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Showing 1221 - 1240 of 1911
Some pro-abortion campaigners deny that abortion is the killing of little children. They speak of clusters of cells, blobs of tissue, or 'termination of pregnancy', pushing aside the truth, which is that wherever arrangements have to be made for the disposal of bodies, there has been death: in these cases, deliberate killings of millions of unborn, innocent human beings.
There are people who deny that abortion involves the taking of human life; yet in every abortion clinic there are little dead bodies to be disposed of daily: treated as so much hospital waste, with no respect; and where bodies are, there has plainly been either illness or accident or a deliberate killing; and abortion is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.
It makes a difference, being a baptised person! Christ wants everyone to know that He has descended to earth, to become man, to save us. He, our God, promises that through Baptism we can share His life, and the life of the Father and the Holy Spirit too, the life of the Blessed Trinity. United with God, we become sure of being with them for all eternity, if we do not fall away and persist in mortal sin until death.
Just as no driver is allowed to risk lives on the road, without having been prepared and instructed, so, no-one making vows in the Church, for marriage or Religious Life, which can affect other lives for a life-time and even for Eternity, should do so without first receiving preparation and instruction by the clergy or by loyal, practicing Catholics, authorised by the clergy.
Jesus Christ was God on earth: God-made-man, showing us His plan. He said that by Baptism in water we can be washed clean of sin, through His name, and given a share in His life, through the Holy Spirit, and made worthy of Heaven! Wise people believe what was said by Jesus, who proved His power and His Origin by His miracles, above all by His Resurrection from the dead.
Whenever we turn to Jesus with sincere hearts, He pours out His graces upon us: His power and His spiritual gifts; yet the greater the number of needy people we 'carry' to Him in our hearts, in prayer, the greater the number of graces.
Christ wants us to be certain that when we intercede for needy people, with God the Father, in the name of Christ, we certainly bring down Heaven's help to the down-hearted, even if we cannot see the results, if those people are far away in other parts of the world.
In Christ's sight, a person is in a pitiable state who does not believe in the existence of God, or Heaven - or Jesus Christ, or Judgement. This means that such a person is ignorant of, or opposed to, the main purpose of life, which is union with God, in His service, both in this life and in the next.
In a New Covenantal Sacrifice, Jesus Christ poured out His Precious Blood on the Cross, Victim of sinners yet praying for sinners; and that same Sacrifice is re-presented, at every Mass, yet in a Real but sacramental manner: an un-bloody offering.
We who belong to Christ must not imagine that we go 'away' from Him when we leave the church building, or when we finish our prayers at home. Christ is very close to us, wherever we are, whether at work, or in leisure-time, or in our trips to the hospital or the shops.
When a man or woman selfishly deserts the vocation to which he or she had freely consented, that person turns away from Christ, Who had called that person, and Who was willing to help that person through every difficulty. It is a dreadful matter to desert a spouse or to abandon one's own children.
To greet Christ in Holy Communion with sincere contrition for weaknesses, and with reverence, humility and love, is deeply consoling for Him. It is as if we had rolled out a red carpet for Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior and King
When we greet Christ carelessly in Holy Communion we treat Him, our God, with a dreadful lack of respect, even worse than when people show disrespect towards a Monarch in earthly life by casual or rude behaviour. Our God, coming to our hearts, deserves to be greeted with humility, reverence, joy and gratitude.
We are right to honour the Ever-Virgin Mother of God. Christ is delighted when we remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a real, warm-hearted, living person, the Mother of Jesus, now beside Him in Heaven. She loves us and prays for us, as our Mother. We should not treat her merely as a symbol of good values, or as a type, or an emblem, mascot or figurehead or object. We should honour her for her person, her faithfulness and her exalted role.
It is an outrage, in God's sight, and it saddens the Heart of Christ, whenever Catholics behave badly in church as if at closing time in a pub - even when they should be waiting in reverent silence for the start of a First Communion Mass for a member of the family. They show no reverence towards God, and set a poor example to the child, when prayer is necessary.
God looks on with joy when people treasure their families, and treasure their heritage - which means their good traditions, memories, artefacts, cultural specialities and stories, though excluding what is evil, scandalous, or unwise, and not revering family practices to the point of idolatry.
It is part of God's plan that we respect what is worthwhile in our culture and heritage, that we treasure our families, and worthwhile traditions, stories, and means of enriching everyday life in ways pleasing to God. Even cookery recipes, handed on through the generations, can cement bonds in family life, preserve customs, and bring joy in shared meals.
There is an open doorway which we are able to pass through, to leave a God-less and violent way of life and to achieve peace of soul and transformation, and Heaven. It is the only door, and consists of faith in Christ, and willingness to follow His Way.
There was a time, long ago in Paradise, when our first parents loved to serve God, and were, for a short while, prompt to fulfil all His wishes as soon as He had made them known. Then came the Fall. But now, even God's children today often hide from Him.
Saint Paul advises Christ's followers to remember that Christ is with His friends all the time; and we should revere the Lord Jesus in our hearts at any time of day as well as being prepared to explain our Faith to enquirers.
Showing 1221 - 1240 of 1911