Working it out

It's amazing. I haven't updated this blog in almos...

It's amazing. I haven't updated this blog in almost a year and I finally get a sarcastic comment. Let me respond in kind:

do you teach your children to be as intolerant as you are?

Well that would be difficult. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and to expect my children to be as intolerant as I am, even with me as a mentor, well that would be asking too much. But as long as they are doing their best, I am happy.

By the way, seeing as the last post, well I guess it will be second to last now, is about the nation of Israel and prophecy, I guess I should mention that my opinion on this subject has changed somewhat since I posted that. I have recently read, "Salvation is from the Jews" by Roy Shoeman and it has enlightened me on this subject. Maybe I will post on it sometime. I will just say that from some of St. Paul's writings it is clear that somehow the conversion of Jews is tied to Christ's second coming.

The Nation of Israel and Prophecy

Is the rise of the modern nation of Israel a fulfillment of prophecy? I would say no. What prophecy is it fulfilling? Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. The Church is the new Israel.

When Jesus began his ministry, many thought he would free the nation of Israel from the yoke of the Romans and establish an earthly kingdom. But Jesus came to tell us we have no earthly kingdom. The kingdom of Christ is the Church. Our king is Christ. He left the keys of the kingdom to Peter and his successors, just as the king in Israel would leave the keys with the prime minister.

Many of the physical descendants of Abraham rejected Jesus as Messiah. Only a remnant believed and onto them was grafted the believing Gentiles. But all are Christ's body, and in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek.

Jesus came to show it not the physical descendants of Abraham that are important but those who are spiritual descendants by faith. And also that it is not the physical Jerusalem that is important for worship but that it is the worship in spirit and truth with the heart focused on the heavenly Jerusalem that is important. This point was made in dramatic fashion when Jerusalem and the temple were completely destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. This is what Jesus was referring to when he told His disciples that this generation shall not pass till all these things shall occur. A generation is about 40 years. Jesus said this around 33 AD, you do the math.

We anxiously await the recognition of the Messiah by our elder brothers in the faith. For as St. Paul says if their turning away brought life to the Gentiles, what could their return mean except resurrection of the dead. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Supporting Bush

I have long known that I could not and would not vote for John Kerry this November. But my support for Bush has been half-hearted. I did not agree with all of his views. I wished his pro-life record, while not bad, was better. I wished he did not support the death penalty. I wished he would have banned all fetal stem-cell research. I was on the fence about the war in Iraq. But reading Catholic Analysis and Peggy Noonan lately I am coming to realize this election is too important for wishy-washy support.

I must support George W. Bush whole-heartedly. The president for the next 4 years is either going to be Bush or Kerry, there is no getting around that. While I have my differences with some of Bush's policies, the policies I agree with far outweigh the differences. Added to that is the absolute tragedy of a Kerry presidency.

Bush is pro-life, even though I wish he were more so. Kerry is pro-abortion unapologetically. Bush is against unlimited fetal stem-cell research. Kerry is for it. Bush is for a constitutional amendment, preserving marriage as between 1 man and 1 woman. Kerry is not. He gives lip service to being against gay marriage and for civil unions, but it is only for political advantage since he knows few people support gay marriage. Bush stands by the convictions of his faith, even if it is not the Catholic faith. Kerry openly dissents against his faith(which is Catholic), even daring bishops to deny him Communion. He blasphemes the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.

So I will now openly support George W. Bush with vigor. That does not mean I will overlook or try to explain away policies I disagree with, but I will not let them lessen my support. I will put a Bush-Cheney bumper sticker on my car. I will defend Bush to family members and others I cross paths with. I will donate to the Bush-Cheney campaign. And if there is anything else I can think of between now and November, I will do that too. The outcome is too important. Let us pray that it will be a turning point in our country's history, for the better.

Lacking All Reason?

There may be something wrong with me(what an understatement). When I find out someone is pro-abortion, I just can't listen to them anymore. It could be a celebrity, a politician, a co-worker, a family member, whoever. I mean if they are wrong on such a fundamental issue, how can they be right on anything? If the foundation is bad, the structure will collapse. And what is more foundational than the dignity of human life?

Now when I say I can't listen to them anymore, I was being hyperbolic. I really mean that their opinion, analysis, or advice loses almost all value for me. Not only that but if I find out an entertainer is pro-culture-of-death(abortion, gay-marriage,etc), even if I have enjoyed this person in the past, my enjoyment of them now and in the future is sullied. I will not completely boycott this person but I am tempted to.

This is the reason I could not watch a minute of the DNC convention. Whenever someone was giving a speech, the only thing I could think was, "You support the murder of babies in the womb, I don't care what you say about anything!" Is this kind of attitude unhealthy?

More "Shove it" Coverage

There is much being made about Ms. Heinz Kerry telling a reporter to "shove it". I think conservatives/republicans should lay off. It is not very becoming, but Dick Cheney told a congressman to "F%$# Off" and George W was caught calling someone an "A@# hole". As they say, "Those in glass houses, should not throw stones."

Male and Female He Created Them

The current attacks on the culture of life we are witnessing are the culmination of an assault on God's created order. Satan cannot create, he can only twist and destroy. God did not create man to be alone, but for union. In particular, men and women were created for the one-flesh union that is the consummation of the marital covenant. And this is where Satan has attacked with a vengeance.

Many who hold onto traditional Judeo-Christian values lament the recent push for gay marriage. But gay marriage is not the end game. I would dare say that many, if not most, in the gay community have no interest in marriage. Promiscuity is rampant, especially among the male gay community, even among those in "committed" relationships. No the end game is total destruction of the distinction between male and female and a resulting destruction of the life giving marital embrace. Gay marriage is simply a rung in the ladder to achieve this result. If the culture of death is taken to its ultimate conclusion, there will be androgynous people practicing all manner of deviant sexual activities, as long as it is sterile: masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, orgies, pedophilia, etc. Life will be created in test tubes, and implanted in artificial wombs. Those who use sexual intercourse to procreate will be frowned upon as backward barbarians.

The covenant of marriage requires sacrificial love. The ultimate example of which is Jesus' sacrificial love displayed by His passion and death. Instead, the culture of death holds up a mutual utilitarian view. I use you, you use me, as long as we both get something out of, what's the big deal? The chain of events that we are now witnessing can be traced back to a general acceptance of contraception. The unitive and procreative aspects of intercourse are separated(what God has joined, let no man tear asunder). From this contraceptive mentality flows immediately fornication and adultery. From fornication and adultery flows abortion(I can't have a baby, I just wanted to have a little fun). From fornication and adultery also flows acceptance of homosexuality, if two people of the opposite sex can mutually pleasure each other, why not two people of the same sex? From acceptance of homosexuality will flow other sexually deviant behavior, incest, polyamory, pedophilia, etc.

Our culture may have passed the point of no return. Is there no hope? There is always hope. But those of faith will need to repent, fast, and pray like never before. We live in perilous and exciting times. Are we up for the challenge?

This Sounds About Right

You are Romans.

Which book of the Bible are you?
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Not too suprised here. My wife always tells me I come across as a know it all ;-)

A Definitive Moment in History Has Come

In case you have not read this article, DO IT NOW!!

I found it inspiring. And in case I have not made it clear in previous postings:

ABORTION IS MURDER!!!

Those who support abortion, fetal stem-cell research, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage support intrinsic EVIL. These things can never be justified.

"But what about the death penalty and war?", you might say. These things are not in the same category. They are not intrinsically evil and are SOMETIMES justifiable. Whether or not a particular case is morally justifiable is up for debate. But with abortion, fetal stem-cell research, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage there can be NO DEBATE!

My prayer is that faithful Catholics will WAKE-UP and decide that enough is enough! In my area we are particularly to blame. Here is our record:

Senators: Ted Kennedy, John Kerry -> PRO-ABORTION

Congressman: Marty Meehan -> PRO-ABORTION

And we(Massachusetts that is) always vote for the pro-abortion candidate for president. The only bright spot is that we elected Mit Romney as governor. Who, although he is not pro-life, is not as virulently pro-abortion as his opponent. This is not a good record for one of the most "Catholic" states in the nation. All faithful Catholics can bear some of the blame for this, but I would think that the priests and bishops of this state should tremble at the thought of standing before the Throne of Judgment when they see this record.

Scandals and Prophecy

In the wake of the sex abuse scandal and now the "To deny or Not to deny" controversy, I am reminded of a prophesy given to nun in Akita, Japan in the 70's:

"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops."

The denial of the Eucharist controversy in particular is bringing this to light. We have some bishops like Archbishop Burke saying clearly that prominent, pro-choice politicians should be denied Communion. We have some bishops who lean in this direction. Then on the other side we have Cardinal McCarrick saying that he is uncomfortable in using the Eucharist in this manner. There are also many bishops who are in this camp.

Is this issue coming to a head? Will it precipitate some sort of division in the Church(gasp schism?)? Only time will tell. One thing is certain, we need to pray for our priests and bishops.