The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive

     Man Fully Alive is someone who gives his best in anything - sports, school, work. Man Fully Alive is that very man striving to achieve the glory of heaven. He is fully alive knowing he is trying to reach his ultimate goal of heaven. We all strive to achieve what we deem possible, but Man Fully Alive calls us to greater goals. It calls us to holiness; it calls us towards God. Man Fully Alive is a vocation, a vocation which calls us to greatness. Man Fully Alive is a natural vocation. We can all reason towards this vocation. God created us with reason and free will. What better way to use our free will than to worship God (Our Creator). We give glory to God when we live fully alive. The Glory of God is life which we should respect. God intended for men to live in harmony with Him, creation, man himself, and woman. Man Fully Alive allows us to try and gain that lost harmony by "repairing" our relationship with the Creator. "The Glory of God is man fully Alive, But man fully alive is to behold God", reasoning towards God and sharing in Him through the Eucharist is to be Alive. God is true life, so we strive to be with Him in Heaven. Our journey in life is to be Men Fully Alive in the Glory of God.

The Sacrament of Matrimony

     Reflection Post - Matrimony is a vocation between the spouses. Marriage was always in God's plans from the beginning of time. Marriage is between God and the spouses. The spouses are the ministers of the Sacrament. Through the Sacrament of Matrimony, the spouses become one, united forever. Matrimony restores the harmony lost between man and woman due to sin. "The mutual sacrifice and devotion of husband and wife is a true picture of Christ's sanctifying sacrifice and devotion to His Church. 'Matrimony has its significance in the first place from Christ who took the Church as his bride at the price of his own blood. And also because when he offered his life as the price of her ransom, he stretched our his arms in an embrace of supreme love. And thirdly: as Eve was formed from the side of Adam while he slept, so the Church was formed from the side of the dying and dead Christ, as the two chief sacraments poured from his side - the blood of redemption and the water of absolution' (Albertus Magnus)." http://www.catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php?id=7

Confessing Sins to a Priest

     Reflection Post -Many people believe that confessing your sins to a man is not valid forgiveness. But this is not true. God is the being who forgives our sins. The priest is a mediator between you and God. Confessing is a "conversation" between the confessor and God. The person who seeks true forgiveness receives forgiveness from God. The priest who some consider unholy is only again a mediator. God is who truly forgives sins. God through the priest gives us advice on how to live better catholic lives. 

 

Pentecost

     Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection. The Holy Spirit filled the Apostles with courage. The courage necessary to begin their Commission. On Pentecost, the Apostles went from scared men to brave knights of the Church. Pentecost is a day, we as Catholics, remember that God is all the courage we need. Through God, anything is possible even the impossible to us.

 

 

 Leviathan

     A Leviathan is a sea monster referenced in the Old Testament. "In Psalm 74 God is said to "break the heads of Leviathan in pieces" before giving his flesh to the people of the wilderness; in Psalm 104 God is praised for having made all things, including Leviathan; and in Isaiah 27:1 he is called the 'wriggling serpent' who will be killed at the end of time". The image of a Leviathan is used as an image for Satan. The Leviathan endangers both God's creatures and God's creation. St. Thomas Aquinas described the Leviathan as a demon of envy.

St. Francis of Assisi

     St. Francis of Assisi is the founder of the Franciscan Order. He was born at Assisi in Umbria. Francis heard a voice call to him  "Go, Francis, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin." St. Francis believed this to be his call at the time (taking it literally). St. Francis of Assisi was a very humble man. Humility is a great virtue for any person seeking holiness.

St. Justin Martyr's Letter

     This blog does not relate to my theme, but is related to theology. The letter was written about 150 A.D.

 

 What stood out? What stood out was where he St. Justin states that the Word makes "food" into flesh and blood with a prayer of His word. Our bodies are nourished by transmutation (the flesh and blood of Jesus).

 

 Why is the date important? The date is important because it shows that the Church's understanding of the Eucharist comes from tradition in the early Church.

 

 What does it tell you? The letter tells me that bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. It tells me that even in persecutions the People of God gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, give thanksgiving, and worship the Lord.

The Holy Foreskin

     Jesus was circumcised according to his customs. The Holy Foreskin is said to be the only piece of Jesus' body to remain on Earth after the Resurrection. During the Middle Ages, many monasteries claimed to have the Holy Foreskin. The only papal approved foreskin was believed to be given to Charlemagne. The last sighting of the Holy Foreskin occurred at an Italian town (Calcata) in 1983. It is said that the foreskin resembled or appeared as a "red chickpea". Later after the last sighting, it is said that the foreskin disappeared. The Holy Foreskin teaches us that Jesus indeed had a human nature; his parents taught him to follow their culture from an early age.



St. Januarius' Blood

     St. Januarius' blood becomes liquid during the every year. St. Januarius is the patron saint of Naples. He was martyred during the Roman emperor - Diocletian. Scientists cannot explain the nature of the blood's behavior.

                                                "In experiments conducted in 1902 and 1904 the reliquary was weighed in a delicate balance. It was discovered that its weight was no more constant than its bulk, that is, its weight might increase as much as 25 grams, thereby defying physical laws. The strangest element is that there is often an increase in weight when the mass actually decreases, and a decrease in weight when the volume increases - this in direct opposition to the laws that dictate an increase in weight with a corresponding increase in mass."

     The blood reminds the faithful that martyrdom is the "seed of the Church". Martyrs were men who tried to live like Christ, and spread the message of the gospel in the face of death.



The Devil

     The Devil was an angel named Lucifer. His pride caused his fall from heaven. Jesus said that he saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Jesus said that his mission was "to defeat the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Satan is a powerful spirit who instigated man to sin, and continues to tempt man. The Devil's goal is to separate man from God. "One of his greatest tricks on us is to convince so many of us that he doesn’t even exist, truly a great wartime tactic." Humility is the best virtue against the devil. If the devil exists, we know a greater good exists. Evil was not created by God - because God is good. Evil came from a prideful angel.

Flying Nun

     A novice ran up to tell St. Thomas Aquinas about a nun who could levitate. This supernatural event was attracting large crowds, and St. Thomas went to the chapel to investigate. When he looked up, he saw the nun in mid-air.

                  "Look, Father, isn’t it amazing! What do you think?"
                  Thomas answered, "I didn’t know nuns wore such big boots."
Thomas did not deny or was very impressed with the flying nun. Thomas knew that a supernatural event did not mean holiness. Thomas only knew that the supernatural are events which man cannot understand. Like Thomas, we should treat supernatural events with caution because all we know is that the supernatural cannot be explained.

St. Gabriel the Archangel

     St. Gabriel the Archangel's name is recorded in Scripture only 4 times. "Fortitudo Dei", one of the three archangels mentioned in the Bible. Gabriel is presented as the angel of mercy. Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her God's message. It is believed he appeared to St. Joseph and to the shepherds. Also that he is the one who "strengthened" Christ in the Garden. St. Gabriel is a supernatural being who stayed faithful to God and serves the human race.

St. Michael the Archangel

     His name was the war cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven. Michael's name is recorded in Scripture four times. Michael is the champion of God's people. "It would have been natural to St. Michael, the champion of the Jewish people, to be the champion also of Christians, giving victory in war to his clients."

The Four Horsemen

     The Four Horsemen are depicted in the Book of Revelation. They are war, famine, conquest (pestilence in modern culture), and death. They are the first in a series of "Seal" judgments. These judgments are when God will judge the living. St. Irenaeus depicted the horsemen of war as Christ himself with the white horse as the success of the gospels. The Horsemen represent the effects sin committed.



 

St. Juan Diego's Tilma

     The Tilma contains the replica of the Virgin Mary. The Tilma was a sign to the unbelieving bishop. NASA has stated that the image colors are made of material not found on Earth.

"A laser that scanned the image even found that the colors float three tenths of a millimeter in front of the Tilma surface, without touching it."

    The image is sacred and supernatural. Terrorists placed a bomb in front of the image, but the image remained the same. The image is a revelation to all unbelievers who think Mary is not holy or worth praying to. The Tilma is a stamp to every believer of Mary and her holiness.



Stigmata

     Stigmata are visible and invisible "sufferings" that relate to the Passion of Christ. The existence of stigmata have been recorded in history. Unbelievers now do not dispute them, but try to find natural explanations for them. Stigmata is to be like Christ for the expiation of sins committed in the world. Without the "sufferings", the wounds would only be a graphic representation of an empty symbol. Stigmata are examples of holy men and women living like Christ, they endure his sufferings for the sins of others.  



Our Lady of Lourdes

     Lourdes is a village in France. In this village, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.  Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times. After the 18th apparition, Bernadette joined the Sister of Charity. Bernadette died at the age of 34. She was buried, but then her body was exhumed and her body was not corrupted. Buried once more, ten years later her body was exhumed and again it remained untouched by nature. Bernadette is an example of discipleship in the "flesh".

Gospel of Thomas

     This gospel is claimed by sources to be written by the Apostle Thomas. It writes that Jesus as a young child was revengeful. In this gospel, it claims Jesus killed out of revenge. It claims Jesus was feared, not the description of the Jesus in the other Gospels. In those Gospels, Jesus is loving, caring, and merciful. The Gospel claims to have secret knowledge, a Gnostic theme. The Gospel of Thomas is consisted mostly of Jesus' sayings. The depiction of Jesus in this gospel is heretic. Jesus if vengeful would have taken revenge upon his killers. The gospel goes against the Church's teachings which were handed down by the Apostles themselves.

Relics

      What is a relic? A relic is some object (usually a part of the body or clothes) remaining as a memory of a departed saint. Relics are to be honored by all the faithful. Even in the early Church relics were recognized. The wood of the cross was distributed to all parts of the world.
       Relics have been abused by people. Sin is the cause of this greed. People disguised as monks would sell materials claiming it to be relics. Relics are reminders of the capability of men to achieve holiness through Christ.

Demons

     Demons are considered evil spirits or fallen angels. They tempt men towards sin. Demons fell from grace when they rejected God. Demons are believed to be in hell. The Devil is the chief of all demons. But as men who will be tempted to sin; we should remember that if evil exists, a greater good also exists.

  "In Scripture and in Catholic theology this word has come to mean much the same as devil and denotes one of the evil spirits or fallen angels. And in fact in some places in the New Testament where the Vulgate, in agreement with the Greek, has daemonium, our vernacular versions read devil. The precise distinction between the two terms in ecclesiastical usage may be seen in the phrase used in the decree of the Fourth Lateran Council: "Diabolus enim et alii daemones" (The devil and the other demons), i.e. all are demons, and the chief of the demons is called the devil" http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04710a.htm