This Sunday the Church will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, remembering the day the Apostles, the disciples of Jesus and the Blessed Mother were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
It's also a day to recommit ourselves to Christ and ask for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit or more of the power of the Holy Spirit for ourselves.
The following is a prayer from the Life In the Spirit Seminar guidebook to help us prepare for Pentecost.
Do you renounce Satan and all wrongdoing?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God,
that He died to free us from our sins, and that He rose to bring us new life?
Will you follow Jesus as your Lord?
Lord Jesus Christ, I want to belong to you from now on.
I want to be freed from the dominion of darkness and the rule of Satan, and I want to enter into Your Kingdom and be part of your people.
I will turn away from all wrongdoing, and I will avoid everything that lead me to wrongdoing.
I ask you to forgive all the sins that I have committed.
I offer my life to you, and I promise to obey you as my Lord.
I ask you to baptize me in the Holy Spirit.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Can You Be Good Without God?
I was watching a news show where they were talking about a recent poll about the decline of morality in the United States. It showed that morality was at an all time low. Two of the commentators thought the cause was the decline in church attendance with the subsequent lack of training in morality. But one commentator thought that you could be a good, moral person without God.
I have read about this trend, especially in the rising numbers of atheists and agnostics. I listened to a talk given by Jennifer Fulwiler, a popular blogger and former atheist who said that many atheists are very good, moral people.
So where do we learn what is good and moral behavior. Is it common knowledge? That can't be true because people disagree in many areas of morality. Is it built into our DNA? That can't be true because if it were there would be no people who do harm to others. Our knowledge of what is good and moral, at least in western society, actually comes from our Judeo-Christian heritage.
The United States was founded by Christians and our laws are based on Christian principles. The laws governing Europe, Canada and South America all had their source in Christianity and Judaism. It was Christianity that civilized the world; and Christianity came out of Judaism since Jesus was a Jew. So even though a person may not have faith, or may have just some sort of "spirituality", their sense of right and wrong come from the Judeo-Christian heritage of their country. Because of this, I think the two commentators who thought the cause was the decline in church attendance were correct.
Everyone thinks children are innocent, which they are in so much as they are not old enough to sin. But every person is born into this world with the seeds of sin in their soul. Those seeds are going to sprout because no man or woman is perfect. What keeps those seeds of sin from growing and spreading and destroying the man or woman is the grace of God. Without God's grace we are doomed to be slaves to our sinful tendencies. Oh yes; we can sometimes resist some sin. We can do some good. But without God our sinful natures tend to take over. Without God the temptations of the evil one defeat us. Without God our innate selfishness overcomes our thinking and we rationalize our behavior.
Without God, our ideas of what is right and what is wrong are just our ideas. We don't know for sure whether they are right or wrong for everyone. Only God can tell us what is the real truth. If it were not for God revealing Himself in the Judeo-Christian heritage and showing us what is truly right and wrong, good and bad, we would all still be uncivilized barbarians like the radical Islamists.
So let no one say they can be good and moral without God. It is an impossibility.
I have read about this trend, especially in the rising numbers of atheists and agnostics. I listened to a talk given by Jennifer Fulwiler, a popular blogger and former atheist who said that many atheists are very good, moral people.
So where do we learn what is good and moral behavior. Is it common knowledge? That can't be true because people disagree in many areas of morality. Is it built into our DNA? That can't be true because if it were there would be no people who do harm to others. Our knowledge of what is good and moral, at least in western society, actually comes from our Judeo-Christian heritage.
The United States was founded by Christians and our laws are based on Christian principles. The laws governing Europe, Canada and South America all had their source in Christianity and Judaism. It was Christianity that civilized the world; and Christianity came out of Judaism since Jesus was a Jew. So even though a person may not have faith, or may have just some sort of "spirituality", their sense of right and wrong come from the Judeo-Christian heritage of their country. Because of this, I think the two commentators who thought the cause was the decline in church attendance were correct.
Everyone thinks children are innocent, which they are in so much as they are not old enough to sin. But every person is born into this world with the seeds of sin in their soul. Those seeds are going to sprout because no man or woman is perfect. What keeps those seeds of sin from growing and spreading and destroying the man or woman is the grace of God. Without God's grace we are doomed to be slaves to our sinful tendencies. Oh yes; we can sometimes resist some sin. We can do some good. But without God our sinful natures tend to take over. Without God the temptations of the evil one defeat us. Without God our innate selfishness overcomes our thinking and we rationalize our behavior.
Without God, our ideas of what is right and what is wrong are just our ideas. We don't know for sure whether they are right or wrong for everyone. Only God can tell us what is the real truth. If it were not for God revealing Himself in the Judeo-Christian heritage and showing us what is truly right and wrong, good and bad, we would all still be uncivilized barbarians like the radical Islamists.
So let no one say they can be good and moral without God. It is an impossibility.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Is Jesus the Conductor of Your Life?
Many years ago I came upon a statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched. It reminded me of a conductor of an orchestra. Since then I keep it on my dresser to remind me every day to look to Jesus as the conductor of my life.
Each of the musicians in an orchestra plays an instrument. They are each trained in how to play their instrument. Although each musician is skilled in playing their own instrument, they need a conductor to play a particular musical composition together in harmony.
So it is with each of us. We each have gifts, natural and supernatural, and talents, given to us by God. We could each decide how and where to use these gifts and talents, but then we would be the conductor of our lives, not God. Our part in God's great orchestra would not be fulfilled.
In order to do God's Will, we must pray and seek His guidance each and every day; and then follow where He leads. Let Jesus be the conductor of your life. (see God's Will or My Will, January 12, 2016)
Each of the musicians in an orchestra plays an instrument. They are each trained in how to play their instrument. Although each musician is skilled in playing their own instrument, they need a conductor to play a particular musical composition together in harmony.
So it is with each of us. We each have gifts, natural and supernatural, and talents, given to us by God. We could each decide how and where to use these gifts and talents, but then we would be the conductor of our lives, not God. Our part in God's great orchestra would not be fulfilled.
In order to do God's Will, we must pray and seek His guidance each and every day; and then follow where He leads. Let Jesus be the conductor of your life. (see God's Will or My Will, January 12, 2016)
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
God Reveals Himself in Nature
God’s Word is often revealed in the natural
world. The Bible says: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and
the firmament proclaims His handiwork.”
Psalm 19:2 NAB.
Even people who
cannot read or who are uneducated can understand some truths about God by
examining nature.
Take a seed.
Contained in even the tiniest seed is the fullness of the plant that
seed will become. All the seed needs is
air, food, water and sunlight to grow to fulfillment.
In the same way, even before science
discovered genetics and the DNA of each cell, God was showing us through the
seeds in nature that the seed of human life, the embryo, contained the fullness
of the person. Not just a hope or a
promise, but the whole person contained in that little seed. Those who believe that it's morally acceptable to abort a child deny this truth. It's a child, not a choice. It's a person.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Raising Children Is Like Gardening
Such gorgeous tulips! Did you ever think that someone planted each one individually, then fertilized and watered them. Also the weeds had to be pulled. The flowers did not just grow that beautifully in that garden by themselves.
Raising children is similar. If you want to have good, responsible children, you have to put in the time and effort. There are no shortcuts.
I have raised four children. Very often people will compliment me on the way my children turned out. I'm not sure they realize that it didn't happen by accident; that I wasn't just "blessed" with good children. My husband and I invested much prayer, time, effort and sacrifice in raising good children. We didn't rely on having "quality time" with them after pursuing our careers.
In growing gardens and raising children--you reap what you sow.
Raising children is similar. If you want to have good, responsible children, you have to put in the time and effort. There are no shortcuts.
I have raised four children. Very often people will compliment me on the way my children turned out. I'm not sure they realize that it didn't happen by accident; that I wasn't just "blessed" with good children. My husband and I invested much prayer, time, effort and sacrifice in raising good children. We didn't rely on having "quality time" with them after pursuing our careers.
In growing gardens and raising children--you reap what you sow.
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