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Live Life Fully Alive

    What does it mean to live life as man fully alive? This answer took a whole school year to find out. We are called out each and everyday to live our lives to the fullest. By doing this, we are giving glory to God. How does living life out give glory to God you might ask? God created us to live our lives out in a certain way. Therefore by living life out as God has commanded us to do so gives glory to him. All things give glory to God. Even trees and squirrels give glory to God in everything they do, they simply live their lives out as God had planned, as squirrels and trees. Now you may be asking how does God want us to live out our life? Live your life to your greatest potential. Never give half effort, always go all out. Live your life out while daily thinking WWJD? or “What would Jesus do?”. By doing this, we think out our every decision and choose wisely in order to give glory to God. Overall living life as man fully alive makes you a happier person. You will feel more complete and important in life. Everyone around you would describe you as a great holy person who truly lives life as man fully alive.

Venial Sin

     The less serious sin is call a venial sin. Venial sins are less serious. After venial sins there is not a complete separation from God. For a sin to be considered venial it has to either not concern a grave manner  not be committed with full knowledge, or not committed with complete or deliberate consent. Venial sin can be compared to pushing your friend in the hall. He may be mad at you, but you are still friends. We can come back into communion with God easily. Venial sins are not to be brushed to the side though. Repeated small breaks in your relationship can build up and if left unpaired can separate you from God.

Original Sin

     We tend to view Original Sin as a punishment, yet it is far from that. Original Sin is the act that Adam and Eve committed by turning away from God and choosing to eat the fruit. Adam and Eve abused their freedom that God had granted them. Original sin wasn't the act of picking the fruit from the forbidden tree; it was a sin of disobedience or choosing to turn away from God. In doing so they lost preternatural gifts or the gift of immunity from sickness, death and concupiscence. Through Original Sin Adam and Eve also lost original holiness and original justice. Original holiness is the harmony between Adam, Eve, and God before original sin. Original justice is gift of supernatural and preternatural gifts. We are not entitled to original holiness and justice. They are gifts from God. Original sin is not an actual sin for us; it is more of an absence in our soul. Original sin is a stain that darkens human will, intellect, and introduces concupiscence. It also weakens our connection with God. All human beings are stained with original sin except Mary and Jesus. Concupiscence is the tendency towards sin. It makes sin more appealing to us than the right thing to do. Concupiscence clouds our intellect and will. Original sin is passed from parent to offspring at conception. Understating original sin and how it works in our world today can help one make the right choices. By understanding original sin you can understand concupiscence. Through one’s understanding of concupiscence he or she can come to understand the reasons we sin. We sin because our intellects and will and clouded and therefore we tend to find sin attractive and appealing to us. Through the understanding of original sin one can come to the conclusion that sin is always bad and turns you away from God no matter how appealing it looks. We can learn to try and do the right thing despite our attraction towards sin in order to bring ourselves closer to God. Through studying and understanding original sin one can come to the conclusion that original sin is not our fault. Adam and Eve chose not to accept a gift. We are not living in a state without original justice or holiness as punishment. We are living in a world that did not accept a great gift from God. God could have never given us a choice to choose, but if He did He would have been limited our freedom. We are made in the image and likeness of God, therefore we have intellect, free will, the capacity to love and we have a soul. Original sin is not a punishment, just the lack of a gift.

Call To Holiness

     We are all called to holiness. The Church calls this the Universal Call to Holiness. God calls each and everyone of us to live our lives to our fullest potential. To be holy, does not mean to be perfect, it means to live a life of seeking God. Holiness is rooted in baptism, when we are united with the Holy Spirit. We are brought into communion with the Blessed Trinity. According to John Paul II holiness is not only a state, it is a task. All Christians should strive to live a better and full Christian life with God. All relationships grow through communication, and we communicate with God through prayer. Prayer allows us to grow closer and more personal with God, therefore making us more holy. The Universal Call to Holiness is a call to be a good faithful Christian.

WWJD

    What would Jesus do? Jesus is perfect. He never sinned and always made the right choice.We should all live by WWJD. To live life as Jesus would is to strive to perfection. Unfortunately we are not perfect so we cannot be perfect. This however does not mean we cannot strive to perfection. If all of man was to strive for perfection the world would be a much better place. There would be no wars and everyone would be happy and live in  peace. We would all probably go to heaven too. To sum it up we should ask WWJD before each and every decision in order to make sure we are acting our lives out in the most holy way possible. 

I'm not a bum!

This video shows the flaws in Human Nature. Specifically, one of our greatest flaws is our brains instinctively analyzing a person so we can determine if they are a threat to us. In the process, we also draw conclusions about them and their personality, as it could be helpful if they are a hostile threat. The problem stems from the fact that we now live in a structured global society, and people aren't as much of a threat as they used to be. In response, this instinct puts all its focus on the personality aspect to make up for it.

The actual problem, though, is we tend to base how to treat a person off of this initial glance, and it can seriously harm our perception of life. Everyone has grown up and seen homeless people on the streets, and I doubt that your parents gave you a clear explanation as to how they got there. To make up for the lack of knowledge, people tend to assume that they are too lazy or to unskilled to have a job, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. If we ignore our instincts and take the time to talk to these people, we can learn the true reasons they got to where they are now, and about 99% of the time its not because they're too lazy or unskilled. The man who returned, apologized, and gave money to Ronald realized the flaw in assuming he was lazy or a bum. However, when Ronald said "God bless you.", perhaps it was a reminder to him that he too is one of God's children. He is a contemporary human being. And this is when he began to open his eyes and actually ask: 'How did he get to where he is today?' After realizing he couldn't know the full story, he accepted the wrong of his assumptions and reconciled for them. All it took to do this was the referencing of God, because it is through God that we gain our understanding of Oneness, and how we are all God's children.

Confirmation

     Recently, I was confirmed. I got confirmed at my local parish (St. Cecilia).  I went through two whole years of recuperation for my confirmation. After five o'clock mass we would all meet in a auditorium and talk about Jesus. Then we would break out in separate groups and reflect. The meets however, were generally boring because I had already learned all the stuff the were talking about in middle school theology. I used my knowledge granted to me by high school theology class to inspire and put others in awe of my great catholic knowledge. I was confirmed by the cardinal so it was kind of a big deal. An hour before confirmation we all met in the auditorium and were given a speech from the cardinal. He was trying to convince at least four of us to become priests. The chrism smelled like flowers and spaghetti, so now my pillow smells like that too.

All are welcome!

    The article speaks to all of us regarding the responsibilities of a Catholic, and how we must live our lives well to truly achieve salvation. Regarding Freddie in the story, the parents of the narrator welcome him to dinner with open arms. However, this doesn't mean that Freddie had the freedom to do whatever he wanted to now that he was in the parent's house. He still had to observe the practices and mandates of the parents, or else he might have to not stay for dinner.
     In a similar manner, God calls all of us to be Holy and welcomes us to the Church with open arms. At the same time, though, we cannot truly achieve salvation unless we observe, understand, and APPRECIATE the traditions of the Church. If we didn't, sure we could call ourselves Catholic, but would we be in actuality? In the end, we would not achieve Salvation, and the claims we had made in life would be empty and unfounded without observing tradition.


So go wash your hands before dinner. After all, you wouldn't want to eat the Eucharist with dirt and sin caked under your fingernails!

Confirmation: Where did it come from?

Confirmation, believe it or not, is first present in the Old Testament, before it was ever implemented as a Sacrament. Go back to the early days of Israel, when there was still a debate as to how the people would be ruled just like any other nation; though they were God's people, they needed someone to help protect them on Earth, channeling God's wisdom. Eventually, it was decided that:
1. Israel would act as a monarchy, with one solitary ruler.
2. The mother of the ruler was considered to be the "Queen Mother"
and
3. Soldiers were appointed to defend Israel

These three points foreshadow the Sacrament, as God is our solitary ruler, Mary is the Queen Mother, and God needed warriors to defend the faith in the same way the soldiers defended Israel. Thus, all Catholics, since the time of King Solomon, are called to be warriors and defenders of the faith. Thus, the appointment of this duty had to appear at some point, and it does so through Confirmation.

In conclusion, Confirmation acts as a means to renew our faith, affirm our belief in the Catholic Church, and defend the faith at all costs, just like the soldiers of Israel.

Confirmation: What is it?

1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace: 
- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";115 
- it unites us more firmly to Christ; 
- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; 
- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;116 
- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:117


Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. When someone receives confirmation, the Holy Spirit bears its Gifts to the recipient, and they truly enter the Catholic faith. Normally, the ceremony consists  of symbolic gestures such as spoken prayer, laying of hands, and anointing with oil. Now, these are all facts most Catholics already know, but there is one question barely any know at all: what are the origins of this Sacrament, and when was it first used?

Let's start off by going a bit further in depth as to what exactly happens when one is confirmed. The primary aspect from which all the others originate is the fact that Confirmation makes us "Soldiers of Christ" and "strictly obligates us to spread and defend the faith by both word and deed". So, it is a ceremony enforcing our faithfulness to God. Where we were given ample opportunity to stray from the faith after Baptism, Confirmation is like a yearly checkup at the doctor's office. Confirmation re-enforces our understanding and devotion to the faith as we go down the road of what it means to be Catholic, and how we are to achieve Salvation.

Mortal Sin

     What is sin? Sin is freely choosing to act against God. There are two types of sin, mortal sins and venial sins. Mortal sins are very serious. Mortal sins destroy our relationship with God, and reparations are needed to bring the relationship back together. A mortal sin can be compared to stealing your fiends girlfriend. Through your free will you choose to steal his girlfriend, even though you knew he would be mad. Because of your actions you are your friend are friends no more. It will take time and lots of talking to get the friendship back together.

Kenny

     I recently was watching a South Park episode where Kenny dies. Right as he is about to enter heaven a big access denied sign comes up. He then falls down to hell. As he is falling you see a sign that says Heaven population 1,650 and another sign that says Hell population 923,565,421,215 and it is sky rocketing up. Many of us believe that we will go to heaven simply because God is merciful, and no merciful God would send someone to hell. Yet, hell exists for a reason, and unfortunately, people go there. Those of us who choose to reject God are not headed for heaven. God gave us free choice and we can either accept of, or reject him. Heaven is not a easy place to get to. Only a small list of people who we consider holy enough for us to be sure they went to heaven exist. This is the list of Saints. If you are not living your life out as a Saint would, there is not promise you will go to heaven.

The Boston Bombings

I'd like to take the time to express our deepest condolences to the victims of the Boston Bombings that took place a few weeks ago. Recently in the media, all attention has been focused on the suspects and their lives rather than the victims which is simply despicable. As much as we need to learn what drove two brothers to commit such a horrible act, we must focus on the victims as well. These people had lives too, and now they're forever changed because of their injuries. Families are grieving, people are in pain, and the last thing this country needs is to give the terrorists what they wanted by publicizing the reasons they acted as they did. So please, everyone, make an effort to reach out and help the victims this week here at Strake by giving blood. Thank you.

Defiance of the Church

     On Saturday, April 27, a woman was ordained as a priest in  group in schism, operating outside the authority of the Church.  She is one of around 150 other women who have gone against the Church and have been ordained. Many people today believe that woman should be allowed to be priests, and that not allowing them to do so is a barbaric practice. These people seem to have a valid and strong argument, yet they are missing the reason behind why only men can become priests. Priests are called to live out their lives similarly to the bishops, as successors to the apostles. Jesus did not appoint any female apostles, they were all male. A priests that is a woman, is not a priest at all. This makes the problem of having women "priests" far more damaging than one may think. They repercussions of their ordination spreads to all as they participate in the sacraments. The sacraments that participate in are not recognized by the Church, they are just a ritual that means nothing. The bread and wine concentrated by a woman persist stays as bread and wine, therefore those who then go to take the Eucharistic do not even participate in a sacrament. People, who go to confess their sins to a woman priest, sins are not forgiven at all. They simply told a poser their sins and then did a penance. Many people believe the issue of women becoming priests is just  a sexist problem, they fail to realize the repercussions of a woman being ordained as a priest. 

Sacraments and Human Nature

     All of man contains within them a common nature, and because of Original Sin, man also has concupiscence  or a tendency to sin. Luckily, God did not forget or abandon us, he gave us His son and the Sacrament. The Sacraments help combat our sinful natures, they allow us to come closer to God by giving us grace. The Sacrament of Reconciliation  helps cleanse ourselves of sin, and the Sacrament of Baptism washes away Original Sin. All of the seven Sacraments correspond and help combat certain flaws in our human nation. They allow us to become closer to God, and most importantly, to be saved.

Pope Francis on Homosexual marriage

     Argentina, home of Pope Francis, legalized gay marriage in 2010. They countries bishops fought against it, but were unsuccessful. Pope Francis, at the time was Cardinal Bergoglio, made a statement against the legalization. He stated that in the coming weeks all Argentinians would face harm when the bill, a weapon of the devil used to infect the minds and hearts of people, was passed. He said that the bill was a attempt to destroy God's plan, and it could destroy the lives of many. He prayed that the country would gain the guidance of the Holy Spirit and would see the error in the bill. He believed the bill would confuse, deceive, and weaken the good people of the country.

Pope Francis on Abortion

     Pope Francis has defended the life and rights of the unborn multiple times. He has also put aside the religious aspect of why it is wrong, instead he takes a purely moral standpoint. He believes abortion is wrong because the genetic code of a person finds it's beginnings at conception. He states that a human being is already there, therefore, abortion isn't a religious problem, it is a scientific problem. He says that to stop the development of a human whose genetic code is already present is not ethical. Life is the first and most important right of all humans, born and unborn. To abort, is to kill a undefended person.

Retrospective Reflection (Anti-Catholic Church) Pt.6

     At 2:21, he completely contradicts everything he just said by stating "I love the Church, I love the Bible, and yes, I believe in sin; but if Jesus came to your Church, would they actually let him in?" In this statement, he focuses his arguments towards attacking the corruption of the Church. Although his point is now partially clarified and has SOME relevance, it wasn't the original claim of the video, and it too stems from misunderstanding. As we have discussed in class, the physical Church does have corruption, the physical Church is composed of sinners, but that's okay. This doesn't mean that religion is bad, it simply speaks to our human nature as sinners and in our efforts to become holy.

     Next he claims that God is good and Jesus is good, but religion is bad and is what God sought to denounce/get rid of. At this point, he isn't even trying to see what religion actually is. He's taking his own beliefs and idea of religion and claiming its bad, but he isn't seeing what religion actually is. Religion is defined as: The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods.

     Therefore, he shows he doesn't know the true idea of what is faith and religion, which is the most prominent source of his Heresy.

Retrospective Reflection (Anti-Catholic Church) Pt.4

     His ninth error is when he claims that he wasn't actually a Catholic because he sinned all the time, and therefore his faith was an illusion of his identity. Not only do his sins not account for all people, but once again, you don't need to be Christ-like to be Catholic. You should STRIVE for excellence in life, but stating that its impossible to be Christ-like, and therefore you can't be Christian? This opinion clearly shows a misunderstanding of the Catholic faith, which is what most of his claims stem from.

     Here I would also like to point out that he states "this used to be [him]." Therefore, what he is doing right now is Apostasy, meaning his understanding of the faith is unreliable in that aspect as well.

     His tenth error begins when he acts as if the Church judges people and demands they be holy, rather than accepting their sin and helping them deal with it. Once again, a clear misunderstanding of the faith is shown through this, as the very purpose of the Church is to help one achieve salvation. At this point, what he is doing might be Heresy rather than Apostasy, as he doesn't have a complete knowledge of religion. Therefore, his claims are simply stemming from a lack of explanation.

Service Hours Reflection (Jebmeier)

Jack Ebmeier

Reflection Paper

            Throughout the Sophomore year, I frequented a retirement home, Greatwood Retirement Community. Here, I recognized spiritual growth within myself, and realized how meaningful small tasks can be to the local area.

            The entire reason these retirement communities exist is because these people have worked hard their entire lives. Now, in their old age, these people should be able to consider this their age of relaxation. To show our appreciation for their efforts, there should be some small service given to them in return for their lifetime of labor.

            At the community, I along with fellow Strake students worked hard decorating for the holidays, setting up rooms for events, running card games and bling, and packing Easter baskets for the residents. I feel these tasks emphasized the importance of cooperation, hard work, patience, and helping others. Overall, these small tasks keep the facilities running, and also reduce the workload of the people who do what we did every day.

            However, the most important aspect of all is the benefit to the elderly. In their old age, most of these people no longer have the means to visit family and friends. These people are lonely, and would give anything for a simple conversation, a game of cards—friendship. It should be an importance that the community help these people, even if it is in the form of something small. The joy felt by the residents of the facility is enough of a reason alone to do so.

Retrospective Reflection (Anti-Catholic Church) Pt.3

     He continues to make multiple claims regarding religion, but none are a direct attack on the Catholic Church.

     The seventh major error is when he makes the analogy to a mummy (dressed up but rotting underneath). This is an absurd analogy, and there's no connection between the two. The Church is both physical and non-physical, and it cannot 'rot' because its not a physical being like a human or a mummy.

     The Lakers analogy is also unfounded, because people aren't claiming they're a member of the hierarchy of the Church when they state they are Christian, they are claiming that they are a member of the Church, and anyone can do this. Participation in the Church does not work the same way as basketball. Sorry, bball1989.

Retrospective Reflection (Anti-Catholic Church) Pt.2

The fifth error is when he states the Church fails to feed the poor. The Church cannot mandate that people feed the poor, and because they cannot do this, the resources they've collected aren't enough to feed the poor. The Church asks its clergy to assist the poor, so saying that they are the ones who fail to feed the poor go against what he is stating himself. If this man can afford to buy a house, it doesn't make him evil. Yet at the same time he is spending more money on his own well being before focusing on the poor. So either he is saying that everyone is evil, or he can take back his claim, and no one, including the Church, are considered evil. Also, many of these 'big churches' he talks about are centuries old, and money now a days isn't spent on constructing them.

The sixth error is when he states the Church says God doesn't love you if you're divorced. This claim has absolutely NO evidence whatsoever, and he is basing his claim on nothing. The Church states you can't re-marry, and the Church states that divorce is a sin, but anyone can atone for their sins, and at no point along the way does God no longer love you. God loves us all--its your responsibility to love God in return.

Retrospective Reflection (Anti-Catholic Church) Pt.1

We've all seen this video from last semester in class, but I think that it would be good to go over this once again now that we've discussed it. By doing so, we can go further in depth with the analysis.
Let's start off with the first error he states: Jesus came to abolish religion.

First off, there are countless quotes in the Bible, as well as in the foreshadowing of his coming, that CLEARLY expresses his purpose on Earth. Therefore, this statement cannot be true since Jesus himself states that he came to establish the Church. ("And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.")

The second error is when he states religion started so many wars. Religion itself cannot start a war. War can only be started by man, and because some lack the proper understanding of religion, THAT is why wars have started. If everyone followed religion directly as it was meant, then there would be world peace, not violence. ("But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.")

The Third Mark of the Church: Catholic

     If you had read the previous blog here, then you already know what a Mark of the Church is. Today, Catholic is used to describe specific a group of Christians. Today's use of the word is the exact opposite of what it really means. The word "catholic" means "universal". It comes from the Greek word katholikos.

     The Church is Catholic because it is whole and complete. The Church has been united with Jesus through salvation. Through the unity with Christ, the Church is also Catholic, or universal, because it has a universal authority to preach the good news. All over the world, there can be found the influence of the Church. From big cities to Africa there are churches and service projects funded by the Catholic Church. Even in places where the Church is outlawed like China you can still see its influence. Ever since the day of Pentecost,  when the Holy Spirit filled the Apostles and empowered them to spread the good news, the Church has been lead and united by God. No one nation or culture can claim the Church as its own.

Gay Marriage

A very hot topic today is gay marriage today. As of April 2013 nine states have legalized gay marriage: Connecticut, Maryland, Maine, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington. Yet, 30 states prohibit gay marriage. The church does not view homosexuality itself as wrong. It only considers acting on gay impulses as a sin. The main reason the Church is against gay marriage is because marriage is a covenant  between man, woman, and God. The Church believes that marriage between two people of the same sex is not a marriage at all and devalues the importance of the covenant of marriage. Although the Church views gay marriage as wrong it is still up to each of us to decide our own views.

SJ Service Hours

For my fifteen service hours that I did for Strake Jesuit I volunteered at the Houston Food Bank. While there, I sorted cans and built food baskets for the hungry around Houston. The food baskets consisted of everything from cereal and cookies, to rice and beans.  I found that volunteering at the Houston Food Bank provided a great opportunity to learn and grow. In order to make food baskets at a reasonable pace we had to team up. We formed big assembly lines. One group of people would sort the incoming food donations into different boxes. Then other groups would put the designated amount of their item in the basket. The last group would stack the finished baskets. No work would have gotten done without cooperation. Seeing all the food donations helped me see the value in just donating a bag of rice. Just small donations can help keep a family from starving for one more night. Through volunteering at the Houston Food Bank I saw that we are all called to do service in our communities. Service isn’t supposed to be horrible job. Service is meant to make you feel good about helping others. Through my experiences at the Houston Food Bank I came to see the importance of service and helped me better understand the mission of the Church.  The Church is meant to be a vessel of salvation for all men. Through service we help fulfill the job of the Church. While doing service with my family I grew closer to them. We were united in a common goal of helping others. My family enjoyed the service project. It became a family outing where we would bond and come closer. The fifteen service hours I completed at the Houston Food Bank brought me closer to my family and helped me see the importance of service in the world.

The Fourth Mark of the Church: Apostolic

Before jumping into this, its important to understand what exactly we mean by not only Apostolic, but also Mark.
First, a Mark is an inhierent trait observed in the Catholic Church. Specifically, four Marks are identified: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. What makes these Marks important is the fact that although other religions may possess a few of the traits, only the true Catholic Church can possess all four. Therefore, the Church and its importance derives from these marks, since they are what identify it as the true Church.
Now, we look specifically on the fourth mark: Apostolic. This term derives from the word Apostle, which as we know were the titles of Jesus' closest followers. Simply put, Apostolic means pertaining to the Apostles. The Apostles were entrusted by Christ to teach, sanctify, and govern the Church, which is the general reason why the Church is called Apostolic. However, the actual foundation for this claim can be observed in a set of what is like 3 sub-marks.
The Church was founded upon the Apostles in three different senses. The First pillar is Apostolic foundation, which states the Church is built upon the Apostles by Christ, The second is Apostolic Faith, which is the idea that the teachings of the Apostles are handed down and preserved through the Holy Spirit and the Church. Finally is Apostolic Succession, which states that the authority of the Apostles were handed down in the form of the college of bishops, and the Pope: successor of Peter.
In all of these ways, the Church has preserved the Authority of the Apostles, handed down thier teachings deriving from Christ, and we cannot forget that the entire goal of the Apostles was to establish help establish the Church, which implies we must treat the original Church they established--the Catholic Church--as the Church they originally intended to create. thererfore, the mark of Apostolic proves the Catholic Church is the true Church and most effective mean to achieve salvation.

Marriage

Society does not view marriage as highly as the church does. The United States have some of the highest divorce rates in the world, and over the past decade divorce rates have been higher than ever. Today, sex out of marriage happens all the time. Society has deem it ok to have sex outside of marriage, further devaluing marriage. The Church believes that marriage is sacred. It believes that marriage is for life, only separated at death. The Church believes that sex is only ok in marriage because premarital sex devalues the importance of marriage. Marriage is a covenant and not something to be devalued.

Views of Life

Society and the Church differ on their views of life. The Church values all human life, born and unborn. Society has made it to where abortion is not only allowed, but commonplace and easy to do. At the current rates of abortion, one-third of all the women in the United States of America will have a abortion. In the United States of America, the death penalty is legal. Although the death penalty is give to those who have committed very serious crimes it is still morally wrong to kill them. The Church views all life as sacred. They realize that being pro-choice is being pro-death. The Church tries to protect the unborn. In their efforts of being pro-life they also are against the death penalty. No matter what way you argue it the death penalty and abortion are murder and therefore a very serious sin.

Pope Francis & Single Mothers

Here is a bio that was made of Pope Francis upon his election:
http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/news/cardinal-jorge-mario-bergoglio-is-pope-francis-480004

     One of the many attributes listed caught my attention. It is considered a sin to have sex before marriage, and a few priests in his diocese took this idea a bit too far according to this excript:

     He is known to be a very spiritual and humble man, much beloved in his country. He has encouraged Argentines to “not grow accustomed to poverty” and to “go out in the streets” in defense of the family.  September 2012, he disciplined priests who denied baptism to the children of single mothers, calling them “the hypocrites who have clericalized the Church; who have alienated the People of God from salvation.” He is regarded as a courageous and zealous pastor with a particular sensibility for the Jewish people and the Christians of the Middle East.

     This is a very interesting point, one that the Pope was right in correcting. The flaw in the priests actions were simple: they were holding the child accountable for an immoral action of the parent. The fact is, we all sin every day. A bishop or priest may sin less, but that does not make them perfect. Saying a child of a single mother should not be baptized is like saying a baby who throws their food should not be baptized. The Church should leave baptism open to anyone who requests it.

Story from North America

A few years ago, my brother showed me this video. Before reading this post, I suggest you watch it.
________________________________________________________________________







It's a pretty odd video, but it actually has a lot of depth to it. In it, the boy starts out lacking appreciation for God's creation. All he is concerned about is his comfort, but fails to see the true meaning on earth. If God wanted us to go through life with everything handed to us on a silver platter, he would have made it that way. Still, the fact remains that we will face times in life where we question God's creation, and its in times like these we must remember God's creation was made sacred, and we cannot ignore its value our whole lives. Even something as small (or in this case, big) as a spider has worth, and it takes effort to find it. What have you done to appreciate life this week? Post it in the comments below.

Is Love Subjective: Conclusion

     To conclude the analysis on gay marriage, and to represent the opinion of our blog, marriage is sacred to the Catholic Church. However, this doesn't mean the Church is the official regulator of what the state recognizes as a union of person, and certainly cannot control each individuals experience of love. It is perfectly acceptable for the Church not to recognize homosexual marriage, and it harms no one to keep the state and the Church separate. Therefore, homosexual marriage, though recognized as immoral by the Catholic Church, should be legalized, as there is no harm in doing so, and it will benefit those who wish to do so.

Is Love Subjective: Marriage

     The key to understanding the issue of homosexual marriage and the controversy that is presented is to realize there is a distinction in what qualifies as marriage. To the Church, marriage is sacred and symbolic and must be between a man and a woman. However, the state's definition of marriage is not and should not be determined by religion. America has the belief that religion and state should be kept separate, and this is significant, as not all marriages are Catholic. It is possible for two persons of age to simply go to a courthouse on a specified date and be declared married by law. Many marry with the hope for receiving the benefits that come from being a legal dependent of another person. The Church doesn't claim to have authority over this aspect, and nor should they. Therefore, as long as it is kept separate from the sacred Catholic union of persons, marriage shouldn't be defined by religion alone.

Is Love Subjective: Religion

     Religion, namely Catholicism, each specifies their boundaries to what they qualify to be a marriage. Much of the rejection regarding homosexual marriage in the Church stems from the original love between Adam and Eve. The idea being that God intended a marriage to symbolize the union between the original idea of love he displayed in Genesis. Pope Benedict discussed the issue of homosexuality in the church during his office.

He stated that the inclination toward homosexuality is not necessarily a sin, it can be considered a "tendency toward an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." He continued, "A person engaging in homosexual behavior therefore acts immorally," because he feels that sex is only good if framed in the stance of being for procreation between a married man and woman.

Therefore, the Church is not against homosexuality, but an official Catholic Marriage is sacred and symbolic, and must be heterosexual.

Is Love Subjective: Love

     Love is a powerful emotion. Specifically, love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. One can love their country, their job, or even their family. However, many find a single entity who they love more than anything else they come across in life. By nature, most of the time, this experience of true love takes place between a man and a woman. But can one break the presented pattern and still qualify as being in love? Cardinal Timothy Dolan spoke to ABC defending the stance of the Church on gays:

     When asked what he would tell a gay couple who said they loved Jesus, loved the church and loved each other, he replied: “Well, the first thing I’d say to them is, ‘I love you, too. And God loves you. And you are made in God’s image and likeness. And we want your happiness. And you’re entitled to friendship.’ “But we also know that God has told us that the way to happiness, especially when it comes to sexual love - that is intended only for a man and woman in marriage, where children can come about naturally.”

     To clarify, the Church does not regulate who is allowed to love one another. However, the Church does require marriage to be between a man and a woman. The point being, love is not subjective, but there is more to love than the emotion itself.

Purgatory

     Purgatory is not for the damned, nor is it a second chance to be saved; it is the final stage of purification. Purgatory is not another place between earth and Heaven. Nor is "time" experienced in Purgatory like it is on Earth. That is, time in the afterlife does not work the same as it does here on earth. Time spent in Purgatory helps people reach perfection and come to be in full union with God. Purgatory is the final state of purification before reaching heaven. Through Purgatory our souls are purged of evil and our conscience is cleared.

Heaven (aka. Spaceland)

Scared of Hell? Good, you should be. That's why it exists after all. Still, God makes Hell a bad place for a purpose: he wants us to realize the importance of achieving an eternity with him, which can't happen unless we strive to be close with him. If you spend your entire life resenting God because he didn't birth you into a billionaire family, you're missing the point of life. You see, the afterlife is just the final exam of your entire life. You can choose to spend your time studying for it, or you can procrastinate and cram the night before on your deathbed. Either way, you really don't want to fail.
The truth is: since people can't contact us from beyond the grave, (Sorry John Edwards, but its true.) we don't know exactly what Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory is. All we have to go off of is a general consensus of Catholics as well as what Jesus has chosen to reveal to us. 'Zog Blaster', top contributor on Yahoo! answers goes into further detail:
"When people say that Heaven can be understood more as a situation than as a physical place, they do not mean it is not a real place. They mean it is a real place, but that it isn't fluffy cloud Heaven as seen in cartoons, or somewhere that you can fly to in a rocket, or something that we can understand in terms of our current physical reality.
For example, when the Pharisees asked Jesus who a remarried widow would be married to in Heaven, Jesus explained that they were trying to understand Heaven as something too physical and too like Earthly life. But Jesus didn't mean it wasn't a real place: just that it's a different sort of thing."
This is a perfect description. When we ask what is heaven like, we expect a Priest or a Monk or a super-religious relative to tell us what Heaven looks like. This isn't how we should think of heaven at all.
For example, think about the book (I doubt you'll know what it is.) called Flatland. Flatland is a story about a two-dimensional world called Flatland, in which everyone is just two-dimensional shapes. There is a square who lives here, and all he has ever known is two dimensions. Then, he is visited by a sphere from Spaceland who tries to convince him of a third dimension, but he is incapable of understanding what it could possibly mean. Finally, after much denial, he is convinced of its existence. He then asks the sphere if since he had not known about a third dimension, yet it existed, could there also be a 4th, 5th, or 6th dimension that the sphere just didn't know about yet. Upon being asked this, the sphere rejects the idea and calls it foolish—just as the square had done about the third.
Personally, this is what I think of Earth and Heaven. Since all we have ever known is a physical state of being, we will never fully comprehend Heaven or what it entails. All we know is leading a holy life will allow us to arrive at a 'Paradise' as Jesus describes it to us. So keep praying and do all you can to achieve salvation.

Hell

When it comes to the world down under (not to be confused with Australia, which people do often), people generally don't want to talk about it, which makes Hell the perfect place to start.

For the seventh and eighth grade, I went to a Catholic School in Indiana named St. Luke. The school itself was designed like the branches of a tree, with small, winding corridors branching off of the Narthex leading to more corridors which eventually reached a cluster of classrooms. Kids who went there throughout grade school said the Church was built first, and the basement was expanded greatly and converted to a school, and the winding hallways were due to the builders avoiding gas lines. I still remember how blinding the sun was at the end of the day, as my eyes adjusted to the lack of natural light.

Now I know what you're thinking, and no, I am not comparing my school to Hell. Despite the dreariness of the school, the one thing I will never forget is a priest named Father Joe. He was a part of the Church for only three years before he left for D.C. to study Canon Law in 2011, the year I graduated. Near the end of the year, he went to our religion class to do an omnibus Q&A session on Catholicism. It was then I thought of something I had never really wondered before: what is Hell like?

Upon asking this, Father Joe smiled and replied: "We don't know much about what Hell looks like, but all you need to know is its the complete absence of God. If you can imagine what an eternity without God is like, its all you need to know to not want to go there."

The entire class was silent. An eternity without God... its the worst thing to endure in all of existence. Period. This begs the question, one I wish I asked Father Joe before the bell rang: "What kind of person is sinister and unforgivable enough to deserve an eternity without God? Who is so sinister that they deserve to go to Hell?"

This question isn't intended to be taken hypothetically: post your thoughts in the comments.



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Когда речь заходит о мире вниз под (не путать с Австралии, где люди часто), народ в целом не хотите говорить, что делает Hell идеальное место для запуска. Седьмой и восьмой класс, я пошел к католической школы в штате Индиана с именем Св. Луки. Школа сама по себе была разработана как ветвей дерева, с маленькими, ветвях коридоров в притворе ведет к более коридоров, которые в конечном итоге достигнутого кластер из классных комнат. Дети, уехал во всей начальной школы говорит, что Церковь была построена первая, и цокольном этаже был расширен и преобразованы в школу, и обмотки коридоры были из-за строителей избежать газопроводов. Я до сих пор помню как ослепляющего солнца был в конце дня, в качестве моего глаза на отсутствие естественного освещения. Теперь я знаю, что вы, и нет, я не сравнение моей школы в ад. Несмотря на dreariness от школы, то я никогда не забуду - священника с именем отца Джо.