The Door of Faith

Faith is an absolute trust in a belief.  Faith in something is knowing that it is accurate and correct; it is unseen and not a tangible object that can be held. 

Faith lives and dwells in your soul. And occasionally, our souls question and doubt the presence of faith. Faith struggles at times to even exist.

Why do we struggle with something that we can't see or touch? 

The struggle is when evil sets up camp in our souls, building walls to keep the good out.  Faith co-exists with hope, and these two together form a powerful motivation for anyone who deals with everyday life. If faith and hope are absent from our hearts, despair, and sadness consume our souls, and evil fights to keep out what is good. 

To all, keep faith and hope alive.  Recognize that God's presence is always there at the door to your soul. You just have to open the door and welcome this great gift He gives us.

Photo - pixabay - 4651889     

The Practice of Christianity

Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest religion, with about 2.8 billion followers, representing one-third of the global population.[1][2] Its adherents, known as Christians, are estimated to make up a majority of the people in 157 countries and territories,[3] and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, whose coming as the messiah was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament in Christianity) and chronicled in the New Testament.[4]

 The four largest branches of Christianity are the Catholic Church (1.3 billion/50.1%), Protestantism (920 million/36.7%), the Eastern Orthodox Church (230 million), and the Oriental Orthodox churches (62 million) (Orthodox churches combined at 11.9%),[13][14] though thousands of smaller church communities exist despite efforts toward unity (ecumenism).[15] Despite a decline in adherence in the West, Christianity remains the dominant religion in the region, with about 70% of that population identifying as Christian.[16] Christianity is growing in Africa and Asia, the world's most populous continents.[17] Christians remain persecuted in some regions of the world, especially in the Middle East, North Africa, East Asia, and South Asia.[18][19

Christianity. (2022, September 18). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

I went with a generic and very plain and simple definition from Wikipedia. 

Christians cannot be ignored. They should have a significant voice in politics and in society. But there is a movement worldwide to silence the 2.8 billion people that believe in Jesus Christ. In the United States, those who believe in the separation of church and state believe the meaning of this term is to keep religion out of the government, but the opposite is the true definition. It's to keep the government out of religion.  Which gives us the right to preach, worship, and pray on public property.  Sometimes this works out well, and other times is meant with resistance. In the United States, we have the freedom of religion and should consistently demonstrate in public whenever possible.

Here is an example of faith in practice on public property:

The Men’s Rosary Rally, started and organized by Jeff Coleman, a regular attendee of St. Marth Catholic Church in Ashland City, meets the first Saturday of every month at 1 p.m. at the Legislative Plaza.

Jeff Coleman - the organizer, says: 

“It’s to get people to renew their vows, if you will, renew their faith, and renew their trust in the Lord. It didn’t seem like we had it. It seemed like it was being lost,” he said. “With all the things going on (in society), it seemed like the Catholic faith was being lost to the secular world and everybody forgot about the spiritual world, and I wanted to bring the spirituality back, and I wanted to bring men back to say, ‘Hey, stand up and be a man. You’re the head of the house; you’re the head of everything. You need to stand up and be proud that you’re a guy and not let the secular world attack you.’”

Read the full story here.

Men’s Rosary Rally meets monthly at Legislative Plaza - Tennessee Register

This is how we practice our freedom of religion, and the government cannot take that away. 

       

Good Friday Reading

John 18: 1-19:42  

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley

to where there was a garden,

into which he and his disciples entered.

Judas his betrayer also knew the place,

because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards

from the chief priests and the Pharisees

and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,

went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”

They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

He said to them, “I AM.”

Judas his betrayer was also with them.

When he said to them, “I AM, “

they turned away and fell to the ground.

So he again asked them,

“Whom are you looking for?”

They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

Jesus answered,

“I told you that I AM.

So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”

This was to fulfill what he had said,

“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,

struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.

The slave’s name was Malchus.

Jesus said to Peter,

“Put your sword into its scabbard.

Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,

bound him, and brought him to Annas first.

He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,

who was high priest that year.

It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews

that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.

Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,

and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.

But Peter stood at the gate outside.

So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,

went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.

Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,

“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire

that they had made, because it was cold,

and were warming themselves.

Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

The high priest questioned Jesus

about his disciples and about his doctrine.

Jesus answered him,

“I have spoken publicly to the world.

I have always taught in a synagogue

or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,

and in secret I have said nothing.  Why ask me?

Ask those who heard me what I said to them.

They know what I said.”

When he had said this,

one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,

“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

Jesus answered him,

“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;

but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”

Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.

And they said to him,

“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said,

“I am not.”

One of the slaves of the high priest,

a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

Again Peter denied it.

And immediately the cock crowed.

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.

It was morning.

And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,

in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.

So Pilate came out to them and said,

“What charge do you bring against this man?”

They answered and said to him,

“If he were not a criminal,

we would not have handed him over to you.”

At this, Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews answered him,

“We do not have the right to execute anyone, “

in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled

that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.

So Pilate went back into the praetorium

and summoned Jesus and said to him,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered,

“Do you say this on your own

or have others told you about me?”

Pilate answered,

“I am not a Jew, am I?

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.

What have you done?”

Jesus answered,

“My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong to this world,

my attendants would be fighting

to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.

But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

So Pilate said to him,

“Then you are a king?”

Jesus answered,

“You say I am a king.

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth.

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this,

he again went out to the Jews and said to them,

“I find no guilt in him.

But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.

Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

They cried out again,

“Not this one but Barabbas!”

Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.

And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,

and clothed him in a purple cloak,

and they came to him and said,

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

And they struck him repeatedly.

Once more Pilate went out and said to them,

“Look, I am bringing him out to you,

so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

So Jesus came out,

wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.

And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”

When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,

“Crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves and crucify him.

I find no guilt in him.”

The Jews answered,

“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,

because he made himself the Son of God.”

Now when Pilate heard this statement,

he became even more afraid,

and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,

“Where are you from?”

Jesus did not answer him.

So Pilate said to him,

“Do you not speak to me?

Do you not know that I have power to release you

and I have power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered him,

“You would have no power over me

if it had not been given to you from above.

For this reason the one who handed me over to you

has the greater sin.”

Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,

“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out

and seated him on the judge’s bench

in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.

And he said to the Jews,

“Behold, your king!”

They cried out,

“Take him away, take him away!  Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Shall I crucify your king?”

The chief priests answered,

“We have no king but Caesar.”

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,

he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,

in Hebrew, Golgotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others,

one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.

It read,

“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”

Now many of the Jews read this inscription,

because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;

and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

 “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’

but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”

Pilate answered,

“What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,

they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,

a share for each soldier.

They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,

woven in one piece from the top down.

So they said to one another,

“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “

in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:

            They divided my garments among them,

                        and for my vesture they cast lots.

This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved

he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop

and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and that they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;

he knows that he is speaking the truth,

so that you also may come to believe.

For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

            Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

            They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea,

secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,

asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.

And Pilate permitted it.

So he came and took his body.

Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,

also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes

weighing about one hundred pounds.

They took the body of Jesus

and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,

according to the Jewish burial custom.

Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.

So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;

for the tomb was close by.

The Spiritual Life

 Sunday Thoughts

I share my thoughts here often about political opinions, and how our country is going in the wrong direction. But, I need to share few good opinions about the spiritual life and Sunday is an appropriate day to share in my faith.

The Bible is our best compass to guild us in the right direction in matters of faith.  We can always reference the various books in this ancient collection of God's Word to apply its principles and values in todays world.  Another source, are writings from the Saints these are the inspirations of ordinary people who became extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ.

And, one of the more important practices of living a life with God is prayer.  We have our day to day routines whether its going to school, work, or living the retired life. Prayer life is our connection to God and without it makes us vulnerable to the evil that exist in world, it is our battle shield. 

The Bible, Saints, and regular daily prayer are just a small part of living the spiritual life.  Faith in Jesus Christ is the single most important practice we should do everyday.     

 

Hold onto Virtues

faith

hope 

charity 

fortitude 

justice 

temperance 

prudence

The seven virtues are words to live by especially in todays world. We need to study, understand, and apply these seven powerful and sometime difficult words to our life.  I think most of the virtues have be long forgotten and some still apply today but for the most part, forgotten. 

The challenge to living the virtues are people do not  believe in them, except when it works with their agenda.  

Know them, understand them, and practice them.

The Virtues defined

Faith should be in Government

In some countries these two words would not exist in the same sentence, but in the United States it does and has since the beginning. But in the recent years there has been a push to eliminate any connection to God, faith, or religion within our government and this goes from the federal level down to the counties.

Why?

I believe there are a couple of reasons.  The progressives have a larger presence within the media and they are effective in manipulating words to convince the public of their agenda. The broadcast of the anti-God statements within the government sounds to the general public that its wrong, statements like separation of church and state.  The real intent of this statement is for the government to not interfere with religion, not religion interfering with the government.

Our country was founded on the Judo-Christian values. 

Some examples:

• God is mention in our founding documents

• A Bible is use when a newly elected President is sworn into office 

• On are currency the words "In God We Trust"

• A prayer is usually said before meetings

So, with all of this said, I/we conservatives should demand that the faith and value we have established continue to be a part of the governmental processes, because once its gone, its gone forever.  

Tis the Season

This is the time of the year when the world is focused on the birth of Jesus Christ. It is especially a prayerful time not only for the faithful but even for those who are lukewarm in their faith.

I believe this year especially we all need to re-group and turn our eyes to God and pray for the end of this pandemic. 

This time of the year I will usually rant on about how much people will spend their dollars on Christmas gifts, but this year I'm going to focus more on the good then the negative. The world is in a state of hearing bad news everyday and I will have the good news here.  

Keep Christ in Christmas

Pax

  

May Change

The first of May, could this be the month of change?

I hope this month will be the beginning of the world getting back to some normal ways of everyday life. I pray that God will help us all through this pandemic. We must all have faith and pray for those with the virus and well as for those taking care of them. Take time to call someone who might be alone. We are here to help each other.  

Friday

Its Saturday, but I'm writing about an observation on Friday.

So, it seems to me that the entire week people strive for the day everyone longs for - Friday (except for those that don't work) This process starts on Monday (the least favorite day) and continues throughout the week. I understand it is the end of the work week for most people, but their are those who work six or even seven days a week. I will usually say to those I work with to have a nice week-end, but I don't assume everyone has the weekend off.  We strive for Friday to get to Saturday only to work some more to get the things we didn't accomplish during the Monday to Friday week. And then there is Sunday the day of rest - the day we worship the Creator of the Universe - the day for physical rest and rest in the the Lord's love. 

My point and proposal to declare Sunday as the day everyone strives for - the day everyone is glad it has arrived. 

The best day of the week. 

Three Words

Faith - Hope - Love

Three words we can live by everyday. Sometimes its hard and sometimes it's easy but all three everyday. These virtues can be applied to the things we do - at home - at work - or to anyone we meet. But more importantly God wants us to live by theses words. He wants us to live our lives while our short time here by the commandments he has given us. But if we are having difficulty then maybe theses three words are a place to start - Faith Hope Love.

Putting them in practice in our lives doesn't even have to start with interaction with those around us. Faith, by praying everyday. Hope, by living what God commands us so we will one day come in union with Him in heaven. And Love the greatest commandment - to love God with all your heart.

Three words to live by.....    

Proverbs

Proverbs 8:22-31


Thus says the wisdom of God:
"The Lord possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.

"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."

December 1st

The first day of December

This post is a follow up to black Friday post. But this one is for a different reason if you are a Christian keep in mind the reason for the season of Christmas. 

Do not get so caught up in buying gifts that you forget. 

The reason why Christmas is celebrated - Jesus Christ  

Corpus Christi

Hope

Why is the symbol of hope an anchor?

“The anchor, because of the great importance in navigation, was regarded in ancient times as a symbol of safety. The Christians, therefore, in adopting the anchor as a symbol of hope in future existence, merely gave a new and higher signification to a familiar emblem. In Christianity's teachings, the virtue of hope occupies a place of great importance; Christ is the unfailing hope of all who believe in Him. St. Peter, St. Paul, and several of the early Fathers speak in this sense, but the Epistle to the Hebrews for the first time connects the idea of hope with the symbol of the anchor. The writers says that we have "Hope" set before us "as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm" (Hebrews 6:19-20). The hope here spoken of is obviously not concerned with earthly things but with heavenly things, and the anchor, as a Christian symbol, relates only to the hope of salvation. It ranks among the most ancient of Christian symbols.” Hassett, M. (1907).

What does hope mean to you?  Most would say longing for something they want or need, the hope for things in our lives. But what if we take the same question and say, what does hope mean from a spiritual point of view? I believe most would not have a quick answer.

Every new day is the hope of things to come and the hope of being with God. We must be careful not to let everyday needs override our union with God. In Catholicism, hope is one of the three theological virtues; faith, hope, and charity. The virtue of hope comes from the Divine. As we trust in God’s salvation that we will be in heaven one day united with the Trinity. 

What makes this difficult for most is that one can’t imagine what it would be like to live in eternity with God.

When we compare our spiritual hope to our everyday needs, it seems insignificant. This is not to say that our ordinary hopes and dreams should not be a priority, but we just have to put them in perspective. Our earthly hopes come and go, and as we grow older, our priorities change. But, our hope in God should be constant and never change.

“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” Doubleday (1989)

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can remain focused on our ultimate end.

So, what happens when we lose hope? First, we have to look deep inside and ask why?  Being honest with ourselves can usually determine the root of being hopeless. We can start with prayer. Our faith in God is our strength when we are hopeless. And the strength of the people we interact with can build hope. St. Thomas Aquinas states;

“Sometimes it is not we ourselves who have the capacity to make something possible but someone helps us. Perception of difficulty alerts us and perception of achievability quickens our efforts; so hope inspires us to apply ourselves to action and to enjoy it.” Doubleday (1989)

Once the glimmer of hope is in us, it will dwell inside and begin to grow. We have to kindle hope like fire, always feeding it fuel to keep it burning. We must pray along with the fire that comes with the Holy Spirit to keep faith in God for the hope of heaven and our hopes on earth.

Prayer

Jesus, Help Me!

Let me come to You with humble trust in every need, saying, Jesus help me!

In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations, Jesus help me!

In the hours of loneliness, weariness and trials, Jesus help me!

In the failure of my plans and hopes; in disappointments, troubles and sorrows, Jesus help me!

When others fail me, and Your grace alone can assist me, Jesus help me!

When I throw myself on Your tender love as a Brother and Savior, Jesus help me!

 When my heart is cast down by failure to see any good come from my efforts, Jesus help me!

When I feel impatient, and my cross irritates me, Jesus help me!

When I am ill, and my head and hands cannot work and I am lonely, Jesus help me!

Always, always, in spite of weakness, falls and shortcomings of every kind, Jesus help me and never forsake me!

Apostolic (2007)

Photo - pixabay - OpenClipart-Vectors

The Anchor (as Symbol). In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved June 28, 2012 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01462a.htm

Doubleday (1989) Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York , p. 499

Apostolic Publishing Co. (2007) The Catholic Devotional. Oakdale, MN. p. 29

Test of Fire: Election 2012 (Official HD Version - Catholic)

Faith

Faith is the substance of what we hope for, the evidence of what we cannot see, says the letter to the Hebrews. Faith is a disposition we characterize by the activity of believing it disposes us to, and that activity we characterize by the object believed in. Now believing is an assent of mind commanded by the will, so faith's activity relates to its object both as to a good willingly pursued and as to a truth mentally assented to. Moreover, being a theological virtue in which goal and object are identical, the way the object is faith's goal will correspond to the way it is its object. Now faith's object is unseen Truth itself and whatever else we assent to because of that Truth. So faith's goal is also Truth itself as unseen, that is to say unachieved yet hoped for. So Hebrews expresses the way faith relates to Truth as goal, the object willed, by saying Faith is the substance, or seed, of what we hope for, since what we hope for is to see openly the Truth we already assent to by faith. 

From: Summa Theologiae
          A Concise Translation
          Timothy McDermott

Faith

Christian faith is not just in the act of going to church on Sunday.  It is the action from your faith. The Grace received from God is what drives us to do good and avoid evil. The Church is a community of faith that bonds us in unity with Christ and his teachings. The Bible is the true guide for all Christians no matter the denomination. The Old and New Testaments are timeless.  The study of Sacred Scripture is now and forever the guidebook for a good and moral life.     

Faith

Faith by definition is allegiance to duty or a person; fidelity to one’s promises; sincerity of intentions; belief and trust in and loyalty to God; without question.
I believe that faith is a complete trust. So many people today have lost faith because of all the corruption in the world. Think about this; if someone offered you a really good deal on an item your first reaction would be, what is the catch? You would be thinking that this is too good to be true. So, how do we decipher what is real and what is not? I believe that it comes deep within each person. Faith has been given to you by the grace of God. Faith in God will help anyone that struggles between what is real or unreal, good or bad, and right from wrong. The moment of truth is when we struggle with our faith. We must believe that the grace that has been given to everyone is God’s voice telling you what is true. Trust in God, follow your heart and you will never be unaided in the decisions of life.

How Can You Change the World?

I believe anyone can change the world. Your approach to the process will depend on your abilities, passion and resources.

Does it take money? Yes and No
I have worked in a non-profit environment and I have seen the struggles of funding. The impact of dollars can buy food, clothing and housing. Also, if most people are asked “what would they do if they won the lottery?’ somewhere in the list of things they would buy would be a donation to a charity. You can also change the world without money; simply by being kind to everyone you meet everyday.

Would you have to invent something? Yes
The fact that I have posted this blog entry on the internet through a computer is proof that invention can change the world. The discoveries in medicine, space exploration are just a few things that have change the world.

Can you change the world one person at a time? Yes
Absolutely and it does not cost any money and you do not have to be a rocket scientist. The simple act of kindness to everyone you meet, everyday can change the world.
Why? because it is contagious.

Does it take a leader to form a group with a mission? Yes
A leader can transform any group whether it is business, religious, political or volunteer. If you take a moment and think about all the leaders in the world, past and present, you will see that leadership can change the world.

Can one event in someone’s life change the world? Yes
My first thought, Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection changed the world.

Can you be anonymous and change the world? Maybe
I think it is possible, but in today’s world, unless you have complete secrecy, someone will find out.

Are There Other Ways You Can Change The World?

What Christmas is About