Christmas Story in July

I know we've covered this before folks, but its come up again and as often as it does I will respond but... who knew so many people had such issues with Mary being the Mother of God Incarnate?

Anonymous writes: Eat your heart out goddess Mary worshipper...I tell you that every Catholic that venerates mother Mary is nothing more than a pagan idolater! And Catholics do it because they have the need to worship mothers and relegate fathers to a secondary place in direct rebellion to the fact that GOD BECAME A MAN AND NOT A WOMAN...Does God need a mother? NO! Was Mary existing before the creation and spoke to limitless God and said, "Hey! I have an idea, let's make a baby so that I can be the mother of God?" How high do you want to elevate a human being? A mere woman?! You tell us! Catholics are in denial by thinking that a mere human being could be elevated to the place of "Mother of God." Again, God has no mother you fools.

My Response: Let me start by saying I am not a "goddess Mary worshipper" and Catholics are not relegating "fathers to a secondary place". Mary is the mother of God Incarnate, hence we call her "Mother of God". It was God who chose Mary and placed her in the position of being the Mother of God Incarnate. That was God's decision, not Mary's. Mary accepted the Will of God and become the Mother of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:38).

Luke 1
26 "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God." 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her."

You ask "Does God need a mother?" and then you say "no", but the fact is God must have needed a Mother for His Divine Salvation Plan or He wouldn't have approached Mary with His Divine Will of her being the mother of our Savior on earth, Jesus Christ. Mary was part of God's plan for the salvation of people through Jesus Christ our Sacrifice. For God to be born incarnate on earth, God needed a "mother". Mary is the Mother of God Incarnate. She carried him in her womb, gave birth to him and raised him. We (Catholics) aren't elevating Mary, God elevated Mary above all women to be the mother of our Savior. Don't get hung up on the title and miss the importance and significance of God's Divine Will and the birth of God Incarnate. No one is saying Mary pre-dated God the Father. Mary was chosen by God's Divine Will to be the Mother of God Incarnate- Jesus Christ our Savior. The scriptures say "God with Us" or Immanuel (Matt.1:22). That is where she gets her title from, she gave birth to Immanuel! God on earth. That is the Christmas story!

Euthanasia Supporters are Goats

March 31 has been declared "Terri's Day" (AKA International Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Terri Schindler Schiavo and All of Our Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters) by the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation and Priests for Life. Terri's Day will help bring attention to the need for protection for all disabled persons. Abled or disabled we are all human beings with value, with the right for life and equality. Every human being should have the right to food and water (as should any animal). That this has to be battled in courts is repulsive and gruesome to say the very least. Who has the right to determine the value of another human being as less valuable than another? No human being has the right to judge another human being's worthiness to life. There is no price tag to place on a human life, they are priceless and precious. Starving a human being to death is barbaric and should be criminal in this nation and others. For any self proclaiming Christian to think that what was done to Terri was some how "humane" is to forget (or ignore) the words of their Savior Jesus Christ in Matt. 25 where Jesus tells us that what we do to others is what we do TO and for Jesus Christ himself. To starve a disabled person to death is to do that to Jesus Christ (Matt.25:42).

Matt. 25:31"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44"Then they also will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45Then He will answer them, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Those who support euthanasia can find their eternal fate in Matt.25:46 "everlasting punishment" according to the Word of God. We will all be held accountable one day as Jesus demonstrated with the Sheep and the Goats. The Sheep to eternal life, the Goats to eternal punishment.

Abiding in Christ

We've all heard that Jesus is the Vine and believers are the branches and that we must 'abide' in the vine. How does a person "abide" in the vine; that is to say, how do Christians abide in Jesus Christ our Savior? Do we abide by having faith? We all need faith in our daily journey towards our heavenly reward but that's not it. Do you abide by prayer? Prayer is important, no doubt about it. We need prayer but that's not exactly it either. Do we abide by participating in our faith? Now we're getting closer to the answer. In John 15 Jesus tells us He is The Vine and that we are the branches and that we must bear good fruit (good works) to remain part of The Vine. If we fail in this, holy scripture says the branch will be cut out and tossed into the fire. In Matt. 25:31-46 Jesus talks about the Sheep & the Goats. What separated the Sheep from the Goats was their works. The Sheep did good works, they fed the hungry and clothed the naked and visited those in prison and gave water to those who were thirsty. The Goats did none of these things, they were devoid of good works and Jesus said to them "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."-(Matt.31:45-46). Clearly we need not only to have faith but to act out our faith with good deeds. Jesus is saying you can't sit in the boat and say you have faith, you need to take action and show your faith as Peter did when he stepped out of the boat onto the water. When Peter wavered in his faith, his actions began to sink him but Jesus was there beside him. Jesus is still here beside us now, offering us support when we waver and fall short. One place to find this support is in our sacraments, namely Penance (Confession). If you fall, go to Confession and make things right again. We need to hold tight to our faith and bear good fruit so that we are not cut off and tossed into the fire. We should desire to abide in Christ above all things and live our lives pleasing to God. Not just our words but also by our actions (deeds or works). Jesus says the way to abide in him is by Holy Communion (John 6:56). If we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood we abide in Christ. This is the very core of our Catholic mass. This is why attending mass is so very important for Catholics. The sacraments are vital to us abiding in Jesus Christ. These are not to be taken lightly or treated as valueless 'options' to take or leave. For Catholics they are essential. Attending mass is essential. Going to Confession is essential. We need to understand the sacraments and their importance to us and our Lord. If we fail to abide in Christ we will have put our very salvation in jeopardy. He is The Vine and we are the Branches only if we abide in Him.

John 15
The True Vine
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

----

John 6:50 "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me."