We need to pray.

We need to pray for her and for so many people who don't know the faith. Even myself, I know I need to study the faith more. I have recently started a Bible reading/Catholic Catechism reading everyday. I hope it helps me know and be able to explain the faith better but I know she got the answer wrong.

One thing I did noticed in the video is Tom Brokaw knew the answer.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

2270 - Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.⁷²

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.⁷³My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.⁷⁴

Pray for the Freedom of the Catholic Church

St. Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle. Be out protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do thou O Prince of the heavenly by the power of God, cast in to hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.






“I am honestly horrified that the nation I have always loved has come to this hateful and radical step in religious intolerance,” said Bishop Jenky. 


It appears the Catholic Church has repeatedly asked the Obama administration to allow Catholics to maintain their objection to issues they find evil.  Contraceptives, sterilization and abortion are evil. We have always held that belief as a church and always will. So many people think if they do this or that they can get the Catholic Church to change it's stand on issues. It's not going to happen.  These are issues that are evil and evil doesn't change and become good just because time changes and people have more technology and dress different and drive cars and watch people on television that tell us their opinions of what is good.


President Obama and Kathy Sebelius have given us a year to get used to violating our consciences.  In other words, we will give you a year and then we expect you to sin against God, our way.  This reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Old Testament. They were instructed by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow down to his false god whenever they heard certain music playing. Of course, they would not do it. The punishment, the fiery furnace. The king was so angry they wouldn't obey, he ordered them to be thrown into the fiery furnace.  Personally, I think I would be horrified. 


"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. If it be'so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. " Daniel 3:16
I pray I can be that strong.


Well, they survived. Not a part of them was hurt. As a matter of fact, witnesses said they could see four men walking around in the fiery furnace.


I feel Obama and Sebelius and all in Washington who encourage this HHS mandate are asking the same of us. Bow down to our gods. Our gods of money and power. They are asking us to forsake our God and follow their ways. Well, just as God was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, so He will be with us.  He promised he would never leave us not forsake us.

http://www.stophhs.com/

What does it mean when the say, "a new liturgical year."

Wel,l first we need to know what the word, "liturgy" means.  Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans hear this word alot but for other Christians it is not so familiar. For me, even though I was raised Catholic I never knew what that word meant until recently. According to Catholic Reference.Net it means: 

A public service, duty, or work. In Scripture it refers to the religious duties to be performed by priests and levites in the Temple, especially those related to the Sacrifice; in Christian use among the Eastern Churches it means the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

In present day usage liturgy is the official public worship of the Church and is thus distinguished from private devotion. It is the special title of the Eucharist, and the administration of the sacraments with the annexed use of the sacramentals.

In other words, liturgy is public worship or community worship.

There are six seasons during the liturgical year, all commemorating and celebrating the life of Jesus. These seasons are: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Tridium, Easter and Ordinary time.

Every year when Advent begins we start a new liturgical year. Throughout the whole year we will celebrate the life of Jesus starting with the nativity. It is such a beautiful time of the year.

The colors change throughout the year and during Advent violet is used to remind us of humility and the need to prepare for our Lord through prayer and penance. The other colors used throughout the year are: green symbolizing life and hope, red symbolizing the Passion of Jesus or in reference to the Holy Spirit, white the color of joy and victory, and on certain days we see rose, which represents the joy of anticipation.

So, on our Advent wreaths this week we light the first violet candle as we prepare for the coming of our Lord.

Bells

Okay, the other day at Mass during the Eucharistic prayer bells were being rung.  They ring them every Sunday as far as I can tell.  At least ways, at our church. I don't think every church does anymore. I think I always had an incling of what they meant but was never really sure. So, I decided to look up the answer today and see why they are rung. I went to two different places. I found answer at Padre Pio.org and Catholic Answers.com.

For the most part every one agreed that the history of  bells being rung during the time of Latin Mass was to alert the congregation that the consecration was taking place. In other words, the Holy Spirit was doing His work through the priest of changing the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Back in the time of the Latin mass and pre-Vatican II the priest had his back to the congregation and spoke quieter and so it was difficult for everyone to know what was going on. When I think about it,  we are so used today to the priest facing us and mostly microphones so the priest can be heard. I'm not sure if we remember that there was a time when we didn't have the technology we have today and people needed to use other means to alert people to what was going on. I, also, read that many times the churches were very crowded and there weren't pews or enough pews for every one and not everyone could see what was going on. Again, the bells would alert people to the happening event.
One other reason I read on Catholic Answers for the ringing of the bells was it would also alert people who were out in the fields, not at mass, to what was happening. This would give them the reminder to pray and their need for Jesus.
So, why do still use the bells? Well, they are still a good way to keep us focused and remind us of what is happening. It is so easy for our minds to wander.

I find it interesting they are rung three times, in reference to the Trinity.

History of making the sign of the cross

I made the sign of the cross all my life, before and after prayer, when walking into the church and other times when like your scared or in a frightful situation. I never knew why, I was just taught to do that and so that was what I did.  Go to a hockey game or other sporting games and just before some of the players play you will notice someone making the sign of the cross.  Why and where did it start?

In my research I found that  the making of the sign of the cross is most prominent in the Roman Catholic church but is also practiced among the Eastern Orthodox and Episcopalians. I also was able to find that writings regarding the sign of the cross goes back as far as Tertullian, one of  the early church fathers who lived between 160 and 220 A.D. Tertullian wrote, "In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting of our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupieth us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross."           

"Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are in the way and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the poor's sake; without toil, for the sick, since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of evils; for He has triumphed over them in it, having made a shew of them openly; for when they see the Cross, they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, Who hath bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the Gift; but for this rather honor thy Benefactor." -- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, A.D. 315 - 386

In the early days of Christianity when persecution was so strong, Christians had to hide their faith. Making the sign of the cross was a way of identifying themselves. One site stated that Christians would use a stick and mark the ground with a cross as identification. Also, I heard one Christian apologetic state that as Christians were being persecuted they would make the sign of the cross to let each other know they were Christians. Considering the persecution they went through at that time knowing another believer was there with you would provide some comfort.

I had a book on Lutheran catechism and was surprised to find that  Martin Luther urged his followers to use the sign. In his Catechism of 1529 he instructed fathers to teach their households the following: "In the morning, when you rise from bed, sign yourself with the holy cross and say, 'In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.'...At night, when you go to bed, sign yourself with the holy cross and say, 'In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.'"
Some of the meanings behind the sign of the cross are first that making the sign of the cross shows a sign of our faith, that we are people of the cross, of Jesus. Second there are different meanings behind the way it is made.

Sometimes you will see a priest or bishop make the sign with one finger, that represents the oneness of God, with two fingers it represents that Jesus is fully God and fully man, three fingers means the Trinity and five fingers as we do it today is to remind us of the five wounds of Christ that were suffered for our sake.
In all the years of my growing up I did not know how this started or what the meaning was besides it was a cross and Jesus died on the cross. For a time because of my lack of knowledge I stopped making the sign of the cross. I did not know where it came from or why Catholics did it or what it meant. For me it was interesting to look this up. I love apologetics and love to read Christian history.  Today we have so many ways to find out truth. The internet has many wary things on it but if you look you can also find historical facts.  It's the writings of the ancient fathers that helped shed light on aspects of faith for me. The study of church history that includes time before the middle ages is what helped me to see what early christianity was and what to look for today.