Sacerdotus

Ash Wednesday

2012-02-21T01:20:00.004-05:00

Ash Wednesday is here. The Holy Season of Lent is upon us. We receive the ashes on the forehead as a sign of repentance and humility. We are reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return. We are not an end in ourselves. To be reminded that we are merely dust is a big statement. No meat is eaten on this day or Fridays that follow.

Let us ask God for forgiveness for our sins and ask Him to help us on our journey in life. We should frequent the Sacrament of Penance often and seek spiritual guidance from a holy spiritual director.

Congratulations to Cardinals Dolan and O' Brien!

2012-02-18T16:59:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Cardinal Timothy Dolan and

Cardinal Edwin O'Brien

Today these shepherds of the American Church were elevated to the Cardinalate. They will now take on many responsibilities and will eventually elect a new Pope - hopefully in the far future because Pope Benedict XVI is great and I enjoy his contribution to the Church as the current Pontiff.

May God bless these men and all men who were created Cardinals today. May the Lord be with them and keep His Holy Spirit on them to guide them especially in these trying times.

http://youtu.be/3aPureO4VWg

Chris Christie Crushes Gay Marriage

2012-02-17T23:43:00.000-05:00

A few hours ago Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie went through with his promise to veto any bill presented to him that will allow so-called "Gay Marriage." He insisted that the vote should go to the people by way of ballot.

The media often makes it seem like every American is for so called "Gay Marriage," but this is just not true. The majority of Americans favor the protection of marriage between a man and woman.

I applaud Governor Christie for being a valiant man who kept to his decision despite knowing that the liberal media will come down on him. Already news articles, blogs and the like are labeling him as an archaic out of touch governor. The comments on news blogs are filled with angry attacks targeting Chris Christie's weight and the like.

These people are tolerant of unnatural unions, but are intolerant of obese people... go figure.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/18/chris-christie-veto-new-jersey-bill

Obama Vs Catholic Church

2012-02-10T01:58:00.001-05:00

The POTUS Barack Obama has declared war on the Catholic Church and religious freedom. His universal health care plan demands that every institution provide coverage for contraception, abortion and other evils that are prohibited by many religions.

This is a clear violation of the First Amendment. The State cannot interfere with the Church and freedom of conscience! This law attempts to force the hand of the Church to promote immoral means to control birth and kill human life.

Contact your local representatives and protest. We cannot let the United States of America become a Socialist Totalitarian State!

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

Cardinal designate, Archbishop Dolan is leading the fight against this violation of freedom of religion.

Komen vs Planned Parenthood

2012-02-10T01:46:00.000-05:00

Recently the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation - a organization which seeks to find a cure for breast cancer- decided to stop grants to Planned Parenthood. As expected, a huge uproar came from liberals and others who felt that the Komen Foundation was being pressured by so-called "Pro-Life" politics.

The move was praised by those who are for life, but unfortunately the decision was reversed. A senior official of the foundation was also forced to resign under the pressure from Pro Abortion advocates.

Studies have shown that abortion can cause breast cancer. That being said, it defeats the purpose to fund something that causes the disease you want to cure.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/07/komen-official-quits-planned-parenthood-dispute/

Roland Martin - Cnn

2012-02-10T01:33:00.000-05:00

CNN suspended Roland Martin for making what some believe was a homophobic remark on Twitter after the showing of an underwear commercial featuring Soccer star David Beckham during the Superbowl 2012. Roland tweeted:

https://twitter.com/#!/rolandsmartin/status/166315722744664064

While the tweet is a bit violent by encouraging "smacking," I don't see how anyone can be offended by this. No heterosexual male would enjoy watching other men in underwear. Roland is using language typical of a male who does not have same-sex attraction. He is entitled to his free speech.

Shame on CNN for suspending him for exercising his First amendment rights.

America is becoming a scary place. We are slowly being censored little by little. We need to restore the Constitution before it is too late.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354257-cnn-suspends-commentator-roland-martin-over-beckham-ad-tweets

Can a believer in God be Pro Abortion?

2012-02-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

Can a believer in God be Pro Abortion or so called "ProChoice?" The answer is no. God is FOR LIFE. He is a Creator, not a destroyer.

Yes we read about God chastising the world here and there but that is done out of justice not evil or for the sole reason because He is God and can punish. God doesn't kill anyone or anything. He merely takes back that which He gave: Life. Life does not belong to us. It belongs to God. If life belonged to us, then we would have total power of when we are conceived and when we die.

Think about it. How can the owner of a particular thing steal it? How can Da Vinci steal his Mona Lisa artwork? The word steal only applies to a stranger who never had legitimate possession of a particular object. He or she took something that was legitimately the possession of another, so therefore that is stealing. When God takes life, He is not killing it. The life belongs to Him and He is just taking it back.

God will always be FOR Life. No benevolent God would ever advocate the destruction of human life, particularly those that are preborn and innocent. Pagan gods invented by primitive peoples often demanded child sacrifices. The One True God does not. He Creates Life out of Pure Love. As Deuteronomy 30:19 says:

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live"

Choose life! It is a mandate from God the Creator.

If anyone claims to be a believer of God and supports Abortion, he or she is living a lie and contradiction. He or she does not represent God. As 1 John 2:3-6 says:

"We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."

GOP Debate Jacksonville, Florida

2012-01-27T02:09:00.000-05:00

Tonight's debate was a good one to watch. Romney and Gingrich went at it with the former being more aggressive than in previous debates. Ron Paul seemed to be the comic relief of the night by making comments that brought the audience to laughter. I won't be surprised if he drops out soon.

Towards the end of the debate, a member of the audience asked what role would religion play in making decisions as President of the United States of America. Here are the replies from the candidates that I liked.

Mitt Romney replied:

ROMNEY: Ron Paul makes very good point. I concur with that. I would also seek the guidance of -- of providence in making critical decisions.

And of course, ours is a nation which is based upon Judeo- Christian values and ethics. Our law is based upon those values and ethics. And in some cases, our law doesn't encompass -- encompass all of the issues that we face around the world.

The conviction that the founders, when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, were writing a document that was not just temporary and not just for one small locale but really something which described the relationship between God and man -- that's something which I think a president would carry in his heart.

So when they said, for instance, that the creator had "endowed us with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," I would seek to assure that those principles and values remain in America and that we help share them with other people in the world, not by conquering them, but by helping them through our trade, through our various forms of soft power, to help bring people the joy and -- and -- and opportunity that exists in this great land.

New Gingrich replied:

GINGRICH: I would say that there are three ways in which religion would affect me.

The first is, I agree with Governor Romney. I think anyone who is president is faced with decisions so enormous that they should go to God. They should seek guidance. Because these are decisions beyond the ability of mere mortals to truly decide without some sense of what it is we should be doing.

I would say, second, that we have a real obligation to recognize that, if you're truly faithful, it's not just an hour on Sundays or Saturdays or Fridays. It's in fact something that should suffuse your life, to be a part of who you are. And in that sense, it is inextricably tied in with how you behave.

But I would say, third, one of the reasons I am running is there has been an increasingly aggressive war against religion and in particular against Christianity in this country, largely by...

... largely by a secular elite and the academic news media and judicial areas. And I frankly believe it's important to have some leadership that stands up and says, enough; we are truly guaranteed the right of religious freedom, not religious suppression by the state.

Rick Santorum replied:

SANTORUM: Faith is a very, very important part of my life, but it's a very, very important part of this country. The foundational documents of our country -- everybody talks about the Constitution, very, very important. But the Constitution is the "how" of America. It's the operator's manual.

The "why" of America, who we are as a people, is in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights."

The Constitution is there to do one thing: protect God-given rights. That's what makes America different than every other country in the world. No other country in the world has its rights -- rights based in God-given rights, not government-given rights.

And so when you say, well, faith has nothing to do with it, faith has everything to do with it. If rights come...

If our president believes that rights come to us from the state, everything government gives you, it can take away. The role of the government is to protect rights that cannot be taken away.

And so the answer to that question is, I believe in faith and reason and approaching the problems of this country but understand where those rights come from, who we are as Americans and the foundational principles by which we have changed the world.

(Source: http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1201/26/se.05.html)

Romney makes a good point that the American Fathers had a strong religious conviction when formulating the Declaration of Independence. Many Atheists and Secularists deny the Judeo-Christian foundations of this nation.

Gingrich also makes a good point that leaders need to go to a higher authority in order to run a nation and make the right decisions. No mere mortal has all the answers and wisdom. He/she needs God for guidance. He also makes excellent points that faith is not just something one does on a day of the week. It is a daily commitment and conversion to God. I'm glad he mentioned the attack religion is getting from secularism which is starting to take hold more visibly in this nation.

Lastly, I think Santorum hit it out of the ball park, so to speak. He says the Constitution is the "how" and the Declaration of Independence is the "why." He goes on to say that rights are given by God the Creator and not the government. These rights are not negotiable.

The Devil's Law

2012-01-23T02:04:00.003-05:00

Today, 39 years ago one of the most evil laws ever to exist took a hold of the country that is "Under God."

This law made it legal to kill unborn children at any moment of time during gestation.
This law attempts to play God by labeling when a human becomes a human; when a person becomes a person.
It is a disgusting law written as a guise to protect "privacy" and women, but at the expense of a child's life and the mother.
It is a law that in a sense brings back the Pagan child sacrifices done to please serpentine gods that demanded human blood from the innocent.
It is a law that puts mother against child. Wife against husband, girlfriend against boyfriend.
It is a law that inflates the feminine ego to a point that she becomes selfish, so selfish that her child is worth dying in order for her to do as she pleases.
It is a law that the United Nations uses to force other nations to decide whether to adopt it to receive aid or reject it and suffer.
It is a law that ignores the most fundamental knowledge of Modern Biology, Psychology and Embryology that we all are required to learn.

This law came from the horrendous decision in the case Roe v. Wade. Roe or Norma McCorvey brought charges to the Supreme Court claiming that women have the right to end their pregnancies in the name of privacy and so called bodily autonomy.

Here is McCorvey on the left with her attorney Gloria Allred

Ironically, here she is holding a disgusting sign with an evil and hateful message. However, things changed for the better because now she is Pro-Life! She was Baptized into the Catholic Church in 1995 and now fights hard to overturn the decision she was the root cause of. Check out here site http://roenomore.org/

Abortion is destroying America and the world. We have lost generations of children. These children would have been working now and adding funds to Social Security and the Tax systems of the world. Any of these aborted babies could have grown to discover a cure for HIV/AIDS, Cancer or even the Common Cold. Perhaps one of them could have been the next Einstein and have developed a way to travel faster than the speed of light. We will never know now because Abortion keeps society from advancing.

Abortion is a power trip. It gives a sense of grandiose. When one can easily kill a human life for whatever reason and not be penalized, that is the ultimate psychopathic rush. When one becomes so desensitized that an unborn child is no longer a child but a "blob of cells," then this becomes a delusion.

It is a false sense of empowerment for women. It puts her against her own child. It is the epitome of selfishness and egoism. It is no wonder why supporters of Abortion come from the "ME" generation as some Sociologists and Psychologists have labeled it.

Organizations such as Planned Parenthood which was founded by racist and white supremacist Margaret Sanger makes huge profits off of killing the unborn. Sanger described minorities and disabled people as "unfit" to exist. Sound familiar? Isn't that what Pro-Abortion advocates say today but in a sublime way?

Courts after courts run by activist judges attempt to rewrite modern Biology and Embryology by legislating from the bench when life begins and when a human life becomes a person. It is sad and disturbing that such power can rest on a mortal. No judicial degrees, no position of power can ever give any mortal a say on who is human and who is not.

Everyday roughly 5,000 babies are killed in abortion. Their remains are discarded in the garbage along with other medical waste. It is crazy to think that people support this as a right. Some even describe it as "medical care." Doctors in training are told that when caring for pregnant women they are caring for TWO patients. Roe v. Wade distorts this fact by trying by all means to discredit the knowledge we possess about pregnancy and when human life begins.

America wake up! Is this the freedom we preach to the world? Is this the land where all have the right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?"

We have modern technologies that clearly show that the unborn are NOT "blobs of cells." We have technologies that show brain wave activity in the unborn. How can we allow this barbaric procedure to continue to exist in modern times?

Roe v Wade is often called a "landmark decision." Well yes it is a landmark decision, but not the one the definition describes. This landmark decision is destroying our most valuable asset as a society: the youth.

We must remind ourselves the value of all human life regardless of stage of development, color, gender etc. Abortion is not an issue for solely Republicans, the "Christian right," etc, it is an issue that affects all of us and our morality.

If you are Pro Choice, please reconsider your position. You know what you learned in Biology class. You know the science out there that is on the side of human life. Do not set aside science for rhetoric that is nonsensical and logically incoherent.

If you are young, in high school or college. Unfortunately many of our universities are staffed with those who see Abortion as a human right. Do not be deceived! You have the tools to learn about Biology, use them. A professor's views on life are his or her's. You pay tuition to learn truth, not get brainwashed with lies from progressive professors. When you weigh the truth of science against a pro choice professor, you will see that science will win.

Abortion is not a medical procedure or a human right. Abortion is the termination of a human life in the womb. Abortion is a glorification of death. It is feticide.

I have no doubt that Abortion will be aborted soon. We cannot continue this evil practice. If we do, then we as Americans are hypocrites when we put our men and women in uniform at risk to protect the human rights of others. How can we defend human rights when we deprive them to our own unborn?

Hundreds of Thousands will march in Washington D.C. for the March For Life. The media will of course black out coverage of this in favor of something else. Nevertheless, we do not need the media to spread the message that all human life is sacred and dignified. Life is a right that no man or woman can give, only the Creator as the Declaration of Independence states.

See my Prochoice Debunk post for more information on how ProChoice rhetoric fairs against Science, Law, Psychology and Common Sense.

Roe v. Wade will be overturned for good! All life will be protected from the moment of conception to natural death. We are Americans, we always do the right thing!

PIPA & SOPA

2012-01-19T02:08:00.000-05:00

PIPA & SOPA what are they?

At first glance they look like Spanish words, but they are not. These are bills that will affect how the internet works in the United States of America.

The purpose of these bills are to control the online piracy of music, videos and other copyright content.

I remember when I was younger the big fuss surrounding NAPSTER and other sites that the youth used to share songs and download. Lawsuits came from Record companies and these download sites basically disappeared. Moreover, even some young users were sued for heavy fines.

These new bills want to block links and sites from foreign nations that sell pirated content and want to control payments made to them as well as other things.

While piracy is bad, the bills need to be worked on a bit in order to protect the freedom of the internet and how users interact with it.

Some popular sites such as Mozilla, Google and Wikipedia protested online. Here are some screen shots of the protests.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/key-facts-u-online-piracy-bills-sopa-pipa-233943377.html

Canada Fears Female Feticide

2012-01-17T02:07:00.000-05:00

Canada is now fearing that abortions will increase among Asian immigrants due to the evil practice of Female Feticide in their native countries. Since Canada has easy access to abortion, Canada is concerned that its abortion industry will be used to get rid of unborn females in an attempt to control gender distribution. The nation is proposing to withhold the gender of the child until after 30 weeks of gestation.

Ironically a Pro Abortion feminist described abortion as killing. Gwendolyn Landolt of the REAL Women of Canada said, "Is it a right to know the gender of your child if you are going to use this information to kill it?"

They know they are advocating the murder of innocent children. The ProChoice delusion and distortion of facts is unfortunate.

Where are the Feminists? Where are the Pro-Abortion/Choice advocates? Why are they silent on this issue of Female Feticide?

Abortion will always be an evil no matter how any one ignorantly sugar coats it. There is nothing productive in killing an unborn child. It does not solve problems, nor does it help any nation.

Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/canada-urged-conceal-fetal-sex-over-abortion-fears-182650108.html

Tebow's 3:16

2012-01-17T01:38:00.001-05:00

Sports is a fun thing to play. Attending games can be fun and can cause anxiety as well. Being a New York Yankees fan, I think I've prayed more at both Yankee Stadiums (1923/2009) than at any Church.

Praying at a Stadium is nothing new. We often see many fans with hands clutched, eyes shut hoping for a big move or win. Recently in a NFL football game something interesting occurred with devote Christian player Tim Tebow.

Tebow threw 316 yards, had 31.6 yards per completion and when the touchdown was thrown, the national tv ratings was 31.6. Sounds familiar? John 3:16. Immediately during this and after, many search engines and social sites listed 3:16 as a trending topic.

As we all may know, John 3:16 mentions on God sending His only begotten Son to save all and those who believe in Him will not perish but will enjoy life everlasting.

Many were quick to point this out as a miracle. Is God trying to give a message? Would He used Football, America's other pastime?

Furthermore, the appearance of a smoke ring over the stadium added more to frenzy.

Was this the providence of God? Who knows... As the saying goes: "God does work in strange and mysterious ways."

As Albert Einstein said, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."

Source: http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16482529/2012/01/09/tim-tebow-win-coincidence-or-divine-intervention

Martin Luther King Jr.

2012-01-16T00:24:00.017-05:00

Today we remember a great American who opened the door to many minorities in this country who were not allowed to grow in society due to race. Martin Luther King Jr, a Baptist minister had the courage to stand up to the powers that be at the time.

As a Civil rights leader, he led many peaceful marches and fought with words against prejudice, segregation and racism. His most famous words are recorded in the "I have a Dream speech."

In this speech he speaks about a future with unity, equality, peace and harmony among all Americans. Some of that dream has been realized, but we still have a long way to go.

Being a strong public leader, he was not immune to controversy. The FBI kept an eye on him not only because of his massive marches, but because of alleged ties to communist groups. As suspicion surrounded him, so did allegations of adultery. King was rumored to have an "addiction to women," particularly Caucasian ones. He was also accused in a book of using his denomination's donations to pay for prostitutes and other vices. In the 1980s a study of his dissertation found that Dr. King had plagiarized someone else's work.

Despite all this, his image still remains strong. King was assassinated. However his death would not bring an end to Civil rights. Segregation is now a thing of the past. Before, there were separate water fountains, separate schools for whites and blacks. Blacks even had to sit in the back of the bus or give up their seat to white people. Today that is all gone. Many African Americans have risen the ladder of success and in 2008 the first African American President was elected.

Last year a large memorial was opened in Washington D.C. He will forever be remembered as a great American along with Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson.

Though not Catholic, Dr. King was instrumental in bringing Civil rights to African Americans and other minorities who reside in the United States of America. He was not a perfect man, nevertheless, his personal weaknesses cannot rob him of the great work he did in the name of justice, unity, and equality for all.

May Dr. King's dream be realized fully soon. May we all realize that we are all God's children regardless of gender, race, or religion.

Atheism = A-Fraud

2012-01-14T02:37:00.001-05:00

FRAUD

A-Fraud is a nickname given to Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez because of his apparent struggle with showing he is worthy of wearing the pinstripes. However, this post is not about ARod, it is about Atheism. It is about a philosophy - a religion, a set of beliefs that I held for a long time.

For far too long I relied on its false understanding of logic. Its pretense and irrational conclusions. Its narrow view of science and disconnection to common sense. It is a placebo for the contrarian. An appeasement for those who are angry with God or religion.

Life is full of uncertainties. We know, but don't know. We are aware, yet not aware. It is a paradox. Because of this uncertainty, I can understand first hand how it can be hard to accept that there is a God or that Heaven, Hell or Purgatory exist.

How can we know is often the question I asked as an Atheist. How can I live my life on a belief - on something that appears to not be tangible? How do I know that living a life of prayer and virtue prepares oneself to meet the Maker at death on good terms? Is this what really happens? These questions and more I've wrestled with and I am sure many Atheists have as well. Even most Saints have questioned God and the afterlife.

It is not easy. We are bound to 5 senses. I see a pizza. I smell it, I taste it, I hear it crunching in my mouth, I feel its heat, bread, cheese and saucy oily texture. But God, what do I see? What do I smell, taste, hear or feel? Living life relying on senses is not easy.

Atheism seems to come to the rescue. If it had a voice, it would say:

We can only trust what our senses tell us.
There is no God, He is dead.
God is imaginary.
Our senses cannot empirically study God so He is not real.
All that matters is the material world.
There is no spiritual world.

These all sound interesting and often can lure those who may have had a "bad" experience with God or religion.

Science is hijacked as the "Magesterium" of Atheism, so to speak. However, science does not exist to disprove God or religion. It exists to study and learn about the natural world.

Theories such as the Theory of Evolution or the "Big Bang" are often thrown around as proof that there is no God. However, these theories do not disprove God, but highlight His intelligence and creative work.

How? You may be asking. Well, there is no rationality in the idea that one day everything just exploded into existence, with laws, mathematical order and life evolving on this planet. Anyone who thinks that is a fool.

Atheism in this sense is a fraud. It attacks one set of so called "irrational" beliefs and replaces it with an even more irrational one.

Nothing cannot put something in itself. SOMEONE has to put SOMETHING in NOTHING. That is the most rational way of seeing it. Laws in the universe keep order, but laws need a lawgiver.

This is one of the reasons why I could not hold Atheistic beliefs any longer. They just did not make any sense to my rational mathematical mind.

I could not last any longer accepting the ideas that Atheism presented. It is a fraud.

Texas Law on Ultrasound before abortion

2012-01-13T03:34:00.001-05:00

A Federal Appeals court said that showing/describing an Ultrasound image of an Unborn child before an abortion does not violate the Constitution nor infringe on the "rights" of women or abortionists.

This is a big victory for the Pro-Life movement and for Good. A woman seeking an abortion in Texas will see what she is allowing to be killed: a human life. This will hopefully activate her conscience and save a human life - or more if there are twins involved.

I love how the Justice worded it. Chief Judge Edith Jones wrote in the decision:

"The required disclosures of a sonogram, the fetal heartbeat, and their medical descriptions are the epitome of truthful, non-misleading information."

"...their medical descriptions are the epitome of truthful, non-misleading information," in other words, the images contain the reality of the Unborn child and that reality is not misleading. Rep. Sheila D. must read Judge Jones' decision and realize that a pregnant woman is carrying a human baby, not a "sound." See my other blog: http://sacerdotvs.blogspot.com/2011/10/biology-illiterate-politician.html

Pro-Abortion advocates who call themselves "ProChoice" try hard to distort science by claiming that the Unborn are not human, but instead are blobs of cells, and other ridiculous claims. I addressed some I read on Twitter in a previous blog which has been very popular and helped change minds and hearts of ProChoice advocates, see: http://sacerdotvs.blogspot.com/2011/10/prochoice-debunked.html

Little by little, Abortion will be a thing of the past. It will be a barbaric procedure that will be seen by future generations as a shame for our current time, a legislative mistake that should never be repeated if we are to call ourselves civilized.

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/u-court-allows-texas-law-ultrasound-abortion-220736270.html

The Baptism of the Lord

2012-01-09T03:16:00.000-05:00

Today is the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus after spending 40 days and nights in the desert and tempted by Satan himself, went to His cousin John the Baptist in order to be baptized. John the Baptist took people to the Jordan river where he baptized them. Jesus approached John and asked to be baptized. John replied that Jesus needed to baptize him since Jesus is God and the Messiah. Jesus insisted because He had to fulfill this and so John took Him into the river and baptized Him. As Jesus rose from the water the skies opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove and a voice said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."

Here we see the Blessed Trinity come during Baptism. Baptism is an important Sacrament. It removes Original Sin and leaves an indelible mark on our souls showing we belong to God - Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Just like we are all born of water in the womb; our souls are born in water with the words, "I Baptize you in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

Jesus in getting baptized shows that He is one of us. He is human, but without sin. He is human, but also God. He came to lead us by example.

Let us meditate on this great Sacrament and encourage those we know who are not baptized or have children who are not baptized to go and receive this Sacrament.

3 Kings Day (Epiphany)

2012-01-06T02:08:00.000-05:00

Today in many nations the Solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated. A day that has its origin in the Eastern rite highlighting the revelation of God as a human baby boy.

The "Three Kings" or Magi (Wise men) traveled a long distance to find the child God. God used His own cosmic version of a GPS to guide them with a bright star. This star could have been a comet, Jupiter, Venus or Saturn, some believe it may have been a Stella Nova - when stars illuminate brightly for a brief moment and then return to their normal brightness.

The Magi represents all of the world with its many races and ethnicity. Each come to bring gifts to the Child God Jesus Christ, the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The gifts often are viewed as symbols of Christ's Royalty, Divinity, and Death. Others view them as Faith, Hope and Charity.

Many Catholic nations, in particular Hispanic ones celebrate this day as they would Christmas. Children are told to leave some grass or hay under their beds, in their shoes or in a box so that the Wise men can come on their camels and bring them gifts.

Let us take this day to remember that God became man to save us all. Let us offer Him the gifts of our Faith, Hope and Love.

Feliz Dia de los Reyes Magos! Happy Three Kings Day!

Santorum Iowa Win

2012-01-04T22:48:00.002-05:00

Last night Santorum played catch-up. He is the candidate who hardly gets any attention from the media yet some how won the caucus in Iowa. He is a true conservative and a devout Catholic man dedicated to God, Faith and the Family.

An outspoken candidate on social issues, Santorum will no doubt be ignored by the leftist media. His views on abortion, the family, immigration and so-called gay rights are not what the media wants to present to Americans.

Jesus said the "First will be last and the last will be first." I think this was the case for Rick Santorum. While he is a good Pro-Life Pro-God Pro-Family candidate for President, we all know that one man cannot change the law in this country. It will take much more to overturn Roe v. Wade and amend the Constitution to protect marriage as solely between one man and one woman.

May God's will be done in next year's election. The world is in the mess it's in because of its rejection of God, Faith and morals. Man does not live on bread alone, but on God's Word. Good luck Santorum!

Update: It appears that after every vote was counted, Mitt Romney won by 8 votes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/us/politics/santorum-and-romney-fight-to-a-draw.html?pagewanted=all

Update II: Again it appears that now Santorum was the real winner. (Jan. 19, 2012)

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/01/20/iowa-recount-puts-rick-santorum-ahead-rick-perry-bows-out-endorses-newt-gingrich/fWqBCkzFEuaQxEiW2N6CcM/story.html

Mary - Mother of God. Jan 1

2012-01-01T01:43:00.000-05:00

Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God or Theotokos. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God. This does not mean that God came into existence because of her. God has always existed. Mary is a creature of God. She is the "handmade" of the Lord as she called herself.

Mary is called the Mother of God because her Son, Jesus Christ the Messiah is God the Son. Since Jesus is God, then the one who gave Him flesh is called Mother of God.

What an awesome thought. A human female is the Mother of the Word Incarnate. She is the Mother of God! Since the early days of the Catholic Church, devotion to Mary has existed. The "Sub Tuum Praesidium" is one of the earliest prayers to Mary.

This is a day of Holy Obligation in which all Catholics must treat it as a Sunday and attend Mass. Let us take this day to recollect on Mary and her role in Salvation. Mary was always open to life. She said Yes to God's will that she be the vessel in which God the Son would take on a human form.

She is a model for all women, especially those who push the disturbing idea that pregnancy and bearing children violates a woman's bodily autonomy or dignity. This tokophobia must be replaced with the Yes to life from the Theotokos.

May Our Lady pray for us and show us the way to Christ her Son. Mary Mother of God, Pray for us!

We take refuge under thy protection,holy Mother of God:

Do not despise our prayers

in time of necessity:

but always free us

from all dangers,

O blessed and glorious Virgin.

Happy New Year 2012!

2011-12-31T00:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year 2012!

I hope you had a good life and are prepared for the end of the world on December 21st ...

just kidding. :-)

The world will not end in 2012 or 2013 or 2014.

It will end when God says so, not ancient calendars, Bible "codes," or men's calculations.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." - Matthew 24:36

When that time comes, we should welcome it and not fear it. We will all see the Creator!

In the mean time:

Please take this time to reflect on 2011 and see what needs improvement in your life. Visit, call, message your family and loved ones.

Enjoy life, but relax on the alcohol. Don't drink and drive please!

Life is good and should be lived joyfully in a good way, not destroyed.

Let us thank God for another year on this beautiful planet called Earth in this beautiful huge Universe.

May 2012 bring faith, love, hope, peace, health, prosperity, and joy to all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

God, thank you for a new year. May everyone in our family be willing to begin anew with a clean slate. We know that you are always ready to forgive us. Help us to be willing to forgive ourselves and to forgive one another.

As we begin a new year, remind us of our truest values and our deepest desires. Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing what you want us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the future and the past, so that we might live in peace with you now, one day at a time.

http://www.loyolapress.com/family-new-years-prayer.htm

The Rev Surrenders

2011-12-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

Since Summer 2011 a young black guy has interjected his "thoughts" - or lack of - to me on Twitter regarding God and religion.

Here is how it would go:

One Atheist would engage me, then another and then he would show up commenting on something he had no idea about since the discussion was not with him.

What is interesting is that this guy when questioned begins to retweet every response. He does this so others can jump in to rescue him.

Within 20 seconds I have 10 Atheists engaging me, some joining the conversation civilly and others spewing vulgarities or comments projecting their apparent inner fascination with child molestation by mentioning the scandals of some priests.

I came to the conclusion that this guy named Xavier has no intellectual confidence and just trolls throughout Twitter looking to bait believers.

When he is confronted about his tweets, he gets upset and begins to use vulgarity to express himself. By doing this he shows he has a poor vocabulary and cannot logically coherently express his ideas in a educated and civil manner. In a sense, he starts out a college student and ends up a stereotypical ghetto thug within seconds.

Recently he invited me to comment on his blog but failed to give me the link. He then begins to questions why I "avoid" his blog. I had to contact another female Atheist he was involved with romantically just to get his blog link.

If that is not funny enough, when I do comment on his blog regarding Atheism as a Religion, he does not post it. He then sends me a message attacking the post and making threats of blocking me on Twitter. This guy is either bipolar or extremely silly.

Here are some of his silly tweets:

To my requests for him to answer my question "Can you prove there is no God" he continues on ranting attempting to claim that I am ignoring an answer he never gave.

Here I invite him to post his answer to my blog post http://sacerdotvs.blogspot.com/2011/11/atheists-please-prove-there-is-no-god.html but he dilly dallies and begins to show his lack of intellectual confidence and cowardice.

Here he turns ghetto and begins using language that is not appropriate for an educated person.

Here he becomes jealous of my academic success and sends an ad hominem remark.

Now is this a rational person? How can anyone take a so-called Atheist like this seriously? He fails to provide reasons for his beliefs. Fails to have proper comportment during a debate. Lacks the maturity needed to debate a serious topic.

His only answer is vulgarity and silly remarks that attempt to mask his lack of intellectual confidence and pusillanimity.

On his blog, he recently wrote a post attacking me and other Twitter people. His paranoia is hilarious and sad at the same time. He reminds me of a funny YouTube video with a reporter who starts out giving the news with a professional journalist inflection until a fly enters his mouth and he begins to talk like a ghetto person spewing profanity.

With so many intelligent Black people around like Maya Angelou, Barrack Obama, Oprah as role models. I don't understand why this guy feeds and perpetuates the image of the stereotypical ignorant and vulgar black man. He gives ammunition for those who believe minorities are intellectually inferior to whites. I pray and hope he will come around after he matures.

Urbi et Orbi - HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T22:55:00.001-05:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world!

Christ is born for us! Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to the men and women whom he loves. May all people hear an echo of the message of Bethlehem which the Catholic Church repeats in every continent, beyond the confines of every nation, language and culture. The Son of the Virgin Mary is born for everyone; he is the Saviour of all.

This is how Christ is invoked in an ancient liturgical antiphon: “O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver, hope and salvation of the peoples: come to save us, O Lord our God”. Veni ad salvandum nos! Come to save us! This is the cry raised by men and women in every age, who sense that by themselves they cannot prevail over difficulties and dangers. They need to put their hands in a greater and stronger hand, a hand which reaches out to them from on high. Dear brothers and sisters, this hand is Christ, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary. He is the hand that God extends to humanity, to draw us out of the mire of sin and to set us firmly on rock, the secure rock of his Truth and his Love (cf. Ps 40:2).

This is the meaning of the Child’s name, the name which, by God’s will, Mary and Joseph gave him: he is named Jesus, which means “Saviour” (cf. Mt 1:21; Lk 1:31). He was sent by God the Father to save us above all from the evil deeply rooted in man and in history: the evil of separation from God, the prideful presumption of being self-sufficient, of trying to compete with God and to take his place, to decide what is good and evil, to be the master of life and death (cf. Gen 3:1-7). This is the great evil, the great sin, from which we human beings cannot save ourselves unless we rely on God’s help, unless we cry out to him: “Veni ad salvandum nos! – Come to save us!”

The very fact that we cry to heaven in this way already sets us aright; it makes us true to ourselves: we are in fact those who cried out to God and were saved (cf. Esth [LXX] 10:3ff.). God is the Saviour; we are those who are in peril. He is the physician; we are the infirm. To realize this is the first step towards salvation, towards emerging from the maze in which we have been locked by our pride. To lift our eyes to heaven, to stretch out our hands and call for help is our means of escape, provided that there is Someone who hears us and can come to our assistance.

Jesus Christ is the proof that God has heard our cry. And not only this! God’s love for us is so strong that he cannot remain aloof; he comes out of himself to enter into our midst and to share fully in our human condition (cf. Ex 3:7-12). The answer to our cry which God gave in Jesus infinitely transcends our expectations, achieving a solidarity which cannot be human alone, but divine. Only the God who is love, and the love which is God, could choose to save us in this way, which is certainly the lengthiest way, yet the way which respects the truth about him and about us: the way of reconciliation, dialogue and cooperation.

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, on this Christmas 2011, let us then turn to the Child of Bethlehem, to the Son of the Virgin Mary, and say: “Come to save us!” Let us repeat these words in spiritual union with the many people who experience particularly difficult situations; let us speak out for those who have no voice.

Together let us ask God’s help for the peoples of the Horn of Africa, who suffer from hunger and food shortages, aggravated at times by a persistent state of insecurity. May the international community not fail to offer assistance to the many displaced persons coming from that region and whose dignity has been sorely tried.

May the Lord grant comfort to the peoples of South-East Asia, particularly Thailand and the Philippines, who are still enduring grave hardships as a result of the recent floods.

May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the earth with blood.

May the Prince of Peace grant peace and stability to that Land where he chose to come into the world, and encourage the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

May he bring an end to the violence in Syria, where so much blood has already been shed. May he foster full reconciliation and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan.

May he grant renewed vigour to all elements of society in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East as they strive to advance the common good.

May the birth of the Saviour support the prospects of dialogue and cooperation in Myanmar, in the pursuit of shared solutions.

May the Nativity of the Redeemer ensure political stability to the countries of the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and assist the people of South Sudan in their commitment to safeguarding the rights of all citizens.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us turn our gaze anew to the grotto of Bethlehem. The Child whom we contemplate is our salvation! He has brought to the world a universal message of reconciliation and peace. Let us open our hearts to him; let us receive him into our lives. Once more let us say to him, with joy and confidence: “Veni ad salvandum nos!”

Source: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/urbi/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20111225_urbi_en.html

http://player.rv.va/vaticanplayer.asp?language=it&tic=VA_LHO56AY4

Christmas

2011-12-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

Jesus is born! We celebrate that night when the Savior of the world was born from a humble Virgin named Mary. What an awesome event. The All Powerful, All Knowing, All Good God became a human baby to show us He will not take no for an answer. He loves us so much He will do any thing to get our attention. He will do anything to show His.

Babies change us all. They bring joy and just melt our hearts when they are in sight. Our Lord came as one to melt our hearts and open ourselves once again to holiness, true love and happiness. Christmas is not about family, friends, gifts and so on. While they are good, the true purpose is the Birth of Jesus Christ the Lord. Family, friends, giving all have their substance from the Birth of the Lord.

Families come and go, move, die, and so do friends. Gifts break and we get bored with them, but Jesus Christ is Forever! Let us pray that Jesus continues to be born in our hearts not just on Christmas but on every day of the year.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

It is Christmas Eve. We place ourselves in that anticipating moment: the birth of the Savior. The Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is born. God kept His promise!

Take this time to meditate on the Incarnation. God becomes Man. God takes on Human form, Human Flesh! This is awesome!

God Our Creator becomes our Brother! He is One of Us! It can't get any better than that. If that is not love or dedication, then I don't know what is.

For an all knowing, all powerful, eternal, magnificent Supreme Being - the Absolute Singularity to become a mere Human man to save all men women and children is both a brain cooker and a simple expression of Love.

Christmas Eve is a time to reflect on this and remind ourselves how much God loves us. Yes family time is nice, gifts are nice, Santa Claus stories such as the Night Before Christmas and Christmas music are nice, but Jesus is the Reason for the Season. 2000 years ago the world received the best present of all. Let us continue receiving that present daily and open it daily within our hearts and minds.

It is no wonder why St. Francis of Assisi loved the Incarnation so much that he was the first to start the Creche tradition. To picture God as a small baby boy is just amazing. To picture a mere woman named Mary holding God, her Creator! It is just amazing to picture.

Gather with your families, take your Bible and read the story of the Nativity. Prepare your mind, hearts and souls for Jesus. Then go to Midnight Mass and contemplate some more. May Jesus Christ be born in our hearts daily!

Happy holidays..yeah right!.. it's MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2011-12-24T01:37:00.004-05:00

Christ Jesus is the Reason for the Season, not Commercialism, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus and all these other distractions. Christ is the reason why we even get days off to celebrate, decorate and enjoy time with family and friends in December. It is unfortunate that other cultures choose the same time to celebrate their recent customs such as Kwanzaa and so forth. Even Atheists attempted to create their own "holiday" by adding to Festivus a few years ago which was a ridiculous attempt and childish I must say.

Christmas is the ONLY legal holiday, not Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. This is not an attack on my brothers and sisters in the Jewish and African communities, so don't misinterpret please. What I am trying to convey is that Christmas is the only day that is legally a holiday in the United States of America and therefore should be respected and treated in a unique way instead of pushed aside.

It is so ridiculous how people try to change the words "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays." Some even have gone so far as to change the words to the song, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to "We Wish You a Happy Holiday." This is an epic capital "SMH" or "Shaking My Head" trigger. When Stupidity, Bigotry and Secularism mix, we get these results.

Christmas is the official legal holiday so therefore it is: Merry Christmas. If that offends anyone, then they need to get over it because it is the law.

There is no valid reason to ban Nativity Scenes in Cities or Towns, or use Snowmen, Wreathes and Santa Claus to replace Christ. It is not "Snowmenmas," or "SantaMass," it is CHRISTmas.

Jesus Christ, Son of God - Son of Mary took on the form of sin to save us from sin and ourselves.

This is His Birth Date!

Christians stand up for our Lord! Say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. Remind others that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Do not be afraid!

“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. - Luke 12:8-9

Let us allow Christ to continue to be born in our hearts at every moment and not forget that He will return like a thief in the night-unexpected.

Follow up of The Rainbow Delusion post

2011-12-21T02:00:00.001-05:00

Today a Homosexual advocate sent me a comment via the contact form regarding the blog I wrote "The Rainbow Delusion."

He wrote:

"It’s obvious you are hiding behind god with your ignorance and so called faith. It’s disturbing how you can cherry pick from YOUR bible. What you failed to mention is that YOUR bible YOUR faith also states “Intercultural - Interracial Marriage Relationships” are forbidden. Common-law marriage, cohabitation, and divorce are a sin according to your bible and faith but it’s legal and MILLIONS (people within your own faith) exercising their rights. How about Deuteronomy 22:5 “Woman shall not wear that which “pertaineth unto man.” I see women of your faith and beliefs wearing pants all the time and isn’t that “pertaineth unto men.” I want to leave you with one last bible scrip to think about. Luke 6:37 ESV “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. I am pretty sure with this blog you are going to HELL according to your bible /faith/beliefs. Looks like YOU have a lot to worry about rather than casting stones. I could go on-and-on about what your bible/faith states. Rather then do that I am going to pray for you because the FACTS show that your god/faith is very disappointed with you. Thank you, to my faith, Jesus, god that he accepts me for who I am. An open mind will set you free!"

Sacerdotus replies:

No one is hiding. If I were hiding I would not have confronted the deception Sue is presenting as Christianity. I did not "cherry pick." I used Scripture that explicitly challenges the views of Sue. The post was not meant to be an extensive Bible study. It solely addressed the Tweets she made.

I understand your anger and your need to pinpoint what you feel are discrepancies within the Judeo-Christian faith - I know first hand, I used to be an Atheist. However, your questions and misconceptions do have answers. In short, the verses you cite from the Old Testament deal with cultural external rituals, not religion or morals. See my "Evil Bible" blog. Jesus addressed this many times with the Pharisees who saw external laws and rites as equal to Spiritual and Moral laws.

Yes unfortunately divorce is legal and we see the negative consequences of it in society. However, just because a law is law does not make it moral. Suppose there existed a law to segregate homosexuals from heterosexuals, would that be moral just because it is law? No it would not. Laws must reflect the common good of all.

The verse in Luke deals with Rash Judgement. The Catholic Church defines it:

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.²⁷⁸ He becomes guilty:

- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

- of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;²⁷⁹

- of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:

Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.²⁸⁰

^-http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a8.htm

I made a blog post regarding this self-proclaimed minister's views on God and how He sees Homosexuality. It was not a judgment on her character. The latter is what you are doing to me by claiming that God is "disappointed in me" and that I need an open mind. You do not know me personally nor have a direct line to God to make such claims.

In my blog post, I attacked Sue's views. There is a big difference between attacking someone's views and that someone. Nevertheless, the LGBT community does seem to demonstrate tendencies of complex by believing that any disagreement or discussion that does not favor them is "bigotry" or "judgement." That is unfortunate and a violation of freedom of speech and common sense.

Not everyone is going to agree with you my friend. Those that do not are not judging you or are bigots. They are entitled to their views.

I "cast stones" at homosexuality, not homosexuals. Just like I "cast stones" at abortion, not abortion supporters and so on.

Thank you for your prayers. I will pray for you as well that the Lord will show you that "male and female" He created them and that sex does not define you, The Creator does.

I will preach Christ's Word when it is: "In season and out of season..." 2 Timothy 4:2

The Rainbow Delusion

2011-12-19T19:18:00.000-05:00

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. - Matthew 7:15

Our Lord was clear that there will be those who will present themselves as something good but in reality are deceivers. On Twitter a self proclaimed Homosexual "minister" of a Liberal sect attempted to present a contrarian position in regards to Homosexuality and how God views it. She claims that God accepts all, loves all and does not care about how people live their lives.

Is this really the case? Does God accept all? In 1 Cor. 6:9-11, St. Paul says:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

St. Paul is the man who was formerly known as Saul. He persecuted Christians until Christ appeared before him and converted him. (see Acts 9) So since Christ converted him and gave him a mandate, Paul's words are valid. Notice how he tells us who will not inherit the kingdom of God. He mentions effeminate and homosexual people. He continues that some of them lived those lifestyles but were 'washed, sanctified and justified in the Lord Jesus Christ and Spirit of God.' This basically means that among the people he was preaching to there were some who lived this sinful lifestyle. But, they changed- they converted and stopped.

God loves everyone yes, but He does not love Sin. Homosexuality is a lifestyle that causes great friction in the relationship between God and a Soul. It is one of the Sins that cries out to God for vengeance (Genesis 18:20). The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of the homosexual behavior among its citizens (Jude 5-7)

God Himself said it is an abomination (Lev. 18:22, 29) This does not sound like God accepts everyone and everything they do. In reality, God requires us to follow His Commandments and Will. Jesus taught us the Our Father prayer that says, "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." It is not about us, it is about God.

Jesus would never condone Homosexuality because it would go against the Word He gave us in the Scriptures. God is Truth, He cannot contradict Himself.

Ironically an Atheist brought to attention this "minister's" views and she responded by disregarding the Scripture - The Word of God!

This is disturbing. This minister no longer represents Christ. She represents herself. She loses credibility as a Christian. As Romans 1:25 says: "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." She exchanges the Truth of God for a lie. Her views serve homosexuals who are the creatures of the Creator and do not serve the Creator.

The Scriptures were written by men physically speaking, but inspired by the God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" It is sad that she disregards God's Word.

Jesus promised that the Church would not be lead to error by announcing that the Spirit of Truth will guide the Church and teach her what to say (Luke 12:12). The Catholic Church gave us the Bible, so since Jesus is God, Is the Truth and does not lie, then this minister rejects God's Truthfulness and Omnipotence by rejecting the Scriptures and His Church.

God is irrelevant according to her. The most important thing are the people.

Christianity is about Christ! The name "Christ" is at the beginning of it. It is not about the people or what the people think. It is about Christ and the Will of the Father (John 6:37-40).

She claims that I am a bigot for reminding her what God's will is. She calls it, the "Catholic way." This is not true. Judaism, Islam and many other faiths teach that Homosexuality is against God's will and nature. In Judaism, the Talmud says: "The earth quakes on account of the sin of homosexual acts. God said, ‘You made your genitals throb in an unnatural act. By your life, I shall shake the earth on account of the homosexual acts"

So if God spoke to the Hebrews and then came as Christ and formed the Catholic Church on Peter the Rock as the head with the Keys of the Kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19), then this is not just a "Catholic" way of things, but God's way.

To this minister, belief is not important.

Jesus says the opposite in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." God's will is important. We cannot walk around believing in God, doing whatever we want and expect to go to heaven. We must follow God's will. His will is that all be gathered in One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (Ephesians 4:5). We must belong to God's Catholic Church which is the pillar and foundation of the Truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

It is disturbing that this lady is preaching things that are not true. She is not a minister of Christ. She is a minister of relativism, and indifferentism. She preaches the Delusion of the Rainbow- that is to say, the distortion of God, Faith, Morals and Scripture in order to serve the created - Homosexual hedonism.

Do not be deceived! Many false prophets have gone into the world with the spirit of the Anti Christ attempting to lead many away from God. They create a false Jesus, a false God. A God who does not care about sin and just loves everyone even if they do evil. This is not the Real Jesus or God. This is god in their image. Test every one (1 John 4:1).

Take the advice from Galatians 1:8:

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!"

Let us pray for this Sue who deceives herself and others by preaching a gospel that is not of Christ nor the one Christ sent the Apostles to preach. Homosexuality will never be a good in a the eyes of God. Many will try to distort God's word in order to justify this lifestyle, do not believe them.

Say no to the Rainbow Delusion and Yes to God's Word.

Contact her and let her know that her views do not represent the Judaeo-Christian God and His Sacred Scripture:
revsue@reverendsue.com

Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011

2011-12-19T02:10:00.001-05:00

On December 15, 2011 the world lost a great writer and intellectual. He was very articulate, and very polemical. His name was Christopher Hitchens.

A self professed Atheist, Hitchens wrote on God, religion, politics and other issues. He criticized Bill Clinton and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta on numerous occasions. Hitchens described Mother Teresa as a "Fanatic, fundamentalist and fraud."

He was a great debater, but had some embarrassing debates with Cardinal George Pell and Theologian Dr. William L. Craig. In the later debate, Hitchens stumbles, at one point starts messing around with his equipment out of nervousness and in an attempt to stall for time. The audience even laughs at his response. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uvKH5qisgg&feature=player_embedded#!)

While he was a great writer and intellectual, his approach was a bit harsh. There are ways one can present one's ideas without being offensive or angry. Atheism often increases egoism in an exaggerated manner. Atheists walk about believing that they or science have some knowledge that religious people do not. They "know" God does not exists, they "know" the universe just happened to appear out of nowhere etc etc. This is of course wishful thinking. It perpetuates their intellectual dishonesty and embarrasses rationalism.

Hitchens criticized Mother Teresa but never once lifted a finger to help the poorest of the poor, as she called them. He was all about "humanism" but never helped any human like Mother Teresa did.

Atheists often claim that "Two working hands accomplishes much more than a thousand hands clasped in prayer" yet there is no Atheist out there doing as Mother Teresa did. There are no charitable Atheist organisations on Earth! Yet they are "for Humanity."

To support Atheism, Hitchens used the same circular arguments Atheists have used for centuries. "Religion is evil and it starts wars, "it is hypocritical," "it is superstitious," bla bla bla. All this is said with a certain confidence but lacks evidence. Hitchens' apologia for Atheism can be summed up in two words: Ad Hominem.

As with many Atheists that I have encountered both when I was one and now, they only offer anger, insults, and contrarian responses to support their "reason." Atheism is just an opium created to appease the contrarian.

I pray for Christopher Hitchens. He was just a lost soul attempting to seek answers regarding God by using his harsh Atheism as a mask for that hunger. Now I am sure he believes in God. It must have been an awkward moment meeting the person you denied for so long. He went from "God is not great" to "Wow God is great." :)

No one should make rash judgements on whether he ended up in hell or not. God is extremely merciful and we don't know what happened at those last seconds of life on Earth. Jesus forgave the thief on the Cross, He will surely forgive an Atheist.

May Christopher Hitchens rest in peace. Despite his religious bigotry, we can all admire his intellect and positive contribution to humanity.

Tebowing Students

2011-12-18T03:32:00.004-05:00

Students at a New York high school were suspended due to "Tebowing." For those of you who do not know what this is, it is an imitation of the Denver Bronco's Football player Tim Tebow's prayer pose. Tebow, a devote Christian often gets on one knee with a cletched hand to his forehead. He does this in order to pray and thank God for whatever happened on the field during the game.

Anyhow, students at this high school made this pose in the hallways causing a crowd and were suspended. I believe the school went too far. With so many bad influences on the youth these days and bad role models in popular culture and sports, I don't see anything wrong with making a prayer stance.

I understand the school's explanation of "it is a safety" issue; however, from my own experience years ago in high school I remember other students doing foolish things and causing a "traffic jam" in the halls too and they were not disciplined.

The school should erase this suspension and apologize to the students and their families. Kudos to Tim Tebow for being a great witness to Christ in the sport of Football.

Source: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7357978/high-school-athletes-suspended-tebowing

Genus Corvus just Crows...

2011-12-18T02:12:00.000-05:00

Since Summer 2011 this young man @atheistcrow has engaged me on Twitter. I have offered to entertain his inquiries on Facebook using the Discussions app which was discontinued on Oct 31st. He did not want to follow through.

Recently for the last 2 weeks or so I have invited him here and all he does is dilly dally. He claims I am a liar, and a fraud with no basis whatsoever.

He is supposedly a man of reason, yet insists on using Twitter to discuss a heavy topic such as God knowing that Twitter puts users in "Jail" after a certain amount of tweets as this parody Twitter accounts shows Twitter Jail.

I can logically conclude that this kid is either a troll looking for attention, or does not have the intellectual confidence to discuss with me his issues with God and religion on a forum that is permanent and visible to all.

Scared....

There is no "timeline" here that erases old tweets, nor any blocking features. What you post stays. Perhaps that is the reason why he is timorous?

"God Particle"

2011-12-14T00:56:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday December 13, 2011 Physicists at the CERN made a big announcement regarding the elusive "Higgs Boson" or "God Particle."

This particle is believed to be what gives mass to the entire universe. Yes "believed" to be.. ironic right? Isn't "belief" a religious and superstitious concept? Not at all. Science and Faith are based on belief.

Anyhow, the LHC or Large Hadron Collider was activated to see if evidence of this particle can be observed.

Some hints were found but not enough to exceed the 3.0 Sigma requirement for data to be considered true evidence. Sigma as we know is a Statistical calculation. The detectors within the Collider are called ATLAS and CMS. ATLAS produced a calulation of 2.3 Sigma while CMS produced a 1.9. If a calculation of 5.0 Sigma is reached, then that is considered a discovery. Physicists were hoping for the latter.

The search continues. This particle is important because it will give more substance to the Standard Model, or a theory of how everything (matter, particles, energy -electromagnetic, nuclear) is held together and how it works in unison. It is basically a "blueprint" of the material universe.

From a Faith perspective, this will show empirically that the universe from the largest object to the smallest particle is organized intelligently. Chance is not a factor in this at all. These particles were not floating around and then one day just decided to collect and work with each other the way they do to form the universe and life.

This particle can help Science not only learn about the Universe, but also see the design behind it and how it has purpose or intention and was not created by accident.

I hope on the next attempt, we will get a 5.0 Sigma. Physics has always fascinated me since I was a child. What is the point of learning about Biology, Psychology, Math, Geology etc. if we do not know what makes everything and holds it together? It is the foundation of existence in the material sense. We need to know!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

2011-12-12T02:41:00.002-05:00

Today is December 12 and we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and of Unborn Children.

The Blessed Mother Mary in 1531 appeared to an indigenous man named Juan Diego. While coming home from Mass, as he walked he heard the voice of a young girl calling him "Juanito." He approached Tepeyac hill and saw this young girl wearing a pink robe with a green mantle. She was beautiful and radiant as the sun.

She asked Juan Diego to go to the Franciscan Bishop Juan Zumarraga and request that a Church be built on the spot. Diego did as told but the Bishop's workers did not allow him to see the Bishop at first. When he was granted permission to speak to the Bishop, the Bishop did not believe him. Juan Diego again went to the young lady and told her but she insisted once again that a Church be built.

The Bishop had been praying to the Blessed Mother for help because the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs and were treating them harshly. This treatment made it hard for the Church to covert the natives from Paganism to Catholicism. Juan Diego visited the Bishop again and told him, but the Bishop requested a sign or proof.

Juan Diego learned that his uncle was ill and was dying.

He went to see him to care for him. The next day he was going to see his uncle and avoided going to see this young lady but she appeared before him telling him not to worry that his uncle will be healed and reassured him by saying, "am I not here who am your Mother?" So Juan Diego met her at the usual spot and she told Juan Diego to pick roses from a nearby bush.

It was not the season for roses to bloom so it was strange to find beautiful roses present where she directed him to. He took the roses in his Tilma or cloak that the Aztecs wore and brought them to her. She touched them, arranged them and told Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and show him.

He innocently obeyed and went to see the Bishop. Once there, he told the Bishop that he has the sign. The Bishop and others looked on. He told the Bishop what happened and then let go of the roses. As the roses fell, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared. The Bishop and all present fell to their knees.

It was true! The Blessed Virgin Mary did appear and the Bishop promised to build a Church which is there today. This took place 480 years ago. News of this spread and millions of Pagan Aztecs were converted. Mexico now is one of the largest Catholic nations.

This is awesome because Jesus used His Mother and a simple uneducated indigenous man to covert his own people. Jesus did not need an intelligent theologian or skilled apologists.

The tilma has defied skeptics and atheists throughout the centuries. Studies have shown that there was no paint used. No coloring from minerals, animal or plants was found. There are also no sketches or brush strokes. This is according to Nobel Chemistry prize Chemist, Richard Kuhn. Physicists and other textile experts cannot explain why this image did not fade, wear down or decompose despite being 400 years old and exposed to humidity, dust, heat and other elements.

Studies were also done on the eyes and they were discovered to contain the images of Bishop Zumarraga, other Franciscans and Aztecs. It is though the image were an actual photograph of a real person with the reflection of what her eyes looked upon as the image was taken.

A few years ago, Hilary Clinton visited the Shrine and placed flowers. She then asked, "Who painted this image?" The Priest replied, "God."

This image is powerful then and even today. The Aztecs who saw this image realized that this young girl wears the constellations which they worshiped! She wears the Sun and stands on the moon, other natural objects they worshiped. So she is basically more powerful than their 'gods.' She literally OWNS THEM!

But, she has her head in a bow position showing there is someone more powerful than her and that is God, the real God. The name "Guadalupe" comes from the Aztec word that means "who crushes the serpent." The Aztec's principle god was "Quetzalcoatl" who was depicted as a serpent. From Genesis we read that Satan is depicted as a serpent and the Woman and her offspring will crush his head. Interesting right?

It is also interesting to note that the black bow she is wearing is what was used by the natives to show a woman was with child. So in this image, she is pregnant with Jesus Christ! This is why she is invoked under this title when praying for an end to abortion.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for the Americas, the Mexican people and especially for the Unborn. May she help end abortion just like she helped end the Pagan religion of the Aztecs which sacrificed babies to false gods.

May she bring many to conversion here and abroad in a world where empirical evidence is requested for faith to be accepted. She gave proof then, may She continue to give proof now.

Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of Life,
We honor you as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Thank you for pointing us to Jesus your Son,
The only Savior and hope of the world.

Renew our hope in him,
That we all may have the courage to say Yes to life,
And to defend those children in danger of abortion.

Give us your compassion
To reach out to those tempted to abort,
And to those suffering from a past abortion.

Lead us to the day when abortion
Will be a sad, past chapter in our history.

Keep us close to Jesus, the Life of the World,
Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

(http://www.priestsforlife.org/novenas/our-lady-of-guadalupe-novena.htm)

Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T01:21:00.000-05:00

Today is December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is a Holy Day of Obligation where Catholics must attend Mass as if it were a Sunday.

On this day we celebrate the Immaculate Conception: The Blessed Virgin Mary who was conceived without Original Sin or the Sin of Adam and Eve.

The Blessed Mother was not tarnished by this Sin because of the Redemptive act of Christ which transcends space and time. Jesus died on the Cross for all: those in the past, present and future.

The effects of this act transcended time in a special way and spared the Blessed Mother who from the very beginning was chosen to be the bearer of the one who will crush the serpent's head.(Genesis 3:15)

We need to thank the genius of Franciscan Friar Duns Scotus who articulately formulated this idea that eventually became Dogma.

The Dominican order with St. Thomas Aquinas had issue with this idea. Even St. Bonaventure, another Franciscan also has his disagreements. Nevertheless, Duns Scotus' idea was proven to be in line with Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Jesus is the new Adam and Mary is the new Eve. Together they restore Creation to the perfection that existed before the Fall of Adam and Eve. The Blessed Virgin Mother Mary is very important to the Catholic Church. She represents humanity and what we can become if we follow her Son Christ.

May Our Blessed Lady pray for us, guide us and teach us how to follow her Son.

Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing;
You reign now in splendor with Jesus our King.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!

In heaven, the blessed your glory proclaim;
On earth we, your children, invoke your sweet name.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!

We pray for the Church, our true Mother on earth,
And beg you to watch o'er the land of our birth.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!

Fireworks at Macy's

2011-12-08T00:51:00.001-05:00

A worker was fired for not allowing a transvestite to use a ladies' changing room. The worker described the customer as a 'man in women's clothing and with makeup.'

Macy's ordered the worker to allow this man to use the room and she refused on religious grounds. After that defiance, she was let go.

This is unfortunate and the reality of what is coming in a world where the LGBT is allowed to run its "theater of the absurd" as the article below quotes.

We live in a time where people are just confused. No one knows what a male or female is anymore. This is scary! It is borderline insanity and delusional.

How on Earth can anyone allow a man dressed as a woman to enter a private area where real women are changing? What is to stop a pervert from dressing up to peep a show in the dressing room - or worst, sexually assault a woman?

Recently, thieves dressed themselves as women to steal from a handbag store. (http://ghanapolitics.net/World-News/thieves-caught-on-camera-dressing-in-womens-clothes-to-steal-designer-handbags.html)

As a Psychology major, I ask myself: What ever happened to "Gender Dysphoria?" (http://dsm5.org/proposedrevision/Pages/GenderDysphoria.aspx) It is described as a mental disorder in the DSM or the  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Enough with the LGBT absurdities! A male is a male and a female is a female!


Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/macys-employee-fired-transgender_n_1133831.html?ref=gay-voices&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%7C118351

'Morning-after pill'

2011-12-08T00:26:00.001-05:00

The Secretary of Health and Human services rejected a proposal by the FDA to make the so-called 'Morning-after' abortificient available over-the-counter.

I almost fell out of my seat when I heard of this knowing how pro-abortion this current administration is.

I wish this pill would disappear for good, but it is what it is. This pill is dangerous. It not only alters a woman's biology or destroys human life, but it also gives the okay for young girls to be promiscuous.

Decades ago, pregnancy and disease used to scare the heck out of anyone thinking of having sex before marriage. Now with all these chemicals more and more young people are skipping marriage in place of promiscuity. This is unfortunate and we now see the rise in infections, abortions and discord within the family as a result.

I hope more and more women are educated on the dangers of messing with nature by using chemicals to alter the body's chemistry. When will we learn that 'playing God' does not help us advance?

We must work hard to change this culture of death that sees pregnancy and children as an evil or a "problem."

Source:
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/07/morning-after-pill-to-stay-prescription-only-for-girls-under-17/

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/us_med_morning_after_pill

The Jasper Crumbles

2011-12-07T01:46:00.001-05:00

On @auragasmic's blog, Tweeter @JasperLafleur comments to my reply. My response is in black.
(http://auragasmic.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/the-logic-bomb/#comments)

JasperLafleurSeptember 2, 2011 at 9:15 pm #

<<Hi Beth! First off, I’m glad you took the time to bother with this tripe, every time I think about doing a blog about it I just can’t stop laughing. I think you made a lot of cogent points, especially since this was so short notice. Anyway, I wrote some comments as I was reading, and I thought you/other readers might find them useful. I’ll probably write a post eventually, but why not make them public now…Sorry it’s long
……………………………
“Innocent life”–Does he even realize words have meanings? You can’t be “innocent” unless you also have the capacity to be conscious, unless we’re going to call rocks innocent now.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

It is obvious that Jasper never uses a dictionary. The very definition of innocent debunks his comment, see (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innocent) The word is used not only for human beings but also for animals. Recently, NJ is getting heat from pro animal activists who feel it is wrong to hunt "innocent" bears. A living thing does not need to have consciousness to be innocent. Innocence, if Jasper reads the definition, merely means "freedom from guilt."(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innocence) This can apply to anyone or anything.

<<Slavery comparisons, really? I’m surprised he didn’t also bring up the Holocaust. Is it that hard to understand there is a difference between denying people personhood because of racism (when other ppl who are essentially the same ie white people, are given PH) and being a NON-person (ie zef never have PH to begin with, and no other special class of zef is accorded PH because they’re superior)? This analogy falls flat every time which I’ve told him; I got no response. Also, even when abortion was illegal it never carried the charge of murder, and a fetus was not considered a person at any point.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

I brought up Slavery because that was what the original blogger wrote about in her quote. Jasper erroneously assumes that the unborn are not persons. No Biology, Embryology or Psychology text would claim such an idea. Not even laws explicitly state this! I have mentioned the Unborn's Victim act to Jasper on Twitter in response to his play on the word murder and to date no response. The only thing that falls flat is Jasper's ability to think critically. If he gets past his pro-choice filter and see facts as they are in an objective manner, he will come to realize the truth.

<<Funny how he wants to even argue for fetal personhood since he’s all about science and PH is a MORAL question which is essentially unanswerable. I brought this up to him. No response.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Personhood is not a moral question. This is an issue that concerns philosophy, psychology and religion.

<<“Men, women, and children born or unborn are equal” Um, no, where is this to be found? The Declaration of Independence doesn’t say so, nor the Constitution. If you wanted to be picky, nowhere in our original founding documents were anyone but born white land-owning men considered people. So we’re not equal to the unborn legally. How about developmentally? Nope. Morally? I thought this was supposed to be science based? Not to mention abortion was widely practiced during the drafting of our Constitution.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

The ignorance of Jasper is not surprising. Pro-abortion advocates often disregard our most cherished documents. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

(http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/doi/text.html)

The rest of his common further demonstrates his ignorance of legalese and history

<<Unfair to makes these rights exclusive to the born? See here he his purposely avoiding the fact that black slaves and women are not attached to anyone. They are not encroaching on anyone’s body. There is no reason to disallow them PH because of sexism and racism used for economic profit. Their PH doesn’t conflict or threaten the PH of anyone else. The unborn are inside a person who DOES have undeniable and unquestionable PH. You cannot have 2 equal beings, one inside the other. Someone always has veto power.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Reproduction is the only way in which new organisms come into this world. People do not just appear out of nowhere. People in order to be people must be conceived in nature. Jasper seems to think that the born person has more value than the unborn. This is not so. Both are persons, both are lifeforms who exist due to the natural function of life that brings forth life: reproduction. This is where the delusion becomes disturbing. There is no mother on Earth except one suffering of mental illness who avoids protecting her unborn child.

<<Also, his “biological design/preg is natural” argument falls flat every time because it employs the naturalistic fallacy ie. just because something is “natural” it doesn’t follow that it is also “good”. (also deals with the descriptive =/=normative, and the “is-ought” problem). I mentioned all of these things to him and got no response. Also, what is with the rape victim-blaming?>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Jasper misapplies the term "naturalistic fallacy." This fallacy describes an attempt to justify the good in something because it appears natural. By his thinking, attempts to link homosexuality to nature is a fallacy. Homosexuals claim that it is found in nature among other species, so therefore it is normal and good.

He misses the point that the biological design/pregnancy entails the final good in the act of reproduction. Reproduction is not assumed to be a good, it is a good in itself because of the final cause it brings that is necessary for life to exist.

<<This whole “sex is only for biological reproduction” is also probably the naturalistic fallacy. The whole point of societal advancement is that we can move past mere biology and nature to take control of our lives, destinies, and desires. And his precious biology also fails if you know anything about female anatomy. How does he explain the fact that the clitoris is the only organ in existence meant solely for pleasure? He doesn’t, besides relegating it to the trash bin by calling it “just a sensor.” Really what he is saying is that female sexuality needs to be controlled and if a filthy dirty slut gets pregnant she needs to suffer.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Again, he misapplies the naturalistic fallacy. Sex, pregnancy, nutrition, eating, breathing - these all are natural functions that lead to a final good: existence/life. There is nothing fallacious in reminding the blogger of this reality. Jasper is expounding on points I never addressed. I commented on a blog that made specific points on specific things. Hence, I commented using appropriate material related to the blog.

How we live our lives or how society defines living was not covered in the blog so I do not see why he feels the need to address it. The clitoris is not made for pleasure. The Clitoris is merely a sensor. Some might describe the sensations within it as pleasure, but this is not the function. Our definition of the sensation is not what is really going on scientifically speaking.

One can eat chocolate and feel "pleasure" once it hits the taste buds; however, the function of taste buds is to tell the brain what substance it is encountering in the mouth. It is not for "feeling the pleasure" of food. There are also those who find pleasure in pain. Is that what pain is for? No of course not. Those persons just define the experience and function of pain as pleasure. I for one like to call an Apple Apple and Orange Orange.

<<In the paragraph about Professor Seller and the requirements for PH, he willfully ignores the fact that there’s a difference between being CAPABLE of something and DOING it all the time. Fetuses are never capable of responsibility and moral judgements, we are but that doesn’t mean we have to BE moral/responsible 24/7.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Jasper also forgets that infants and children also are not capable of responsibility or moral judgement. We can also include those with mental illness. Are they persons? According to Jasper they are not. Perhaps if we were moral and responsible 24/7 we would not need abortion and other evil things to cover up "mistakes."

<<Then we have rape blaming of the highest order. I suggest we tell rapists not to rape. *headdesk* Does he even realize that men like him are what keep rape culture moving along smoothly? Of course, he’d probably deny its existence all together.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Jasper misinterprets the comments made regarding rape and the burglar analogy used. Again, he filters everything through the pro choice rhetoric rendering his rationality invalid.

<<Then we have our menstrual cycles–does he even know that that can be halted through a variety of measures, both temporarily and permanently? That medicine has in fact freed us from our cycles? Probably not since he is disgusted by BC.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

This is inaccurate and has been addressed in a previous post. See (http://sacerdotvs.blogspot.com/2011/10/personhood-prochoices-weapon-of.html)

<<Then we have the funny feminists “invented” bodily autonomy meme. Really? Hello, it’s in the 14 amendment/Due process clause, a derivative of privacy. This shit isn’t made up, nor did we invent it. The need for bodily integrity is also the foundation of bioethics and medical informed consent.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Bodily autonomy is not mentioned in the 14th Amendment. What country do you live in? I am in the United States buddy. :) You cannot add to the Constitution what is not there. That is intellectually dishonest.

<<If he wanted to understand our emphasis on Body Integrity he’d research any number of things I’ve told him about. The fight for BI doesn’t happen in a vacuum but rather is a reaction to a lack of it. He remains willfully ignorant about the loss of humanity of pregnant women through practices such as twilight sleep/”The Cruelty of Maternity Wards”, shackling pregnant women in labor, forced sterilization of Native and Black women–which Native women were suffering from until the SEVENTIES, forced/court ordered c sections, women being arrested for attempting home births/VBACs, women having hospitals legally remove custody of newborns when the mother tried to implement her right to informed consent of her medical care, the USAs eugenics program which sterilized “promiscuous” women, the era of “hysteria”/wandering womb, and the belief that Postpartum Depression is just craziness a la “The Yellow Wallpaper.”>>

Sacerdotus comments:

This comment is irrelevant to the original blog I commented on.

<<Pregnancy, whether wanted or unwanted makes many women 2nd class citizens, which is exacerbated by class and race, as I’m sure you can imagine. He says that zef and woman are “equal” and precedence is never given to the fetus, yet that is actually impossible, and it’s not how these beliefs play out in real life. If the zef isn’t taking priority, how do you explain fetal PH/heartbeat laws, sonogram laws even when the pregnancy is because of rape (and early sonograms must be performed vaginally), arbitrary and burdensome counseling/wating period laws, shutting done PPs all over the country which provide WOMEN with healthcare?>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Pregnancy does not make any woman a second class citizen. It makes her into a powerful citizen. A citizen who maintains the population of a nation! I do not see pregnancy as a weakness, but a strength. If women all over the globe refuse to have sex and bear children, what will happen? It will be the end of the species. Ironically, wives withhold sex in order to keep their husbands in check. :)

Jasper's idea of feminism degrades woman. It makes a woman a slave to a rhetoric that is against science and human life. It forces her to make decisions based on the idea that she is weak.

<<Frankly it’s laughable that he rails against the very concept of BI without even being educated as to WHY women are pissed off about their bodies being dominated by intrusive laws and practices.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Not all women share this strange idea of "BI." This idea stems from the radical feminist ideology which brainwashes women into thinking they are victims of man. It puts woman against man, woman against child, woman against the family, woman against reason and faith, and woman against herself.

<<Is he aware of WHY medicine was taken from the hands of female healers and given to men? Ever heard of the women’s holocaust/the Burning Times? It was quite simple really, call them all witches and then exterminate them. Ever heard of The Witches Hammer, an instruction manual for rounding up witches by the church? It was quite lucrative for the Church actually, as they got all the woman’s property to pay for her trial and execution. And what exactly were these women guilty of? Giving out contraception, being sexually liberated, and performing abortions.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Again, this is irrelevant to the original blog. Jasper is going on a rant.

<<How about why abortion was criminalized in the first place? Sacerdotus would probably have us believe that it was because society was so much more moral back then, and they knew the fetus was a person and abortionists were evil murderers. Nope, one of the biggest reasons was because midwives, against the odds, were coming back. They were the male doctors biggest source of competition so their practice was outlawed.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

This is not true. Abortion has always been seen as immoral in many cultures. Catholicism which basically built the west as we know it has always spoken out against this crime against humanity. We are talking about a human life here, not a procedure.

Would you punch a pregnant woman in the stomach? Would you let a pregnant woman stand in a bus or subway train or offer her a seat? A normal person would never punch a pregnant woman because he/she knows the woman has a child within and it is immoral to hurt that child or the woman. Moreover, a normal and polite person would offer a seat to a pregnant woman on a bus or train. Why? Because she is carrying 2 bodies!

Abortion is the intentional killing of a human life in the womb. No matter how pro choice tries to sugar coat this, the reality stands. Hitler said that if one takes a lie and repeats it over and over people will believe it, well abortion is that lie today.

<<The point is, this stuff has a history. Things are the way the are, good or bad, for a REASON. Women’s anger and angst surrounding their bodies doesn’t happen in a vacuum, nor did it occur out of the blue. Most of this history is lost on many people today, but it is the prologue to the unjust practices and preg/abortion debates raging today.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

Regardless of the history, evil will always be evil. We cannot allow this injustice to continue.

<<If he can look at history flowing into the present day, and how pregnant women and women who want to terminate are STILL treated, even how midwives are still stigmatized, and not see a connection or how this entire prioritization of the zef harms women, than he’s a lost cause. This is why he will always lose this debate, because he fails to take into consideration the sociological and historical context of both pregnancy and abortion. It will never center solely on science, even thogh it would be convenient for him if it did, because women aren’t fighting to regain equality while pregnant, we’re still fighting to gain it in the first place.>>

Sacerdotus comments:

The only debate is life vs death. Abortion is the intentional killing of an unborn child. You are desensitized to this, which is scary. Your idea puts the mother against the child. The child is seen as a problem or disease. You preach tokophobia, while I preach the beauty of motherhood and human life. No human life is dispensable, born or unborn.

I understand very well the sociological and historical context of both pregnancy and abortion, that is why I speak out. Death is not a solution to anything. If you are Pro Abortion then you cannot speak out against the death penalty, it would be hypocrisy.

Santa is Real!

2011-12-06T02:50:00.000-05:00

We all grew up hearing about Santa Claus. Did you know he was real? Well not in the "jolly elf" sense, but as in a Saint.

St. Nicholas of Myra is the man that is represented by the caricature "Santa Claus." Born around 342, St. Nicholas was the Bishop in Myra which is in modern day Turkey.

He lived the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity well. He would secretly go to homes and leave bags of coins and food for the poor. People would leave their shoes outside so he could drop a coin into them. He was known as the "Wonder Worker" for the many miracles Our Lord granted through him. The name "Santa Claus" comes from the Dutch, "Sinter Klaas."

During Christmas, families should reflect on this great man's life and virtues. We should imitate his faith, hope and works of love by giving to those in need.

Christmas is about the Birth of Christ, but is also a reminder that Christ must be born daily in our hearts. We must carry out His words to Love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourselves just as St. Nicholas did.

We should help others, especially those in need. We should give to others not to get something in return, but out of complete generosity and love.

His feast day is on December 6. He is the Patron Saint of Children, Pawnbrokers and Bakers.

God, Our Father, we pray that through the intercession of St. Nicholas You will protect our children. Keep them safe from harm and help them grow and become worthy in Your sight. Give them strength to keep their Faith in You; and to keep alive their joy in Your creation. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Goldilocks Found

2011-12-05T20:48:00.000-05:00

NASA has discovered a planet "Kepler-22" in the "Goldilocks" zone, or the zone in an orbit that is hospitable to life.

In this zone, the possibility of water and life supporting temperatures can exist. This is the zone where the planet Earth resides at in the Solar System.

This is exciting news; however the planet is 600 light years away which is about 3,527,175,223,910,164.5 Miles away from Earth.

Needless to say, the planet is not 10 hours away. Even with Captain Picard's fictional Starship Enterprise or Admiral Janeway's Voyager, it will take a while to get there.

That is the sad part about Astronomy. We learn so much, we observe so much, but most likely we will never be able to go to the places we find or observe.

God show us how to do it please! :)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-telescope-confirms-alien-planet-habitable-zone-162005358.html

HIV-Positive Student

2011-12-05T01:05:00.000-05:00

A young 13 year old boy was denied admission to a Boarding school in Hersey, Pennsylvania because he is HIV Positive.

This news is causing a big debate regarding HIV and the youth. Should kids with HIV be allowed into Boarding schools?

Well according to the Milton Hersey Boarding school the answer is no. The school claims that this young child is a health threat to other students. Being that students live at the school, officials fear that this young student will have sexual relations with other students and contaminate them with the HIV virus.

While I applaud the school for making an effort to protect the students, I feel they have gone a bit too far.

First their presumption that these kids will be sexually active is exaggerated.
Second, HIV is not spread with a sneeze, handshake or any common physical contact.
Third, the "HIV Cocktail" is known to prevent the HIV virus from making a home in the immune system if taken after sexual relations with someone who is infected. However, the rate of success is about 95%. Nevertheless it is still effective.

I hope this school will allow this student to enter and not give him anymore trouble. HIV is still a serious infection, but education is the best way to defeat it. We can control it now better than we did in the 1980's.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/hiv-student-denied-admission-hershey-school/story?id=15074075#.TtxbFrIr27s

Pay day for Cuomo

2011-12-04T16:57:00.000-05:00

Governor of NY, Andrew Cuomo when elected immediately pushed for the legalization of so-called "Gay Marriage" in New York State. Now it is not a surprise that he had people of the Gay agenda offer him money on the side. He is a politician right? Politicians help those who pay them.

"Gay Marriage" was legalized in July of 2011 in a quick manner that had political pundits baffled. Rules and other procedures were ignored and thrown out during this process. Senator Ruben Diaz, the sole Democrat to vote no is going after the State in courts for this. He is joined by other groups as well in the lawsuit. Eventually these so-called marriages will be suspended or banned just like in California.

Well now Mr. Cuomo has received his pay check from the Gay agenda. It is sad that this man who was elected on the premise that he would get "New York Going Again" would focus on an issue that concerns less than a million New Yorkers.

New Yorkers are struggling to pay rent, find jobs, pay tuition and this guy just focuses on marriage rights for a subculture? You have got to be kidding me! Then again, he is a politician and money talks.

I hope Archbishop Dolan and the other NY Bishops will deny him Holy Communion. He is living with a woman and is not married, he supports Abortion and now helped legalize "Gay Marriage." He represents immorality, not the people of New York.

Mr. Cuomo must learn that if he is to be a true Catholic he cannot serve God and man. He cannot support good and evil.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/nyregion/cuomo-fund-fills-with-money-from-thankful-gay-donors.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Herman Cain

2011-12-04T16:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Dec. 3, 2011 Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain threw in the towel. After weeks of allegations made against him, and now a woman claiming to have had a 13 yr affair with him, he ended his campaign.

He claims that the attention from the allegations is taking away from his campaign and donations are going down. Cain was the only candidate to have a detailed economic plan entitled the "999" plan. It is unfortunate that he had to bow out because of these allegations. Anyone considering public office should know that skeletons in the closet will eventually come to light.

I pray for him and his family that they get through this. I also pray for his supporters that they do not get discouraged and stay home during the elections. We need a strong leader who is intelligent, Pro-Life, Pro-family, Pro-Marriage and who is financially savvy.

Wolves in Shepherd's Clothing

2011-12-03T17:04:00.001-05:00

I really don't like to comment on individual priests who have fallen from grace; however, many have asked my take on it. After reading fallen Catholic priest, Alberto Cutie's blog on the Huffington Post, (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/father-alberto-cutie/missing-gone-or-just-elim_b_968201.html)

I decided to write something here since my comment on the Huffington Post was never posted.

The Priest is a man who is supposed to be "another Christ." This of course is in a Sacramental sense. The man does not become Jesus literally. He just participates in the priesthood of Christ. Jesus is the priest.

It is like someone buying a franchise in the McDonalds corporation. The purchaser did not create the brand or owns it, he or she merely pays to use the brand to make money. The Priesthood is almost the same in that the powers of the Priest do not belong to the ordained man, they are Christ's and the ordained man merely participates in that power or office acting in Jesus' place.

In the blog, Mr. Cutie lists some priests who have been involved in scandals. He insinuates that they "disappeared" after their respective scandals broke out.

He goes on bashing the Catholic Church and basically points a finger at its leaders and the way the Church operates.

He includes Fr. Frank Pavone which is strange because he is a priest in good standing. His Bishop called him back to function as a priest in the Diocese of Amarillo. He was never accused of any wrong doing.

This is not the first time Fr. Pavone has had disputes with his bishop. In New York, he was at odds with Cardinal Egan's request to put him back in parish work. Fr. Pavone feels called to solely dedicate his priesthood ministry to the preach the Gospel of Life in the Pro-life cause.

John Corapi and the facts of his story are still not complete so it is hard to make a conclusion regarding him. Supposed texts were found and what not, but we have not seen them. His order claims he was living the high life with women, but no real proof was shown, just a statement of this.

In any case, it is suspicious that he left the priesthood and remained in the complex he build which is worth millions and generates millions. It is also strange that after the statement by the SOTL order, he seemed to have quieted down his defensive stance. Only God knows what is really going on with him.

Ironically, Cutie does not include himself in the blog: surprise surprise. This is a case of the "pot calling kettle," so to speak. Cutie as we all know was photographed on a beach with a woman. Now this seems harmless right? Well yes and no. There is nothing wrong with a man having a woman for company. She might be a relative, friend or even co-worker. However, when that man is an ordained Catholic priest and is kissing that women, then there is a problem.

Priests make promises to live a celibate life. Religious priests take vows to live in chastity and celibacy. Now these promises and vows are made to God through His Church. Any priest who breaks them offends God and the Church. They have value in that they are directed towards God.

No man should even consider the priesthood if he cannot handle it. It is not an easy life. This life is only for the Spiritually, Emotionally and Intellectually mature- and not in any specific order, each must be present equally. This is why discernment is important. Unfortunately some vocation directors are quick to accept any guy who smiles and seems nice. That cannot be done. Many do this to get as many in as possible.

It must be quality over quantity. An inquirer must be 100% sure he wants to enter the priesthood and can live up to its high standards. Vocation directors must be keen on spotting the real inquirer from the "wishy washy" one. Men with homosexual tendencies should not even be on the table for discussion. This is not an attack or discrimination against homosexual men, but a reflection of reality. A homosexual man is expected to live with other men. Is he strong enough to control his tendencies? A Diocese or Religious order cannot wait till a scandal breaks out to find out. The same applies to heterosexual men.

Cutie was a DJ, so I read. He was young when he entered and quickly rose to fame as a priest in the media. Now, had I been director of vocations in Miami, I would have questioned his sincerity. Having a career as a DJ is not a bad thing, but comes off as juvenile. It is a job for those who like to party and enjoy musical atmospheres which is characteristic of the youth. To a vocations director, this can demonstrate that the candidate is still immature.

Mr. Cutie himself said that he was young and changed a lot which eventually lead to his abandonment of Christ's Church. He said, "I am not the same man I was when I entered the seminary 22 years ago." (http://archivo.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=1941584) In that same interview he says a very male chauvinistic thing: "under the cassock there are pants" implying masculinity is based on wearing pants. He is making the priesthood out to be about the ordained man and his gender, not Christ.

He was labeled "Father Oprah" by the media in a sublime attempt to mock the priesthood and Cutie himself. Fame can corrupt people. We hear of the many celebrities who do crazy things after gaining it. It is also a cash cow. It was not a surprise that Mr. Cutie would write a book about his life after the scandals. His intention became obvious that he was using the Catholic Church to make a name for himself and money. Now he bashes the Church in a memoir and in interviews. He recently attempted a new Talk show which flopped in ratings and was cancelled faster than one can flip a switch.

People despise hypocrisy. People know he is using the image of the priest to make money. A priest needs to be real with God, himself and the people. He needs to be authentic. Cutie, Corapi and others have failed in doing this. They were at war within themselves living double lives.

In Physics, anti matter and matter when coming in contact will annihilated one another. The same of spirituality and anti spirituality. As Jesus said, "One cannot serve two masters, either he will hate one or love one. One cannot serve God and money." - Matthew 6:24

Unfortunately the priesthood being spiritually based is susceptible to those who are opportunistic, ambitious and perverted. This is not what the priesthood is about. It is not about the man, but Christ.

A man lays down before the altar showing he is laying his life down. He rises up, gets his hands anointed and the imposition of hands showing that he no longer lives but Christ like St. Paul says, "It is not I who live, but Christ living in me." -Galatians 2:20 Once ordained it is all about Christ and His Church.

It is sad to hear of the scandals priests get involved in whether sexual, adulterous, homosexual, pedophile, ephebophile, financial, theft, drugs, even murder.

This is what happens when a man leaves Christ out of his life. When the priesthood is used to obtain power, fame and glory. When the priesthood becomes a mere job -a mere career - and not a way of life in Christ, then anything can happen.

I wasn't surprised to learn about Mr. Cutie's fall. I met him briefly at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City after the funeral Mass of Latin singer Celia Cruz. I won't share my impressions of him nor what other priests and seminarians told me, but needless to say they were troubling to hear.

When he gave Holy Communion to a Presbyterian minister in Florida, his colors began to show. I even emailed the Diocese complaining about this. A Holy Bishop I worked for and am friends with who is with the Lord now in Heaven told me that one can tell the holiness of a priest by the reverence he gives the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist shows unity, the Eucharist is the heart of the Church. By giving the Holy Eucharist to a separated brother, it shows that he did not understand nor valued this Sacrament. Therein was his inner dissent. It was only a matter of time until this dissent fully came out and he would drown in the wave of sin, liberalism and heresy.

To see him dressed in a alb in an Episcopal church was embarrassing. Here we have an ordained priest who has legitimate Apostolic succession wearing a lay man's server alb awaiting "ordination" from a mere lay man - Leo Frade- who has no Apostolic succession whatsoever. It was ridiculous and sad.

If Leo Frade is a bishop, then I can wear a white cassock and be Pope as well. I can even wear a Yankee uniform and say I am a New York Yankee! Pope Leo XIII wrote in Apostolicae Curae that the Anglican orders are void and null.

That being said, Is this how Christ wanted His Church? A free for all? Anyone can buy a collar shirt, miter, crosier and call him/herself a bishop? This is a mockery of Christ and His Church.

Obviously he did not have the will power to control his attractions towards women. This is why maturity is important. We all get urges and have desires, but that does not mean we have to jump and act. That is why God gave us reason and conscience. Temperance is important.

Cutie says he's a man and was only doing what he is naturally inclined towards. The natural part is true, but we all have the natural instinct to feed. Does that mean we all should eat at the sight of food even when not hungry? If we do, then we become addicted to food and eventually destroy our bodies. Self-control is needed. It prevents self-destruction.

St. Paul puts it well regarding celibacy:

"I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.

But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided." - 1 Cor. 7: 32-33

I am not attacking anyone in this blog. I suffer with them and for them. We all sin, we all make mistakes and we all deserve forgiveness from one another just like God forgives us.

We must pray for all priests, active and inactive; in good standing and suspended. For those who committed crimes. We must pray for those who have fallen from grace, and for those who left the ministry for whatever reason whether good or bad.

They are men, they are weak. All men who feel called to the Priesthood must have a strong spiritual life. There is no way around this. The Priesthood is not a job.

I myself am an Academic and former Atheist. I love to study and learn, but I cannot skip praying to read a journal on Neutrinos or String Theory. These studies enrich my prayer life and faith, they do not replace them.

My prayer life comes first if I am to be a good priest in the future. Yes I am a male, I didn't shut down my attraction towards women. However, I channel those feelings to God. Yes woman is beautiful and made in God's image. Yes, she shares in God's creative power by bearing children.

I praise God for woman instead of praising my sexuality and its urges. Whatever love I would have given a woman had I married, I now spread it to all with a smile, by making them laugh when they are sad, by showing concerning, praying for them, helping in any way I can and am allowed to.

We must be aware of the Wolves in Shepherd's clothing. Priests must not give in to temptation. As 1 Peter 5:8 says "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

#WorldAIDSDay

2011-12-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

Today is "World Aids Day." It is a day to spread awareness of this killer virus. A day where people are encouraged to be tested for HIV infection. Unfortunately is also a day where so called "safe sex" rhetoric is pontificated to people, young and old.

Safe sex is not safe. Statistics show that condoms are about 80% effective in preventing the spread of STD. There is still chance for infection. It is completely useless against HPV.

HIV is plaguing the homosexual community in large numbers. This is unfortunate, but a consequence of a lifestyle that bases itself on sex. Other groups such as African Americans, Caucasians and Latinos are having great increases in infection.

What can we do to stop this? It is obvious that safe sex is not safe. It is not working. It is a placebo for the ignorant and sexually frustrated.

Abstinence and common sense are the only ways to stop this disease from claiming more victims. Viruses mutate when moving from host to host so a cure or vaccine is most likely not possible with current technology. Nature always is a few steps ahead of man.

In any case anyone who is sexually active must always check themselves. If one is found to have it, he/she must get medical treatment to keep it controlled.

I hope governments and health organizations will find the courage and responsibility to teach people the truth and not present gimmick items as a way to prevent infection.

As Dr. Harold Jaffee, chief of epidemiology, National Centers for Disease Control said

"You just can’t tell people it’s all right to do whatever you want as long as you wear a condom. It (AIDS) is just too dangerous a disease to say that."

Christmas Started??

2011-12-01T02:41:00.000-05:00

On Nov. 30, the huge Christmas Tree in Rockerfeller Center in New York City was lit up. The media and those who particpated cried out "Now the Christmas season has officially gone underway..." Wrong!

The Christmas season begins at sunset on Christmas Eve and ends at the Baptism of the Lord.

We are currently in the season of Advent, not Christmas season. When will secular society return Christmas back to the Catholic Church? It is our holiday!

Evil Bible

2011-11-30T17:01:00.000-05:00

On Twitter and outside in the real world, I have been messaged and confronted by many people. Some say good things, some ask questions, and some are angry and confrontational. I will focus on the latter.

Those who are confrontational (mostly Atheists, Humanists, Secularists, Pro Abortion/Choice, Homosexuals, Muslims, Agnostics, and random inquirers) message me regarding the Bible. They question how it can be God's Word if it is full of "evil and hate." They cite passages claiming they advocate slavery, infanticide, murder, rape, incest, misogyny, hate, and in a word: evil.

I can relate to their concerns too because as an Atheist at first, I did find the Bible a bit too racy and crazy to be the "Word" of a All knowing, All Good, All Present Supreme Being. However, I did not knock the Book down, so to speak. I gave it a chance and let it speak to my rational mind before it spoke to my heart and soul.

To claim that the Bible is Evil is an unfair, biased and uneducated opinion. This is a conclusion based on poor interpretation of particular texts. When one reads the Bible in light of the time, language, culture, mind frame of the people, and circumstance in which a particular verse was written, it will be more understandable.

The Bible is not a "Book" per se. It is a collection of Books. The word "Bible" means "books." It is a collection of 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Each book was written at different times. Some chapters within books were also written at different periods. This is important to know if we are to understand the Bible instead of judging it as hate speech and what not.

We cannot be quick to label people of the past because of how they lived, thought or acted. Let us take Slavery for example. In America and other nations, Africans and Indigenous people were used as Slaves. This was seen as normal. These people were not people, they were just "livestock." Even the laws defined them as such.

Take this letter by Trott, S published in 1842 in the Cincinnati Post where Trott is claiming that Slavery is God's will and ending it will harm society and the Slaves themselves. (http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakening-age-reform/resources/pro-slavery-letter-s-trott) More info can be found here: http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/613

One can find many articles, books, and writings of people both well known and common who supported Slavery. Many were outspoken against those who wanted the Slaves free, or the Abolitionists.

Here is an ad warning Citizens of the Abolitionists.

Here is another inviting people to a meeting to stop the "evil and fanaticism" called Abolitionism.

As you can see, the movement to free Slaves was seen as dangerous, fanatical and evil. Many warnings were published.

If that is not bad enough, here is an ad requesting that a runaway Slave described as "Negro Boy Joel" be found for a reward of 5 Dollars:

Now one who has never heard of this past and is reading it for the first time might say, "what the heck is this??? These people are evil, ignorant, hateful, and racist."

Others might say, "They published an ad to find a Slave teen boy for a reward of 5 bucks???!??"

After this culture shock they can take one of two positions:

This nation is evil, ridiculous, hateful, primitive and must be destroyed.

This is the past. This is how people saw each other and things. We cannot judge them for their ignorance at the time or how they interpreted life.

An educated rational person who does research in History will take the latter position. Yes this was the past. This was how people saw each other and things in life. We must interpret their ads, writings and behavior in light of their time, their culture, and circumstance.

Now, the same must be done with the Bible. When one reads it in context, then it will not be the "Evil Bible," but the Bible that is the Word of God in the language and experience of Man.

Nigeria Sends A Clear Message

2011-11-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

In Nigeria, the Senate outlawed so called "Gay Marriage" as well as other gay establishments. The Senate President said that the gay subculture is against Nigeria's 'culture, tradition, and beliefs.'

Despite treats from western nations such as the United Kingdom to stop aid, Nigeria moved along and passed this law. This sends a loud and clear message that social engineering will not be part of Nigerian society.

Many African and Arab nations dislike how western nations impose their cultures on them. This form of assimilation beings division, harm and corruption to the moral fabric of societies that are traditional in nature. Homosexuality, once a hidden sexual pass time is now becoming more public and pushing itself into mainstream society as acceptable and normal. This social engineering is destroying society and the family which is the cell of society.

A comment on the site that I read this news from says it nicely:

"The practice of Same-sex marriage is alien to us in Africa. Such act should not be encouraged by any God driven Society,because it's a '' Taboo''. The Nigerian Senate has done well and needs to be commended for not regarding the threats from the British Prime Minister. I urge other African Nations to follow suit. MORALITY is the foundation of Africa.Therefore, we must protect it against foreign influence."

Morality is very important in society. Right from wrong is the platform from which we define and create laws. Without Morality, anything goes. What is right and wrong depends on how each individual sees fit. This is dangerous.

I hope the entire continent of Africa and the rest of the world follows Nigeria in saying this bold NO to perversion and the destruction of the family, morals and identity of a particular people.

Source:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111300241.html

Spittin 4 da Lord

2011-11-27T17:42:00.000-05:00

Yo yo dawg, wass good? This is language typical of the inner city youth who are often fond of Hip Hop or Rap music. Coming from the Boogie Down Bronx myself, home of the NY Yankees, birth place of Hip Hop and Rap on Sedgwick and Morris, I too appreciate this poetic art form. I grew up with Old, Middle and New Schools of Rap.

After Vatican II, there was more liberty to use, create or adopt other forms of music that is geared towards God and compatible with doctrine in either Liturgy or privately at groups. Hip Hop/Rap was not excluded.

Many within the Church: clergy and laity have blessed the Church by assimilating this art into Catholicism. Now there are those who feel it brings a worldly gimmicky atmosphere to religion which is often known to be serious in nature. "Spittin'" for the Lord sounds offensive to some. What do you think?

Is Catholic Hip Hop/Rap good for the Church?
Should it be used in Liturgy?

Sing to da Lord

He who sings prays twice,

Ma boy Augustine said it nice.

Holy Holy God of Hosts

In Jesus' name I boast

saved from sin

burn the devil like toast.

Sing to da Lord

Don't get bored

Sing to da Lord

More more more

He's in the Eucharist

I see him

I can get used to this

Whoa here comes bliss

atheists will diss

so what

snakes always hiss.

Sing to da Lord

Don't get bored

Praise the Lord

Adore dore dore.

Atheism Dilemma II

2011-11-27T16:05:00.004-05:00

In my previous post I wrote that,

"If Atheism cannot provide reason not to believe based on empirical evidence, then we must dismiss this ideology as merely fallacious rhetoric created to appease those who have anger towards God and/or organized religion."

How true are these words. Those who call themselves atheists pride themselves in being rational, yet offer no verifiable reason in which to not believe in God. We have to accept their negation on "faith" not evidence. The quest for reason goes on...

I have just finished attempting to instill scientific reason to some atheists in regards to God. As always, they adamantly deny anything, even science itself. This is when they lose credibility. One in particular accuses me of arguing from ignorance. Another sends me a link "debunking the Laws of Information."

Now this is funny because I merely stated the laws of information which are used in physics and thermodynamics. These laws basically state that matter cannot produce information. That is to say that no matter in this universe can develop data or code on its own. It needs a sender or mover.

For example, you buy a DVD and it is blank. You leave it in a room that is locked for 10 or more years. After that time period you return and take the DVD and put it in a computer. Will that DVD have data on it? The answer is no. The DVD needs an intelligent sentient sender to "burn" the data on it. The same with matter in this universe. Matter did not develop or "burn" the data within itself. It had an external sender that instilled it within. That sender of course has to be sentient and intelligent rationally speaking. How else can it be aware of the matter and know how to put information into it and what information to put?

I pointed this out to this gentleman, and he denied it. I even gave citations to texts that he can go purchase or rent, and he still rejects it. What now? Well the logical conclusion is that this individual is in denial. Citing laws of Physics or any discipline is not arguing from ignorance. Arguing from ignorance is when one claims that something is true because it has not been disproved.

All I merely stated was that matter cannot produce information without a sender. This is a law. Now, this law is often used to prove the existence of a Logos. The point I was trying to make was that since matter cannot produce information without a sender and a sender has to be sentient and intelligent, then there is evidence for a Logos.

Logic is often thrown around by atheists erroneously. This individual obviously does not have a full grasp of fallacies. We cannot throw charges of fallacies around at everything said. If we do, then basic facts such as the 4 seasons are "arguments of ignorance." Science says we have 4 seasons and this is true because it cannot be disproved, so is this an argument of ignorance? No way. This is an observable fact that cannot be disproved unless the Earth changes and some how ends up with 2 or even 10 seasons which is highly unlikely.

Atheism needs to learn what logic is before they attempt to discredit any theistic arguments. If not, then what is next? Will a citation in a thesis be called "appeal to authority?" It is silly. If using the Laws of Information as evidence of a Logos is Arguing from Ignorance than so is stating Evolution or Abiogenesis is the cause of life on earth and not God.

Atheism cannot have its cake and eat it too. It must be fair, rational and realistic. It must not request proof of God and then deny everything presented by misapplying fallacies to them. It must not request proof of God in the sense of summoning some sort of genie to appear before them. Atheism must realize that the evidence of God is there and it must build on that evidence; they must go on to the next step. If God is a personal being, one cannot test a person in a lab per se. One must interact with that person. Now here lies the problem. Atheists will not interact with this person called God.

As an atheist I took that step. I actually prayed and asked God to show proof.

A movie comes to mind when thinking of this. That movie is the "Matrix." Neo played by Keanu Reeves is a computer hacker who is aware of the "Matrix code." He wants to know of it and instead finds a group of people dressed in black claiming to know about this "Matrix." The leader, "Morpheus" tries to explain that the world Neo was living in was a simulation in a computer system. Neo of course denies it because his senses tell him otherwise. Now it isn't until Neo sees the bending of the laws of Physics that he begins to see that maybe Morpheus is telling the truth. Morpheus then tells Neo "I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it." The scenario is similar of the one who is trying to show the atheist proof of God. At some point, the atheist has to 'free his mind' and 'walk through the door."

This is what the scientific method is all about. We propose a hypothesis, research it, test it, analyze the results and then make a conclusion. Atheists get stuck at the hypothesis part. They just ask questions or take guesses based on assumptions that absence of evidence IS evidence of absence. They must move on from the hypothesis stage to the research step and then to the testing one.

Just like Morpheus could not tangibly show Neo that the Matrix is a simulation unless Neo freed his mind and walked through the door, so too the atheist cannot process the evidence of God and God unless he/she frees his mind and takes the next steps.

Let us take Santa Claus for example. In America, this Elf supposedly comes on Christmas eve in a sleigh with reindeer. He comes down a chimney and delivers presents for people. Now that is a nice story. It is fun to hear and adds to the child's Christmas experience. Now how can we prove this is real or not? Easy. We ask the question:

Is Santa Claus real?

Then we do the research: Origin: "St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra was caricatured into Santa Claus"

After that research we begin to test what we know so far.

Santa Clause is a caricature of a Bishop named St. Nicholas
Santa Clause comes on Christmas Eve in a sleigh and down chimneys.

One test we can do is on Christmas eve go outside and survey the skies for any sleighs.
Another test is one inspired by my nephew which entails actually waiting at the fireplace for Santa Claus.

Now after these tests, we analyze what we know and found from testing and come to the conclusion that...(whatever that conclusion is)

Atheism does not do this with God. It is intellectually dishonest. Theists all over report miracles, many are documented by science as having no explanation and which defy all known laws of physics. Many have personal experiences. We cannot discount this.

Even the Catholic Church uses science to verify supposed miracles before canonizing a Saint. The Church does not go by word of mouth.

For centuries many have written about God showing evidence, but atheists ignore this or cowardly label them as "God of gaps."

An atheist who truly wishes to seek truth regarding God must go to the next step and test these.

If not, then

"...we must dismiss Atheism as merely fallacious rhetoric created to appease those who have anger towards God and/or organized religion."

There is no NEW MASS!

2011-11-27T12:45:00.000-05:00

Today the Church has officially implemented the new translation of the Roman Missal. Many people, especially in the media are crying out, "the Mass has been changed!" That is just not true. The Mass is the same structurally. What has changed are the words to some responses and prayers. Now these changes are corrections in translation and not a complete replacement of the responses and prayers. The book itself which was called the "Sacramentary" is now the "Roman Missal." The term "Roman Missal" is how it was called in every other nation so it was strange to have the United States call it the "Sacramentary."

Since 1973 there have been questions surrounding the loss of meaning in the English translation from the Latin. Latin is the language of the Catholic Church. Latin has always been used as the language of academia and the arts. The Mass in its Latin form did not make a good transition to English after Vatican II. Therefore, the Church needed to fix this. These changes have been in the works now for over 30 years. Now the Mass in English better reflects the actual words in the Latin version. So far the changes have been well received.

I hope this new translation will help Catholics pay attention better and focus on the prayer and spirituality of the Holy Mass.

Advent

2011-11-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

We are in the holy season of Advent where we prepare for both the coming of Christ at Christmas and the second coming at the end of time. It is a spiritual period in which to meditate on these two mysteries and prepare for them. We use the wreath and 4 candles to mark down the 4 weeks before Christmas.

Three of the candles are purple and one is pink. The purple symbolizes preparation through penance and prayer. Purple is also used during Lent. Another way to see it is purple is a physical sign of healing. When we get hurt, the injury becomes purple. During the time of healing it remains purple until it clears up. Sin hurts us and we need time to heal from it by using the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, Prayer, Fasting, Indulgences and a Spiritual life.

The pink is for the third Sunday or Gaudete Sunday which means "Sunday of Joy." We are joyous because we are getting closer to Christ's birth. As each week goes, we light the candle that corresponds to that week.

Let us continue to meditate on Christ's first coming and not forget that He is coming again to judge the living and dead. Let us all prepare for that coming.

Let us pray:

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who enlists me in God's own work for justice.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace in the world, peace in my home, peace in myself.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father's joy. I seek His will so I can serve with gladness, singing and love.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord. Raise in me, too, sober reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the lifebegun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent I hail. Amen.

Atheism Dilemma

2011-11-25T22:33:00.001-05:00

SININE

If you follow my blog you have seen my attempt to get reason out of the so-called rational atheists. Unfortunately any attempt has produced futility. Atheism does not have a logical reason to support its disbelief in God. A theist ironically is supposed to accept on faith the position of Atheism. "There is No God, God is a myth" is nothing more than a statement of belief not reason with supporting evidence.

Atheism therefore has a dilemma. How can it claim to be rational if it offers no reason for its position on God? Why even bother to make extravagant claims such as "there is no God" "God is a myth" when you cannot back it up with empirical evidence or logical reason?

It makes Atheism look foolish and as ignorant as it claims Theism is. In reality, Atheism and Theism are different sides of the same coin. One side believes in God and the other denies that God exists.

Until Atheism can provide reason not to believe based on empirical evidence, then we must dismiss this ideology as merely fallacious rhetoric created to appease those who have anger towards God and/or organized religion.

Obama Forgets God

2011-11-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

There is an uproar directed towards President Obama after he omitted any mention of God in his Thanksgiving speech. He thanks troops and others, but did not thank God.

While this may be a petty issue for some, it is something we should reflect on. Thanksgiving is a holiday that was established based on the religious principles of the Pilgrims. Thanks are given to the Creator mentioned in the Constitution.

This is the purpose of Thanksgiving. For a President to not thank God on this day is indeed a scandal. How can our leader not thank the Creator that has endowed Americans with inalienable rights?

Black Friday

2011-11-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Friday after Thanksgiving days is called "Black Friday." On this day many stores offer what appear to be extreme sales in order to lure people in to buy for Christmas. While the idea seems good - people can save money and give presents without breaking the bank- the idea has proven to be dangerous.

Hordes of people flock to stores and literally storm it like zombies from Romero films or the Walking Dead program as soon as the doors open. Customers run in all directions, snatch items off shelves and even from each other! There are fights, foul language, injuries and even death. Last year a worker was trampled to death. This worker was over 6 feet tall and could not prevent the mob from killing him!

It is sad and disgusting to hear this. Black Friday is indeed black. It shows the reality and ugliness of one of the 7 capital sins: Greed. The accumulation of material goods is never a good. It is a sign of mental illness and a desire to seek happiness from materials. Christmas is about Jesus Christ, His Incarnation. It is not about getting the best deal in order to be able to give gifts. We must return to the true meaning of Christ's Mass.

On Black Friday human beings become primitive, savage like and ignorant. They imitate the animals of the wild who fight for food, territory and water. This day can probably be added as evidence of Evolution! I hope retailers take responsibility for activating this primitive instinct among human beings who shop. How many more people will die or get hurt just for a stupid piece of material? Are goods more valuable than human life?

Let's end the madness. Bring Christ back to Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

On the last Thursday of every November Americans celebrate Thanksgiving day. On this day, the traditional turkey meal is enjoyed by families across the nation. Americans give thanks for life, their families, health, goods etc.

The origin of this day comes from the Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth rock. The Wampanoag Indians taught these settlers how to farm and hunt. As a deeply religious people, the Pilgrims then had a meal thanking God for the many blessings in this new land.

While the day is great, we should always thank God daily for everything, both good and bad. Everything is a blessing whether direct or hidden. The Catholic Church always gives thanks in the Eucharist. The word "Eucharist" means Thanksgiving. We offer out prayers to God, thanking Him while remembering His Son's sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus Christ becomes the bread and wine at Mass not symbolically but literally. The Mass takes place daily throughout the Earth. There is only one day where Mass is not said and that is on Good Friday. So before the Pilgrims, Catholics have been having Thanksgiving, not with comfort food, but with The Bread of Life.

Let us Thank God for everything, not just on this last Thursday of November, but daily; whether at Holy Mass, work, school or at home.

Let Kids Be Kids!

2011-11-23T11:53:00.001-05:00

Sex education has been a heavy topic to discuss after the disgusting curriculum about to be implemented in NYC public schools. Some claim that it is important for kids to know about condoms, sex, diseases, abortion and pregnancy.

"They are going to do it" say those under the so-called Liberal and Progressive banners. They completely ignore the facts. The CDC or Center for Disease Control has recently released data showing that condoms and birth control are not decreasing the spread of STD's and teen pregnancy.

This report just came out in October 2011 and is entitled, "National Survey of Family Growth," (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_031.pdf)

The survey shows an increase of STD infection and no affect whatsoever on avoiding teen pregnancy.

Abroad in Spain, the University of Navarre found that the majority of Spanish teens are not sexually active. This speaks volumes in a nation that is succumbing to the ignorance of secularism which promotes promiscuity and other immoral behavior. (http://www.unav.es/english/)

Moreover, teens are choosing abstinence. A study by the CDC has found that abstinence is on the rise in the United States of America despite the push for condoms and so called "safe sex" practice. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr036.pdf) The CDC also shows that more teens are virgins and that the trend to remain as such is high. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_030.pdf)

The data is there: "Safe sex" as predicted is a BIG FAILURE and waste of money.

Please let kids be kids. Let them enjoy sports, school, toys, art, video games, music, shopping and things kids like to do. Those who call themselves Liberal and Progressive need to keep their sexual frustrations to themselves and not project it on minors. You are destroying our young people! Stop it!

I wonder if this "safe sex" campaign is an attempt by pedophiles to overly sexualize the youth so they can be more susceptible to bait for sex? hmmm...

Sources:

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=4426

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/World.php?id=3595

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=2784

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=1144

Pepper Sprayed Students

2011-11-22T22:17:00.000-05:00

The recent events at the University of California are disturbing. A group of students sat on campus property protesting tuition hikes and other issues that also concern the Occupy Wall Street movement.

During the protest, a Campus police officer sprayed the students with pepper spray. The manner in which he did it was disturbing. He casually walked about spraying the students as if they were roaches.

The situation could have been handled better in my opinion. Universities should be a place for academic freedom, and a place where students can exercise their Constitutional rights in a manner that does not infringe on the rights of others.

Is America becoming a police state?