Meditation is an ideal way to pray. Using God's word (Lectio Divina) allows me to hear, listen and reflect on what the Lord wants to say to me - to one of his disciples - just like He did two thousand years ago.
The best time to reflect is at the beginning of the day and for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
Prior to going to sleep, read the Mass readings for the next day and then, in the morning, reflect on the Meditation offered on this website.
I hope these daily meditations allow you to know, love and imitate the Lord in a more meaningful way.
God bless you!


Friday, March 15, 2013

John 7:40-53 Getting To Know Jesus

(Click here for readings)
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.”  Others said, “This is the Christ.”  But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?  Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
It seems like the Lord is confusing everyone! 
I love getting into discussions with atheists.  I love it how they research the Catholic faith by reading the works of atheists.  Richard Dawkins, the famous atheist, loves to right about science and religion.  But his biggest problem with religion is that he doesn’t know much of any very well.  One of his biggest critics, Rev. Alister McGrath, an Episcopalian, who holds doctorates from Oxford University in Molecular Biophysics and Theology, calls Dawkins “embarrassingly ignorant of Christian theology.” 
Oh well…what can you do?  Will poor Dawkins ever set-up a meeting with the Pope to learn more about Catholicism?  Hell, no!  Will he ever be so humble and take some advanced courses in theology taught by Jesuits?  Of course not!  So, it is reasonable to assume that he will continue to bash religion from 50,000 ft where details are lost and everything mixes in well together.
If all religions were the same; that is, woefully lacking in evidence, then you would never imagine a person switching from one faith to another, or that one would be more convincing than another. 
They said to one another.  Well, the point I wish to make in this meditation is that when Jesus spoke, the crowd listened and then chose to ask each other who they thought He was.  In the business world, this is known as an “after-the-meeting” meeting.  We all know what we get from that:  the latest gossip and a ton load of opinions and misinformation. 
If you ask a Republican what they think of the current president, they will say that he is an abysmal failure.  But if you ask a Democrat, they will tell you that he is the greatest gift to mankind.   How can there be such discrepancy?  Easy.  It’s called ideology. 
Have you also been deceived?  Today, I spent an entire day looking for more information regarding our new Pope.  I was hoping to find something deep and profound.  Instead, I found what I thought would be published in People Magazine or Teen Magazine!  I found useless and pitiful junk, gossip and downright lies.
Did you know that Pope Francis was once in love with a woman?  Yes!!!  It’s true!!!  OMG!!!!  And this breaking news made it on the website of one of America’s leading news channels.  Okay, relax.  Yes, it happened…when the Pope was twelve years old.  Yes, he wrote a letter to a twelve year old neighbor explaining to her that he would either marry her or become a priest.  I am glad he chose the latter.  The world will be happy as well.
But this morning I read from the leftist Huffington Post an article that the Pope was accused of being linked to Argentina’s military junta and death squads!  Never mind, that this accusation is very old and was dismissed years ago.  Never mind that not a single thread of evidence has been brought forward to prove it.  [Do you remember how they accused Pope Benedict of having been a Nazi???]  Never mind that human rights activists (including a Nobel-prize winner who documented the atrocities of the dictatorship) agree that this is not true.  Never mind any of this, for the Huffington Post found it newsworthy to bring it up and smear his name.  Boy, they didn’t wait long to confuse and to deceive.
One silly commentator, fell into their spell and wrote that Pope Francis was just like everyone else, corrupt.   I wanted to write a reply, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it.  I wanted to write:  “It is amazing how some people refuse to believe in Scripture, but will believe everything written by a leftist newspaper.” 
Comical!
Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him?  I encourage all of you to go on twitter and take a look at the Pope’s tweets.  There’s only one tweet so far, and it announces that we have a new pope.  Now, take a look and see how some people, nasty people (mostly teenagers and, I suspect, atheists), have responded to the news.  Please, I encourage all of you to do so; for it will shed light on your mind to see what kind of people the secular West is producing, and the hell this world would be if we no longer had moral leaders to help guide and shape us.           
President Shimon Peres, President of Israel, weighed in on the election of Pope Francis.  He wrote, Pope Francis represents “devotion, the love of God, the love of peace, a holy modesty and a new continent which is now awakening…We need, more than ever, a spiritual leadership and not just a political one.  Where political leaders may divide, spiritual leaders may unite.  Unite around a vision, unite around values, unite around a faith that we can make the world a better place to live.  May the Lord bless the new Pope.” 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (from South Korea) wrote:  “We share many common goals – from the promotion of peace, social justice and human rights, to the eradication of poverty and hunger – all core elements of sustainable development…I am certain that His Holiness will continue to build on the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in the promotion of interfaith dialogue which is at the heart of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.”
The problem with most teenagers is clear as the sky:  they don’t know what life was like when the world was covered in the darkness of atheistic Communism (USSR, North Korea, etc…) and Nazism, and human life was cheaply priced.
Resolution:  I will resolve to learn more about my faith and defend the Lord of Love, so help me God!  I will take some time each day to study more carefully the teachings of the Church, including our Holy Father, Pope Francis.

8 comments:

  1. As cardinal Dolan states, "we want to see Jesus". Are the these atheists and non believers that cross our path, are they seeing Jesus in us? How beautiful it is when I get to converse with a soul who does not yet know the love of God, how I can give them Jesus through my life. I may be the only "gospel" they ever pick up and read. These poor souls WANT to see Him. But these souls are weary and looking for hypocrisy. But, if they see Jesus in us, in our testimony of the cross in our daily lives, they will be running towards Him with no hesitation.

    I want to see Jesus now. I don't want to wait till eternity.

    Katie Giangiulio

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    1. I loved your comment Katie, you are so right, thank you.

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  2. The news media is one sided, Liberal. It is a shame that the news is becoming nothing more then sensationalizing tidbits, twisted and untrue. Why, where did the integrity, honor, and truth go? All that comes to mind is what Jesus said on the cross, forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.

    But when you think about it, if your an atheists, there is absolutley no reason to tell the truth, not to cause harm, not to disparage ones character. No reason to honor anything or anyone. I pity the atheists of this world, for they will never see heaven.

    God bless all those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings. Pray for the souls of those who do not believe in the trinity. Pray for our youth, that they do not fall prey to the devils tricks. For he wants nothing more then to capture their souls so he wont be alone in hell.

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  3. "I spent an entire day looking for more information regarding our new Pope. I was hoping to find something deep and profound. Instead, I found what I thought would be published in People Magazine or Teen Magazine! I found useless and pitiful junk, gossip and downright lies."

    Unfortunately, I think you can say that about almost any topic, assuming you can get past the Kardashians, Honey boo-boo, American Idol, etc.


    "...the world was covered in the darkness of atheistic Communism (USSR, North Korea, etc…) and Nazism..."

    Father, please do not get into the fallacy of stating that atheism actually CAUSED any of these things. Were these atheistic regimes? Probably, although one could make a very good case about Nazism being closely associated with christianity. But that does not mean any of what they did was actually done in the name of atheism. They were more political ideologies.

    Christina H
    "But when you think about it, if your an atheists, there is absolutley no reason to tell the truth, not to cause harm, not to disparage ones character. No reason to honor anything or anyone"

    Say I am a businessman. Regardless of what anyone believes may happen to me when I die, if I run a crooked, dishonest business that harms others, chances are word will get out and my business and quite possibly I as well will suffer. Now take that back a few hundred thousand years or so. I'm living on the African savannah with my hunter-gather clan (or whatever). If I steal from others, do not do my share of work, harm others, etc., chances are very good that I, and more importantly, my offspring will suffer in the long run. Humans are social animals, they depended on each other to survive, co-operation was essential. We are not the pinnacle of creation as some would like to think. Certainly, we are the most intelligent and technologically advanced species, but there are so many others that are stronger, faster, longer lived, able to handle more extreme conditions, etc. So yes, there absolutely is a reason not to lie, harm or disparage others, etc.

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    1. Dear Anonymous, I have given what you said a great deal of thought. Perhaps I gave you the wrong idea. I should not lump all of any group into one melting pot. All atheists are not evil, but all atheists if they have been given the chance to know of God but choose not to believe, even if they live a good wholesome life, will not share eternity with our Heavenly Father. Only those who never heard of God will somehow through his mercy be given a chance after death to accept him. I do not know how this will work in heaven, but I do know that God is a fare and just God and will give them an opportunity.

      There are many Christians who lie, cause harm and disparage against others, and if they are truly sorry, they repent and seek forgiveness. Forgiveness is granted and their sin is removed from their book of life. Saddest of all is a person who believes in Jesus,God, and the Holy Ghost and yet still rapes, steels, curses constantly, lies, cheats, murders innocent people. The devil works on the christian to do wrong, he already knows he's got the atheists. There will be many Christians that do not make it to heaven.

      I believe in praying for atheists, that somehow during their life time they find there way to believing. That they give it a chance by reading the bible, attending church, learn to pray and ask God into their heart, whatever it takes to seed and find the truth.

      I do disagree with you that we are not the pinnacle of creation. Yes there are animals much faster, stronger, and live longer, more able to handle extreme conditions. We are supposed to admire God even more for giving those creatures there own special attributes. Perhaps, so we don't get conceded with ourselves, which in turn allows us to keep our own humility in check.

      I am Sorry if I offended you, it was not my intention to offend anyone, it truly wasn't.

      Delete
  4. I love your response. THANK YOU!

    "Father, please do not get into the fallacy of stating that atheism actually CAUSED any of these things. Were these atheistic regimes? Probably, although one could make a very good case about Nazism being closely associated with christianity.

    I Like that "probably". I think you would be the only historian to say "probably". And then I love how you say that Nazism was closely associated with christianity. Yes, one could say that, just like they could say that Richard Dawkins is closely associated with Christianity!

    I LOVE YOUR ANSWERS. They are perfect in showing how anti-intellectual the new atheist movement is that loves to comment-bomb Christian sites.

    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/03/17/sorry-but-atheism-is-religion/?intcmp=trending

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  5. "I Like that "probably". I think you would be the only historian to say "probably". And then I love how you say that Nazism was closely associated with christianity. Yes, one could say that, just like they could say that Richard Dawkins is closely associated with Christianity!"

    Well, I'm not a historian, nor do I play one on TV. Does Richard Dawkins wear "Gott min uns" (God with us) on his belt buckle? Does he say things like:

    "God gave the savior to the German people. We have faith, deep and unshakeable faith, that he [Hitler] was sent to us by God to save Germany." (Herman Goring)

    "With all our powers we will endeavour to be worthy of the Führer thou, O Lord, has sent us!" (Rudolph Hess)

    "Atheism is the only world-view or religious view that is not tolerated within the SS." (Heinrhch Himmler)

    "My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter....For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people." (Adolph Hitler)

    As I said, I am not a historian, but quotes like these are what led me to say "probably" [atheistic] and that a case could be made associating christianity with the Nazis. Personally, I don't know if there is a good answer one way or another, but to claim Nazis were definitively atheistic might be a stretch. To further claim Nazism and Richard Dawkins have the same level of association with christianity is just plain ridiculous.

    "I LOVE YOUR ANSWERS. They are perfect in showing how anti-intellectual the new atheist movement is that loves to comment-bomb Christian sites."

    How exactly is making a claim (Nazism associated with christianity) and showing some pretty strong evidence of that association "anti-intellectual"? Ever been on any science sites with anything mentioning evolution, any form of radiometric dating, fossils, etc? Christians come out of the woodwork to tell us how backward and evil science is, how everything is due purely to the wonders of god, how any fossil find is the direct result of Noah's flood (please tell me you do not believe the flood is in any way factual), etc. THAT is anti-intellectual. Representative of all christians? Absolutely not. Same with your claim of the atheist movement.

    Also, I hope you do not perceive me as "comment bombing." You made two claims (50:50 god exists and you can't properly love without god) which I disagreed with and responded thusly. So far I have enjoyed this "debate"

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  6. NAZISM/COMMUNISM, ETC...

    Do you think that politicians have not used "religion" as a means to whip up support? You mention quotes. Good for you. But if I recall, you also mentioned that what you believe does not effect the way you live your life? Hence, a classic example of contradicting onself not in what you say but in the fact that you don't even believe yourself!!!!

    So, why are you (if you are the same person as the other anonmyous) trying to prove that what you believe does not affect the way you live your life?

    Contradiction after contradiction...

    I have a better solution than that.

    1. Politicans have always used "religion" to whip up the masses and to justify their policies. But let me ask you a question, why did Hitler buther over 3,000 priests and nuns? Why did he send hundreds to the concentration camps? Isn't he a Christian????

    How often did Hitler, and company go to Mass, confession? I know the answer: NEVER! He was Christian by convenience. As Christ said, "They will know you belong to me by the way you love....Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you..."

    Anyone can claim they are (or were) a Christian. Anyone! Even Richard Dawkins claims that he was once a Christian!!!

    CHRISTIANITY AND ITS REPRESENTATIVES

    No one represents Christ (Christianity) the way they should. No one. Because we are all sinners. But the reason why we can even say that is because we have a standard to go by: Jesus Christ.

    But with atheism, there is no standard. Therefore, every atheist is an accurate representation of the atheistic movement.

    WITH REGARDS TO YOUR OTHER THOUGHTS...

    What I have written, I have written. Your comments are posted. My reponses are posted. I leave it to everyone of good will to read your statements and mine. I feel confident of my responses and my blogs.

    I too have enjoyed our debate. :)

    I loved what the Pope recently told reporters in Rome: “Given that many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I give this blessing from my heart, in silence, to each one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you, but knowing that each one of you is a child of God. May God bless you.”

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