I wish Mel Gibson had done it...

...the continuing story of Jesus Christ after he was placed in the tomb. 

The movie is "Risen"...

Whatever you think of Mel Gibson, his "The Passion of the Christ" movie was spectacular...at least in my opinion. I wish Gibson had done this movie and continued the story.  This looks good...but I just don't know if it will hold up to "The Passion of the Christ". 

More about "Risen" here: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/mark-judge/risen-next-passion-christ 



In Christ, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 

About what Michael Voris said yesterday...

   On Friday (November 14, 2014) Michael Voris’ “The Vortex” (entitled The Razor’s Edge) was once again devoted to clarifying their position on Pope Francis and the fear running rampant among the faithful because of what is and isn’t coming out of the Vatican.

I am assuming (perhaps wrongly), this Vortex was done because the faithful are still contacting Church Militant TV with their concerns about the Pope and their possible confusion over where exactly Church Militant TV stands on the too often controversial hot topic of Pope Francis and the direction of the Catholic Church under his pontificate.

Here is "The Razor's Edge" from The Vortex: 

I listened to and read this episode of The Vortex over a half a dozen times – I do that quite often with what Church Militant TV produces because I respect them and want to make sure I am clearly hearing exactly what is being said- or in some cases NOT said. 

In “The Razor’s Edge” Voris gives his opinion of only two opposing sides of Catholics (the traditional leaning group who are running in fear over what Pope Francis says, does and seems to allow with his blessing) and the “Church of Nice” crowd- who refuse to admit anything is wrong at all.  Overall, Voris makes excellent points with what he says, my point in writing this is more with what he didn't say and about another side of opposing Catholics who don't fit in the groups he mentions.

Voris says:
“As of now, a careful middle seems to be being carved out – indeed, NEEDS to be carved out - amidst the flurry of hysterical responses from both extremes of the Catholic world – those angry mean-spirited Catholics who populate the ranks of so-called traditionalists – but, and this is VERY IMPORTANT – do NOT, repeat do NOT speak for the vast majority of faithful Catholics – even though they think and act like they do – AND on the other end of the spectrum – those Catholics who simply refuse to report on anything troubling – like recent affairs at the Synod, sugarcoating everything.
Battle lines have been drawn between a subset of traditional-minded Catholics who write and publish venomous screeds against the Pope, and those who pretend Rome is nothing else than a valley of lilies where everything is perfectly fine – denying the reality of what Bishop Athanasius Schneider has rightfully termed – the fourth great crisis in the life of the Church.
Both sides are wrong in their reactions because they each fail to take into account the DIFFERING damage they inflict on various individual Catholics.  Neither approach is – quite frankly “catholic”, meaning universal enough.”

Here I disagree with Voris in two respects.  Yes both sides mentioned are causing damage- though I think the damage they are causing is rather low.  Admittedly, I could be completely wrong on this.  I am sure the folks at Church Militant TV pay far more attention to many of these groups than I do.  

Yet, there is another opposing side of Catholics Voris failed to mention. 

Catholics who are not in the least bit tempted by the "subset of traditional minded Catholics who write and publish venomous screeds against the Pope" to leave the Church or the Church of Nice Catholics who bury their heads in the sand.

There are Catholics who believe the Pope is a legitimate valid pope, though not a very good one- so far at least (we still hold out hope things will improve).

Why do we feel this way?  Because we believe it is Pope Francis himself causing the MOST damage - not the hardcore traditionalists or even the Church of Nice crowd- though it is Pope Francis himself who strengthens the Church of Nice crowd when he says things like "Who am I to judge?".

 

It is Pope Francis’ OWN WORDS AND ACTIONS that are panicking people.  The hardcore traditionalists have been beating their drums for decades and the “Church of Nice” crowd has remained silent on anything and everything for just as long.

The difference now is, the Pope himself.  

Suddenly, the Church of Nice crowd have a pope leading their way to more progressive points of view INSIDE the Church (look at Cardinal Dolan and the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Parade- this is another direct effect of our current Pope on the Church).

The Pope’s words and actions are now lining up with many of the warnings the hardcore traditionalists have been warning about for decades. It's causing some Catholics to contemplate whether or not these hardcore traditionalists are right or not (their not).

So the Pope himself is sending people into the arms of religious groups OUTSIDE the Church.

That is the problem that *I* see and I believe the Vortex has not (and probably will not) address.

Voris has always made it very clear, that he and the folks at Church Militant TV have a deep concern over a SINGLE Catholic leaving the Church because of any sort of confusion or fear. 

Because of this Christian concern, Church Militant TV does their best to tread carefully in what they say and do.

That is commendable and why I have such respect for them.

This Vortex was no different in that respect.  Voris again reiterates the need to STAY IN THE CHURCH regardless of what we see and hear.

I agree completely- though I am very vocal in my distrust of our current Pope (see my sidebar for more on that- specifically those entitled "My Issues with Pope Francis: Part I and II").

One problem is, it is natural human nature to RUN when we feel fear and panic.  Most of us like our comfort zones and get very antsy when we are pushed out of it.

Sadly, Pope Francis IS pushing us out of our comfort zones- and not in any good way that I can see (I truly hope that perhaps one day I see things differently, because I don’t like the fact that I dislike and distrust my own Pope).  The result is fear and panic and for some a hasty exodus from Christ's Holy Catholic Church to something that LOOKS like what they believe is Christ's Holy Catholic Church.

I was not raised a “cradle Catholic”.  I came from outside the Church and personally KNOW how being on the outside has little to offer compare to the fullness of being inside the Church.  There is no man on earth, pope or not, who would make me look outside the Church for anything.  There is only ONE Church that Jesus Christ created on earth- there is no other.  In the words of our first Pope, St. Peter “To whom shall we go?” (John 6:68)

To whom indeed?  There is nowhere else to go.  Hold fast to what Jesus has given us, don’t allow fear to chase you from where our Lord wants you to be.  

We have a “flight or fight” instinct, yet right now too many are in full “flight” mode.  Stop.  Fight back that fear with the trust in our Lord.  He has not abandoned us- he won’t.  It is us who are abandoning Him when we leave His Holy Catholic Church for anything else.

I get it.  

Faithful Catholics are seeking comfort, stability and that homey feeling the Church used to give us, but is too often these days lacking.  I feel it too, but I won’t give in to it by abandoning the gift of the Holy Catholic Church from Christ to us because I don’t particularly like who the current Pope is.  It is MY problem to get over those fears.  It is MY cross to carry, not dump on the ground and go running for something outside the Church that gives me the “warm fuzzies”.  I belonged to the “warm fuzzy” Protestant denominations once upon a time, and I left that for a good reason.  There is no substance to those “warm fuzzies”, the true substance is with staying inside the Catholic Church no matter what.  Don’t be shaken.  Stand firm and trust in Jesus.  Period.

Voris goes on to say:
“This is the position of ChurchMilitant.TV.  We have never said the Pope, or more importantly his prudential decisions or misstatements or off the cuff personal thoughts are beyond the realm of critique.  What we consider simply out of bounds is the name-calling, Pope-bashing response of SOME, important distinction there – SOME, a few, in the more traditional minded crowd.
Here’s the bottom line.  Unless he is speaking directly on a question of faith or morals and makes it binding on all the faithful, whatever the pope says, or for that fact, ANY pope says, or sometimes doesn’t say, carries with it no guarantee of infallibility whatsoever.
THAT is why there exists a reserved set of circumstances in the first place for him to speak infallibly.  If he isn’t speaking in that very narrow set of circumstances, then it shouldn’t be regarded as infallible.”

Personally, I think Voris is dead wrong here.  

The “bottom line” isn’t about the Pope speaking infallibly – the entire world would know if the Pope was speaking infallibly- that would be clear news.  

The “bottom line” in my opinion is “WHO is driving people into a panic so awful that they are abandoning the Catholic Church for 'hardcore traditionalist' groups outside the Church?”  

In my opinion that is Pope Francis himself.  

It’s never (at least in my mind) been about infallible teaching…it’s been about the words and actions of this Pope.  

The ripple effect of “who am I to judge” and washing Muslim women’s feet during Holy week and horrible interviews and his removal of orthodox Bishops from positions inside the Church only to replace them with liberals and so on.  These actions speak VOLUMES to the “bottom line” problem Catholic laity are suffering now and it all points back to Pope Francis himself.

Pope Francis is the author of this storm we are all trying to weather.

With each news day more panic and fear is poured out to the faithful by way of off the cuff comments, liberal priests or heretical speaking Bishops.  See it for what it is…the Church is under attack.  This isn’t new or news.  But it is troubling- especially when the terror rippling across the world is seen as coming from the Vatican.

When our Holy Father FAILS to comfort his children (and let’s face it Pope Francis himself is too often the epicenter of the problems) the fear grows.

We want a Vicar on earth who will comfort us against the storms, not a Vicar who IS the storm.

The problem with that way of thinking is that good and bad Vicars come and go.  It would be WONDERFUL to again have a Vicar of Christ who kept us in our comfort zone, where we felt safe and protected against the evils in the world.  Pope Benedict did that for me.  And because he did, I naively thought ALL popes did that.  I was wrong.  Our comfort should be in our Lord himself.  Jesus sent the Great Comforter to us who will protect His Church against ALL the storms –inside and outside the Church.

Stop running OUT of the Church seeking the Comforter, you won’t find Him there.  He is INSIDE the Church- in Her Truth and official Teachings.  Find your comfort in the ONLY place it truly exists, inside the Holy Catholic Church with Jesus Christ himself.   You won’t find that anywhere else. On that, Michael Voris and I will always agree.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Source: http://www.churchmilitant.tv/scripts/vort-2014-11-14.pdf

Catholic and Boycotting Kmart

I don’t usually get very verbal about boycotting things and I almost never explain my reasons.  Usually I just quietly let my money speak for its self by not giving my dollars to businesses that I know have insulted my God or my Faith in any way.  But today I am going to tell you why I am boycotting Kmart and hopefully give you a reason to boycott them too.

First let me start by reminding everyone of what should be obvious, but is sadly lost by commercialism of the season.

Christmas is the day Catholics honor the birth of God Incarnate with “Christ’s Mass”.  It’s the day God humbled Himself in Heaven and came to earth as a small tender babe.  He put himself in the HANDS of human beings to care for and love and raise to adulthood for the sole purpose of one day being tortured, mocked, beaten and nailed to a cross for our salvation.  The most wonderful gift anyone can ever receive.  The Church knows this, this is why Advent and Christmas are celebrated.

God in Heaven becomes God Incarnate.

Christ’s birth on earth is a day for honoring God, thanking God, celebrating the love God has for us and most of all worshiping God.  Besides attending Christ’s Mass, Catholics also share gifts.  We do this because the Magi brought gifts to God Incarnate:  Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. 

Christmas (Christ’s Mass) and gift giving are part of our celebration thanking God for loving us enough to come to earth and save us.

Catholics (and all Christians) need to PONDER that for a good long while.  That’s what Advent is for.  

Remember the REASON for the season.

Yes shopping is part of it, but remember WHY we are shopping.

While you are shopping, think also about WHERE you are shopping.  WHO are you giving your Christmas dollars to?

Are they mocking the “Reason for the Season” Jesus Christ, God Incarnate?

If they are, WHY would you give them your money?

Is that not like saying “I am pro-life” then giving a cash donation to an abortion clinic?

Pay attention to WHO you give your money to.

Kmart has a new VULGAR “Christmas” Ad in which men jingle their private parts while wearing Joe Boxer underwear to the tune of “Jingle Bells”.  The Ad is titled "Show Your Joe"...

Men jingling their private parts to Christmas Carols is repulsive to me and insulting to "the reason for the season" in my personal opinion so I will NO LONGER do any shopping at Kmart- especially Christmas shopping.

And for the record, this is not the first time Kmart has thought it would be good advertising to push the envelope... not to long ago they had another ad which played on words making viewers stop and ask "Did they just say what it sounded like they said?"... 



No.  They didn't say it, but they WANTED you to THINK they said it.

The Christmas Magi weren't left out of this years Christmas ads either...


And they don't stop there... no they even use the image of a Catholic nun to push their sales...



Again... vulgarity in advertising will NEVER get me to give a business a dime.

Goodbye Kmart...


Tell me what you think.


In Christ and boycotting Kmart,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Are abortion supporters our 'neighbors'?

On Friday night July 12^th through the early hours of Saturday, I (like so many others), were riveted to our Twitter accounts watching as Pro-lifers (#Stand4Life) and Pro-choicers (#StandWithTXWomen) clashed in Texas over a law that would ban abortions after twenty weeks – the law passed by the Grace of God and the prayers of so many loving people.

But during those hours (and I mean HOURS) I watched and read tweets from people on the ground in Texas (because all the news channels were discussing the Zimmerman trial, ignoring Texas completely).  What these wonderful pro-life people were reporting was shocking... feminine hygiene products being thrown at people, bottles of human waste confiscated by the police (it was intended to be tossed on people who disagreed with them) and more.

The Texas Tribune (http://www.texastribune.org/2013/07/13/texas-abortion-regulations-debate-nears-climax/ ) was covering the story, and they didn’t back down from the filth coming from the Pro-Choice crowd. 

Clip from the Texas Tribune article:

Rumors had persisted earlier Friday that some protesters had tried to bring such containers into the gallery, but DPS officers outside the gallery said they had no knowledge of such attempts at the time.The DPS issued a press release on what it had found so far:        AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today received information that individuals planned to use a variety of items or props to disrupt legislative proceedings at the Texas Capitol.Therefore for safety purposes, DPS recommended to the Texas Senate that all bags be inspected prior to allowing individuals to enter the Senate gallery, which the Texas Senate authorized.During these inspections, DPS officers have thus far discovered one jar suspected to contain urine, 18 jars suspected to contain feces, and three bottles suspected to contain paint. All of these items – as well as significant quantities of feminine hygiene products, glitter and confetti possessed by individuals – were required to be discarded; otherwise those individuals were denied entry into the gallery.In the interest of the safety and security of Texas legislators and the general public, these inspections will continue until the conclusion of Senate business. –end quote-

After reading that, I was disgusted and furious that people would be so horribly vile to other people who simply wanted to save the life of a child.  I saw horrible photos of people wearing clothes with drawings of women’s body parts, I saw a teenage looking YOUNG girl holding such a blasphemous sign about our Lord Jesus Christ that I can’t even believe a parent would allow a child to VIEW such a sign, let alone wave it around in the air. 

My mind was so appalled at what these people were doing and WHY they were doing it, that I stopped thinking at all in a Christ-like manner and instead let my heart burn with anger and hatred for every single pro-choice person out there.  I was sickened by them and wished the earth would just open up and swallow them all like the story of the evil men in Moses’ time…

“But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”  As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart.  The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households—everyone who belonged to Korah and all their goods.  So they with all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.” [Numbers 16:30-33]

I went to bed happy that the bill had passed and yet still angry at ‘those people’ for fighting so venomously for the “right” to butcher pre-born human beings.  I woke up feeling the same, only with a bit more disgust as the shock of it was wearing off and the evil and filth of it setting in. I had no pity for 'those people', they disgusted me and I was beginning to feel real hatred for them.

Then I went to Mass tonight. 

Thank you Jesus.

The Gospel reading was about just who is our “neighbor”, with Jesus giving the story of the Good Samaritan.  [Luke 10]

25	And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26	He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?"
27	And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
28	And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."
29	But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30	Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31	Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32	So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33	But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion,
34	and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35	And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'
36	Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"
37	He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

One of my parishes’ wonderful deacons did the homily this evening, and he promptly reminded me that hatred has no place in living like Christ.  Being a good neighbor to those perceived as “enemies” DOES have a place (right up front and center) to living like Christ.  You see, the story of the “Good Samaritan” is often not fully understood unless you know the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans.  Hatred.  They despised each other with a passion.  They went out of their way to ignore each other – they even refused to allow Jesus into their city [Luke 9:51-56].  

Then one day, one Samaritan does the unthinkable, he stops to help an injured Jewish enemy.  The Samaritan felt pity for this stranger that he’d been raised to hate.  Instead of treating the victim with hatred, he poured out love and compassion, binding his wounds, paying for him to be nursed and cared for and even promising to come back to see to it that the Jewish man was well cared for and that his bills were paid.

I knew all that, but had forgotten it until tonight's homily. A timely reminder, much needed and appreciated.  I had not been a neighbor to those pro-choice people- not even in my heart.  I had not had an ounce of pity for them.  I had hated them and wished them ill.  I was no better, and perhaps worse than those who had walked by the wounded man on the side of the road.

Listening to that homily, I learned very clearly that I don’t want to be someone who walks by the wounded because I perceive them as my enemy.  I want to have compassion for them and do what I can to help their wounds.  I don't want enemies and I don't want to be an enemy to anyone else- no matter how strongly we might disagree on something.

Anyone who supports the killing of pre-born children is certainly a wounded person.  They need compassion and as much prayers as we all can possibly give them.  Perhaps they have no one in their lives who ever prays for them?  Perhaps they don’t know much of anything about Jesus Christ?  That falls on those of us who DO KNOW Jesus Christ, to teach them, to pray for them and to have compassion for them.  How awful it will be for them one day to stand before God with their crime of supporting the slaughter of children?  Awful.  How much more awful for those us who KNEW and did nothing?  Who showed no compassion… who didn’t bother to pray or share our Lord with such a person because we perceived them as our “enemy”?   I don’t want to be such a person.  I’d rather try my best to live like the Good Samaritan, doing what I can with compassion for the wounded I see in life. I can start that by not viewing pro-choice supporters as 'enemies', but rather as severely wounded people who need prayers.

-Julie-

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Call no man 'father'... explained

I had a discussion with a Baptist man, that went something like this…

Baptist Man says: In the Bible-real Bibles, not your added on to Catholic ones, God says we are not to call any man ‘father’ (he then quoted Matthew 23:9 to me…“And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.”). He continued… yet you Roman Catholics do call mere man ‘father’ all the time. Yet another example of manmade doctrines replacing the Word of God!  You Catholics have no defense for this and you know it! I dare you or any other Catholic to even try to defend your Church teaching against this clear biblical Word of God!

My response...(using the Protestant NIV Bible)

Dear Baptist Man, why is it you cut the previous and following verses out??  Context, Baptist Man, CONTEXT.  You must take ALL of Sacred Scripture IN CONTEXT to have the best understanding.  Let’s look at what is actually said in Matthew 23 AND in the complete context of the Bible, shall we?

Matt. 23:9 "And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven."

True enough that is what verse 9 says… but what does verse 8 and 10 say?  Do you accept verses 8 and 10 too or just verse 9?

Call no man "Rabbi"....   ^Verse 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers."

Call no man "father".... verse⁹ "And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven."

Call no man "teacher"... verse¹⁰ "Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ."

Now let’s think about this for a moment.  Jesus says we are to call no man on earth ‘father’, ‘rabbi’ or ‘teacher’.  Do you call Jewish clergy rabbi?  How about your Baptist Sunday school teachers?  Do you restrict the use of the word ‘teacher’ in your home?  Your church?  Your denomination?  No you don’t, I’ve seen you use those words numerous times over the years.  So why pluck out ‘father’ and point your finger at Catholics for something you yourself do?  Does that not stink of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees?

It’s time to ask just WHAT is Jesus saying here?  Does he actually mean never to refer to anyone as a "father" or "Rabbi" or "teacher"?  Does anyone think that is the case?  No way!  

Of course not!  If you go on to read verse 12 we see Jesus is talking about those who EXALT themselves.  (hint: this is about the First Commandment)

¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.  (Matthew 23)

 

We don't call anyone else "father" as in The Creator, the giver of ALL life.  The Father of all things – there is only ONE Father the Creator of all things, yet there are many ‘fathers’ in the world.  We have fathers of children…fathers of nations…fathers of organizations.  The title ‘father’ for a family, a nation or organization etc., is not wrong.  If we made someone else ‘father’ of something belonging to God and God alone it would be a sin, but not the father of a family or nation.

God the Father in Heaven is a jealous God, He forbids us from giving HIS glory to a false god (again, the First Commandment here). That is how we are not to use the word "father" for someone or something else.  That’s the key here, giving what belongs to God the Father to someone else.  That is God’s Glory, not ours.  If a man has a child he does in fact become a ‘father’ to that child.  That title ('father') belongs to that man.   He has not stolen God’s Glory by siring a child, not at all!  And the child is NOT committing a sin if they call their father by the title 'Father'.  We don't sin by calling Jewish clergy 'Rabbi' or by calling a school teacher 'teacher' simply because those are their titles.  Again, this is about the First Commandment.  If we attempt to give God's Glory to another- then we sin. 

We have fathers; teachers and Rabbi's but we do not give them the REVERENCE of God the Creator in Heaven.  HE is the ultimate Father, ultimate Teacher and ultimate Rabbi.  He is the Creator of all.  That is God’s Glory, not mans.  This Glory belongs to God and we exalt God for it.  We don’t exalt men for what God the Father has done.  That is forbidden.  That is what the Bible warns about.  That is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 23 (and other places).

We can take comfort in knowing that calling someone "father" is NOT a sin or wrong because Jesus Christ uses the term "father" dozens of times referring to people's actual parents and "Father" Abraham as the "father" of a nation.  (As I mentioned above, this is not a sin.  A man becoming the ‘father’ of a nation does NOT in any way attempt to take away God’s Glory)  If using the word "father" for someone other than God was wrong, Jesus Christ would not have done it.  Jesus is our perfect example.

But let’s not limit ourselves to Matthew 23 alone, let’s look at what else the Bible tells us.  In the New Testament we see Paul teaching us that priests are in fact our “fathers” because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is precisely why the Catholic Church refers to her priests as ‘fathers’ – because the Bible tells us so!

1 Cor.4 ^{14 "}I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. ¹⁵Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church." (NIV Bible)

Anyone who claims we are not to call a man ‘father’ because of Matthew 23 clearly has no understanding of what Jesus was teaching.  It’s all about CONTEXT and knowing the First Commandment.  If you pick a verse here and reject a verse there, you will nearly always be wrong.  You will be not only deceiving yourself, but also anyone else you share your personal views with.

Remember, that if it were wrong to call someone ‘father’, ‘rabbi’ or ‘teacher’ then Jesus would not have done it, nor would Paul be telling everyone that he (Paul) is in fact their ‘father’ because he's a priest (1 Cor. 4:15).  The Gospel teaches that the Church's priests ARE our fathers- not THE Father the Creator, but fathers made so by the Gospel.  The Catholic Church teaches exactly what the Bible says and what Jesus taught. 

The Catholic View from Catholic Clergy: The Crucifixion of Jesus

Written by: Contributor Deacon Ron

Sin entered the world and came into our lives as a result of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. Jesus saves us by counteracting or balancing out what, Adam and Eve did.

When Adam and Eve sinned, their motivation was pride. They wanted to be more than they were. In their pride, they thought they deserved to be more. They wanted to be like God. Because of the lie told to them by Satan, they thought they had to eat the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil so that they could be just like God. However, being creatures rather than the creator they could never be just like God, but only resemble him.

Knowing the problems that the Knowledge of good and evil would cause the human race, God forbade them to eat the fruit of that tree. To eat the forbidden fruit, they had to put God’s will aside and replace it with their own will, believing it would make them like God. Having replaced God’s will with their own, they committed the Original Sin.

To undo this, Jesus had to do just the opposite. He had to put his human will aside and accept God’s will. This is what he did during the in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested. Then to undo the pride of Adam and Eve, Christ had to suffer humiliation. Jesus allowed himself to be arrested, though innocent of any wrong doing. The Roman soldiers stripped him and put a cloak on him, pretending it was the royal robe of a king. Then they taunted and teased him, pretending he was their king, attempting to humiliate him.

The sinful act of Adam and Eve required the use of their hands. They had to pick the forbidden fruit and eat it. The Roman soldiers put a reed in the hand of Jesus. The Romans pretended it was a royal scepter, again mocking him as king. It was no good to Jesus, since it is just a useless weed. The fruit eaten by Adam and Eve also did them no good, instead it brought them sin and damnation.

Then the Romans chained our Lord to a pillar and whipped him without mercy, punishing his body. The sin of Adam and Eve required the use of their bodies. The punishment of their bodies was that they were banished from the Garden of Eden and had from then on had to work for their food.

However, a human being not just a body, for we have mind and spirit, that is to say, a soul. To punish only the body is to punish only half a person. The punishment of the mind and spirit, the soul of Adam and Eve, was that they no longer had such an intimate connection with God. They were now separated from him by their sin. Jesus also experienced a punishment of mind and spirit. For him, it was the Way of the Cross.

This was accomplished as he carried his cross to the place of crucifixion. On the way, he met his mother. Imagine her pain and suffering knowing that her only son was to be executed by the cruelest punishment the Romans could devise. Now imagine Jesus knowing his mothers pain, knowing he was the reason for her pain, and knowing how the sight of him, covered in blood from the whipping, must have made her feel. Jesus knew these things and it could only have been extreme anguish for him. This was his punishment of his mind and spirit.

At the place of the crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross. St Paul called it a tree. It is in fact the Tree of Life. This is because it is through the cross that we have eternal life. By his death on the cross and his resurrection, we have redemption for our sins and therefore eternal life in heaven.

There was a tree of life in the Garden of Eden also. God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden so that they could not eat the fruit of that Tree of Life. This was necessary because salvation could come only through Jesus Christ and only at the time deemed proper by the Lord.

Through the Mass we are present at the crucifixion and experience its salvation. At Mass, the body of Christ is broken and his blood is separate from his body, just as his body was damaged on the cross and his blood then flowed out of him. Thus, every time we participate in Mass, we are present at the Crucifixion of Christ.

Our first motivation for not sinning is that we ourselves do not want to spend eternity in hell. That is a good and valid motivation. However, if we love someone we do not want him or her to suffer. When we truly love someone, we may even wish to take the suffering upon ourselves so that they do not have to suffer. Knowing that it is because of our sins that Christ had to suffer, in our love for him, we want to reduce his suffering. Therefore, our love for Jesus is another motivation to not sin. Ultimately the responsibility for his suffering is ours. If we truly accept that responsibility, then we are motivated to resist temptation and to not sin.

The willingness of Christ to suffer for us is a loud and clear statement of his love for us and the ultimate example of how we are to love one another. Jesus does not hate us because we make him suffer. He wants no revenge and he does not harbor any anger towards us for causing his suffering. He is the perfect example of how forgiving we must be toward one another.

On every Good Friday, let us pause a moment and reflect on how the crucifixion of Jesus atoned for our sins by undoing what Adam and Eve did. But let us also reflect on the love and forgiveness that our savior is showing us, and then let us show it to one another.

-Contributor Deacon Ron-

Wake up Catholics! The Eucharist is NOT "symbolic"!

Recent polls show that nearly half of all Catholics don't believe the Catholic teaching about the Eucharist. Wake up Catholics! The Eucharist is not "symbolic". How do we know that? Because Jesus Christ said so that's why. Who are you to tell God He's wrong? Don't be so prideful you send yourself to hell in a handbasket as the saying goes. Proverbs 16:18 "Prides goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Jesus said He is the Bread of Life and that those who eat His Flesh and drink His Blood abide in Him and have everlasting life. What part of that don't you get? Look at our Lord and Saviors words in John 6:
Verse 53 "Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."
Let's stop here for a minute. How clear is that? What does "unless" mean here? If it's only symbolic then why is it so vital for eternal life? Think people and read what your Savior said.
Verse 54 "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Again, nothing symbolic here. Jesus is making a clear statement and telling us what to do to abide in Him. He says "eat my flesh" and "drink my blood". No symbolism here.
Verse 55 "For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink."
Here Jesus makes it crystal clear by saying "real" - "my flesh is REAL food" and "my blood is REAL drink". Nothing symbolic there. Jesus does NOT say "my flesh is SYMBOLIC food" nor "my blood is SYMBOLIC drink". Jesus said REAL and He meant it. When God speaks do you believe Him or tell him "You can't mean that God, you've got it wrong, let me tell you what you really meant to say"? Are you that prideful (and ignorant) as to think you know more than God himself? Wake up Catholics! You don't know it all, but Jesus does and He's telling you the Eucharist is REAL, NOT symbolic as some would like you to believe. Who's the Great Deceiver? Who loves to twist things and get believers to doubt their faith and question their beliefs? Satan of course. Here's an interesting (to some) tidbit about scripture. In Revelation the number of the Beast is given to be "666". In scripture all those who refused to believe in the Eucharist are found in John 6:66. Strange how those things work out. Don't fall for the Deceiver who's working hard among those who call themselves Christians- be they Catholic or non-Catholic. If you don't know your Catholic faith, you are doomed to fall for deception. If you don't know why the Catholic Church believes what it does ASK! Or get a Catholic catechism and read it for yourself. Don't let anyone talk you out of your faith because they know scripture better than you or seem to know more about theology. Know your faith! Teach your faith to your children so they can stand up to deception and untruths about our Catholic faith. Jesus told the disciples He was sending them out among wolves and that they had to be "shrewd as snakes, but innocent as doves" (Matt.10:16). Be shrewd Catholics or the wolves will make a buffet out of you. Jesus Christ said the Eucharist is "real", not "symbolic" and that is exactly what the Catholic Church teaches. If you're Catholic and you don't believe this, you need to start believing it. Talk to your priest, join your parishes RCIA class to 'refresh' your knowledge of your faith. There are many people in my parish who do this and are already Catholics but wish to know their faith better. Educate yourselves so you don't fall for deception. The Eucharist IS REAL. Jesus Christ said so. That's all we need to know. Trust in God. Here's something else to consider. If Jesus isn't real in the Eucharist and you are just kneeling to bread you are committing idolatry. If you are Catholic and don't believe you are kneeling to our Lord in the Eucharist then just what is it you think you are kneeling to? Freihofer's bread? Think Catholics and wake up!

"Jesus Christ Superstar" in Wallingford, CT

Church of the Resurrection in Wallingford, Connecticut is putting on a play this Friday and Saturday night at 8PM. The play is the Broadway musical, 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and attendance is free but a good will offering will gladly be accepted to help cover the costs of the production. Joe Tatta is the shows musical director and says that this is the tenth anniversary and that some of the original actors are still with the show today.

For more information, please contact the Church of the Resurrection at (203) 265-1694. The address is 115 Pond Hill Road, Wallingford, CT 06492

Anti-Catholic Hatred: Pure and Simply Sad

Unfortunately, anti-Catholicism is alive and well. If you are a Catholic and haven't come face to face with this sort of hatred be aware it's out there. I don't think most anti-Catholics will say this sort of thing to your face (though some very fundamental evangelists will and have to me), but they don't hold back on the Internet. Here is what someone thinks of Catholics and our Church:

Frey writes: God hates Roman Catholicism, her popes shall burn forever with sulphur in front of the Lamb and His born-again followers. Praise God for His Word: He foretells all RC's shall burn with their popes with sulphur in front of the Lamb and His true followers, forever:

Rev 20:10 "And the devil, who deceived them,was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,where the beast [the RCC cult] and the false prophet [her pope] had been thrown.They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

For encouraging the virtual worship of a dead woman instead of teaching God alone is worthy of prayer and worship. Catholics follow the pope only, who is but a man. Christians follow Christ and don't give a hoot what your pope says or claims. He's a fake and the sooner you realize that the sooner you can come out of her to follow the Lord and serve HIM in Spirit and in Truth.

My response: You have a very twisted view of what God hates and what scripture actually says by adding your own words "RCC cult" and "her pope" to scripture that isn't there. God does not "hate Roman Catholicism". Jesus Christ created the Catholic Church, it is a gift by the grace, love and mercy of God. It is not a "cult". Jesus promised the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church (Matt.16:18). He does not hate His own Church, He loves her and guides her by the Holy Spirit. You also claim that "her popes shall burn forever in sulphur", what a terrible thing to say. No one knows who will be condemned to Hell. That is for God to judge, not you or I. Certainly the Church has had some not so nice Popes in her history, but even so we should not judge the fate of anyone as it's not our place. The Church has had a great many wonderful Popes who have devoted and dedicated their lives to doing the Lord's will and serving others. It is appalling to me that you believe "all Roman Catholics with their popes shall burn with sulphur". What a horrid thing to say or believe about a group of Christians who belong to Christ's Holy Catholic Church. What makes you think simply being Roman Catholic is to be eternally condemned to hell? There is nothing even remotely in scripture which says anything like the things you claim. The scripture you quoted (Rev.20:10) does not name the Roman Catholic Church as "the beast" in any way, shape or form. You are changing scripture to fit your hatred (yes its obvious you have serious hate issues with Catholics) of the Catholic Church and Catholic people. Hate is not a Christian virtue and something you need to work on getting rid of. Christians are to love and forgive. We are to share our faith with others and live our lives as Christ taught. Christ didn't teach the hate you are speaking of. Catholics do not worship Mary (gosh if I had a dollar for every time I had to say that!). Catholics are Christians, the Pope is a Christian. He is doing the will of God and following God. Catholics follow God, we do not follow a man. The Pope is the physical head of the Catholic Church on earth, while Christ is the ultimate head of the Church in Heaven. Jesus created the position of the pope in the Gospels, it was His plan to have a pope on earth. In the Old Testament there was the Seat of Moses, in the New Testament it's the Chair of Peter. I don't know what you mean by "he's a fake". He is a real Christian leading a Christian life. Nothing fake there at all. I do not have to "come out" of Christ's Holy Catholic Church because He led me to His Church. I am a convert because our Lord led me out of Protestantism and it's confusion (30,000+ differing denominations and doctrines) and into His Holy Catholic Church. I am home and do worship God in spirit and truth. I hope one day you can too, but first you need to let go of all that hatred. God is about love, not the hatred you've shown for Catholics and Christ's Church.

1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."

The Holy Catholic Church

Michael L writes: The RCC has played on ignorance and used religious intimadation since its very unholy beginning. It was never the true church but a counterfiet. The command is not to come in but to come out of this church.


My response: Hello Michael, while I am always glad for people to share their views with me, I also have to respectfully disagree when it comes to views like yours to my Church. I do not believe the Catholic Church (you specify only the Latin Rite- but I assume you mean the whole Catholic Church) has "played on" anyone's ignorance. The Church has done what Christ commanded her to do in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."). This is what the Catholic Church has been doing for more than two thousand years. The Catholic Church had a very holy beginning as it was Christ to founded her. Jesus is speaking with Simon in Matt. 16:17-19, when He (Jesus) changes Simon's name to "Peter" (which means 'rock') and tells Simon Peter that on that rock (Peter) Jesus is going to build His Church. Matt. 16:17-19 "Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter [Rock], and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades [Hell] will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This is the holy beginning of Christ's Holy Catholic Church. The Church "came alive", if you will, at Pentecost [Acts 2] (something we will all be celebrating on May 11th), but she was founded in Matt.16 as I've shown with the above scripture.
I will give you that in history there were men in the Church who probably did and have used the Church to attempt to intimidate. That was and is wrong. God doesn't need men to intimidate people into anything. We need to do God's will and let God deal with everything else. We are responsible for our actions and should try to live our lives as Christ wants us to and that does not include intimidation in my opinion, for whatever that is worth as I can't speak for anyone else. Now, there is something that you may or may not be implying here. I have come across more than one anti-Catholic who feels that the Churches use of excommunication is a 'tool for intimidation'. IF you are referring to this as an intimidation I have to disagree with you. Excommunication is not to intimidate, but to correct someone in severe error who is not only harming themselves but also more than likely harming others by their erroneous and or sinful actions. To see this in scripture please read 1 Corinthians 5 about expelling the immoral brother from the Church. Again, this is meant as a last action by the Church to correct someone, show them how dangerous and grave their actions are in the hopes of them repenting and coming back into the Church. This is completely biblical and if you think its intimidation than that is something you'd have to take up with God as it's His way of the Church dealing with these type of serious ongoing situations.
I really don't know what you mean about "counterfeit" church, the Holy Catholic Church is not a counterfeit as she is the ONLY church on earth created by Jesus Christ in scriptures. All the churches that came after her are better described as "counterfeit" than the Catholic Church. These later churches were begun my men- well meaning men most of them, but still by men not by Jesus Christ as the Catholic Church was in the bible.
You then mention a command that is not found anywhere in scripture. You say there is a command to not enter the Catholic Church, this is completely false as I've shown with the Great Commission given by Christ to His Church. It is our Lord's desire that we all are united in our faith and belong to the Church He founded and gave to the world. This is the only Church where all God's Seven Sacraments can be found. These are blessings and wonderous gifts from God to us and He wants everyone to have these and be united in His Church. Jesus didn't preach about thousands of differing denominations and opposing doctrines. He didn't want believers divided over doctrines and beliefs. Jesus never told anyone to leave His Holy Catholic Church.