Designed to keep others in the lighted path via spiritual nourishment. Our other goal is to help promote and prosper Catholic and Christian renewal in the quest for truth in our faith and for a better quality of life that in the guidance of the Holy Spirit we may share God's light and blessings with others in our spirit through His Son, Jesus Christ, living in His love, mercy and grace, learning to enlighten, guide, love and forgive, we may live forever in the glory of His name, Amen.
"Let Go and Let God"
In John 6:40 Jesus declared, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."Overcome your fears and let God through the Holy Spirit mold you and rule your life. Be happy as you trust in Jesus, follow his teachings and God will bless your life abundantly. And in1 Corinthians 5:16-17, the Holy Spirit in Saint Paul tells us, “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
In John 8:12, Jesus spoke again to the people saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Make a difference in this world by helping others know Jesus in you and see the light ... Let your light shine brightly now!
And in Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, " Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."Live with true peace, see and feel the blessings and fulfillment that come upon your life when you do what is good for others as compared when you judge and cause pain in others which can bring so much stress, conflict and even illness in your life."
To Our Youth and The Weary, "Hope and Trust in God and Be Generous"
Herewith is a related inspirational message fromthe letter of St. Paul to the young Timothy (1Timothy 6:17-19), which states, “Command those who are rich in the present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
The rallyists may have all the good intentions of having a Muslim mosque built on Ground Zero in New York City, where the 9/11 massacre happened killing thousands of people, but would this really promote peace and freedom not only in the US but also around the world, especially in Muslim countries where there is ongoing war and violence?
Would this really promote the Muslim faith founder, Mohammed, as the Prince of Peace as others have commented on our Yahoo link article below? Then would Muslims be discouraged from supporting globally Al Queda and Imams who are for terroristic attacks and suicide bombings that kill countless civilians including children? Then would there be freedom of religion in all Muslim countries? Then would Muslim women be given equal rights too as men? Then would children and adults caught stealing in these countries be put to jail instead of having their hands cut off so they won't steal again?
Come to think of it, why is it in many Muslim countries' flags, the crescent moon is present? Is Allah and Al-ilah, the pagan Moon-god worshipped as the greatest of all deities among 360 gods at Kabah in Mecca in 555 BC, one and the same, as some people who made extensive research on this say? We certainly hope not as Muslims claim that Allah in the Quran is the same as the God of Abraham and Moses in the Old Testament, and this too as testified by Mohammed, claimed to have been duly passed on to him and dictated by the Angel Gabriel, as in all the 114 chapters of the Quran.
If all these questions can be affirmed that the building of the mosque at Ground Zero would lead to global peace, justice and freedom for all including the free practice of one's faith even in Muslim countries, then, let it be. Hereon we pray for further guidance and enlightenment that there would be true lasting peace not only in the US but the whole world over.
Watch this interesting video taken from EWTN via Twitter. The first part tells about the Blessed Virgin Mother, Mama Mary, and her relevance to our faith, which is both an enlightenment and an eye opener for everybody, believers and non-believers alike.
The Blessed Virgin Mother, the Queen of Peace, has been a great inspiration to many Catholics as she has represented the motherly and human love that one can expect by a loving child in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. So we too can expect and can believe in God's endearing presence in Mama Mary.
This blogger has experienced the love and warmth of a mother that a father cannot give or manifest. He becomes emotional as he relates this feeling of love for his mother as if he experiences also the love of Mama Mary in all of God's children and creation.
That is how important a mother can be in one's life and Mama Mary's love, protection and affection for all of us, being God's children, is greatly felt as we begin to realize how important her role is in being the only one created and chosen to conceive God's only Begotten Son. That makes her no ordinary human being, who deserves the honor and glory that God has placed upon her as He has sent His trusted and beloved Angel Gabriel to announce to her how blessed she is to conceive the Son of God.
And Mary's intercession in our prayers leads us to the love of Jesus Christ, her son, the Great Mediatrix of All, who is One with the Father. As in John 10:30, Jesus has said, "I and the Father are One."
That is why, as we pray the Holy Rosary, Mama Mary brings us closer to Jesus, and with it, praying the Holy Rosary especially with our family with zeal and in all sincerity, makes us feel safe in God's hands and glory.
This blogger still remembers the great Fr. Patrick Peyton of the Holy Rosary Crusade who keeps on saying, "The family that prays together, stays together," after encouraging each one to reverently and regularly pray the rosary, in a television program back in the Philippines.
This encourages Pinoy Blogger to pray with you now the Hail Mary as we feel the power of God in this prayer ...
"Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen."
Further in the middle and later part of the video, we are brought to interesting insights from an archbishop, priests and seminarians that can be worth your time to see, as you can listen to their views and discover their motivations to their faith. We pray that we all be guided and enlightened in God's words and wisdom in Jesus' name. Amen. Peace to all and Godspeed.
Tragedy struck on an Off Road Race in southern California killing 8 people with the driver unscathed with details on our link below. (The driver was later arrested and committed suicide himself as reportedly, the kind of person he was, that he cannot take humiliation and embarrassment ... much more in public - another sad story indeed as we pray for the eternal repose of their souls, Amen.)
Death comes so suddenly that we never know when it will happen. And when it happens, as when things happen in our life, it always has a purpose, as only God knows when our time is up.
As in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, "Now brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
May these words guide us to always be prepared as more often than not, with or without safety measures, death comes unexpectedly, and when it does come, we are ready for it as we learn to follow Christ and live in his teachings. As St. Paul wrote to the Philippians (Philippians 1:21), "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Christ is the "truth and the life", as in John 14:6, Jesus said to His apostles, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. Read further on our updated post link and get related inspiration, 'The Shroud of Turin - Burial Cloth of Jesus, Resurrection Signs and NDE's.'
Steven Slater became one of the most talked about flight attendant who quit his job after hurling some trash words to a customer who refused to say an apology after hitting him in the head on the same plane.
And he continued doing this on the PA system before ditching the jet.
Read interesting comments and be a part of the forum through our link post with an open mind.
This site is highly recommending the website Chastity.com designed to guide and answer questions especially for growing teens, adults, parents and even for seniors.
You can navigate this site for topics that suit your needs and find helpful answers to many questions. Some interesting topics include:
A federal judge has overturned a ruling against "same sex marriage" as previously voted for by 7 million Californians in 2008 under Proposition 8.
Be enlightened through our posted link from the National Catholic Register website, read about this interesting issue and get involved with your comments in this forum.
Matthew 6:24 reminds us of Christ's teachings as he made it clear to his disciples, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon (money/material/flesh)."
Are not advocates of gay marriages also promoting what has been considered "evil" by God in Genesis 19:4-26, wherein God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, places where people have been obsessed with sexual pleasures to the extent of forcefully threatening other inhabitants who did not abide by their practices, which includes doing these with the same sex?
In the letters of St. Paul to the Philippians, 3:2-3, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit St. Paul states, "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we ... who worship by the Spirit of God, who glorify in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh."
And in Romans 1:25-32, St. Paul writes to the Romans about people who have degraded their bodies with one another, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.
"Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.
"They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them."
Are we here to destroy our values and slowly destroy nations as we veer against God's commandments and Christ's teachings just so to satisfy our pride, our will, our emotions or our own self interests which lead to a ripple of uncontrollable sins of lust and of the flesh in a supposed civil society of honorable gentlemen and women of praise? In the long run, is approving same sex marriage beneficial to future societies and to our children - to tolerate what has been the mistake of the past instead of learning from it and avoiding its ill effects and repercussions?
Are we here to destroy societies or build them into having more responsible fathers and mothers for our children, the hope of "our future?" Can we not protect the "family values" which our forefathers have lived for and died for that which made nations great and bountiful?
How can we be credible or reliable to make good moral judgment if we ourselves encourage what is not of God? Are we really for the upliftment and betterment of society or for its destruction when we are overcome by our emotions and become overly sympathetic by becoming tolerant to wrongdoings rather than correct them for the benefit of society in the long run? Or would we permit ourselves to be devoured by pawns of evil slowly eating into our better values and judgment until we find this malady trapping us as it continues to spread like wildfire later on into uncontrollable proportions as we have allowed ourselves to be pushed to "a point of no return," leading to the brink of destruction?
Are we really helping other people, a small but aggressive minority, when we become tolerant of their worldly practices and be blinded from the truth that God teaches us, hence, adding to our woes and problems later on instead of putting our right foot down and say "enough is enough" to straighten things up that the rest may live a more respectable life? It is time to say "NO to same sex marriage."
However intelligent or creative one can be, everyone is still responsible for his or her actions to society and to God. Freedom is good for as long as we know, understand and acknowledge our limitations and be ready to support what is for the common good.
Everybody is always encouraged, by Christ Jesus, to have a change of heart. Disciplining ourselves and redirecting ourselves and values towards Christ's teachings of love with a responsibility, in humility, with forgiveness and understanding can lead to a better quality of life and an enhanced relationship with one another. To become faithful instruments of God through his teachings that God may be glorified can lead us to true peace and harmony in this life.
Youthful singer Demi Lovato inspires many in her South American concert with her songs getting priceless reactions from fans. Her message of hope for people in distress seems to have touched many. Check this out on our link below.
Demi shares her talent for the downtrodden and as Christ has said to his disciples, "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it unto me." And in Matthew 7:12, Jesus Christ also said, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Doing something good for others daily can ripple and multiply into many other good acts and you will see more blessings coming into your life. Remember the great movie, "Pass it Forward"? It has the same very powerful message.
More often, when someone sings for you, your soul gets lifted. In this token, Demi has done a great job entertaining people from their miseries even for a moment. A more lasting way of uplifting one's spirit though, this blogger believes, is lifting everything and surrendering everything to Jesus. Through his love, he heals.
Leigh Anne Tuohy, mom portrayed by Best Actress Sandra Bullock in the successful movie, "Blind Side", shares more on parenting and disciplining her kids which you may find interesting through our link below.
Our responsibility to our children goes beyond providing material needs for them to finish their education.
The greater part is providing them with the proper love and guidance as they grow up, to equip them with the much needed psychological and spiritual tools, armor and strength to face the many challenges, trials and temptations in this life.
(A fitting image for a spiritual mystery commentary)
The discovery of the Shroud of Turin has made it possible for us to relate this Shroud to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the only Begotten Son of God, which many did not believe.
One expert, Professor Paolo Di Lazzaro, nevertheless, believes that the cloth producing a 'negative' form (as in a picture) showing the whole image on the shroud resulted from Christ's 'resurrection' and the enormous light that helped produce the image.
While researchers were able to reproduce a similar image on a smaller piece of fabric comparable to the shroud material, it would be impossible for now, according to Di Lazzaro, even with our given high-tech laser improvisations, to color the entire image as it would "need 14,000 lasers."
Another expert, on the other hand, Professor Luigi Garlaschelli, known to have been funded by an Italian association of atheists and agnostics, has shown how he was able to reproduce an image similar to the Shroud of Turin. He, however, fell short in explaining how it could be possible for someone in the middle ages produce such an amazing image, unpainted, dyed or stained, so sophisticatedly three dimensional, with such accuracy and subtleties seen on the actual image that was far from the "grotesque" image formed on Garlaschelli's sample.
As you watch the video below, more scientists have participated in the study of the Shroud of Turin and they have seen many amazing findings on the material, with many believing that the amount of light that may have produced the image so enormous that the Shroud image on the material was miraculous formed, a natural phenomenon in itself with no trace of man-made elements as to question the authenticity of the created or produced image from the light.
Experts who believed in its authenticity, have mentioned before of pollens and plant particles present on the shroud which are identified with those around Palestine and Jerusalem or where Jesus was buried; although, there were those seen indigenous of Europe too, perhaps, as a result of "transfer contamination."
While we may have honest scientist around the globe in search of greater truth in God, it is so unfortunate that some scientists have to do what is uncalled for just to support their claims and theories as against the truth. Their being able to do this shows how people can be tempted to do anything just to achieve their goal of discrediting others that their theories may stand better at the expense of the truth, worse if it is for material gain or fame or simply "vanity" (as Al Pacino portraying the devil's role in the movie "The Devil's Advocate" expresses it in the final scene, "Vanity, that's my favorite," lol), for alas, it is so sad how some people, for fame and money, may be tempted to do anything as the expense of truth and love of others.
It may interest you to note that to date, the Vatican has been very careful not to have confirmed as of yet the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin as that of Jesus Christ himself, although it supports further studies on this amazing phenomenon about the Shroud as it leans towards what has been written in the scriptures about Jesus Christ's crucifixion.
In 1 John 5:10-12, St. John proclaims, "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
And all related studies are greatly encouraged as we are all for the truth.
Just as the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Manopello veil (believed to be used by Veronica to wipe the face of Jesus) are now under similar scrutiny. And because of all these, more and more converts and believers are seen acknowledging and reconfirming their faith as answered prayers, blessings and miracles come into this life.
The incorruptible bodies of saints as featured in the book "The Incorruptibles" (a study of the incorruption of bodies of various Catholic saints and beati) by Joan Caroll Cruz, are miracles of God's power and love for us.
They were God's chosen people who have lived a life turning their love for Jesus through love of others (neighbors) - a clear manifestation of Jesus' power over life and death and the glorification of God through His only Begotten Son.
Nonetheless, still, many scientists, atheists and agnostics believe in Darwin's theory of evolution as against creation despite of Darwin's own admission that no conclusive links to datecan, however, support his theory that we evolved from the apes and that other animals have evolved from inferior forms into more improved or superior species.
God wants us to be truthful as He has given us the Ten Commandments where you find the 8th commandment as, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor", as He also wants us to avoid selfishness and pride. Jesus made this clear in the 8 Beatitudes during his sermon at the mount with thousands of people gathered to listen to him and who were all miraculously fed out of a few loaves of bread and fish.
He wants us to practice humility as he states, in Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth", and to be pure in our intentions as he says, in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God".
Has it not been clear to us that one who becomes selfish and proud of wrong or evil doings without repentance may bring him more stress and trouble in life?
Sooner or later, will these not catch up with him and make his life more miserable and worse, losing his honor and dignity lest he may see enlightenment to repent and renew in his life? Will having a hardened heart with so much pride in oneself not lead to self pity and hopelessness? Will this not make his life void and less meaningful?
In John 3:16, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
What is 80, 90 to 100 years of living compared to eternity? Is it not worth to follow God's commandments and Jesus Christ's teachings where many have seen great miracles of healing in their life because of faith?
Why are there verified accounts of "near death experiences" or NDE's where one recalls his/her spirit getting out of his body and explains later after going back in it what was happening very vividly around the room and adjacent rooms he was in as his body was supposed to be brain dead and/or clinically dead?
This baffles scientists and have no clear explanation for it. And some scientists have accepted the power of prayer. Is this not a clear proof that our conscious spirit lives when our body dies?
Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, as in Ephesians 1:4(echoed from similar messages in Isaiah 49:16 and Jeremiah 1:5). And those who believe and do what God teaches will be blessed.
We should not lose heart but try to win the unbelievers that they may see the light and be healed. As Jesus has said to his apostles(Matthew 13:14-15), “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving; For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”
How true that many miracles happen around us yet we refuse to see. Many more are healed in Jesus' name, yet we close our eyes. As Jesus said to the doubting Thomas, in John 20:29, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
What will then be our reward if we fulfill our given mission? Is it not everlasting life with Him, our Creator, in heaven? Whence, we fail, it would be eternal damnation in hell. And what do we do to succeed in this? Is it not to follow God’s laws and commandments?
Proverbs 15:9-10 puts it, “The Lord detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness. Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.”
And as in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
It is only through opening our heart and soul to God, in awe of His wonderful creation from here on earth to the whole universe, that we will fully understand His wisdom, power and love for us. His presence and being is beyond logic and beyond imagination as He is truly everlasting, magnificent, omnipotent and almighty... the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
And it is our constant prayers and communication with Him, in Christ our Lord and Savior, that we are able to connect by His grace through faith, as we may feel His majesty, might and power in everything that we may do.
