Respect for Everyone

I watched a video today about a homeless man telling his story. This man said he has been on the street for over a year. He has to beg everyday for just enough money to get a room. Some days he might not even get a room and is forced to sleep on the streets. The theme that I took from this video was 'respect.' This man said that most people don't respect him and may make an ugly comment. But the Lord's people will stop by and give this man the respect he deserves. Something he said really struck me-" I have people who walk past me and say 'Get a job, bum.' And I say, 'wait a minute, I'm not a bum, I'm a human being." This man is absolutely right. God made all of mankind equal and no successful business man or lawyer is better than anyone. This man deserves the respect that these rich people get. Jesus Christ taught us that humility is a good thing. It shows that we have respect for other people. There are many bible verses about humility, one being from Matthew 23:12-Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. This man should be exalted because he humbles himself in the name of God. And like Jesus' humility on the cross, this man's humility is recognized and revered by God.

Towards the end of the video Ronald tells a story about a man who was talking bad about him. The man was walking by Ronald and he looked at Ronald and Ronald looked at him and said "God bless you sir." Ronald is right. God needs to bless these pathetic fools who do this. But just as Saul was converted to Paul this man came right back around the street corner and told Ronald that he was having a bad day, and that he was sorry and he knows Ronald is a human being. Ronald forgave him and the man gave Ronald 30 bucks. This act of generosity and kindness is truly Christ-like. Everyone should strive to be like this man. This man is the epitome of a Catholic human being, because, we will all make mistakes, but those who can accept their mistakes and ask for forgiveness are the true Catholics.

Leader vs Disciple

Hello, today I am going to talk about some comments made by James about the teachings of the Church. According to the Church, the Person of Jesus and the teachings of the Church are one and the same. God welcomes all of us into the faith. We should want to be with God. We should not want Him to conform to our ways but we should change to follow His.

In the example of a basketball owner trying to get players to conform, I think the owner is not at fault. The owner knows the way things should be played and tries to teach others the right way. He gives them the rules which they should follow. God gave us the ten commandments and we should follow them. We are all given rules to follow. God is not unwelcoming or a hater because he gave us rules and guidelines to follow. He knows the right way to live and wants us to do the same.

I do not think the owner/builder is at fault in the second example. The door was made and thats how you need to get through. Its a very easy concept. We are given the way to get into heaven and enjoy life with God. We can not complain that there should be more ways to get in according to our own wants. We should follow our plan to get closer to God and always try to stay along the path to holiness.

Women as Priests?

The Roman Church has a ban on women becoming priests. About 150 of these women went on their own to become priests. Rosemarie Smead is the newest women priest. These women do not fear excommunication. They believe the Church will eventually come to a conclusion and let women be priests. About 70 percent of Catholics believe that women should be allowed to join the priesthood. The Catholic Church teaches that only men should become priests because Jesus only chose men as the apostles. The Catholic Church is divided on this view but the Vatican teaches strictly that men can only join the priesthood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPr7a4bQpCo

Who Can Receive the Communion

Today I read an article in class. I decided to blog about it. This article, titled "Who Can Receive the Communion ," talks about how the Holy Eucharist is the most important of the seven sacraments because, in this and in no other sacrament, we receive the very body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. To receive Communion you must be in a state of grace, and of course, be Catholic. The Eucharist is an intimate encounter with Christ and you should have no mortal sin tainting your soul. As Catholics we believe that the Eucharist is truly Christ. Any non-Catholic cannot receive Communion. Personally I believe that this is fair. If you do not fully accept the Catholic faith, and are not in a state of grace, then you should not be able to receive Communion. The Catholic Church has rules that you must follow if you wish to receive Communion: you must be in a state of grace, have made a good confession since your last mortal sin, believe in transubstantiation, observe the Eucharistic fast, and, finally, not be under an ecclesiastical censure such as excommunication. Until I was about 12 I was unaware of the "don't eat before you receive Communion." I have committed this sin many times, and have continued to do so. But I do go to confession and receive my penance. 

Eucharistic Miracle

Today I am going to blog about the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. This miracle took place in the 8th century. There was a divine response to a Basilian monks doubt about the Eucharist. This man did not fully believe that Christ was truly present in the Eucharist. During a mass at the Church of St. Legontian, the host was transformed into live flesh and the wine was changed into true blood. The blood was made into five globules. Religious investigations over this miracle occurred in 1574 and in 1970-1981 scientific investigations took place. Professor Odoardo and Professor Ruggero carried out the scientific investigation.Their analysis of the Eucharist came out with the following conclusions.

1. The Flesh is real Flesh and the Blood is real Blood.

2. Both belong to a human species

3. The flesh is a “heart” complete in its structure.

4. The preservation of the Flesh and Blood are still an extraordinary phenomenon.

By these analysis’ we know that Christ is truly present in our Eucharist. Science helped explain this for us. We as Catholics do not fully throw out the things science can help us figure out. We should have this as a reminder to always know God is present among us.

The Early Church and the Catechumenate

What is the catechumenate? In the early Church, persons who wished to become members of the Church went through a process called the catechumenate in which they were instructed in the teachings of the Faith and prepared for the Sacraments of Initiation. All non-Catholics must go through this process and I, myself, know someone who went through this process. This process relates to the Easter Vigil because the Church initiates these new members during the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the night before Jesus' Resurrection. The form of the catechumenate has been restored in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. I was researching articles on the catechumenate and I came across this http://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/what-happens-when-you-become-a-catholic/the-catechumenal-process
This articles is short but very informative and is from a very reliable source.
In the Eastern Rites, the three Sacraments of Initiation are given consecutively, even to infants. I brought up the catechumenate process to my uncle, because he went through it. He said that it is a long but rewarding process. I asked him how his Baptism was and he said it was a little strange being Baptized as an adult. I laughed.

Sacraments and Human Nature

How do the sacraments correspond to human nature? This may seem like quite a confusing question to some of you, and it even was for me too at first. In accord with human nature, the Sacraments use physical, sensible signs to indicate spiritual, invisible realities. As humans sometimes an invisible sign and a type of symbolism isn't enough for us to fully understand. That is why Christ instituted the sacraments so that they could correspond to human nature. All seven of the sacraments use these visible signs which helps us to understand the meaning behind the sacrament. I will list the visible symbols for all seven sacraments: 

1. Baptism- water
2. Confirmation- candle, dove, crosier
3. Holy Orders- key, maniple
4. Eucharist- bread(body), wine(blood)
5. Anointing of the Sick- ampulla, crucifix, holy oil
6. Reconciliation- chalice, cross, stole, open book
7. Matrimony- ring(circle)

Some of these you may recognize and know what they symbolize, but some you may not. Most people may not know why a ring is the symbol for marriage, but they know that it is a symbol. The ring is a circle and the circle represents having no beginning or end (eternity). Also some of you may not know what a maniple is--it is the rope the priest wears around his garments. It represents the rope that Christ was bound to and how Christ still led his people. All these visible signs are important and help us see the true meaning of these sacraments. They not only represent something or an idea, they actually mean something as well.

s

s