USA, we are seeing those “other” types of perversions coming out of the woodwork claiming that they, too, should be accepted just like gays are.
Ultimately, those that stood against gay “marriage” were 100% correct. Allowing gay marriage is just the first step in destroying the institution of marriage altogether, eliminating the family, opening the door to libertinism and license, and the complete destruction of responsibility and all this will certainly harm our children who will find a lack of stability in their lives as a result.
So, guys, do you want to “marry” four women? Gay marriage has given you hope. Do you want to marry your dog? Your couch? Get ready to walk to the altar. All you child porn-loving pervs out there, do you want to marry a kid? Thank the gays for taking you one step closer to realizing your sick dream.
After all, shouldn’t you be allowed to love who/what you love? That is the argument the gays made. Why is it good for them and no one else?
Gay marriage will ultimately tear down all legal barriers to other sorts of illicit “relationships” and will make just any sort of grouping legitimate quite regardless of what it will do to our children and our society.
One of the arguments that people that oppose gay marriage used to deny legal marriage for gays is that allowing gays to marry opens the door for every other sort of “marriage”–marrying gays, multiple partners, animals, even children–and this eventually destroys society. Gays denied that their support of gay marriage created that slippery slope toward destroying marriage and the family, but a recent CNN report seems to make the lie to that denial.
On October 26, CNN published a story on Polyamory–the practice of having three, four or more people together in a “marriage”–with the practice being mostly portrayed as a perfectly normal, even desirable, form of “marriage.”
As America has argued about gay marriage, homosexuals claimed that they were not looking to destroy marriage as an institution nor were they trying to eliminate the nuclear family. They claimed that all they cared about were their “rights” to “love who they love.”
Of course, no one ever said they should not be allowed to “love who they love.” That argument was a red herring used to tug at heartstrings. In fact, all of the arguments gays used were emotional arguments and this is the reason that foes of gay marriage said that allowing gay marriage is just one more step toward legalizing just any sort of relationship, that gay marriage was a slippery slope to a host of illicit “relationships.”
Now we get this CNN piece that presents multiple partner “marriages” as a perfectly acceptable form of relationship. A major news organization has just present polyamory as normal, the exact thing that gays said would never happen.
Polyamory is part of the “because I feel like it” style of relationships, the very sort that fans of gay marriage said would never happen if they got their way.
But now that gay marriage is becoming widely accepted in the USA, we are seeing those “other” types of perversions coming out of the woodwork claiming that they, too, should be accepted just like gays are.
Ultimately, those that stood against gay “marriage” were 100% correct. Allowing gay marriage is just the first step in destroying the institution of marriage altogether, eliminating the family, opening the door to libertinism and license, and the complete destruction of responsibility and all this will certainly harm our children who will find a lack of stability in their lives as a result.
So, guys, do you want to “marry” four women? Gay marriage has given you hope. Do you want to marry your dog? Your couch? Get ready to walk to the altar. All you child porn-loving pervs out there, do you want to marry a kid? Thank the gays for taking you one step closer to realizing your sick dream.
After all, shouldn’t you be allowed to love who/what you love? That is the argument the gays made. Why is it good for them and no one else?
Gay marriage will ultimately tear down all legal barriers to other sorts of illicit “relationships” and will make just any sort of grouping legitimate quite regardless of what it will do to our children and our society.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles http://t.co/JE5Ajwqquf
— A Catholic Soul (@ACatholicSoul) June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots
by Jeff Foxworthy:
If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If, in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but couldn’t be found — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
What a country! How about we give God a reason to continue blessing America! Amen (thank you Jeff).
A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots
by Jeff Foxworthy:
If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If, in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but couldn’t be found — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
What a country!
How about we give God a reason to continue blessing America!
Amen
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Prayer for Sanctity of Marriage
Heavenly Father we thank you for the Sacrament of marriage. We thank you for giving us the example through the Holy Family as to how we are to live our lives.
We come before you this day, as the powers of darkness are at work in our nation and in the world. As godless men are seeking to impose their ways on us, we recall the words in St. Jude: "Remember beloved all of you the prophetic word of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they kept telling you, "In the last days there will be imposters living by their godless passions."
Protect us Lord from these godless men who are attacking the sacrament of marriage. Mindful that the weapons of our warfare are not merely human. They possess God's power for the destruction of strongholds. So with great urgency, in the name of Jesus, we call upon you Lord to overcome the plans of the godless.
Come Holy Spirit come in His Mighty Name we join our prayers
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend
April 19, 2013 — This weekend skywatchers should anticipate April showers ... but of a cosmic kind.
Watch for a meteor shower in the night sky
The annual Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak this weekend, on Sunday, April 21 and into the early morning Monday, April 22.
The Lyrids are expected to produce a modest number of shooting stars falling at rates of 15 to 20 per hour.
Meteor showers are generated when Earth plows through clouds of debris shed by periodic comets on their path around the sun. The trail of debris then gives rise to the Lyrids every year. They were cast off by a comet known as Thatcher which rounds the sun every 415 years.
The chunks of debris, most no bigger than a grain of sand, slam into Earth's protective atmosphere and burn up at high speeds dozens of kilometers above our heads. As they disintegrate they leave bright streaks in the sky we affectionately call shooting stars.
The best way to see this weekend's light show is to face the northeast horizon after 9 p.m. local time and look at the overhead sky.
Each meteor appears to radiate out from the constellation Lyra – the shower’s namesake. It's very close to the lead star Vega, which is one of the most brilliant stars in the entire sky.
Ideally the best location to see the show is outside of the city – far from light pollution, but even from suburbs meteor watchers should still be able to see at least 5 to 10 meteors per hour at peak times.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
7 clues tell us *precisely* when Jesus died (the year, month, day, and hour revealed)
If we put the clues together, can we figure out precisely when Jesus died? We recently celebrated Good Friday and Easter, the annual celebrations of Jesus' death and resurrection. We all know that this happened in Jerusalem in the first century. That separates Jesus from mythical pagan deities, who were supposed to live in places or times that none could specify. Just how specific can we be with the death of Jesus? Can we determine the exact day? We can. And here's how . . . Clue #1: The High Priesthood of Caiaphas The gospels indicate that Jesus was crucified at the instigation of the first century high priest named Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3-4, John 11:49-53). We know from other sources that he served as high priest from A.D. 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus' death in that time frame. But we can get more specific. Much more. Clue #2: The Governorship of Pontius Pilate All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24-26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15-16). We know from other sources when he served as governor of Judea--A.D. 26 to A.D. 36--so we can narrow down the range by several years. But how are we going to get it down to a specific day and year? Clue #3: After "the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar" The Gospel of Luke tells us when the ministry of John the Baptist began: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar . . . the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness [Luke 3:1-2]. This picks out a specific year: A.D. 29. Since all four gospels depict the ministry of Christ beginning after that of John the Baptist had begun (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this means that we can shave a few more years off our range. The death of Christ had to be in a range of seven years: between A.D. 29 and 36. Clue #4: Crucified on a Friday All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke23:54; John 19:42), just before a Sabbath, which was just before the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). We know that it was a Friday because it is referred to as "the day of preparation"--that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they needed for the Sabbath, since they could not do any work on that day. Thus thus cooked food in advance and made other necessary preparations. The Jewish Encyclopedia states: Friday, as the forerunner of Shabbat, is called "'Ereb Shabbat" (The Eve of Sabbath). The term "'ereb" admits of two meanings: "evening" and "admixture" (Ex. xii. 38); and "'Ereb Shabbat" accordingly denotes the day on the evening of which Sabbath begins, or the day on which food is prepared for both the current and the following days, which latter is Sabbath. The idea of preparation is expressed by the Greek name paraskeué, given by Josephus ("Ant." xvi. 6, § 2) to that day (compare Mark xv. 42; Luke xxiii. 54; Matt. xxvii. 62; John xix. 42). In Yer. Pesaḥim iv. 1 the day is called "Yoma da-'Arubta" (Day of Preparation) [Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v., "Calendar"]. That eliminates six of the days of the week, but there were still quite a few Fridays between A.D. 29 and 36. Can we figure out which one? Clue #5: A Friday at Passover The gospels also agree that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the annual feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39). Here we encounter a momentary complication, because Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover meal (Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:15). That would suggest that Good Friday was the day after Passover. However, when describing the morning of Good Friday, John indicates that the Jewish authorities had not yet eaten the Passover meal: Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium [i.e., Pilate's palace]. It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them [John 18:28-29a]. That suggests that the Passover would have begun on sundown Friday. There are a number of ways of resolving this. For example, some have suggested that Jesus and his disciples used a different calendar than the Jewish authorities, and we know that there were different calendars in use in first century Judaism. It's also possible that Jesus just advanced the date of the Passover celebration for him and his disciples. I mean, they were already convinced he was the Messiah and the Son of God. If he says, "We're celebrating Passover today," and it's a day earlier than most people, they'd just go with that. (Note that he made other modifications to the ceremony, such as instituting the Eucharist in the midst of it.) And there are other solutions. However, regardless of what Jesus' movement did, we can look to John's statement about the Jesus' captors as an indication of what the Jewish authorities or the mainstream Jewish practice was: They were celebrating a Passover beginning on what we would call Friday evening. That lets us narrow down the range of possible dates to just a few. Here is a complete list of the days between A.D. 29 and 36 on whose evenings Passover began: • Monday, April 18, A.D. 29 •Friday, April 7, A.D. 30 • Tuesday, March 27, A.D. 31 • Monday, April 14, A.D. 32 •Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 • Wednesday, March 24, A.D. 34 • Tuesday, April 12, A.D. 35 • Saturday, March 31, A.D. 36 As you can see, we have just two candidates left: Jesus was either crucified on April 7 of A.D. 30 or April 3 of A.D. 33. Which was it? The traditional date is that of A.D. 33. You will find quite a number of people today advocating the A.D. 30 date. Do the gospels let us decide between the two? Clue #6: John's Three Passovers The Gospel of John records three different Passovers during the ministry of Jesus: • Passover #1: This is recorded in John 2:13, near the beginning of Jesus' ministry. • Passover #2: This is recorded in John 6:4, in the middle of Jesus' ministry. • Passover #3: This is recorded in John 11:55 (and frequently mentioned afterwards), at the end of Jesus' ministry. That means that the ministry of Jesus had to span something over two years. A fuller treatment would reveal that it spanned about three and a half years, but even if we assume it began immediately before Passover #1, the addition of two more Passovers shows that it lasted more than two years at a bare minimum. That means the A.D. 30 date is out. There is not enough time between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar--A.D. 29--and the next year's Passover to accomodate a ministry of at least two years. The numbers don't add up. As a result, the traditional date of Jesus' death--Friday, April 3, A.D. 33--must be regarded as the correct one. Can we be even more precise? Clue #7: "The Ninth Hour" Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus died about "the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45-50, Mark 15:34-37, Luke 23:44-46). "The ninth hour" is what we, today, would refer to as 3:00 p.m. This allows us to narrow down the time of Jesus' death to a very specific point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. Of course, there are a lot of detailed arguments that I haven't taken space to deal with here. But this is the thrust of things. This is when it happened.
If we put the clues together, can we figure out precisely when Jesus died? We recently celebrated Good Friday and Easter, the annual celebrations of Jesus' death and resurrection. We all know that this happened in Jerusalem in the first century. That separates Jesus from mythical pagan deities, who were supposed to live in places or times that none could specify. Just how specific can we be with the death of Jesus? Can we determine the exact day? We can. And here's how . . . Clue #1: The High Priesthood of Caiaphas The gospels indicate that Jesus was crucified at the instigation of the first century high priest named Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3-4, John 11:49-53). We know from other sources that he served as high priest from A.D. 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus' death in that time frame. But we can get more specific. Much more. Clue #2: The Governorship of Pontius Pilate All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24-26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15-16). We know from other sources when he served as governor of Judea--A.D. 26 to A.D. 36--so we can narrow down the range by several years. But how are we going to get it down to a specific day and year? Clue #3: After "the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar" The Gospel of Luke tells us when the ministry of John the Baptist began: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar . . . the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness [Luke 3:1-2]. This picks out a specific year: A.D. 29. Since all four gospels depict the ministry of Christ beginning after that of John the Baptist had begun (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this means that we can shave a few more years off our range. The death of Christ had to be in a range of seven years: between A.D. 29 and 36. Clue #4: Crucified on a Friday All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke23:54; John 19:42), just before a Sabbath, which was just before the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). We know that it was a Friday because it is referred to as "the day of preparation"--that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they needed for the Sabbath, since they could not do any work on that day. Thus thus cooked food in advance and made other necessary preparations. The Jewish Encyclopedia states: Friday, as the forerunner of Shabbat, is called "'Ereb Shabbat" (The Eve of Sabbath). The term "'ereb" admits of two meanings: "evening" and "admixture" (Ex. xii. 38); and "'Ereb Shabbat" accordingly denotes the day on the evening of which Sabbath begins, or the day on which food is prepared for both the current and the following days, which latter is Sabbath. The idea of preparation is expressed by the Greek name paraskeué, given by Josephus ("Ant." xvi. 6, § 2) to that day (compare Mark xv. 42; Luke xxiii. 54; Matt. xxvii. 62; John xix. 42). In Yer. Pesaḥim iv. 1 the day is called "Yoma da-'Arubta" (Day of Preparation) [Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v., "Calendar"]. That eliminates six of the days of the week, but there were still quite a few Fridays between A.D. 29 and 36. Can we figure out which one? Clue #5: A Friday at Passover The gospels also agree that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the annual feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39). Here we encounter a momentary complication, because Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover meal (Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:15). That would suggest that Good Friday was the day after Passover. However, when describing the morning of Good Friday, John indicates that the Jewish authorities had not yet eaten the Passover meal: Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium [i.e., Pilate's palace]. It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them [John 18:28-29a]. That suggests that the Passover would have begun on sundown Friday. There are a number of ways of resolving this. For example, some have suggested that Jesus and his disciples used a different calendar than the Jewish authorities, and we know that there were different calendars in use in first century Judaism. It's also possible that Jesus just advanced the date of the Passover celebration for him and his disciples. I mean, they were already convinced he was the Messiah and the Son of God. If he says, "We're celebrating Passover today," and it's a day earlier than most people, they'd just go with that. (Note that he made other modifications to the ceremony, such as instituting the Eucharist in the midst of it.) And there are other solutions. However, regardless of what Jesus' movement did, we can look to John's statement about the Jesus' captors as an indication of what the Jewish authorities or the mainstream Jewish practice was: They were celebrating a Passover beginning on what we would call Friday evening. That lets us narrow down the range of possible dates to just a few. Here is a complete list of the days between A.D. 29 and 36 on whose evenings Passover began: • Monday, April 18, A.D. 29 •Friday, April 7, A.D. 30 • Tuesday, March 27, A.D. 31 • Monday, April 14, A.D. 32 •Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 • Wednesday, March 24, A.D. 34 • Tuesday, April 12, A.D. 35 • Saturday, March 31, A.D. 36 As you can see, we have just two candidates left: Jesus was either crucified on April 7 of A.D. 30 or April 3 of A.D. 33. Which was it? The traditional date is that of A.D. 33. You will find quite a number of people today advocating the A.D. 30 date. Do the gospels let us decide between the two? Clue #6: John's Three Passovers The Gospel of John records three different Passovers during the ministry of Jesus: • Passover #1: This is recorded in John 2:13, near the beginning of Jesus' ministry. • Passover #2: This is recorded in John 6:4, in the middle of Jesus' ministry. • Passover #3: This is recorded in John 11:55 (and frequently mentioned afterwards), at the end of Jesus' ministry. That means that the ministry of Jesus had to span something over two years. A fuller treatment would reveal that it spanned about three and a half years, but even if we assume it began immediately before Passover #1, the addition of two more Passovers shows that it lasted more than two years at a bare minimum. That means the A.D. 30 date is out. There is not enough time between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar--A.D. 29--and the next year's Passover to accomodate a ministry of at least two years. The numbers don't add up. As a result, the traditional date of Jesus' death--Friday, April 3, A.D. 33--must be regarded as the correct one. Can we be even more precise? Clue #7: "The Ninth Hour" Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus died about "the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45-50, Mark 15:34-37, Luke 23:44-46). "The ninth hour" is what we, today, would refer to as 3:00 p.m. This allows us to narrow down the time of Jesus' death to a very specific point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. Of course, there are a lot of detailed arguments that I haven't taken space to deal with here. But this is the thrust of things. This is when it happened.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Generation that Aborted Will be Euthanized
Generation that Aborted Will be Euthanized
Call it the new population control. Dr. Peter Saunders of Christian Medical Fellowship looks at the combination of demographic decline, financial crises and disrespect for life and comes to a sobering conclusion:
Call it the new population control. Dr. Peter Saunders of Christian Medical Fellowship looks at the combination of demographic decline, financial crises and disrespect for life and comes to a sobering conclusion:
The generation that killed its children will in turn be killed by its own children.He provides an alternative. Read it here
In other words legalised abortion will lead to legalised euthanasia as a cost-saving and population-control measure. . .
it is rich people in the affluent West, rather than the poor in the Global South, who say they can’t afford to look after their dependents and are clamouring for euthanasia.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Five Positive Ways for Catholics to Rebel against the World
1.Avoid Cafeteria Catholicism – We can’t pick and choose what we believe and still be authentically Catholic. Follow the Magisterium and authentically practice our faith, trusting that two millennia of Church history and teaching are far superior to what we may come up with on our own. ”Be Catholic, really, faithfully, unapologetically Catholic, and the future will have the kind of articulate and morally mature leaders it needs.” (Archbishop Charles Chaput)
2.Put our Pride aside and Surrender – “Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola) It must take a pretty big ego to say no to Christ and His Church! What we need is more humility, total surrender and a sincere commitment to put Christ’s will before our own. I know from personal experience that doing it my way has never really worked out well.
3.Practice Personal Holiness – “The call to holiness is rooted in Baptism and proposed anew in the other Sacraments, principally in the Eucharist. Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by his Spirit, they are ‘holy’. They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do. The apostle Paul never tires of admonishing all Christians to live ‘as is fitting among saints’ (Eph 5:3). (Blessed John Paul II, Christifideles Laici 16)
4.Be Joyful! – It is so easy to get lost in our problems and forget to be joyful-it happens to me and just about everyone else I know. But, remember that we are surrounded by people who are watching us. They may be seeking Him and looking for someone, anyone, to show them the way to Christ. They could learn from our good example, be inspired by our joy and be encouraged by our faith journey if we will only remember that we are called to share the Good News. If we are gloomy, frustrated, inward-focused and critical of the Church we will never be able to help anyone and may put our own salvation at risk.
5.Pursue Heaven, Reject the World – Heaven is our ultimate destination and not this place called Earth. Will our critics help us get to heaven? Will they stand up for us during tough times? No, they will pull us into a secular way of life which has little room for God and where materialism and popularity are the fashionable idols of the day. Doing what is right is not always easy, but in the long run it is clearly the most beneficial. Why would we not choose Heaven?
1.Avoid Cafeteria Catholicism – We can’t pick and choose what we believe and still be authentically Catholic. Follow the Magisterium and authentically practice our faith, trusting that two millennia of Church history and teaching are far superior to what we may come up with on our own. ”Be Catholic, really, faithfully, unapologetically Catholic, and the future will have the kind of articulate and morally mature leaders it needs.” (Archbishop Charles Chaput)
2.Put our Pride aside and Surrender – “Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola) It must take a pretty big ego to say no to Christ and His Church! What we need is more humility, total surrender and a sincere commitment to put Christ’s will before our own. I know from personal experience that doing it my way has never really worked out well.
3.Practice Personal Holiness – “The call to holiness is rooted in Baptism and proposed anew in the other Sacraments, principally in the Eucharist. Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by his Spirit, they are ‘holy’. They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do. The apostle Paul never tires of admonishing all Christians to live ‘as is fitting among saints’ (Eph 5:3). (Blessed John Paul II, Christifideles Laici 16)
4.Be Joyful! – It is so easy to get lost in our problems and forget to be joyful-it happens to me and just about everyone else I know. But, remember that we are surrounded by people who are watching us. They may be seeking Him and looking for someone, anyone, to show them the way to Christ. They could learn from our good example, be inspired by our joy and be encouraged by our faith journey if we will only remember that we are called to share the Good News. If we are gloomy, frustrated, inward-focused and critical of the Church we will never be able to help anyone and may put our own salvation at risk.
5.Pursue Heaven, Reject the World – Heaven is our ultimate destination and not this place called Earth. Will our critics help us get to heaven? Will they stand up for us during tough times? No, they will pull us into a secular way of life which has little room for God and where materialism and popularity are the fashionable idols of the day. Doing what is right is not always easy, but in the long run it is clearly the most beneficial. Why would we not choose Heaven?
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
On This Day in Ancient History - February 24 On February 24, A.D. 303 the Great Persecution began with the posting of an edict, probably promoted by Galerius (Caius Galerius Valerius Maximianus) who was Diocletian's Caesar, but signed by all four of the rulers of the Tetrarchy. Paul Keresztes (citation below) says the edict probably included the following provisions: (a) all churches were to be destroyed; (b) all Scriptures were to be given up and burnt; (c) all, undoubtedly, persisting Christians were to lose all their rights in the courts of justice, whether as plaintiffs or defendants; (d) persisting Christians of high or special standing or position in society or elsewhere were to lose all the rights and privileges that derived from their special standing; (e) persisting Christians of the Imperial household were to lose their personal freedom
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Ignatius Press
"For the modern world will accept no dogmas upon any authority; but it will accept any dogmas on no authority. Say that a thing is so, according to the Pope or the Bible, and it will be dismissed as a superstition without examination. But preface your remark merely with 'they say' or 'don't you know that?' or try (and fail) to remember the name of some professor mentioned in some newspaper; and the keen rationalism of the modern mind will accept every word you say." —G.K. Chesterton From "The Superstition of Divorce", Collected Works vol. IV
"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." -St. Augustine
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
CNN vs. The Catholic Church
CNN has an editorial called "Why next pope must open up church and usher in Vatican III" prominently featured on its website. It rails against the Catholic Church and advises the Church that it must "modernize" or perish.
CNN giving the Catholic Church advice on pretty much anything is like the wonder twins while in the shape of a dove and a birthday cake giving Batman advice on how to be more menacing. No, it's like Justin Bieber re-mixing Mozart to make it better by adding a rap verse about junior high school heartbreak.
If you're wondering how seriously Catholics should take the advice of CNN. Let's compare the two institutions:
Catholic Church: Founded 2000 plus years ago.
CNN: Founded in 1980.
Hmmmm. I'm afraid that if I were going to take advice about how to preserve an institution I'd have to go with the Church on this one.
Catholic Church: Founded by Jesus Christ.
CNN: Founded by Ted Turner.
One is the Lord and Savior, the other thinks he is and has a cheesy mustache. Hey look, for me it comes down to this, Ted Turner was a terrific boat captain but Jesus walked on water. He didn't need the boat. That ceases to be a contest solely on that front folks.
CNN: 388,000 total daily viewers. The Catholic Church: Over one billion Catholics.
That's not really a contest either, huh? CNN's viewership is a Catholic Church rounding error.
CNN Notables: Wolf Blitzer?
Catholic Church Notables: Aquinas, Augustine, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, etc...
Current state of CNN: Laying off workers because ratings are dismal.
Catholic Church Growing.
Catholic Church guarantee: The gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
CNN? MSNBC prevailed against it.
Catholic Church diversity: Has millions of Catholics of every color on every continent.
CNN Has Al Sharpton on television just two hours away from primetime!!!
Artistic Achievements:
Catholic Church: Inspired and preserved some of the greatest artistic achievements the world's ever seen.
CNN: Kathy Griffin poking Anderson Cooper's nether region on air in the desperate hope of being noticed.
CNN strives very hard to be modern. The Catholic Church is timeless.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Te Deum laudamus!: On Pope Benedict XVI: From disbelief, to unsettled...
Te Deum laudamus!: On Pope Benedict XVI: From disbelief, to unsettled...: In the title is the range of emotions I felt all within about a half-day of learning about Pope Benedict's resignation. It was like be...
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Is Obama biblical ‘Lord of the Flies?’ Prophecy sites have field day with president’s insect moments
Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:24 AM EST
By Aaron Klein
JERUSALEM — Prophecy sites are having a field day after President Obama garnered worldwide attention for sparring with a fly yesterday.
News media reports document how Obama has somewhat of a larger history of attracting flies during multiple recorded interviews and speeches.
Already, religious and other sites are using the headlines to point out that a biblical reference for Satan, the Semitic deity Beelzebub, literally translates from Hebrew into “lord of the flies.”
As Obama yesterday nominated two new members of his second administration it was a swarming fly that stole the show.
“This guy is bothering me here,” said Obama, repeatedly swatted at a large black fly buzzing near his face.
The UK Telegraph related how a White House pool report noted that “the president spoke for about five minutes while being menaced by a house fly.”
This was not the president’s first brush with a fly while the cameras were roling.
In 2010, Obama halted a speech about healthcare reform as a fly zipped around him.
During a June 2009 CNBC interview, Obama killed a fly on camera.
“Get out of here,” the president stated to the fly before interview began. When the fly persisted, he killed the insect with a single blow.
“That was pretty impressive, wasn’t it?” said Obama of his smashing the fly. “I got the sucker.”
During a 2008 campaign appearance, Obama halted a local interview after a swarm of flies had gathered around him.
Those reaching to connect Obama with the darkest biblical references aren’t having a hard time with the president’s fly moments.
One name commonly used to refer to Satan is Beelzebub, which translates from Hebrew into “lord of the flies.”
A posting at the popular Free Republic website discusses Beelzebub and asks, “ Is the White House fly infestation evidence of demonic presence and influence there?”
The End Times blog named Obama the “Lord of the Flies.”
The blog connects Obama to Beelzebub, writing, “This really isn’t an academic question. The Lord of the Flies is real.”
Over at RevalationNow.net, a posting by “editorial staff” muses about whether Obama is possessed by a demonic entity.
“I feel like I am watching a horror movie and the secret evil character is revealed by the evil signs around him,” the post reads.
Beelzebub is first referenced in 2 Kings 1:2-3, 6, 16, where Beelzebub is described as the god of the Philistine city of Ekron.
Jewish scholars have interpreted the title of “Lord of Flies” as the Hebrew way of comparing Ba’al followers to flies.
The name Beelzebub is found throughout the New Testament, mostly as a reference to the prince of demons.
In Mark 3:22, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Beelzeboul, prince of demons. The name also appears in the expanded version in Matthew 12:24,27 and Luke 11:15,18-19.
Beelzebub also makes a cameo as the prince of demons in the Testament of Solomon, a Hellenistic Jewish text.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Study Shows Homosexual Parenting Not Equal to Heterosexual Marriage
By Wendy Wright and Lisa Correnti
WASHINGTON, DC, June 15 (C-FAM) A groundbreaking study reveals that adult children of homosexual and lesbian parents experience far greater negative social, economic and emotional outcomes than children raised within intact biological families.
The quality of University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus’ study highlights the deficiencies of previous studies that homosexual advocates have relied on to grant same-sex couples a right to marry and adopt children.
"The empirical claim that no notable differences exist must go," said Regnerus in his study published in Social Science Research.
Regnerus’ comprehensive study examines nearly 3,000 adult children from eight different family structures and evaluates them within 40 social and emotional categories. The results reveal that children who remain with intact biological families were better educated, experienced greater mental and physical health, less drug experimentation, less criminal activity and reported overall higher levels of happiness.
The greatest negative outcomes were found among children of lesbian mothers. This contradicts defective studies popularized by the media claiming children fare as well, or better, with lesbian mothers. Regnerus’ study showed negative outcomes for these adult children in 25 of 40 categories including far higher rates of sexual assault (23% of children with lesbian mothers were touched sexually by a parent or adult, in contrast to 2% raised by married parents), poorer physical health, increased depression, increased marijuana use and higher unemployment (69% of children from lesbian households were on welfare, compared to 17% of those with married parents).
Regnerus’ study debunks an often-cited 2005 American Psychological Association (APA) brief that concluded, “[n]ot a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents."
In contrast to Regnerus, previous studies compared children of homosexual parents to children of stepfamilies and single parents. Regnerus also relies solely on information directly from adult children rather than opinions from their parents.
A second new study confirms the studies touted by the APA are unreliable. Loren Marks, an associate professor at Louisiana State University, found the APA’s studies had limited data and focused on gender roles and sexual identities. They neglected to examine the children’s education outcomes, employment, risk of substance abuse, criminal behavior or suicide.
The discredited APA-endorsed studies have been used in attempts to impact international legal decisions.
Amicus briefs submitted in E.B. v. France in the European Court of Human Rights defended adoption rights for same sex couples citing APA studies with claims that no objective scientific evidence exists to justify “different treatment of same sex couples who wish to adopt because (to the knowledge of FIDH, ILGA-Europe, BAAF and APGL) all reputable scientific studies have shown that the children of lesbian and gay parents are no more likely to suffer from emotional or other problems than the children of heterosexual parents.”
In the case of Karen Atala and Daughters v. Chile in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), an amicus brief defending lesbian parents who lost custody of their children noted that the American Academy of Pediatrics “recognizes that a considerable body of professional literature provides evidence that children with parents who are homosexual can have the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development as can children whose parents are heterosexual.”
The quality of University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus’ study highlights the deficiencies of previous studies that homosexual advocates have relied on to grant same-sex couples a right to marry and adopt children.
"The empirical claim that no notable differences exist must go," said Regnerus in his study published in Social Science Research.
Regnerus’ comprehensive study examines nearly 3,000 adult children from eight different family structures and evaluates them within 40 social and emotional categories. The results reveal that children who remain with intact biological families were better educated, experienced greater mental and physical health, less drug experimentation, less criminal activity and reported overall higher levels of happiness.
The greatest negative outcomes were found among children of lesbian mothers. This contradicts defective studies popularized by the media claiming children fare as well, or better, with lesbian mothers. Regnerus’ study showed negative outcomes for these adult children in 25 of 40 categories including far higher rates of sexual assault (23% of children with lesbian mothers were touched sexually by a parent or adult, in contrast to 2% raised by married parents), poorer physical health, increased depression, increased marijuana use and higher unemployment (69% of children from lesbian households were on welfare, compared to 17% of those with married parents).
Regnerus’ study debunks an often-cited 2005 American Psychological Association (APA) brief that concluded, “[n]ot a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents."
In contrast to Regnerus, previous studies compared children of homosexual parents to children of stepfamilies and single parents. Regnerus also relies solely on information directly from adult children rather than opinions from their parents.
A second new study confirms the studies touted by the APA are unreliable. Loren Marks, an associate professor at Louisiana State University, found the APA’s studies had limited data and focused on gender roles and sexual identities. They neglected to examine the children’s education outcomes, employment, risk of substance abuse, criminal behavior or suicide.
The discredited APA-endorsed studies have been used in attempts to impact international legal decisions.
Amicus briefs submitted in E.B. v. France in the European Court of Human Rights defended adoption rights for same sex couples citing APA studies with claims that no objective scientific evidence exists to justify “different treatment of same sex couples who wish to adopt because (to the knowledge of FIDH, ILGA-Europe, BAAF and APGL) all reputable scientific studies have shown that the children of lesbian and gay parents are no more likely to suffer from emotional or other problems than the children of heterosexual parents.”
In the case of Karen Atala and Daughters v. Chile in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), an amicus brief defending lesbian parents who lost custody of their children noted that the American Academy of Pediatrics “recognizes that a considerable body of professional literature provides evidence that children with parents who are homosexual can have the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development as can children whose parents are heterosexual.”
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
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