April 30, 2013 – Catechism 2318 - 2330

Of all the briefs in review, 2 things jumped out at me.  First, scandal is included in the section on killing.  I think this shows how serious the church takes this sin.  I have already talked about it many times, but having it placed alongside abortion, war, and other sins of killing another human shows just how important and serious it needs to be taken and how careful we must consider our actions and their affect on others.  It can “kill” the soul of another by leading them into a grievous sin.

The second was the distinction of an “arms race” being seen as bad not only because it promotes and increases the focus on war and materials, but because it takes away resources from the poor.  I saw a quote from Einstein somewhere that talked about never having peace as long as we are trying to win an arms race.  And we see that the arms race has not proven to lead to peace.  It may have defeated the Russians (at the cost of how many lives because of the poor in Russia that were ignored by their government), but we opened the door to terrorism.  Massive amounts of weapons can’t stop terrorism.  And how much of our budget was plunged into the war machine because we thought that was the only way to win.  What would have happened if we ignored the arms race and had used that money to promote education and building the infrastructure of our country.  Would we have been defeated by a country that was more heavily armed or started an education race that may have reshaped the world.  Who knows and with the liberal education that is so prevalent in our system, that might have gotten us in a worse spot than we are today. 

April 29, 2013 – Proverbs 20:26 - 21:28

21:6 reminds me of watching Paul when we are playing with bubbles in the back yard.  He will chase after them and is watching them in the sky and trip over things in the yard.  I have done the same thing.  I was kicking a football straight up and catching it for the boys.  Once I kicked it and went to catch it and ran right into a sheppard’s hook plant hanger.  Bent it in half, but I think I took the worse of it.

21:17 the world tells us the love and worldly pleasure will suffer want if they try to fill the hole in their heart that is meant for God and God alone.  But we also see that this want and need to fill that hole is why the world spends so much time trying to find pleasure and love because they know how empty they are and that the hole is real.

April 28, 2013 – Ezekiel 45

When I was reading about weights and measurements I wondered who decided a pound was a pound.  Obviously, it did not have to be 16 ounces.  It could have been 15 or even 10.  How much easier would that be for figuring things out.  Makes you wonder why we are not on the metric system.  Other than the fact that we don’t use it accept in school and that we aren’t used to it, it makes so much more sense to have things in 10’s rather than 12 inches or 16 ounces or 32 degrees.  That makes me wonder why they didn’t come up with a metric for time.  I am pretty sure everyone uses 24 hours, 60 minutes.  Would it be so hard to come up with a watch that ticks in a way that 100 seconds equals a minute and those 10 or 100 minutes equals an hour and we have another multiple of 10 make a day.

April 27, 2013 – 2 Kings 13

Here we see the fulfillment of what Elisha told Hazeal about what he would do to Israel.  When he first told him, it wasn’t clear and looked like a situation where Elisha putting the thought in his head that he would be king actually pushed him to killing the king and taking over.  I don’t think that you could say Elisha telling him you are going to do awful things to Israel pushed him to do awful things.  I think that is all on him.

We see here that Elisha does die.  I wondered, when they started talking about different prophets and advisors what had happened to him.  Obviously, he was just getting old and not being used as much, making way for the new generation.  I thought his burial scene was neat.

These last several chapters remind me of the chapters in Judges.  Israel has an issue or is under someone’s control, someone steps up and brings about their defeat, everything is good until they fall again.  I understand that Israel’s entire history has that feel, but these very quick up and down stories have that “Judges” feel.

April 26, 2013 – Catechism 2302 – 2317

When you think that peace is more than just an end to war in the world, some might think that was pretty obvious.  But when you think of peace as a complete changing of the world to complete love for other, I don’t think many would share in such a broad definition.  But most should, on the surface agree that loving everyone equaling peace is very hippy.  But then those that pray for world peace would be praying for an end to all abortion.  There are probably many liberals who pray for world peace not intending to pray for an end to abortion and if you ever explained that the two are parallel they would have to defend how world peace could coincide with killing innocent children in the womb.

April 25, 2013 – Proverbs 19:22 - 20:25

20:17 – How many times have you done or said something that left a bad taste in your mouth.  I used to curse a lot, but now, if one slips, which is honestly not very often, I really regret it.  It is even uncomfortable for me to hear people curse and I really want to be anywhere else when you are with those that really curse a lot.  It has been a huge transformation in me that I really can’t explain.  It is like someone that used to love to eat meat and then becomes a vegetarian and is disgusted by its sight.  I think people feel the same when they give up cigarettes or alcohol.  It just disturbs me when it happens.  But, for some reasons, in reflecting on this, it doesn’t bother me if it is in a movie or something.  I don’t know why or if that is good or bad, it just isn’t real.  But in person, cursing, it just seems very ugly to me.

April 24, 2013 – Ezekiel 44

Again, if this is going to be the Temple of Christ for all eternity and the new Heaven, why the restrictions regarding circumcision.  Those types of restrictions and laws were done away with when Paul questioned them and Peter announced them unnecessary. Having them be required again at the end of time really doesn’t follow.  Plus, in the last description, it also talked about the Scriptures being there and necessary and read to the people.  I always imagined that once you get to Heaven, Scripture wouldn’t be necessary because, well, you would be in Heaven and fully absorbed into God and it would be so enveloped in you that needing it in written form would be unnecessary.

Also, if this is the Temple from the end of all time, what is with the Sacrifices.  Once again, that seems something that was done away with after Christ.  The Temple described seems to require so many things that are not Christian because of what Christ brought and taught, so the Temple described doesn’t seem to follow Christ, but come before Him. 

April 23, 2013 – 2 Kings 11 – 12

As far as I can tell, Athaliah is in charge, and it says she is the mother of Ahaziah, so is this our first Queen of Judah.  I didn’t realize there were any queens, but I can’t see any other named person being the ruler between Ahaziah and Joash.

We also see that both of these new kings, Joash and Jehu, get rid of Baal worshipers.

I also guess that we have seen the end of Elisha because it appears that they move on to a new prophet or advisor when it comes to protecting the king and anointing him.

April 22, 2013 – Catechism 2292 – 2301

The knowledge that we can obtain in science is limited because we are human and incapable of learning what we are incapable of learning.  Does anyone really believe that the human brain can learn all there is to know.  We cannot even explain but a fraction of how a brain works, let alone the maximum amount that it will ever be able to retain, yet people say that everything humans know is all we need to know.  That is not only wrong, it is sad that people limit themselves to that.  There is so much mystery out there that we can reflect on, it would be sad to think that it can all be explained by something the humans can fully understand.  It is just limiting.

The Church is against sterilization when it comes to surgeries performed by people trying to avoid children.  So, I was a little surprised to see the word “innocent” in the paragraph describing this. Not too long ago, crimes were punished by the sterilization of the convicted person.  That appears to have been something the Church was not against.  Hopefully no one from Planned Parenthood will ever read the Catechism and challenge the Church on there “inconsistent teaching” on sterilization.

April 21, 2013 – Proverbs 18:16 - 19:21

19:20 – It is hard to listen to advise.  Why do we think we know it all.  I am as guilty as anyone.  It is one of the things that I think is most easily seen and experienced in marriage and dealing with the way you were raised and how that influences the way you live life.  The way you group up as a child is entwined in your psyche and, for good or bad, that is what feels comfortable and what you want to do.  When your ways don’t coincide with your spouse, it can bring about conflicts that stubbornness can blow into epic and unnecessary fights.  Part of marriage prep should be writing down all your family traditions and discussing which ones are to be kept or changed or which ones you need to start anew.  But that is really impossible and you really don’t know how strong they are until you get into the marriage.

19:2 – Having Zeal without knowledge is close to the proverb that I looked at last time, not being interested in what is right, only what you want to say.  People can run 100 miles an hour but not have any idea or even care whether they are going in the right direction.  That is one of the biggest problems with the world and the fact that they are telling us there are no right answers.

April 20, 2013 – Ezekiel 43

I was thinking about the Temple and the way they are describing it.  I was trying to think of it in a way of applying it to Christ because He is the fulfillment of many prophesies.  So, read it as describing Christ human form.  The man part of Christ is something that was conceived on Earth, in the womb of Mary in a very special way, but human, completely human.  When God joins that human form, it is like God coming into the Temple, which makes it the Temple. It is human (the construction) and God (God dwelling there) at the same time.  That may be a stretch, but it seems to coreless with when Christ talks about destroying the Temple and then it being raised in 3 days. He is the Temple.

And when He enters the Temple, human form, He will remain in that Temple forever.  He was raised into Heaven in bodily form and is present, fully human, fully God, in the Eucharist until the time when He comes at the end of time, still fully human, fully God.  So, when He enters the Temple, He did so to remain there for all eternity, like the prophesy states.

I was also thinking about whether the presence of God was in the Temple while Christ walked on Earth.  We understand that when Christ died and the veil was torn, that signified the end of the Temple and God’s presence, but maybe I am understanding that wrong.  But the more I thought about it, God is present always and everywhere, so God was present in Antarctica while Christ walked in Israel.  But God was present in a special way in the Temple, so did that end when the veil was torn or was God’s presence not there before then. 

April 19, 2013 – 2 Kings 10

I don’t know what to think.  Jehu is so passionate about defeating all of Ahab’s descendants and fulfilling prophecies, then fails to worship God correctly and allows Israel to continue to keep false idols.  It makes me wonder about his motivation for going through the cleansing that he did cause when he wouldn’t complete the job.  Was he really interested in doing God’s will or merely gaining power?

Then again, you look at our lives and there are parts we do great at and then there are parts we can never seem to get right or avoid sin.  We even judge people when they get things wrong that we do not struggle with or have under control, but then push under the rug those black spots in our lives.  It is like the man with the beam in his eye judging the one with the speck.  Maybe Jehu was sincere in doing God’s will in what he did accomplish, he just struggled with those things that he didn’t fix because that is just where his human weakness was.

April 18, 2013 – Catechism 2284 - 2291

I have written about scandal several times and these paragraphs make it very clear.  It might even take it broader than I have taken it and it seems very strict when it comes to those in leadership allowing any type of rules that encourage sin.  What does that say about legislation that would force girls to have vaccines against HPV at age 12-13?

But what does Paragraph 2291 tell us about the battle that now is intensifying about the legalization of marijuana.  Is it considered a “drug” if it is made legal or would it climb into Paragraph 2290 regarding excess.  Many make the argument that marijuana doesn’t cause any more inebriation than alcohol and is not as unhealthy as tobacco, so it might fit more in that category, but there are arguments that it is illegal because of what it leads to.  Many say that argument would fall apart if it were legalized.  I don’t know what the answer is or if there are any Church writings on the subject coming from those places where it is already legal.

April 17, 2013 – Proverbs 17:11 - 18:15

With these proverbs, I always think that they all sound alike and that I won’t read one that sparks.  But it always seems that one says something that is just different enough to make you realize how thought provoking these are.  18:2 was today’s.  “The fool takes no delight in understanding, but rather in displaying what he thinks.”  If this doesn’t sum up some of the recent discussions I have had with people about gay marriage, cohabitating, and other like issues, I won’t find one.  People don’t care at all about what is right or what is logical, reasonable, or makes common sense, they only care about what they think and that is all that matters.  I am not good at memorizing verses, but I feel like this is one I should remember and bring up the next time I get in that situation.

April 16, 2013 – Ezekiel 41 - 42

I don’t have much to say in regards to these chapters.  They are more descriptions of the Temple layout.

I do think it will be interesting when the Jews do decide to build their new Temple, which will be attempted, if it is not already in the works.  I just don’t see how they aren’t more aggressive to do so because it seems like such an important part of their religion.  Sometimes, if I were a Jew, I would think that the lack of an effort to build the Temple is an admission that they got it wrong on Christ.  I wonder if there are any Jewish converts that had that as part of their reasoning.

April 15, 2013 – 2 Kings 9

I was trying to think if I remember a more brutal chapter.  There have been many, but I can’t think of one that is so personally brutal.  This is not a chapter of mass brutality where an entire city is laid waste, this is a very personal one.  First we have the anointing, turning into basically a contract to take out the king.  Then, when he kills the king, it is by shooting him in the back as he rides away, knowing what is about to happen.  Then they chase down the other king and kill him.  Then they order the mother to be thrown out a window to be eaten by dogs.  For the TV episode you would need the parental guidance warning.

One thing I found interesting was when Jehu said he remembers what Ahab said (verse 25-26).  I was thinking Ahab had been a long time ago, but then when you look at the timeline I linked to earlier, Ahab had been king only 14 years before this, so it isn’t so hard to believe that Jehu was in the military following Ahab, but that he remembers the oracle and fulfills it was something.

April 14, 2013 – Catechism 2276 - 2283

I sometimes think about that situation when you go to the doctor and they tell you that you have A and you are going to die, but there is B and if we do it you could live, but it could also kill you.  Do you do it?  This obviously falls into the category or extraordinary means that we may or may not do as Catholics to continue our lives.  This is not the situation like the parents that won’t treat the children with simple medical procedures so that they die, but it is interesting as to what that line might be.  I don’t think anyone will die from Lasik eye surgery, but if you did, was it sinful to try because it was unnecessary.  That might be a question off topic, but medical procedures are becoming so “common place” that it is hard to see what “extraordinary” might mean.

There is also the question about treatments that prolong your life but have the side effect of making your life miserable.  Where is the line there.  I am sure there is a lot more that is written about it for a Catholic to educate themselves, but is it binding.  It just seems like a subject that would have more than a few paragraphs of instruction.

Suicide is something I always thought was an automatic ticket to hell.  That is what I was told growing up.  I don’t know if I learned that wasn’t true before or after I learned that the Catholic Church has never said anyone is specifically in hell, but when I found that out, I know I thought of suicides.  The Catholic Church makes it a point to not say anyone is in hell for the same reason that we don’t know if suicides are in hell, because we do not know a person’s mind.  We have no idea why they really took their own lives, their motivation, their mental state, if they were sick, if they really knew what they were doing.  Even those we think we know or those that leave messages telling us why, mental illnesses can cause all sorts of issues and make a person think things that aren’t true.  The Church knows that it is not for us to judge, and so we don’t and are called not to.

April 13, 2013 – Proverbs 16:10 - 17:10

I found 16:21 very interesting.  “The wise man is esteemed for his discernment, yet pleasing speech increases his persuasiveness.”  It just made me think about how some people are very intelligent and know a lot more than I do, but they can’t convince people of what they are saying because of the way they try to convince people.  You can be smart and honored and well respected, but no body may believe what you believe because you cannot talk to them with “pleasing speech”.  That becomes apparent when you bring up many different controversial items in this day in age.  Any of those topics very quickly turns into name calling and nastiness, many times, on both sides.  Neither side will be convinced by this type of attitude.

There are of course exceptions to the rule.  One of the turning points in my conversion was being told in a conversation that I was going to hell because of my choice in President.  Granted, he was wrong for saying it because we can never judge like that, but it was a convincing shot to me and was a step down a road that brings me here.  But, normally, such talk is not productive and what he said could have backfired and we would not be good friends today.  I do my best to use “pleasing speech” whenever I can.  I do think that “pleasing speech” can be accusatory and critical and still be pleasing.  Read Christ words when He tells people they are wrong.  Some might even say He sometimes didn’t use “pleasing speech”, but mostly He is critical and gentle, which gets results much better than loud and derogatory. 

April 12, 2013 – Ezekiel 40

http://www.truthnet.org/Ezekiel/11/Ezekiel-Temple.jpg

I was looking for an image of the temple described by Ezekiel in this chapter and found this one. I was curious as to where it came from so I went to the actual web-site and I was “educated” on this temple and where it fits into the scheme of God.  There have been two temples built for God so far.  The first by Solomon and the second after the exile.  This is not describing the second (which you might think since it was written during the exile) or even the third (which hasn’t been built yet), but according to this web-site, and I am sure there are others in this same line of thought, this is the forth temple and the one that Christ will sit upon when He returns to Earth.

I read through some of the web-site to try and see where he comes to that and basically he is a rapture believer in the same type of time-line that was in the book I shared with everyone in regards to Ezekiel 38-39.  But in his timeline, he does a lot of jumping around to make all his pieces fit.  Ezekiel 38-39 happen, then something with Daniel, then we jumped to Revelations, then we come back to Ezekiel 40.  I think, of all the critiques, that is where the author loses the most credibility.  I just don’t think jumping around to piece together your version from all other parts is legitimate.  Plus, we haven’t gotten to Revelation, but when Christ returns it brings about a new Heaven and a new Earth that we don’t fully understand and I don’t see it making any sense that Christ will have a new temple built on the old Earth. 

http://www.truthnet.org/Ezekiel/11/Ezekiel-40-Messiah-Millennium-Temple.htm

April 11, 2013 – 2 Kings 8

You kind of wonder if Hazeal would have murdered the king if Elisha hadn’t said anything.  It could be seen as somewhat of a self fulfilling prophesy.  Hazeal wasn’t thinking about anything like that until Elisha put the thoughts into his head.  Once that happened, he thought, I could be king and why am I not king and finally I will just take it.

I also thought it was interesting that God had a 7 year plan having the woman leave for 7 years just to come back when she was being talked about.  Makes you wonder about what is going on in your life right now and how God maybe using it to develop something that isn’t going to come to fruition for another 5-10 years.  God is a patient God and calls us to be that as well.  But boy it is tough.

http://www.ldolphin.org/kings.html

April 10, 2013 – Catechism2268 - 2275

These paragraphs go into the act of abortion and why it should not be allowed and why that is and will always be the teaching of the Catholic Church, regardless of what some Catholics might say.  The paragraph that interested me the most is the idea that if the laws of a country allows abortion, what foundation do they have for any of their other laws, what credibility do they have.  Laws are developed to protect society, citizens, make life peaceful.  But it the laws allow the killing of the most innocent of all people, how can they claim any ability to make laws that protect anyone.  They leave themselves open to criticism on any act or law they develop that they are only picking and choosing what and who they feel are important and protecting them.  Basically they are making laws in a relativistic way and those are the kind of laws we should all be afraid of because “might makes right”.

April 9, 2013 – Proverbs 15:11 - 16:9

Two verses have the same under tones of making plans.  16:2 and 16:9.  The saying, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans comes to mind when you read these.  “All the ways of a man may be pure in his own eyes, but it is the Lord who proves the spirit”.  This one also has the feel of “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  What we think are good ideas, good ventures, good paths to take, may not be what is best for us in the long run.  We can either find that out the hard way or God may save us from them by not allowing them to start.  How often do we get upset when something doesn’t happen that we wanted to happen?  Have you ever looked back and seen that it was for the best?  Have you ever heard Garth Brook’s “Unanswered prayers”?  (although I am writing this well after the actual date, I just noticed that this is the date of the election.  I think this would have been a helpful scripture to read that day, seeing as I lost.)

I am at peace with losing the election.  I fully believe that it is what was best for me and my family and it wasn’t the right time.  I am glad I ran and think it will help me in the future when God will say it is time for me to win, but this just wasn’t that time.  Although I catch myself thinking about what we did wrong or what we would do different, I think more about how this is what God had in mind for me and even if I don’t fully understand it, it is what was best at this time.

April 8, 2013 – Ezekiel 39

God will aid those that come up against Israel, if you take this to mean the end times type talk, God will assist those that are bringing down the Church.  Assist might not be the right term, but God will build them up so that they are or appear unbeatable and inevitable.  Then God will merely take their power away and they will be destroyed.  You can imagine it taking 7 months to bury bodies after the destruction of an entire army (or country) in an short time by the wrath of God.

If you want to look at the world today, you could say that the ungodly side is winning and growing and appears inevitable.  If you read enough of the Bible, you will see that this isn’t something unusual or even unintended by God.  “The bigger they are, the harder they fall” is on a sign behind God’s throne.  He builds up evil to test us and to show us that He will conquer all when we have faith in Him.  When you look at the world and all that is happening, hope is sometimes hard to find, but that is the point.  It isn’t suppose to be easy to be Christian, it is a struggle, but that is how God meant it, how He shapes us, and how He prepares us to be with Him.  So, we must ignore what the world looks like, because the world is only skin deep.  Our faith and hope must be in Him that has already conquered the world.

April 7, 2013 – 2 Kings 7

Lesson 1, don’t call out a prophet.  It is funny how questioning God is repaid.  You think of Sara, who laughed, Zechariah who questioned, and all the others that questioned God and were dealt with in one way or another.  Yet, this is the first thing we do when something happens.  How hard it is for us to look beyond the here and now and try to see the bigger picture.  In the moment, we see only what is happening right now and doubt that God knows what He is doing.

I loved the moment that the lepers feel they are doing something wrong.  I really wondered if they were.  Lepers were kept out of the community, so why should they share what they are finding.  It is because they were removed from the community that they were in this position.  And even after letting this discovery be known, do you think they were welcomed back into the community.  Not if they were still lepers.  But still, they see all this and know that they should share and share the joy of the celebration with the city.  I thought that was a very touching moment.

April 6, 2013 – Catechism 2258 - 2267

I understand that Catholics can be in favor of the death penalty, but I am not.  If you look at the reasoning that is given when it should be allowed, it is only if you are absolutely certain the person is guilty and there is no other way to prevent them from causing harm again.  The latter reason, I just don’t see ever being there.  We have prisons that can securely house people for their entire lives and the chances of escape, accept in the movies, is very remote.  Finding that a person is actually guilty is also something that I have a hard time with.  I know there are cases where it is overly obvious that a person has committed a crime that they are eligible for the death penalty.  But for every case like that, there are many where the suspect may not be as obvious.  I am involved in the court system and know that guilty people go free and innocent people go to jail.  Even though our system is one of the best, mistakes are made and death is something that should not be allowed as a punishment unless it can be assured that a mistake wasn’t made.

But even in the cases where the suspect is absolutely guilty, can we ever really know the person’s mind set.  Can we truly judge a person deserving of death.  With what we know about psychiatric issues and what little we know about how the human brain actually works, it seems farfetched to me that we would ever be able to determine with any certainty that a person truly deserves death and that is the only punishment that will work.  So, I am against the death penalty.

April 5, 2013 – Proverbs 14:13 - 15:10

“The patient man shows good sense.”  I like to think that I am a patient man and I know that when I am not patient, that is when I usually run into trouble or do something wrong.  We are in such a fast world and we get so caught up in needing to do this or that as quickly as possible that we forget that patience makes good sense.  I don’t know if it is pressure to get as much done as you can in a day or just the fact that we feel we have to be constantly moving or else we will be left behind, but we have lost the ability to be patient.  I think I see it most with the boys and when they are acting up.  That is probably when I need to be the most patient and yet the ability seems to allude me.  I snap or yell and overreact and then regret it because I know it doesn’t solve anything.  Then they see me act like that and imitate it when they are upset and snap or yell and overreact, and the cycle continues.  I do notice when I am patient and talk to Paul about what is going on, I am often amazed at his reasoning for his actions and it is just that he doesn’t understand what was going on or what he did was wrong.  We just don’t get anywhere by yelling and overreacting.  The patient parent shows good sense and will raise patient children. 

April 4, 2013 – Ezekiel 38

Here we come to the prophesy about Gog and Magog.  In the book I read, this chapter, and 39, were the main focus for the end times that were to come, eventually leading to the rapture.  The book looks at Gog as Russia, which in the book, rises up and becomes a super power once again.  Along with other Arab nations they build up and plan an attack on Israel.  At the climax of the book Israel is deciding whether to use its nuclear weapons to defend itself, and they do not, but God sends fire from Heaven and basically wipes out all of Israel’s enemies.

It was a fun read up to a point, but as I have said in the past, the main theology of the rapture and being taken and the theology of once saved always saved is littered throughout and towards the end became distracting.  It makes for a very interesting reflection on what the end could possibly look like and how God would use current world powers and even nuclear war to bring about His will.  It is also interesting to see religion and conversions shape powerful leaders and their decisions.  It encourages us to pray for the conversion of our leaders (imagine if President O’Bama suddenly became orthodox Catholic and what effect that would have on the world).

I also must give the author credit for taking one or two chapters and developing it into 4 books and relating Old Testament prophesies into modern day situations.  Like I said, it is a fun and interesting read, but off base with its main theology.

April 3, 2013 – 2 Kings 6

We see here the faith of the king tested by the famine and the faith of the people.  If they believed God would save them, they probably would not have killed the first child.  It does make you wonder what lengths people will go to when they are pushed to an extreme.  It isn’t on the extreme of boiling your child, but I was talking about what people spend their money on with someone and when you look at it, what you can tell from a parent.  We buy our phones, Ipads, apps, video games, and what do we give our children.  Perhaps the answer is that we give them all this same junk too and buy them anything they ask for. But maybe we don’t buy the things that they really need or will actually benefit them.  But, maybe we aren’t buying the things we really need or will benefit us.  A lot of it has to do with the priorities we set for ourselves and a lot has to do with the world and its influence.  But, do we spend our money on our children first and the money we spend on them, is it spent wisely or on things they don’t need.

April 2, 2013 – Catechism 2244 – 2257

Politics is not supposed to be outside the realm of religion.  The very idea of freedom comes from the understanding the we have rights given to us that cannot be taken away.  Rights given to us from who or what, secularist have a hard time answering without sounding incompetent. But it is essential that religion be brought into politics in some way or freedom will be absent.  What happens when religion is taken out of politics and government is that they have no moral compass.  The secularist will say that there is a moral compass, that we have the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the courts, and these will maintain our freedoms.  But that is building your house on a foundation of sand.  The Constitution, as great a work as it is, is only 200 plus years old and is not accepted by many in the world as persuasive or legitimate.  The Bill of Rights has the same weakness and both have the weakness of being interpreted by a court that can change philosophy.  If you don’t think the Constitution’s definition of freedom can change over time all I have to do is mention the word slavery.

So, no, the foundation of our country cannot be the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence doesn’t say that our rights are given by constitutions or governments, but given by our Creator.  Taking religion and God out of government stripes it of its very foundation and leaves it as (even my 4 year old understands) in danger of collapse because nothing can be built strong without a firm foundation.  But, that is what our country wants and where we are heading.  What will a Godless government look like, what will it think of your rights, what limits will it hold upon itself, how will it treat humans, we will wait and see.  But really, we don’t. Governments that disavow God have already existed and we have fought wars to destroy them.  We already know what governments without God do to humans when they don’t believe humans are sacred.  We already know where we are going because this road is not a new one.  That is why we must stand up and try to stop it and pray for our country and for its conversion.  The future is not bright down the road we are taking.

April 1, 2013 – Proverbs 13:6 – 14:12

In honor of April fool’s day, I thought I would write about something other than the reading.

I watch this video from father Baron and enjoyed it so much I wanted to find the writing that he talks about.  There is a link to the video and the writing at the end.  I thought it was so interesting because I have written and discussed many times about how the world does not want us to suppress any desires and that is usually at odds with the teachings of the Church.  This usually comes up when there are readings about marriage, sex, abortion, sin in general.  But here, this video and writing talk about the very opposite.  There are things the world wants us to suppress, questions that every human wants and desires to answer, that the Church encourages and teaches us to seek and reflect on.  I don’t know if I have ever thought about the world telling us to suppress something and when you think about it, it flies in the face of what the world is telling you in all there other lessons.  “Suppressing any type of feeling or want is dangerous, unless it’s a questions about why we are here in the world or what the meaning of life is”.  Anyway, I thought the video and writing from former Cardinal Bergolio (now Pope Francis) was worth reading and reflecting on.

http://communio.stblogs.org/Pope%20Francis%20on%20the%20Religious%20Sense.pdf

http://youtu.be/7S43IP2Wdxw