Don’t Panic

The situation of the religious freedom in America is certainly as bleak as it has ever been in our history. The three branches of government take it as a given that they have the authority to rule on matters that involve religious obligation and to dictate to believers which of their beliefs are valid and which are not. The general trend here is to force religion out of the public square under the assumption that anything with a religious motivation cannot be used to set policy. (That’s the Genetic fallacy by the way). Between the government and the influential shapers of public opinion, people are being led to the view that unpopular religious teaching is based on intolerance (poisoning the well fallacy) and any religious opposition to an issue is portrayed as the equivalent of the racist opposition to civil rights in the 1960s (false analogy fallacy).

The result is, we are now in a situation where religion can be restricted outside of the most narrow redefinitions. The rights of people who profess belief in the Christian moral teachings and the institutions or businesses they establish is denied on the grounds that their belief is merely a repugnant intolerance (Begging the Question fallacy). We could soon see an even more overt attack where Christian individuals and institutions affiliated with churches have no right to refuse to do something their religious beliefs condemn, and thus suffer lawsuits, fines and prosecutions. It’s the kind of behavior we hitherto associated with Communist governments and long said “It can’t happen here—our Constitution prevents it.”

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Are You Decent? Is Your Soul Decent?

Decent

Are you decent? That is a question we usually ask if we want to know if someone is dressed before entering a room. I’m asking the same question, but with a slightly different slant. Is your soul decent? By that I mean, are you of the caliber of virtue where you exhibit restraint over your actions, dress and language because you value your own self-worth? Do you value what God thinks of you and your behavior more than the prescribed cultural norms? Or do you try to “fit in” by being lewd, scantily dressed and/or use colorful language, because… Read more…

Be Still, Silent, Listen and Know God!

Silence and Know God

Be still and know God! Easier said than done! Yet, to truly come to know God, we must become good listeners capable of discerning what He has in mind for us. Think about it: Do you ever really hear what another person has to say, if you are talking over them? Why should it be any different with God? We need to be still, silent, and listen for God’s guidance.

Here’s an exercise to get you started on the right path:

  1. Find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for 15 minutes.
  2. Get comfortable.
  3. Mentally, tune out the chatter…Read more…

Seeing God, Making God Visible

pope emeritus benedict xvi

The saints are the true interpreters of holy Scripture The meaning of a given passage of the Bible becomes most intelligible in those human beings who have been totally transfixed by it and have lived it out.
Pope Benedict XVI

The organ for seeing God is the heart. The intellect alone is not enough. In order for man to become capable of perceiving God, the energies of his existence have to work in harmony.
Pope Benedict XVI

The Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI can accurately be described as an intellectual or, at any rate, an academic. Anyone who reads his books (and you really should) can have no doubt that he has a formidable mind which he feeds by wide reading and nourishes by deep reflection upon what he has read. He is then better placed than most of us to know that by the intellect alone we cannot see God. His life and work also stands as an eloquent and elegant refutation of the lie that Christians must abandon their intelligence in order to embrace their faith. Our discursive, cogitative, enquiring mind forms part of our God given personal apparatus as it were and so must play its part in our search for and encounter with Him but the part must not be substituted for the whole….click here to read more

The Path of Denial: On Denying the Teaching Authority of the Church

Very few people become heretics or schismatics by thinking, “I know I am in error, but I don’t care.” They are convinced that their views are correct, but they have encountered opposition from the teaching authority of the Church which tells them that their belief or behavior is not in keeping with the Catholic faith. When a person runs into this situation, they have two choices:

  1. Accept the authority of the Church and reject the behavior/belief which goes against it.
  2. Reject the authority of the Church and accept the behavior/belief which goes against it.

If the person chooses the first possibility, they remain with their relationship with God and the Church intact. But if the person chooses the second possibility, their relationship with God and the Church is damaged.

Many times a person who goes ahead with this damaged relationship does not want to admit that their choice is the cause of it. So they claim that the fault of the break is somewhere else, and their position is on the right side of the break. Someone else must be found then to be in the wrong. Of course, most people don’t want to say that God is to blame for this break (those that do seem to be suffering from some great hurt and despair). So they try to redefine things so God is portrayed as being on their side. Therefore if the Church goes against what they want, then they conclude that the Church teaching must be against God—otherwise the Church would be siding with them.

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Listen to God? What’s in it for Me?

Listen to God 2

Listen to God as He speaks to you. He has your best interests at heart. God wants only what is best for you. He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (everywhere at one time) and omniscient (all-knowing); three very good adjectives to describe why we should be silent and listen to Him and not to the questionable, noisy, broken chatter of this world! God knows what He is doing. We, as humans, certainly do not have the full picture regarding anything, but He does. God is there to guide us on our journey. If we would be silent and listen, we would… Read more…

15 Reasons Why I Love Being Catholic

342px-Francisco_de_Zurbarán_-_Christ_on_the_Cross_-_WGA26051God, the Father: Creator of Heaven and Earth.  Father Almighty.  God of Love.  One of three Persons in the Trinity.  Through Him, all things were made.

Jesus: The Son of the Living God, Begotten not made, one if being with the Father.  Agreeing submitting His Will to the Father, Jesus suffered an horrific death for the sake of all humankind.  “Not my Will,” He said, “But Your Will be done.”

Holy Spirit:  The Third Person of the Trinity.  The Comforter.  The Guide.  The Paraclete

The Resurrection of the Body:  Jesus defeated death when He rose from the dead.  By His death we were saved.  By His Resurrection, we, too, will rise, one day.

The Truth – The Catholic Church speaks the truth, even if it’s not a popular truth to speak.  From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Article 1: Section 1950: The Moral Law.

“The moral law is the work of divine Wisdom. Its biblical meaning can be defined as fatherly instruction, God’s pedagogy. It prescribes for man the ways, the rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude; it proscribes the ways of evil which turn him away from God and his love. It is at once firm in its precepts and, in its promises, worthy of love.”

Read More at:: His Unending Love

Eve’s Apple: Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway

Eve’s Apple by Marie Therese Kceif.Eve's Apple book cover

Short Synopsis
A Witness of God’s Faithfulness: Marie struggles to grow in grace and guidance from the Lord while slowly recognizing her own rebellion. She intimately shows us the highs of her aviation, military and automotive careers and the suffering lows of abuse, bankruptcy, and divorce. Her relationship with God grows through it all. Eve’s Apple is a witness of how God gently guides one of His Eves into a slow freeing surrender of a Mary’s trusting yes. This is a journey of hope, faith, and real relationship!

Available on Amazon in softcover and hardback:

Also available at the Publisher’s Website:

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Need Motivation to Exercise Self-Control?

Put God First

Need motivation to exercise self-control? Perhaps you have tried to quit smoking, drinking, or taking drugs. Perhaps you have tried to lose weight, or not work so many long hours, only to be drawn back in to the temptation. You tell yourself that you can have all the motivation you could want and somehow, you still succumb to the temptation. Great starts, lousy finishes! You try again, only to see the cycle repeat itself.

I’ve been on that hamster wheel with my weight! So, I speak from experience. It wasn’t until this last time of weight loss, when I got…Read more…