Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1817721 times)

Simeon · « **Reply #155 on:** April 23, 2026, 02:15:48 PM »

Quote from: cassini on April 23, 2026, 12:54:24 PM

The Only Way to Heaven
American humorist, Seba Smith, around 1840, wrote a short story titled “The Money Diggers” in which he noted that, “There are more ways than one to skin a cat.” He was talking about the many ways to dig for money. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a love poem in the nineteenth century which began with the line, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Jesus teaches us that there may be many ways for doing many things but there’s only one way to enter Heaven, namely His way. In his play “As You Like It”, Shakespeare, through the forlorn character of Jacques, opined that, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances.” The world may be a stage but life is not a play; it’s real and often painful. It’s an experience of one’s developing self from the moment of conception to natural death expressed in thoughts, words and actions. There are entrances and exits such as conception, birth, entering and leaving childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, old age, finally exiting in death and entering the beyond. A good exit is more important than a flamboyant entrance because the way we exit determines the smoothness or roughness of our entrance into the next stage or phase of life. Death is our final exit from the world in which we now live, move, and have our being. How do we prepare for it satisfactorily? A productive retirement follows when we exit a career or job with a vision of what we want to be and do as we enter the next phase of life. For the Christian, a good exit means being prepared to enter Heaven. St. Peter teaches us that “the goal of our Faith is the salvation of our soul” (1 Peter 1:9). There’s only one way to achieve that reality, namely through, with and in Jesus Christ. This is why St. Peter in his first sermon confronted the Jєωιѕн leaders’ willingness to hand Jesus over to be crucified, reminding them that they killed the only one who could save them. Bishops and clergy have an obligation to confront the world with this truth just as Peter did.
There’s no stairway to Heaven as God revealed in the story of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) whose builders tried to gain entrance to Heaven on their own. Rather, we walk with the One who has descended from Heaven and now has ascended and resides there. Regarding who will be saved, Jesus responded: “Enter through the narrow gate, the gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear, and many choose to travel it. But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it!” (Mt 7:13-14). Jesus tells us, “No one has gone up to Heaven except the One who came down from there – the Son of Man who is in Heaven” (Jn 3:13). Later He explained, “… it is not to do my own will that I have come down from Heaven, but to do the will of Him who sent me. … Indeed this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day” (Jn 6:38-40). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who “calls His own by name and leads them out …” He promised that, Whoever enters through me will be safe … I came that they might have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:3, 9-11). Fullness of life can only be experienced in Heaven.
We hear people today, even leaders of the Church, claim that “all religions are paths to God.” That is a lie which Satan loves because it either reduces or dismisses the importance of Jesus and His Church as necessary for salvation. Jesus states clearly that, “… no one comes to the Father but through me” (Jn 14:6). The Word of God through St. Peter emphasizes that Jesus is the only Savior: “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other Name in the whole world given to men by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:11-12). The fact is that there’s no other way to Heaven. Jesus is the only Savior of mankind. Neither Islam, nor Buddhism, nor Hinduism, nor Confucianism, nor any other man-made religion can save a man or woman from hell. That’s why in death everyone must opt either for or against Jesus who “judges the living and the dead” (2 Tim 4:1). Since Jesus and His Church cannot be separated, no one can opt for Jesus without also opting for His Church. That’s why St Peter publicly proclaimed this truth on Pentecost Sunday when he preached the following: “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). Those who heard Peter’s confrontational sermon implored in their guilt, “What are we to do?” Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38). Repentance and baptism marked the exit from their sinful ways and their entrance into a new way of life, namely Jesus’ way, the Christian way, through membership in His Church. It is active membership in Jesus’ Church that prepares a person for a positive exit from this world and a happy entrance into the next world.
Jesus revealed that, “Eternal life is this: to know You, the one true God, and the one you have sent, Jesus Christ” (Jn 17:3). The intentional member of the Church can declare with assurance in the words of the Psalmist that, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for You are at my side with Your rod and Your staff that give me courage” (Ps 23). Imagine the peace and security that prayer gives us when Jesus is at the centre of our life. Jesus shepherds us through His Church and guides us through the Holy Spirit to meet all our needs by accompanying us and calling us to yoke ourselves to Him (Mt 11:29) as we enter and exit the different stages and experiences of life. He walks with us daily through, with and in His Church’s prayer, worship, Sacraments and service, especially in the Holy Mass where He enables us to be present with Him at Calvary where He sacrificed Himself to atone for our sins in order to save us. This is a visible display of His love for us. Through His Church’s Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick Jesus enables us to die peacefully by preparing us for a good exit from this life through dying with Him in order to rise with Him (Rom 6:8). Jesus empowers us to “suffer injustice and endure hardships through making us aware of God’s presence,” reminding us that He is always with us. “You have seen … how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself” (Ex 19:4). Peter reminds us: “Christ suffered for you … to have you follow in His footsteps. By His wounds you were healed. At one time you were straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls” (1 Pt 2:21-25). What greater security could anyone wish for than that which Jesus offers us? He calls you and me by name and wants to have a personal relationship with us as members of His Church into which He granted entrance through Baptism. Do you recognize His voice as He speaks to you and meets you in each of His Church’s Sacraments especially in His Mass through the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist? He is the only One who can take you to Heaven since He alone knows the way because He is the only Way to Heaven, the only Truth about who God is, who we are and how to get to Heaven, and the only giver of Heavenly Life. If you don’t hear Jesus it’s not because He isn’t speaking to you but because you aren’t listening. “Today, if you should hear His voice, harden not your hearts as at the revolt” (Heb 3:15). What do we need to do? We need to reform our life, repent, and believe in the Gospel. That is the only way to Heaven. He has given us His Church to make that possible. It is all so simple, isn’t it! Like the Nike slogan, “Just do it!” (fr sean)

Gifts to Pray For
Lord, grant me the gift of wisdom, discipline, and understanding, that I may not be hardened by sin, weakened by laziness, or blinded by foolishness. Amen! (Liturgy of the Hours)

My dear Cassini! Good to see you posting!!!!

The hotmail is just not working and my emails are not going through.

Just know that I've been trying to email you, and also that you are always on my mind and in my prayers!

Much love!!!

cassini · « **Reply #156 on:** May 01, 2026, 11:51:26 AM »

Have You Confirmed the Reservation Jesus Made for You in Heaven? Amen
We live in a time of doom and gloom in the world while many no longer live in the presence of God. People express their worry about the future of the economy, their health, relationships, children, disease, friendships, jobs, housing, old age, or the future of the Church? The culture of death is promoted much more than the culture of life. But as members of Jesus’ Church shouldn’t we be upbeat, knowing that the best is still to come? Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t worry. God revealed through His prophet Isaiah: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Is 41:10). He asks us, “Which of you by worrying can add a moment to his lifespan?” (My 6:27).

Worry Is Useless

Actually worry can shorten your lifespan and make it a drudge! Did you know that the Old English root from which the word ‘worry’ comes means ‘to strangle’? Someone said that worry is like sitting in a rocking chair using your energy rocking back and forth but going nowhere. Worrying is a waste of time. It locks you into the future. It robs you of the present, which is the only time you have to prepare for the future. The present is the only time in which you can address what you’re worried about and do something about it by first of all having Faith in God. Without Faith in God today you can’t be hopeful of a bright tomorrow regardless of what it may bring. Faith in God is the “confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11). Jesus, through His Church, provides the antidote to worry by giving us hope knowing that Jesus has prepared a special place for you. All you have to do is trust in Him and live according to His teaching knowing that He has made a reservation for you in Heaven.

Reservation in Heaven

Jesus allayed our anxieties when He assured believers: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too” (Jn 14:1-3). Do you know that He reserved a room for you the day you were baptized? Have you confirmed the reservation through daily prayer, Sunday Holy Mass, frequent Confession, and acts of charity? The antidote to troubled hearts is trusting in the Lord’s presence as your Good Shepherd. Read and listen to God assuring you of His continued presence revealed in Psalm 23. All the saints are witnesses to this fact because He shepherded them through the “dark valley” to “green pastures where He gives them repose,” namely the place reserved for them in Heaven. I have, and I hope you have too, experienced Jesus’ shepherding in our lives thus far. Putting our trust in Jesus means letting Him take our hand to guide us out of dark places into God’s light where we can look ahead with confident hope. This hope is supernatural, a divine virtue God gives us as a gift, and not just wishful thinking. In the words of the divinely inspired St. Paul: “This hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5).

Supernatural Faith

Our problem is trust. We focus too much on the natural and ignore the supernatural. To trust naturally is to rely on the integrity or ability of a person or thing. To trust supernaturally is to rely on God’s integrity and ability to save us from our proneness to sin, perfect our soul, enlighten our mind, and fill our heart with His love giving us the strength to be His true image and likeness in the world despite all opposition and obstacles. Without supernatural trust, fuelled by the Holy Spirit, neither you nor I will find our way to that place prepared for us the day we were baptized. We can’t trust what we don’t know. Trust requires knowledge. Without knowledge we won’t trust another person, unless we’re naïve or foolish. But we need to be able to trust because without it a relationship is impossible. This is why trust is a process based on knowing the other as a person of integrity and reliability. We never totally trust anyone at any given time with natural trust, including God. This is why we need God to give us and help us practice the supernatural virtue of Faith. Trust is faith on an emotional level. Coming to know God we realize that He alone deserves to be totally trusted because He is always faithful to His promises. The epitome of His trustworthiness is to be seen in Christ Jesus who sacrificed Himself in order to save His followers. We come to know Jesus through His Church who hands on the Apostolic Tradition which Jesus personally gave to His Apostles, whose witnesses they were, and they in turn handed it on to their successors whom they ordained, namely the Pope and the bishops. To assure the continuity of this Tradition Jesus and His Father sent the Holy Spirit to guide His Church to all truth.

The Necessity of Knowledge

There are two kinds of knowledge. There is a clear difference between knowledge about someone and knowledge gained through a personal relationship. This distinction is very important when it comes to knowing Jesus. We might know a lot about Jesus but how well do we actually know Him personally? The same goes for His Church. We can gain knowledge about a person from others or books. But we can’t know a person for who he or she really is without spending time in his or her company. The biggest reason why relationships fail is that people don’t spend nearly enough time getting to know who they really are. Building relationships takes time spent in mutual listening, respecting, believing, empathizing, giving good feedback and asking true questions. The first two characteristics of listening are respect for the speaker giving the speaker your full attention focusing on the intent rather than just the content. When that happens, communication and relationships deepen and trust grows. This is also true in our relationship with Jesus. Do we show Him our utmost respect and give Him our full attention as He speaks to us in the Gospel and through His Church’s Tradition?

Jesus and His Father Are One

Thomas and Philip had spent three years with Jesus but they still didn’t know Him. They saw His works and heard His words. Thomas complained that he didn’t know where Jesus was going, so how could he know how to get there. (Jn 14:5) All Philip wanted was to see God the Father (Jn 14:8). Jesus explained to Thomas that He was the Way to His Father’s house, the Truth about that house, and Life that was lived there (Jn 14:6). He told Philip that He and His Father were completely one with each other. “To have seen me is to have seen the Father …” (Jn 14:9). Philip and Thomas had only natural faith and didn’t yet have the supernatural Faith that would enable them to have supernatural trust in Jesus.

Faith in Jesus Solves Problems

How well do you know Jesus? You know you know when you face each day with supernatural Faith in Him and confront your problems by seeking and trusting His wisdom. Jesus promised us His blessing when we have Faith in Him: “Blessed is the man who finds no stumbling block in me” (Mt 11: 6). The early Christians faced major problems both internally and externally. Internally the community was getting larger and suffered from growing pains. Externally they were being isolated and persecuted. But they faced everything with supernatural trust in Jesus’ guiding Spirit. The Apostles were faced with defining their role as ordained leaders of the Church when groups complained of discrimination over food distribution. Led by the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom, they called a meeting of the whole community and stated that, “It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; …so select … seven men … filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the Word” (Acts 6:2-5). Trusting in the Holy Spirit the Apostles solved the problem.

The Role of Apostolic Leadership

Did the Apostles view themselves as being above serving at table? No. They saw that prayer and proclaiming God’s Word was essential to keep the community Christian. Prayer and God’s word kept them true to the Tradition Jesus gave them to hand on in His Holy Name. In prayer we ask for God’s direction and help to exercise the supernatural virtue of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and in the Word, proclaimed by His Church’s bishops and clergy, we come to know Jesus personally and His will for us. It’s through listening to His Word that you recognize Him in His Church’s Sacraments and experience Him intimately in our life. That intimate relationship is the foundation for a hopeful future which holds the bright promise of that place Jesus has reserved in Heaven for those who love Him. When you are tempted to worry, use it to remind you of what Jesus has in store for you and the reservation he has made for you. “Lord, let Your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You” (Ps 33). You confirm the reservation Jesus has made for you by actively belonging to, “‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own, so that you may announce the praises’ of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). (fr sean)

Ignorance Is Destructive
“Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous nonsense they are teaching our children” (Thomas Sowell)

cassini · « **Reply #157 on:** May 15, 2026, 08:21:49 AM »

Hope Flows from Practising Faith and Love
Dostoevsky wrote, “To live without hope is to cease to live.” Every person born into this world needs the virtue of hope in order to be creative and look to the future with a positive spirit. But hope on a natural level isn’t sufficient to sustain our enthusiasm in the face of obstacles, pain, suffering, failure, or betrayal. We need more than the natural virtues to sustain us when nature lets us down, especially in the face of suffering and death. Hope flows from practising faith and love. But natural faith, hope and love won’t sustain our relationships when we’re hurt or betrayed. On a natural level hope is simply wishful thinking and can’t assure us of a particular outcome. We need a hope that gives us assurance regarding the future. This is where God comes to our rescue by giving us the capacity in Baptism to receive and exercise supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love whose practice helps us rise up from the limitations of our natural faith, hope, and love. In supernatural Faith God unites us with Himself. God fills us with His Spirit in supernatural Love. In supernatural Hope God motivates us to overcome all the obstacles as we strive for perfection. Concerning supernatural hope, the inspired St. Paul noted that, “this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). The absence or the non-exercise of any of these supernatural virtues spells failure in our relationship with one another and with God.

Hope Is Faith and Love in Action Virtue

The Catholic Church defines virtue as, “A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of him/herself. The virtuous person … pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God” (CCC 1803). Good habits keep us balanced so that we can be at our best by resisting deficiency or excessiveness in meeting our physical and spiritual needs. Faith, hope, and charity are good habits because they come from God and in exercising them, we’re doing God’s will. It takes the practice of virtues to overcome and eliminate vices. Virtues provide the incentive to do good works. Jesus reminds us that “our commitment to Him is proved by works, not merely words” (Ignatius Study Bible, Jn 14:15). St. Augustine said that supernatural hope is the greatest of the three divine virtues because it’s the result of exercising in our life the capacity for supernatural faith and love which God gave us in Baptism. It’s through exercising these virtues, St. Paul reminds us that, “In hope we were saved” (Romans 8:24). Pope Benedict XVI points out that, “Hope, in fact, is a key word in Biblical faith—so much so that in several passages the words “faith” and “hope” seem interchangeable. Thus the Letter to the Hebrews closely links the “fullness of faith” (10:22) to the confession of our hope without wavering” (10:20) (Spe Salvi 2). Faith, hope and Love are inseparable, always interacting with one another. To have supernatural faith is to have supernatural love and to have supernatural love is to have supernatural hope.

Supernatural Hope Reigns

Easter is a season of hopefulness. Jesus took on the hopelessness and darkness of evil, suffering, and death on His shoulders as they nailed Him to a cross. But in His Resurrection Jesus conquered these enemies of life and replaced fear of them by supernatural hope in Him through having supernatural faith in Him. That’s why Jesus’ followers are an Easter People; a people assured of a bright future in which to hope knowing they have a place reserved for them in Heaven. A hopeless Christian is a contradiction in terms. The nature of a Christian is to be full of hope even in the most appalling situations. Jesus died on the cross full of hope because of His faith in His Father.

Hope Springs Eternal

The Apostle Philip displayed this supernatural hope when, despite persecution, he brought the Good News of Jesus to Samaria (Acts 8:4ff). Then we see Peter and John administering the Sacrament of Confirmation to those baptized by Philip giving them the supernatural hope of salvation. They “prayed, that they might receive the Holy Spirit…. and upon arriving laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:15, 17). Hope springs eternal so, “The rejoicing in the town rose to fever pitch” (Acts 8:8). Their joy came from the supernatural faith they received upon hearing Jesus’ Good News and receiving God’s love through the Holy Spirit giving them the hope of rising from and conquering wages of sin, namely suffering and death, (Rom 6:23). The Apostles’ hope, sprung from the faith God gave them that encouraged them to preach and teach Jesus’ Good News, fearless of persecution. Hope always encourages endurance because faith in God always says that for the faithful person the best is still ahead. Napoleon is said to have once remarked that, “Courage is like love; it must have hope for its nourishment.” Supernatural hope nourishes courage because it is based on faith in God “for whom nothing is impossible” (Lk 1:37).

Hope Brings Joy

St. Peter urges us to, “Venerate the Lord, that is Christ, in your hearts. Should anyone ask you the reason for this hope of yours, be ever ready to reply ….” (1 Pt 3:15). Christian hope is well expressed by the Psalmist: “Shout joyfully to God all the earth. Sing praise to the glory of His Name … Come and see the works of God, His tremendous deeds among the children of Adam” (Ps 66:4-5). God’s tremendous deed was to redeem us from our sinfulness which He completed in Jesus’ Resurrection. That’s our reason to shout joyfully, even in the face of death itself. That’s why we can be optimistic, which means expecting the best of all worlds. Helen Keller wrote that, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” A renaissance writer, Francois Rabelais, recognized the source of hope when he confessed, “I place no hope in my strength; nor in my works: but all my confidence is in my God my protector, who never abandons those who put all their hope and thought in Him.”

Sacraments of Hope

Jesus is our Hope-Giver. We need Him not only with us but in us. Jesus joined love and obedience when He said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). To love Jesus is to obey Him and to obey Him is to have faith in Him. The heart-felt obedience of Jesus’ commandments signifies His Spirit’s presence guiding us in love of Him. To shore up our weaknesses, fickleness, and sinfulness Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide His Church in calling people to Baptism and Confirmation and thus receiving the power to practice the supernatural faith, hope and love in order to be “perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (My 5:48). Every Church member receives the Spirit of adoption in Baptism and His gifts to be Jesus’ public witnesses in Confirmation. The Holy Spirit is present in Jesus’ Church and in each of her members so that the “universal Church and individual Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 797). The spiritual gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, prayerfulness, counsel, perseverance, and fear of the Lord enable Christians to be signs of supernatural hope that is based on God’s fidelity to His promises. Therefore, we must constantly ask the Holy Spirit to help us in this mission of bringing this divinely created hope to a world that at best can only promote wishful thinking.

Exercising the Capacity for Hope

Catholics are so blessed to have the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation wherein God has given them the capacity to exercise supernatural faith, hope, and love. Of course, it is one thing to have the capacity for something and quite another to exercise that capacity. The Church visibly expresses and exercises this capacity in her liturgy. Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven deprived the Church of His physical presence but it did not remove His spiritual presence from within her. She teaches us that Jesus is always present in her, especially in the Liturgy, where “He ministers through His priests, speaks through the Holy Scriptures, and sanctifies us through the Sacraments” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Jn 14:18; CCC 788, 1380). When we believe in Jesus’ presence in His Church, and participate in her Sacraments, especially in the Holy Mass, we’re exercising supernatural hope because in it we unite with Jesus worshipping His Father and our Father through the Holy Spirit. Every Holy Mass is a visible expression of the supernatural hope God gives us. This we’re able to say with confidence that the best is still ahead. (fr sean)

Jesus’ Church Brings Hope
“Your Church throughout the world sings You a new song, announcing Your wonders to all. Through a virgin You brought forth a new birth in our world; through Your miracles, a new power; through Your suffering, a new patience; in Your Resurrection, a new hope, and in Your Ascension, a new majesty.” (Liturgy of the Hours).

cassini · « **Reply #158 on:** May 15, 2026, 08:23:10 AM »

Jesus’ Ascension: Heaven Is Opened
The Church celebrates Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven when He returned to His place at His Father’s right hand. Easter is all about the Resurrection but the importance of the Ascension is often overlooked. Yet the Ascension is the completion of the mission which God the Father gave to Jesus – it was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Why? It was in His ascension that Jesus made it possible for man and woman to enter Heaven. Being banned from Heaven was the curse or consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve on mankind and the legacy inherited by humanity dooming every man and woman to both physical and spiritual death as the “wages of sin” (Rom 6:23). After the Original sin Heaven was closed to men and women. It wasn’t opened again until Jesus in His glorified body ascended to His Father. St. Augustine emphasized the importance of the Ascension for humanity. He explained that the Resurrection of Jesus is our hope; His Ascension reveals our dignity and that our body is destined for Heaven and therefore isn’t disposable or an obstacle to holiness but rather is created by God to be glorified like Jesus’ body. The Holy Spirit tells us through St. Paul: “Dearly beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall later be has not yet come to light (fulfilment). We know that when it comes to light, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn 3:2). Again, the Spirit reveals that “will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself” (Phil 3:19). Therefore, we must treat our physical body with dignity because it is destined for glory.

Confronting Doubt

Following His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with His Apostles preparing them to spread the good news that Heaven was opened to receive all who believed in Him and lived according to the Gospel. The number ‘forty’ biblically signified a period of preparation but also of probation during which a person proved his trustworthiness. Jesus spent forty days showing His incredulous disciples they could trust that He was truly raised from the dead in His human body. Why? They still didn’t fully believe everything He had taught them about Himself, especially His Resurrection. St. Luke related the reception the risen Jesus received from His eleven Apostles when He met them in Galilee: “When they saw Him, they worshiped, but they doubted” (Mt 28:16). So, He called out their disbelief: “Why do such doubts cross your mind? Look at my hands and my feet; it is really I. Touch me, and see that a ghost does not have flesh and bones as I do” (Lk 24:38-39). He demonstrated to them that He was indeed the Messiah who teaches with authority, exorcises demons, brings hope and forgiveness to sinners, performs miracles, and raises people from the dead.

His Presence in His Church

To announce to future generations that Heaven was opened and accessible, Jesus commissioned His Apostles, the leaders of His Church which He founded on Peter, to, “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands that I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Mt 28:19-20). Thus, Jesus commissioned His Church under the leadership of His Apostles and their successors, the Pope and bishops of His Church, to continue the mission of salvation He had established on earth. To accomplish this mission, He promised them the Holy Spirit as their Advocate and spirit of Truth. In this manner Jesus shared His authority and power with His Church in the persons of her ordained leaders on earth, to save man and woman from sin and eternal death. He promised them: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That promise was fulfilled on Pentecost Sunday. Their mission was to witness Jesus’ presence in their own lives and spread the good news that He wanted everyone to have the peace and happiness that only He could give through receiving the grace of repentance and the gift of forgiveness made visible and tangible in the Sacraments of His Church.

The Witness of the Spirit

To be Jesus’ witnesses the Apostles needed to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. “John baptized with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). They had received John’s water baptism of repentance but had not yet received the Holy Spirit that enabled the Church to be born. Jesus was referring to Pentecost when the Spirit would “proceed from the Father and the Son” (Nicaean Creed) and descend on them thereby giving visible birth to Jesus’ Church led by Peter and the other Apostles. The Holy Spirit is essential in order to enlighten our spirit so we can recognize Jesus as our Saviour. “… no one can say: ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3) and His Church as the visible sign of His Kingdom on earth. Jesus endowed John’s water baptism of repentance by making water the visible sign of the Holy Spirit actually cleansing the soul from sin thereby creating the Sacrament of Baptism. Water cleanses the body but the Holy Spirit cleanses the soul. It’s our soul that makes us human. Therefore, the source of our humanity needs to be cleansed by the Spirit of Truth from the stain of Original Sin that darkens our intellect and weakens our will so that we could come to know God and do His will through embracing Jesus as our Way, our Truth, and our eternal Life.

The Continuity of Jesus’ Spiritual Presence

The Apostles and over five hundred disciples (1 Cor 15:6) were the first witnesses to Jesus’ Resurrection. His Apostles were witnesses to His Ascension. What’s a witness? A witness is a person who can credibly testify to an event that he or she personally saw, heard or experienced. To witness Jesus implies personal knowledge of Him through seeing, hearing, and experiencing His presence in our life. How can you and I say we are witnesses to Jesus' presence since He is no longer with us in the flesh? Jesus’ Ascension deprived the Apostles and disciples of His physical presence but it did not deprive them of His spiritual presence. He assured them, “Know that I am with you always until the end of the world” (Mt 28:20). The Church Jesus founded on Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, is the means He provided in which to see and hear Him thereby making her members His witnesses. Thus, St. Paul prayed for the members of the Church at Ephesus to be true witnesses of Jesus: “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of Him” (Eph 1:17). Jesus intercedes with His Father on our behalf at the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation to give us the Holy Spirit with His gifts especially of wisdom and perception. Since perception is reality for the perceiver, it is important that what we perceive is real, true, good and beautiful. There’s a huge difference between knowing about someone and knowing him or her personally. Only a person who knows Jesus intimately can truly witness and testify to His presence. It takes personal knowledge of Jesus to humbly and confidently invite Him to enter our life. To invite Jesus into our life we need to know where He is and what He wants us to be and do. This again is where His Church is essential because it is through His Church that the Holy Spirit can ordinarily “…enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope His call holds for you, what rich glories He has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers” (Eph 1:18).

The Visible Sign of Jesus’ Presence

God has made Jesus “…the ruler of everything, the Head of the Church; which is His body ...” (Eph 1:23). The Church - Jesus’ Body - can only function under the direction of the head, namely Jesus. To benefit from Jesus’ direction, it’s necessary to belong to the body, the Church. Therefore, to be directed by Jesus as His witness through the power of the Holy Spirit it’s necessary to belong to the Church, which is His body that exists both in Heaven, on earth, and in Purgatory where all her members exist. Just as the productivity of every organ of the body is necessary for the good of the whole person, so the productivity of every member of the Church is necessary for the good of the whole Church. The purpose of the Church is to be the visible sign of Jesus’ spiritual presence calling all people to embrace the Holy Spirit who guides them to Him in and through His Church so that they may enter Heaven, which He opened through His Ascension. To benefit from Jesus’ Ascension, you and I must invite Jesus into our life by asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten our mind with personal knowledge of Jesus. Then we must be willing to tell others that He wants them to know Him personally and belong to His family on earth in preparation for joining His family in Heaven where all participate in the life and love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We cannot accomplish this without His Church, which is His body. (fr sean)

God vs Evolution
One day a 6-year-old girl was sitting in a classroom when the teacher was explaining that evolution showed there was no God. To prove his point he asked a boy:
“Tommy, do you see the tree outside?” Tommy said “Yes.” He then asked Tommy, “Do you see the grass outside?” Tommy said “Yes.” He told Tommy to go outside and look up and see if he can see the sky. Tommy went out, looked up, and then returned saying, “Yes, I saw the sky.” The teacher then asked Tommy, “Did you see God?” Tommy answered “no.”
The teacher smiled and said, “That's my point. We can't see God because he isn't there. He doesn’t exist.”
From the back of the class a girl spoke up and asked the teacher for permission to put some questions to Tommy. The teacher agreed:
The girl asked, “Tommy, do you see the tree outside?” He said, “Yes.” She asked, “Tommy, do you see the grass outside?” he answered, “Yesssss,” getting tired of the same questions. The girl asked, “Tommy did you see the sky when you went out?” A bit irritated, he answered “Yesssss.” She asked, “Tommy, do you see the teacher?” Looking at the teacher, Tommy answered, “Yes.” Then she asked, “Tommy, do you see his brain?” He answered, “No.” She looked at the teacher and said, “According to your teaching, sir, you must not have a brain because we can’t see it!”
When it comes to “seeing” God “we walk by spiritual Faith, not by physical sight” (2 Cor 5:7).

cassini · « **Reply #159 on:** **Today** at 08:01:16 AM »

God Is Both One and a Trinity of Persons: The Love that’s Perfect and Perfecting
There are five different beliefs about God extant in the world today: atheism, pantheism, polytheism, and monotheism. Among monotheists there are two different beliefs. Jews and Muslims believe in one supreme God, and Christians who believe in one supreme God who is also a Trinity of Persons, equally distinct and totally united in one Divinity. Atheists believe there’s no God. Pantheists see the universe and everything in it as God. Polytheists believe there are many Gods. Monotheists believe there’s only one God, Creator of all things who has no beginning and has no end and sets the standard that determines whether a person goes to Heaven or hell. Since all beliefs about God aren’t the same, all religions can’t be the same. A person’s religion reflects his or her concept of God. The effectiveness of our religion depends on whether our concept of God is true or false. The only way to know someone is to listen to him or her and observe his or her behavior. Actions reveal more than words. Therefore, to know God I must listen to Him and observe His actions. The Old Testament is the written record of God forming a particular people, the Israelites, and involving Himself in their lives and history. Muslims view the Qur’an as God’s word even though there is no clear evidence that He revealed Himself to Muhammed. The New Testament is the written record of God coming among the Israelites in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Word of the God of the Old Testament, who became man in the womb of a virgin named Mary. Jesus revealed Himself to His followers as their Messiah, Teacher and Redeemer and the fullness of God’s revelation of who He really is. Jesus is God-made-man, God who made Himself visible in human form, through what He said and what He did. Through, with, and in Jesus we know the true God. There’s no other God than He who revealed Himself in Christ Jesus. Jesus completed and perfected the Jєωιѕн concept of God when He revealed God as One but also as a Trinity of Persons.

God’s Nature

Jesus revealed that God’s nature is to love and, as a result, give life. “Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16). Jesus showed that He was the Way to Heaven and the fullness of humanity, the Truth about God and what humanity needed, and the Giver of eternal Life. In Jesus, “God’s love was revealed in our midst in this way: He sent His only Son to the world that we might have life through Him” (1 Jn 4:8). St. John points out that, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16). No one can have a personal relationship with God as God because He is too beyond our comprehension. We can only have a personal relationship with another person. In and through the Person of Jesus God made it possible for men and women to have a personal relationship with Him in the Persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit thus enabling us to be loved by Him and to love Him in turn.

The Nature of Love

The nature of love is sacrificial, the sharing of oneself with others in community. Love can only be expressed by persons building community through seeking a relationship of unity that honors individuality, distinctness, equality, and a willingness to care and sacrifice themselves for the good of one another. Love is the blood that gives life to a community. Therefore, for God to be Love, He could now be alone because the nature of love is to care and share. Since God always was and always will be He had to be a community of Persons always, while at the same time being one God. This is the mystery of the Holy Trinity that makes Christians different from all others. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken” (C.S. Lewis).

Knowledge of God as a Trinity of Persons

Where did this knowledge come from? It was implied in the Old Testament beginning in Genesis revealing God as Creator creating through His Word, and breathing life (His Spirit) into creation. Jesus directly revealed God as a Trinity of Persons, really distinct and equal in all things, totally united with one another, inseparable from one another, enjoying one and the same Divinity. St. Patrick used a shamrock as an image in helping Irish pagans come to some understanding of the mystery of the Holy Trinity as one Divine nature expressing Himself in three Persons. The shamrock possesses three identical but distinct leaves that are united in one stem. Jesus emphasized the importance of the Holy Trinity in calling all people to salvation when He commissioned His Apostles to, “…go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). To be a Christian means to do everything in the Name of the Holy Trinity, which means acting out of love which fosters unity in the community and decorum in the forum. Catholics in making the Sign of the Cross on their persons reminds themselves that the Way of the Cross gives them admission to the Life of the Holy Trinity.

Why God Is a Community of Persons

God is love precisely because He is a Community of Persons in love with one another. Therefore, in creating us in His image God created us to be like Him by being a community of persons in love with one another. Spiritually, psychologically, morally, socially, economically and physically, a community of love is essential for our human development. The absence of such a community stunts our spiritual, psychological, moral, social, economic and physical growth. Since God created us for community it’s only in that context that we can grow in God’s image and likeness. But we’re prone to sin and selfishness so we need help in forming and maintaining a community of caring members.

God Shares His Love

God as Father lovingly adopts us and unites as His family in His Son’s Church. God as Son lovingly saves us from our sinfulness through His grace of repentance and His gift of merciful forgiveness made available to us in and through His Church. God the Holy Spirit makes us holy and wholesome by strengthening us with His gifts His gifts in Baptism and Confirmation. Since the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God, they unite us in Jesus’ Church. How does this happen? God is perfect love. He shares that love with us through the power of the Holy Spirit who leads us to Jesus who, in turn, leads us into the Father’s embrace. God’s perfect supernatural love perfects our imperfect natural love by purifying us from our selfishness and concupiscence. God revealed Himself as, “Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). In His love He perfects us by gracing us with these same qualities that enable us to be tender, compassionate, slow to become angry, kind and faithful towards others. When the God of perfect Trinitarian love brings us into the relationship of the Father and Son, personified in the Holy Spirit, we’ll have a true sense of belonging to Him, then we’ll be able “to mend our ways. Encourage one another. Live in harmony and peace…. And greet one another with a holy kiss” (2 Cor 13:11).

Implications of Knowing God as a Trinity of Persons

Believing in God as a Trinity of Persons united in a love so strong that it is personified in a third Person, namely the Holy Spirit, our deepest yearning to belong, be powerful, be free, and be joyful are met. The Holy Spirit brings us into the Father-Son relationship enabling us to share in God’s love which transforms us – that’s what conversion is all about. We cannot experience God’s perfect love without perfecting our ability to love, heightening our sense of community, and enhancing our willingness to care and share with one another. For this to happen we must allow the Holy Spirit to steer our spirit, which is the dimension of our soul that seeks the divine, to God as our Father, our Redeemer, and our Advocate and Sanctifier. It’s important to begin and end each day by asking the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and enkindle in us the fire of His divine love which brings us into that glorious relation enjoyed by God the Father and God the Son united in God the Holy Spirit. Christians are a Trinitarian people who follow the Way of the Cross in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, worshipping one God, forever and ever. The God of Christians is the only God who can fulfil the deepest needs of men and women, the need for perfect freedom, justice, love, and peace. (fr sean).

Love
To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him is the greatest adventure; to find Him is the greatest human achievement. (St. Augustine)

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