Yes there are something like over 50 different sects of Protestantism and all of them are Anti Catholic
OOOPs. Hope I wasn't giving the impression I agree with them. I really don't know much about the Jehovah Witness. I tell them I am a Catholic. I believe totally in our faith so I don't want to hear too much of what they say. I was just making the point that I admire their courage to knock on doors.
I always thought it was because deep down they know we are the true faith. I understand that many of the faiths are just breakaways from the Catholic Church. Eg. Didn't Church of England form because the King wanted to divorce and being catholic he wasn't allowed to?
Here Jesus tells the disciples to hold on to "His' teachings. The truth will set you free. But we can be slaves to so many words. We search for other people's words. When we fill our hearts with so many words, there can be no room left for the words of our saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Personally, I have been on a journey where I have filled my mind with so many words. And the truth be known, there was no room left for Jesus' words. Crazy as that sounds, but it is true. I was left in confusion. Now I have to sort out in my head what is worth keeping and what I have to throw away. I am throwing out EVERYTHING that is not church approved and staying with the Gospel. Obedience to the church, is obedience to Jesus. Wednesday's Gospel. John 8:31-42 Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.[a]” “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would[b] do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.
Thursday Gospel John 8:51-59 "Very truely I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death." At this they exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater that our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" Jesus replied, "If I glory myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," they said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. Here Jesus reminds me that His words are more important than the prophets. I must obey Him above anyone. But I can understand the people back then. They can't understand how this man named Jesus is putting himself above the prophets. After all, the prophets back then was what they followed. Today, I know better. Jesus' words are the words I need to obey, if I can do that, I will never see death. Thank God we have a forgiving Jesus, because I don't always do as He says. Oh well, it keeps our priests busy in the confessionals.
Yes. Wonderful. Simple faith lived in action! This is what I have been trying to say. Often you can tell who the parent is by looking at the child. Looks wise, and also how they are, how they behave, their values etc...
I am. God. Forever in the Present. The Second Person In the Blessed Trinity. This statement confirms that yes, Jesus is indeed the word of The Father and He was there with the Father from the very beginning, before The Incarnation.
The people were wanting to stone Jesus for blasphemy. They were saying He was trying to make himself a God. Today, we know Jesus is God. Today there is blasphemy in the world. Where there those who make themselves out to be gods. Jesus says here "If I do not do my Father's work, do not believe me." If I see something that is not His works, I do not believe. I love the Gospel readings. There is always a message in it for everyday. I would like to hear what others get out of this reading. FRIDAY'S GOSPEL JOHN 10: 31-42 The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him. Jesus answered them, " I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?" The Jews answerd him, "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I and the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's work, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realise (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (Then) they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptised, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true." And many there began to believe in him. The word of the Lord.
I can't help but feel some compassion for the Jews back then. Jane, just like you have your serious doubts about prophecies and seers like in Medjugorje or Garabandal now and want to stick to scripture only, they must have felt the same way back then. They thought Jesus was a false prophet and seer and thought they were following ONLY the scripture correctly.
Yes. I can understand only a little of the Jews back then. The problem is they thought they knew the scriptures, but they ignored the scriptures because they did not recognise Jesus in his arrival on earth. I listen to the Gospel. What has Jesus been saying all week in the scriptures? He says to "Just listen to Him. If we fill our head with too may words we have no room for His words." Jesus said this. We have it easier than the Jews. We know Jesus is God. He is the peek of our faith. So we don't have the excuss like the Jews did. Therefore we will be judged harder. I have serious doubts about those other apparitions, because I don't believe Jesus or Mary lie, or gets prophecies wrong. And there are too many prophecies that are wrong or did not happen. I don't beleive the Mother of God would let a seer take alot of money from pilgrams either. So Jimmyiz. No, I am not like the Jews were. Because I am listening to the word of God. I am not going to be in the group in which Jesus says will be led astray. Because I am listening to Him and to what the church approves.
SATURDAY GOSPEL JOHN 11 45-57 Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees to tell them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. 'Here is this man working all these signs,' they said, 'and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and suppress the Holy Place and our nation.' One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, 'You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people, rather than that the whole nation should perish.' He did not speak in his own person, but as high priest of that year he was prophesying that Jesus was to die for the nation- and not for the nation only, but also to gather together into one the scattered children of God. From that day onwards they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover was drawing near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves were looking out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, 'What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?' The chief priests and Pharisees had by now given their orders: anyone who knew where he was must inform them so that they could arrest him. The Word of The Lord.
SUNDAY'S GOSPEL reading for the entrance.. Luke 19 28:40 1 After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. He said, "Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone should ask you, 'Why are you untying it?' you will answer, 'The Master has need of it.'" So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying this colt?" They answered, "The Master has need of it." So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. 2Peace in heaven and glory in the highest." Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." 3 He said in reply, "I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!"
When ever I hear this Gospel. I always think of the people hailing Jesus as he rode in. But Jesus knowing their hearts, knew these same poeple will cry out 'crucify him, crucify him,' only a few days later. Funny how what happened back in the time of Jesus still happens today. How often do you hear people speak with love, but then kick someone while they are down, they only follow the crowd. Is it to gain points with their peers? Or is it because they are cowards? I don't really know. I hate seeing a person alone to defend themself when others are ganging up. Anyway, that's what I always think of when I hear this reading. I would like to hear anyone elses view on this reading. As I know there is alot more to it than what I just said.
MONDAY'S GOSPEL READING John Chapter 12 1-11 Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus 2 and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one (of) his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages 3 and given to the poor?" He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. 4 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." (The) large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.
Father said this morning. "Mary was seeking mercy and love from Jesus." I always wondered about the money we seem to have in some of our churches??? But I think this reading gives me some understanding. It doesn't seem to matter what we do, there have been many world fund raisings to stop world poverty, but we still have the poor. Jesus said "You always have the poor with you," But to give our best to Jesus is how I see this reading. Mary gave Jesus the 'best' oil because she was seeking mercy and love from Him. So if we have nice stained glass and beautiful statues in our churches, we do it in honour of our God. I think that is how I see this reading. Does anyone see it different?
I came across this old thread on forgiveness at the moment and the thought crossed my mind that a lot of what is going on the world is about lack of forgiveness.. The Political bitterness, the rioting, a lot of it is about raking up old and new wounds and pouring salt in them. Jesus had a lot to complain about when He was alive. Two of them were occupation of His country by a foreign army and a massively unfair and corrupt tax system which bled people dry. Yet He never even mentioned things like these even once. I suppose this is the modern equivalent of ignoring Face Book and Twitter and Instagram. What He went all out in doing was in paying attention to the Kingdom within. To the Spiritual Life. To opening ourselves to Grace, to letting God change us for the better, into Christ. Into the Arms f the Blessed Trinity. For this is the only way we really can change the world, by changing ourselves.
