Letting Go and Letting God Happen!

^{15 “”}Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” ~ Colossians 3:15

Scripture reads with one single solitary goal that is expressed using words like “LET”, the peace of Christ rule your hearts ~Colossians 3:15…. “LET” the message of Christ dwell among you richly, ~Colossians 3:16…. “LET” go of your concerns! Psalms 46:10…. In these three examples the word “LET” is a plea to your heart, mind, and soul. The word “LET” is the giving of free will and is the evidence we crave that God truly loves us for in this He is allowing you to choose to either believe He can help you, solve your problems, hold your hand, and to lift you up or not. It is one word that rings clear and dispels the devils lies about God in that He is giving you His chosen people the right to make up your own minds rather than to control us like robots. God wants all His children to be whole, to love wholly, to be free, to be with Him because they want to be. Some think they can manipulate their way into Heaven by controlling everyone around them. They create chaos in the world, in others they claim to love. Some say one thing and do another and thus are hypocrites. Still more people walk away from God because of guilt that has been burned deep into their hearts by so-called loved ones. Even more people walk away from God in disbelief as they no longer feel God working in their life. In every one of these examples the key element is found within the false idea that we need to be in control all the time. Many times people do this or think this because they are trying not be hurt because they were hurt badly by someone they trusted in their life. To most the very fact that God loves them with perfect, forgiving, merciful love is so scary and so out of this world because of their sins they can’t bring themselves to let go and to let God in! We humans play the blame game with each other. This is evident in the amount of hate there is in the world. This is evident with how we treat our fellow-man. This then causes unrest and war, and on a micro level it destroys families and separates life long friends. So what does it mean to “LET” God in, “LET” the message of God in, “LET” the peace of Christ in? Because we are His children, His chosen people, and because we are granted free will, we are given His body and we become one in Christ. God thus lives within each one of us, and as Jesus instructed our body is His temple.

16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” ~ 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

In many ways the human soul is sanctified and is washed clean by the merciful hand of God. We can experience the entirety of God’s love by doing the simplest thing which is in our reality one of the hardest things we could ever do; that being let God in and let God love us, let God control our heart, mind, and soul, and let Him set us free of the earthly burdens we are weighed down with. It comes down to a shift in thinking, a shift in our core belief and perception of who we are and who God wants us to be. In that pursuit we are prohibited from sinning in such ways as passing judgement on others, acting outside of our moral teachings, and thinking negative or manipulating the situations we find ourselves in for our own personal gain. If held as a sacred oath between the believer and God love will flow freely, love will transform our actions, love will fill up our hearts and our life will become enriched beyond our wildest imaginations. This perfect love will burn deep into our heart and let the hidden world be seen as if reborn into a new one. What was holding you back will be leveled, what was giving you grief will be removed, and what was troubling your mind will be taken away within your growing transformation from a carnal sinful person to a true child of God.

6 “That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philemon 1:6

So it is to you my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, let it be your words more so than anything else which gives testimony to your core belief in God, let it be your mouth which is the horn that brings people to God, let His words fill your heart, mind, and soul always and spread His message. LET GO AND LET GOD LIVE IN YOUR LIFE, IN YOUR HEART, FOR YOU ARE HIS DIVINE TEMPLE!

Amen

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THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard. To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

It Is Accomplished!

^{8 “}Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” ~ 1 John 4:8

From the start to the end of the Holy Bible, example after example, story after story, we read about a God who loves His creations so much that he allowed His only Son to become human, to live and die and to spread His divine word. Every story was filled with imperfect people who all sinned greatly and all of whom God loved. We read about the dysfunctional psyche of people who prayed and then committed horrible acts against their brothers and all of whom God loved. We take great care to make villains of those we do not understand and in this we close off the possibility to think that perhaps even those we do not like God stills loves. The Holy Bible is filled with emotion the strongest of which is love. I find it nearly impossible to tell the stories of the Bible without finding Gods divine love mixed in some where, even in those moments man has felt Gods wrath. Therefore, in 1 John 4:8 we are told who God is, and if you know Him you will know love because God is love. If you take away anything about the message of God you have to be left with the one single fact staring you in the face, that if you have ever been loved, felt loved, been in love, or been surround with love then odds are you have felt God moving mountains in your life. I write this with all sincerity that in all the troubles I have gotten myself into and all the problems that found me without my help God has never let me down and I have always been surrounded by loving people be them family or friends, and in all this drama I can honestly say I was also loved. Because of this I am aware of God moving the mountains in my life and within that knowledge I know God also loves me as much as He loves His only son Jesus, King David, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and all the other people who lived before me and will live after me. God fulfills His devotional cup of love to every single human being that has ever lived on a daily bases. God’s love for us is “accomplished” every night, every morning, for every day of your life!

New Year Challenge: Write down every time you have ever felt loved and some obstacle has been moved for you.

Amen

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The Time of Waiting!

Purpose of the Season

^{14 “}Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)

The traditional view of our modern – Western Christmas – is one that devolved over time from a pagan tradition to a more religious Christian tradition then finally into the economically driven holiday we have now. In others words, what we celebrate is less about Jesus and the anticipation of the coming of Christ from Godhood to man, less about that singular miracle, to something that is at a lesser state of being than what previously came before it! We have softened the message of this miracle of Christ’s birth over time, we have sidelined God’s wanting to become flesh and blood as well as His love for humanity which is partly His motivation in becoming flesh and blood. We have changed the very definition of God’s purpose to fit our own less intensive version that is more politically correct and less threatening and less controversial. We have changed the paradigm of God and turned Him into a jolly old man that gives tangible gifts instead of the intangible gift of salvation! Our modern Christmas for the majority of westerners leaves out this moment where we reflect and make ready our hearts in anticipation of Jesus the Son of Man in His return so that we will finally and forever be with Him in Heaven. To me, this is the ultimate gift. It is a gift which cannot be bought, it never rusts or fades, it will be ours for all time and will never be taken away. It is the ultimate promise, one that is bigger, better, and more fulfilling than anything in Saint Nick’s green and red bag of toys. Because when we celebrate Christmas in it’s entirety we do not need toys to excite us or keep us from boredom because salvation is not boring!

So I say to you my brethren, the Lord Himself foresaw and provided for this time for the world to wait, hope, and pray for His triumphed return. The signs were all around the people of Judea, they are all around us today recognizable only if you believe and allow ourselves to see the true message of this remarkable holiday. For I tell you now that when a person understands the full meaning, knows the path yet to come, and fully comprehends what each word God spoke really meant, then the totality of that one miracle of Christ suddenly opens our eyes, hearts, minds, and His love becomes more accessible to us as we grow in the confidence that God is working towards our ultimate salvation through Jesus Christ. It is this miracle message we need to be celebrating and not the gifts that cost hundreds of dollars, the bling bling of modern day living, or even the decorations we allow to influence our motivations for celebrating Christmas in the first place. Our excitement of this season should be that which makes us ready to receive our savior.

^{6 “}For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~ Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Christian tradition as observed for most Catholics and some of the other religious denominations of Christianity in general believe in the coming of Christ in two parts. The First coming is typically called Christmas or the Nativity. However, a more appropriate term is “Advent”, which in its more basic meaning is, “Coming”. Breaking advent down more completely you have “Ad” = “To” and “Vent”=”Come”, leaving us with “TO COME”. Before the birth of Christ it was prophesied that the word would become flesh and dwell among us in scriptures from Isaiah to Zechariah. Thus, within the Jewish teachings just before the birth of Christ the hearts and minds of the people where in this hopeful anticipation of the Savior or Messiah. For those who understood prophecy also understood the signs to look for and in this case it was the Star of Bethlehem. Christian tradition and the telling and retelling of the Nativity story has become the basis for the modern reason why we celebrate Christmas as a holiday. At first the meaning of Christmas was all about the miracle of the virgin birth of Christ. The celebration centered on the miracle of Jesus being sent by God, the act of the miracle of God made flesh. There was great excitement because to the Jewish people this would mean the end of Roman oppression! Oddly, it would be the Jewish leaders who would advocate Jesus’s death and the Roman Empire that would later embrace His divinity, thus combining two different holidays into one and called it Christmas complete with our modern Christmas Tree. But even then gifts where never at the center of the season, it was all about the hope and anticipation of Christ’s return or the Second Advent! So I say to you my brethren take time to prepare your hearts for God and reflect and be filled with the hope, love, joy, and anticipation of Christ’s return!

ADVENT VIDEO ~ Concordia Publishing House, (2014)

Amen,

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Why We Reject God!

14 “For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.” ~ Psalm 94:14 New International Version (NIV)

Rejection

We reject God for many reasons, most if not all of those reasons are selfish and immature! Most of our reasons are shortsighted; the result of decisions made out of some sort of emotional response to something or someone else that has hurt or embarrassed us. It is our ego which stokes the fires of rebellion against God and this unwarranted knee jerk reaction always goes awry and never in our favor! But most notably we reject God out of fear, disappointment, and because sometimes we are too busy playing the blame game. As imperfect beings we do not see the Godly picture; rather we view events within a single solitary moment that is focused so tightly the connections with all other events is out of focus and lost to us. Therefore, there is always this lingering question that we ask that invariably starts with, “WHY”!

Blame

We blame God when things in our life go wrong, we blame God when something bad happens. We say to ourselves inwardly, “How could this possibly be happening to me?” Within that statement we proclaim ourselves innocent so that we are justified when we finally come around to lay the final blame on God! After all we reason that it is God because He has all the power so why didn’t He prevent it from happening in the first place? We take our anger out on God because I think sometimes our own personal pain is too hard to bear. We humans come up with a thousand reasons to blame God for our own torment. We are an inventive lot in our blaming and in our rejection of others and in our rejection of God. But I tell you that God does not reject us, so this rejecting of God is strictly a one way street!

The Truth About Rejection

The truth is we all have experienced rejection of some sort and that we all reject not just God but also our fellow man. Tragic as it is we stop using logic when Satan introduces a personal pain intermixed with the rejection. Rather than to see it for what it is we reject those who have rejected us many times out of hand! In doing so we fall to Satan’s master plan of destruction through division! As unforgivable as that is it becomes even more so when we turn that pain into anger only to focus it squarely on our Lord and Savior. Within that action we reject His divine words, His promises, His miracles, His love, and in doing so we are rejecting our own inheritance! We are bullied out of it because rejection is something that we all fear, because no one wants to be rejected.

What It Means To Be Rejected

I think that when we are rejected it makes us feel hurt because of what it means to be rejected.

So what does it really mean when someone rejects you or when we reject God?

Definition of Reject:

1.) Dismiss as inadequate, inappropriate, or not to one’s taste.
2.) Fail to show due affection or concern for (someone):

Synonyms: rebuff, spurn, shun, snub, repudiate, cast off/aside, discard, abandon, desert, turn one’s back on, have nothing (more) to do with, wash one’s hands of;

So why did Jesus say he must be rejected by this generation?

Perhaps so that he could live again, so that he could be our savior, so that Jesus could take on fully our sins and so He alone could wash us all clean.

My mother used to say this to me when I was a little kid, ‘Nothing worth fighting for comes easy.’

So if we apply this to God then; God being rejected really meant that He in His divine wisdom was fighting for our souls. In our rejection of Him do we really find his eternal acceptance of us?

So in reality God rebuffed our sins, He refused to snub us, cast us off as a failure, an experiment gone wrong. God refused to discard us, abandon, or desert us. God did not turn His back on us nor did He wash His mighty hands clean of us. Rather He washed us clean with His blood, with His sacrifice, and with His perfect Love!

None of this was easy and it was only God who could have conceivedthis plan and then pulled it off!

Amen,

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True Meaning of Thanksgiving

Listening Faithfully Blog 2014 Post

18 “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In past posts I have talked about Thanksgiving in the historical sense, explored the religious meaning, and I have delved into both sides of the human drama, (that being of the Native Americans and the English Pilgrims), from a moral view. But this year I wanted to write about what it means in a more detailed manner from the general view of family.

The very word, “Family”, is the root that brought about the fight for freedom both here on Earth and in Heaven. In a broad sense God uses “family” as the template of every social group known to man. In every way we learn and grow from the bounty of our families. But this interaction is not exclusive to humanity rather almost every other bioligal life form that we know of on this planet thrives through lessons learned which both develop and mold such things as character, morality, compassion, survival, and even the idea of justice at some basic level. In the animal kingdom there is social order and hierarchical structures that are put in place to teach and which promotes the survival of the group or family. So in this broad sense family is the root of survival. But what does this hypothesis have to do with Thanksgiving, a man made tradition turned Federal Holiday? Well for this I share a deep secret found throughout the Christian Bible.

God is called the father! What is a father? In olden days a father was the head of the house, the disciplinarian, provider, protector, leader, mentor, teacher, and general supporter of all family activities. The same is true for Priests who are also called father for the same reasons but within a religious context. Thus, it is from the father our families find a foundation and in this we see God as the head of every family both secular and religious. This structure within our families is from the divine and is pre-programmed into us from the start. In our celebration of family we are celebrating our very nature which we share with the animal kingdom under God. Because we are all related we are told by God to give thanks for the many blessings we receive from the father that which is in heaven from which everything is given. So Thanksgiving is the celebration of both blessings we receive throughout the year and is a celebration of our families; the survival they provide on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis independent of our religious beliefs.

In examining Thanksgiving from this perspective I asked my fourth grade students to write seven sentences about what they are thankful for and it is not surprising to me that they overwhelmingly wrote about their families. Few of them wrote about God though I teach in a Private Catholic School. Still fewer mentioned their teachers and the support we give them. Rather the majority was focused on their families love, kindness, sacrifice, and the many things they receive daily from their families. Many of those things are the necessities of life in general. Their paragraphs became evident to me of how we are all programmed by God to need the same things from birth till death. At the core of this need is the family unit!

So this Thanksgiving I celebrate the family in all of its forms be it biological, religious, social, political, economic, traditional and non traditional, friendships, and in a global community of beings sharing the same Earth, the same resources, and sharing the same needs. For it is within God the father’s plan that we celebrate our shared blessings, our shared needs, as well as our differences. Thus, I say to you in Jesus’s name are we to love one another and to jointly celebrate the role our many different types of families provide as it is granted first from God the father who art in heaven.

Have a joyous Thanksgiving and remember to celebrate all things which are good that God has made.

I also ask that you keep the family and friends of our beloved sister Theresa Marie Mehan, born June 18, 1922 and who went to meet the Our Lord this past November 18, 2014 in your prayers this holiday season.

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Amen

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Special Prayer Request

Many times I receive a request for those who are ill and not expected to live past a given date. When this date is given loved ones begin to morn even though the family member has not yet given up on life. Then sometimes the person lives past that date by a few hours, days, or weeks. I truly believe death can be stayed for some if prayers are sent out in ernest and in a great enough number. So today I ask all of you to keep a good friend – well within her 90’s – who has been ill and not expected to live past this Thanksgiving in your prayers. Her name is Theresa, of which her family request all other information to be kept private. So in Gods name we pray this prayer together as one world community:

Prayer for a Small Miracle

Dear Lord, God in Heaven, hear my prayers and the prayers of your faithful who pray in Theresa’s name today, tomorrow, and for all time for a small miracle.

Hear my heart Lord, for it was you who gave Theresa life, allowed her to live within your heart; doing your will here on Earth, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle.

Hear my thoughts of grief Lord, for the life lived and richly rewarded by your humble hands, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle..

Hear my soul Lord, as I raise my eyes to you, pleading to breathe more life into Theresa so that she may be alert, happy, and be able to spend one last meaningful Thanksgiving with friends and family, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle..

Hear my words O’Lord, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Almighty One Everlasting God of my heart, I beg of you to grant Theresa one last stay Lord, not for our selfish desires; rather so to allow Theresa to smile and pray with us one last time, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle…

Hear my words O’Lord of Lords – Master of all the Universe if it pleases you within your divine will; within your all knowing heart of hearts, I ask this small miracle on behalf of Theresa and all who love her dearly.

My God – My Prince of Life and of Death, I fear your wrath and am soothed by your all consuming love, I am humbled in your presences, and if you chose to bring Theresa home then Lord I pray it be quick and within your divine protection; for these reasons I ask of you this small miracle of life and of time for her to live among us for just a short while longer…

Lord I ask you to protect Theresa and keep evil from her door, keep sadness from her heart, and fill her with the holy spirit of your conviction and love.

Amen.

It is within God’s hands do we commit this prayer, and in His divine will to grant as we all pray daily.

May love and peace be with you all for all the days of your life.

Amen.

Taking the Rose Colored Glasses Off

18 “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” ~ Genesis 2:18-22

I love falling in love. I love how it makes me feel and the rush that it gives me. I love the intensity of love and the way it alters my perception on everything I am facing in life. I love the way love opens us up and allows us to see life from many different angles all at once. I love how this emotion takes us over making us consider accepting things we otherwise would not accept. I call this stage, “Wearing the Rose Covered Glasses”. Many times because we become so tuned into and taken over by this unrealistic love we refuse to take those rose colored glasses off and thus we stumble around in love and blind to the realities and to the dangers that are in front of us. We fail to recognize a rose from the snake which is wrapped around and covering the thrones on its stem. We ignore the fact that love and the act of falling in love is biblical! Therefore, I say to you before falling in love with another person go back and read the bible from Genesis because love as awesome an emotion it is again originates from God because He is love! We need to act responicable in our love with both God and the other person we have fallen for. Thus, I warn you all now that rushing in to grab the fruits of such a personal relationship that love can establish can quickly be turned into a sin! I write this mainly for the young who are exploring love for the first time, for those who have never acted upon their impulses, who are still pure in the body and flesh for to you the goal is clear. Your goal is to fall in love once so that you never have to repeat the process of dating, marriage, and having children, so that you never face divorce or rejection in your relationship and so that you never lose that Godly love you were blessed with in the first place. Many young people have unrealistic expectations when they fall in love or become infatuated with another human being. Many young people cannot discern real love from infatuation because they ignored the first step in establish a lifelong love relationship with their potential partner. Young people often rush in for the main prize that God reserved solely for those who have dedicated their lives to each other in holy matrimony. Only to then be disappointed when their relationship falls apart.

God’s First Gift Within Your Love Relationship

As Genesis indicates God made a partner for you; equal and ready to help you face life and all of its challenges. God created Eve from Adam not so that Adam could dominate her, subdue her, and imprison her, but rather so they could live within that perfect union called marriage as a team for, “There is no ‘I’ in Team!”~ Author unknown. Thus, if you first understand this simple concept then you can face life as a whole person, as a productive member of your society, loving member of your family, and a leader, teacher, and mentor to your children and all who you meet. God created mankind in His image and thus the image of God is love. We only have to take off the rose covered glasses to see ourselves in the light of God; in the light of purification and joy. Thus, marriage is sacred, it was created by God and anything outside of His will for our happiness and personal relationships is a sin.

What Is Acceptable

The fine line between the loving relationship God accepts and the one he does not is the absolute starting place. I say to you all now that everything in your life must be God centered. There will be some people who take this with a grain of salt and ignore this teaching and just run with their emotions. “But what do you have in that?” Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You cannot save yourself without God in your life, for He alone made you! God alone granted you the privilege of life! He alone granted you this time on this Earth to be happy and without Him you have nothing! Yes, you could become the wealthiest person on Earth, have the most handsome or beautiful spouse, the best kids, the best possible life and not believe in God, but what do you have after this life? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! For everything in this world is temporary and will not last, but your eternal soul will carry on, thus the love and respect, courage and faith, even the time you give to God is in full measure what you will receive when you are judged by Him. It is a stupid notion to think you can escape God and His prefect judgment. To love God is to not just be happy now but to also be happy later, to choose to be with God now is in reality choosing to be with Him later. To rejoice in God is not just to be fruitful now but to be fruitful forever and ever. The loving relationship you have now with God will spill over into your loving relationship you will share with your spouse, with your family, and with all whom you meet. Thus, with God your life is truly blessed and without Him in your life you will be eternally lost. As I see it and hope that you all see it too is that in reality there is no real choice between them. I choose to live with God, to be blessed all the days of my life, to live with Him now and forever so that all my relationships are also blessed by God forever. I say this to you because my friends I would hope that all of you would choose the same in and for your life.

The Blessing in Taking Your Time

I truly believe that taking your time – thus spending time – to understand, to learn, and grow in a friendship first relationship is the best avenue to building that skyscraper relationship that provides the loving, caring, and personal lifelong marriage relationship that we all crave. I say this because if you are not in a rush then you can learn to communicate, become comfortable within that communication and thus give the foundations the core attribute that is needed; or better known as “trust”. It is no secret I prize trust over everything else in my life after God. I would end any relationship if I feel I could not trust the other person. I would rather walk away than to live with a person whom I questioned at every turn. Trust is the core of all your relationships at every level of life, for it was intended by God that Adam and Eve implicitly trust one another to survive. What do you really have without trust? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I have seen many people breakup because their trust was broken, marriages fall apart after decades because the trust was destroyed. I look at this word “trust” as like the “trusses” built into every building or bridge, you break them they fall and collapse in upon itself! Therefore, it takes time to build anything and this includes marriage relationships! I teach all my kids at school to be weary of, “so called friends” on the internet; people whom they have never met in person because this activity can lead to a very dangerous place. The question I pose to them is, “How can you really trust someone you don’t really know?” In this “How can you trust someone you have never met?” This extends into their life the older they get as they begin to examine and question all their relationships through a moral campus. It takes face to face connections, real life experiences where both parties see, hear, and understand each other in a real way. This teaching in some regard is contradictory to my own actions in my personal life where I have met people on the internet, became friends in the real sense of the word, and I have flown to various countries trusting the other person would be there when I landed and would fulfill their promise of taking care of me while I visited. I have created good relationships from this activity, but I have the experience of being in the Navy, traveling the world, understanding different cultures, and I can discern friend from foe. I present this without wearing the rose covered glasses, without expectations, without the fantasy younger people inter into their relationship with while trusting in a person they don’t real know nor trust. In the other sense of the word “trust” I have also befriended people who I seen, meet in person, and have been duped by them. Thus, “trust” should be something that takes time to build, takes time to affirm, and takes time to explore; in that time to earn.

The Promise of a Healthy Sexual Life

God made Adam, then he made Eve. This is a simple enough concept as it is implied that God made Eve to help Adam, to be with Adam, to love Adam. But this love Eve was given for Adam was also given to Adam when Eve was presented to him, flesh of his flesh bone of his bone, for they were one and the same within their love they held for each other. To have sex with your mate is to become one and to share in an action of passion that is either blessed by God or not blessed by God. Again I ask, “What do you really have apart from God?” Nothing! Absolutely nothing! This includes having sex with your partner, because if you engage in this activity outside of God’s blessing then it is not blessed. Sex for sex sack is not of God, for the promise of the fruits of marriage would thus be taken and spoiled. Too many people indulge their carnal cravings and live a never ending emotional rollercoaster that ends at the station forcing the rider to again wait in line to get back on the ride. “What do they have in their addiction to the highs and lows of the ride itself?” Momentary pleasure perhaps? “But what is that in contrast to a lifelong loving relationship with your equal?” Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Because God is eternal and we are made in his image we are also filled with a spirit that is also eternal, and thus to be with God is to follow God’s instruction for a pure heart, mind, and soul. To wait, to seek, to find, and to grow into a lifelong committed relationship is the only way to be filled with God’s love, and again this spills over to your spouse. “What then do you have if you are loved by another person with the same intensity as that of Eve’s love for Adam?” You will gain the very promise of God and will become filled with a burning love that no man could ever put asunder! For there is no rose covered glasses need within this relationship because it is real!

Amen,

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The Making of a Saint

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” ~ Matthew 7:21-23

The fact is you might think your saved, you might do all the right things according to man’s laws, you might lead a so called “godly life”, but the reality is the Gates of Heaven is your goal! Salvation through Jesus Christ is your goal! As Matthew points out getting to heaven has absolutely nothing what so ever to do with your works here on Earth! It has nothing to do with simply going to church every Sunday because everyone else does it, praying because everyone else does it, following the crowd because that is what you have been told to do! I like to think getting to heaven is much like becoming a living Saint, there is many steps because it is a process as everything in life is a process, and if you ignore that process then all your deeds however good if not rooted in God’s eternal love will be as nothing, will count as nothing, and Jesus will turn from you as if he did not ever know you. Thus, lets look at how people become Saints in our modern era, and then balance the process against humanity which is so flawed.

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THE PROCESS

The process according to the Catholic Church in becoming a Saint is as follows; (Click Here For Article).

In stage one Sainthood for the Catholics begin with the personal testimony of people who knew the candidate. Personal testimony much in line with the personal testimony given after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this the person who is being considered did something which affected people in a profound way, something that was earth shaking to those who were affected by them. It could be as simple as giving joy, or love, the taking care of those who could not take care of themselves, to being humble and gracious. In all of these things the list is to long to write here but the actions of the candidate surely moved many peoples hearts.

Stage two information is gathered and the candidate is examined from all angles, their sins, their weakness, their worst moments to their best moments, as their very character is examined in its totality.

Stage three even more discussion and evidence is gathered; specifically within everything they wrote or published. Every act as the complete picture is becoming clearer of who this person was in life and what they stood for.

Stage four is the active prayer life of everyone who knew them and the Church looks to see if other people are being brought to pray by the candidate after their death. In this stage possible miracles are weighted and the total affect of that person’s life finally comes into full view.

Stage five yet another miracle is required that proves God has elevated this person to a high place in Heaven.

In all of these stages the candidate is judged by his/her piers, family, community, by the Church, and the world. I call your attention to the act of judging as this is something God will do to all who breath and who die. For God’s judgement is final and absolute, the picture of your life is clear to Him from day one. Therefore, His judgement of you is also just. In this I can honestly say that the process of becoming a Saint in the eyes of man is flawed when compared to God’s judgement, however this process is as close as we can get if followed to the letter.

THE UNNAMED SAINTS

With all this said, I humbly offer that I truly believe that there are living Saints who are regular people who you see and do not know, whose name you will never hear, their ideas never published, and their works go unnoticed. These unnamed Saints I believe are placed here on Earth to purposefully go undetected while working God’s will. After all it comes down too working the will of God, believing in God, trusting in God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength – for that is the true path to Heaven.

ST. VINCENT

This past Friday I saw St. Vincent staring Bill Murray – a man deeply flawed who to a boy was a Saint. It reminded me of all the reasons why people are judged and who are really never given a fare judgement by other adults. But through the eyes of a child that judgement is justified in ways adults simply cannot grasp. I bring this up because Bill Murray’s character is called into question by everyone and like Saints of the past and present those who are considered though judged on a larger scale; nevertheless every aspect of their lives are looked at. Bill Murray’s character would be a good representation of a modern day Saint who goes unnoticed and undetected as he simply is going about God’s business here on Earth and like the movie suggests there is a wonderful activity as a teacher I feel everyone should do. That activity is simple and straight forward and yes very powerful if completed by following it to the letter!

PICKING A PERSONAL SAINT

Challenge – Think about the qualities of a real life Saint. (Though we cannot nominate everyone to be a Saint via the Catholic Church we can do the following in our own lives…) We start by asking this question: “Who do you know that would make a good candidate for Sainthood in your life”? When thinking about this remember Saints are flawed human beings and so it is necessary to look past their flaws as God often does. Here is the list of qualities needed:

1.) Humility – Saints exhibit humility never calling attention to their good deeds.
2.) Sacrifice – Saints make huge sacrifices for the betterment of others which is often not in their own personal best interest.
3.) Persistence- Saints never give up.
4.) Love – Saints show the love of God in their daily actions.
5.) Faith – Saints demonstrate faith, thereby teaching others to have faith.
6.) Forgiveness- Saints always seek peace and the making of peace through forgiveness.
7.) Trust – Saints give you their word, their honor, and trust and do so blindly always looking at the good in all people. Therefore, they are people you can trust with your heart.

Amen

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Silence As A Weapon

3 “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.” ~ Psalm 141:3-4

I am not going to make this long nor am I going to mince words. God did not intend for us to use silence as a weapon against members of our families whom we disagree with, or friends who have made us mad, or children whom are being hard to handle as children often are. God did not intend for us to use silence as a weapon and exile people from their homes or to make them feel uncomfortable in their own skin. His desire was not to give people the most mighty of weapons to make others guess where they stand or force them to jump through hoops to earn affection! God did not give us tongues so as to not use them, rather he wanted us to voice our opinions respectfully! Likewise, love is not silent! If you have ever said to someone that you love them, then turn around and use silence the first time or second time or any time they have disappointed you, or made you mad, or upset you for any reason, well then you obviously did not love them as much as you thought!

God gave us free will to use as a guiding force to learn, to grow, to become more like Him. I have never known God to be silent in my life. I have wondered from time to time where He might have gone, why He may not be as vocal, but I have always heard His loving voice in my heart. I cannot say the same for some people in my life which will remain unnamed, as it is not my intent to single them out, but rather use their silence to show how irresponsible it is and how much of a waste of time it is to chose silence over forgiveness, over true love, over the opportunity to grow closer through your arguments. It is certain to me that God made all of us different, with our own thoughts, feelings, likes, and dislikes and each of us have a tongue to express these differences. It is a choice not to voice your feelings or to share them through communication! The notion you had no choice, well that is stupid! Recently I have been told by a friend they where silent because they felt they had no choice. My friends… you always have a choice! You always have the power to share or not to share, to give or not to give.

I do not pray to God to watch over my mouth to keep me silent, rather I pray that He watches over my mouth so I speak with respect, honor, dignity when addressing those who I disagree with. I do not pray to God to seal my lips, for this will happen at my death and I say to you all now that I am not dead and will not be dead for quite some time! I have a lot to say and a lot to share. There will be no one who I will allow to take my voice from me, no one will I allow to keep me so bottled up I react with silence!

Let’s explore this from another angle…. If I say that I love you then you can expect me to voice when I am happy with you, when I am disappointed with you, when I am upset at you and in that I may ask for some time alone but in no manner am I withdrawing from you and will use silence to punish you. You can expect the truth at all times no matter how painful that may be. I was given the opportunity and honor to love you and therefore I will guard that love with my voice, with my words, with my actions, with the truth! That my friends is what God does every day for every one of us here on this rock we call Earth! God is not going to sit on His throne in Heaven and look at you on judgement day and say nothing! Jesus is not going to defend you against Satan on judgement day with His proverbial silence! So why should I recoil from those I love and punish them with silence. To do anything that God would not do is not perfect, and therefore a sin. Silence as a weapon is a sin! Silence used to punish those you do not like is a sin!

¹⁵“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

Conflict is not settled through silence, rather it is settled by everyone knowing what everyone else is thinking and feeling. How could I ever settle an argument if I have no clue why your angry? Out of ever tool God gave mankind – mind reading – was not among them! Jesus could have never settles disputes had the two parties not come to Him first with their grievance. So I call it stupid for people to think the other person should know why, should understand, if no words had been exchanged which highlighted the grievance in the first or second or any place! At that point the angered party is just being willful which is also a sin! Why? Because God is love, and God is not silent, he does not lie, He does not alienate, He does not remain quite. Therefore, love is all about inclusion, forgiveness, mercy, and communication. Love is patient, it is kind, it is not quite, it is loud and sometimes obnoxious and painful, but more than anything else it is real and it is there with you every day for the rest of your life if you let it in. But silence is the mark of a hardened heart, and to be such a person is liken to condemning yourself to sin.

So I say to you all… be not silent, be not cowardly, be not weak, be not sinful, through away your ignorance, cast out your stubbornness and give in to the noise of love. Give your soul to the sharing of love, to the giving of your thoughts and feelings, for to do anything else is against your nature and against our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

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