true religion

True religion can be summed up in the wise, unadorned words of Micah: "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) The book of James adds on to this with the only passage in which the word 'religion' actually occurs: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)

True religion happens when the gospel takes root in a person’s heart. When that happens, desires change. Instead of trying to find satisfaction in gods who do not answer and things of this world, believers find contentment, joy, and peace in relationship with God—and his promise of eternal life. This is the essence of what is often called the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37) 

And love for God leads to love for others. The second greatest commandment is simply to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39) This love works itself out in our lives in a number of ways, not the least of which is in caring for the poor and pursuing what the Bible calls holiness—harkening back to the directive to be unpolluted by this world. 

Love for God leads to tangible action. People who love the one true God will begin to see themselves as less important and will put the needs of others ahead of their own. They will freely sacrifice time, talent, energy, and money to care for those around them who need help, whether spiritually or materially. And they do it not because they feel a need to earn God’s approval or pay him back for what he has done in their lives, but simply because they want to; they feel compelled by their love for the Lord. 

This is the essence of true religion. 

The pursuit of true religion—a life lived out of thankfulness for what God has done for us in sending Jesus Christ to live perfectly, to die for our sins, and to rise from death to give us the promise of eternal life—brings glory and praise to God. A life lived in relationship with God is what we are called to pursue if we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

A Deeper Look at What the Bible Says about Religion 

The Cry of the Poor by John Michael Talbot - YouTube

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more good news

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. 
Romans 8: 14-17 

image by Kahunapule Michael Johnson

1 John 3:1a | See how great a love the Father has given to u… | Flickr

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                                     love

life in the 4th quarter

Loving Lord we thank You for the thrill of life and all the mercies that You give to each of us day by day, but Lord as we advance in years our bodies begin to lose their strength - our fingers lose their dexterity and our knees begin to tremble. And Lord the time comes all too fast, when we are not able to care for ourselves as we would like to, but have to rely on help from other people to do the basic things of life – like eating and drinking – bathing and generally caring for our homes and ourselves.

Loving Lord – we bring before You all the elderly and infirm... not only those who we know, but all who are facing this stage of their life. Draw those who have never placed their trust in You into a saving relationship with Jesus, and give those who are of the household of faith Your peace that passes understanding in their heart - as they fulfil Your purpose for their lives, in whatever condition or situation they find themselves.

Give grace to those who find it difficult to come to terms with other people caring for them, knowing that Your grace is sufficient - and as they grow older I pray that in Your love and mercy You will draw each one into closer fellowship with Yourself, in Jesus name I pray, Amen 

https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/Prayers-for-the-Elderly 

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push back

a popular song in the new millennium is the 2003 song "it's a jungle out there". it became the theme song for the popular TV series "Monk". 

often it it seems that we live in a jungle--rude people, annoying people, dishonest people, dangerous people (most of the time, the real jungle seems mild in comparison to the "human" jungle!). it makes you want to "push back".

what does Jesus say about "pushing back"?

“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful." 

Luke 6: 27-36 

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Come, Holy Spirit

"Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia." 

May 20, 2018 - Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day

"Brothers and sisters, live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit." 

Galatians 5: 16-25

How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad: Living a Life of Christian Virtue: James S. Spiegel: 9780825436956: Amazon.com: Books 

Come Holy Spirit - YouTube

fear death? faith is the answer

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life." John 12: 24-25 

Unless a Grain of Wheat By Bernadette Farrell - YouTube 

image by Darren Calhoun

wheat - John 12:23-28 | Except a Single Grain of Wheat fall … | Flickr

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let there be light

"Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness." Genesis 1: 3-4 

Evolution Of The Universe In 3 Minutes - YouTube

God gives me everything that I have

overcomplicating the simple

most of us would agree that the universe is complex. brilliant men and women have spent their lives studying the universe, but there is still much that baffles the scientific world about how the universe works. 
Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries of Science | IFLScience 

the same can be said of religion. theologians write scholarly books, using language that most people can't understand, to describe God and how God works.

Albert Einstein, recognized as one of the most brilliant scientists and mathematicians in history, spent his life studying the mysteries of the universe. He developed theories and spent many years developing complex mathematical formulae to prove them. Most of that work ended up in the wastebasket.

The theory that Einstein is most recognized for combines two of the most fundamental elements of the universe, mass and energy, into one. Einstein's simple mathematical formula proves his theory: E=mc² (Energy=mass times the speed of light squared). 
NOVA | Einstein's Big Idea | Library Resource Kit: E = mc2 Explained | PBS 

I've purchased books in the recent past with simple titles, such as "Providence" and "Nothing Greater, Nothing Better", in an attempt to know more about God. I wasn't able to finish them. Even though I consider my vocabulary good, I realized early on that I needed a PhD in vocabulary to understand them. 

won't it be wonderful one day, after this life on earth is over, when we learn that, with an all-knowing God, everything is simple? 

image by European Southern Observatory (ESO)

File:Screenshot from IMAX® 3D movie Hidden Universe showing the Carina Nebula.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

"The Pharisees and Sadducees came and, to test him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He said to them in reply, '[In the evening you say, ‘Tomorrow will be fair, for the sky is red’; and, in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.] An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.' Then he left them and went away." Matthew 16 1-4

image by Billy Hathorn

File:Religious sign in Shamrock, TX IMG 6137.JPG - Wikimedia Commons

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good news

the greek word "gospel" translates into english as "good news".

John 3:16 is the "good news" that gives understanding to our lives. without John 3:16 our lives in this evil world--made evil by our sins--makes no sense. 

praise God for the "good news".  
amen


what do you tell a 5 or 6 year old child about being a Christian? when I was a child in catholic grade school, I was taught: "if you're good, then you'll go to heaven. if you're bad, then you'll go to hell." today, 65 years later, I still hear the same thing from pulpits (along with "it's simple ... it's easy"). (there are passages in the bible that back this up.) 

I've had some people say to me "what else can you tell a 6 year old child? at that age they can't understand serious sin and our need for redemption in the same way that an adult can." while this may be true, why am I still hearing the same thing ("good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell") from pulpits 65 years later? if it's true that bad people go to hell, then we're all going to hell. 

Jesus says that we should "keep His commandments" (John 15 9-17). while there's nothing in Jesus' command that's unclear or ambiguous, is it simple or easy? 

we all sin. why do we sin? answer: because we choose to. as damning as this is, the facts are that we all choose to sin.

sometimes sin is unambiguous. we know that it's wrong and we do it anyway. there are other times when it isn't quite so clear. how do we treat ourselves and others who commit serious sin? do we "trash" ourselves and others because we don't follow Jesus' commandments? Jesus didn't "trash" people who didn't follow His commandments (John 8 1-11, John 4: 4-42, John 8: 1-11, Luke 22: 54-62, etc.). which is more important--the principle or the sinner?

The "bottom line" is that all people sin. we should keep God's commandments--but, we don't. we need a Redeemer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nsUbPFDktY

fortunately for us, the "good news" is that Jesus is our Redeemer. Jesus loves those who believe in Him even though we sin. "...whoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but will have eternal life".

praise be to God forever.


one last thing--don't tell a child "if you're good, then you'll go to heaven. if you're bad, then you'll go to hell." it's simply not true--and, it could stick with the child for the rest of their life on earth. tell a child instead: "God loves you. If you love God like God loves you, then, when you die, you will live with God forever in heaven." 

Commons:Copyright tags - Wikimedia Commons

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divine praises

Blessed be God. 

Blessed be God's Holy Name. 

Blessed be God, Creator. 

Blessed be God's sovereign power.

Blessed be God's infinite love. 

Blessed be God's mercy.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. 

Blessed be the Name of Jesus. 

Blessed be Jesus' Most Sacred Heart. 

Blessed be Jesus' Most Precious Blood. 

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. 

Blessed be Jesus' obedience to God our Father.

Blessed be Jesus' incarnation.

Blessed be Jesus' public ministry.

Blessed be Jesus' redemption for our sins.

Blessed be Jesus' glorious resurrection.

Blessed be Jesus' glorious ascension.

Blessed be Jesus' Word.

Blessed be Jesus' holy church.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. 

Blessed be the Holy Spirit's grace.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit's counsel.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy. 

Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception. 

Blessed be her Glorious Assumption. 

Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. 

Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. 

Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

Holy God we praise thy name - YouTube

human words that are used to describe God, e.g. supreme, awesome, mighty, perfect, king, etc. are all inadequate because humans use these words to refer to other things too. God should be a word that is reserved for only God--a word that is analogous to no other word. blessed be God's holy name.