ATTITUDE AND LONG LIFE
Your Attitude Affects How Long You Will Live
Sunday, September 07, 2008 by: Deanna Dean (see all articles by this author)
Key concepts: Wellness, Laughter and Humor
(NaturalNews) Many of you may be familiar with the extraordinary life and story of Norman Cousins, diplomat, editor and author. He died in 1990 but in the mid 1960s he was diagnosed with a fatal disease and told that his death was imminent. Almost completely paralyzed, Cousins decided to leave the hospital, throw away his medications, check into a hotel and surround himself with things that would make him laugh. He watched Laurel and Hardy movies, read positive message books, enjoyed comic books from his childhood, and pored over inspirational writings.
Detailed in one of his books, “Anatomy of an Illness,” Cousins chronicled his journey and the unbelievable restoration to complete health with another kind of medicine: laughter along with a changed outlook and attitude.
Can optimists really heal themselves? Can humor impact your health? If you make statements like, "I’m sick with worry" or "I'm scared to death", could you be fueling an illness?
Long tern and current research now tells us that the mind and immune system are inexorably connected and do not exist independently. For example, if you expect illness, you increase the odds of getting an illness. If you expect good health, your chances of enjoying good health are increased by that attitude.
Duke University reported in the journal Medical Care that the way we perceive our health has a dramatic effect on our actual health. They found that in a group of 3,000 heart patients who were asked to rate their health, those who said it was “very good,” had three times the survival rate of the others who answered “poor” regardless of the variables in their health.
Johns Hopkins University confirms what Duke University reported and says that their researchers interviewed more than 5,000 people over the age of 65, and regardless of risk factors, those who saw themselves as having poor health, roughly doubled their risk of death within five years. Hard to believe, but pessimism proves to be more deadly than congestive heart failure or smoking 50 or more packs of cigarettes every year.
Gunnar Engstrom, MD, a professor at Lund University in Sweden has studied self-ratings of health and says, “A positive attitude about health can ward off mental distress and may help provide important protection against diseases.”
In 1973 Dr. Grossarth-Maticek tested the attitude of thousands of elderly residents in Heidelberg, Germany. Amazing results surfaced twenty-one years later when he compared the test scores with their current health: "the 300 people who had scored highest turned out to be thirty times more likely to be alive and well 21 years later than the others."
A seven year study at the University of Texas found that people with an upbeat attitude about life could actually delay ageing suggesting that psychosocial factors play a role along with genes and physical health in determining how fast we age.
They speculate that positive emotions might alter the chemical balance of the body. Leading the research, Dr. Glenn Ostir told BBC News Online: “I believe that there is a connection between mind and body -- and that our thoughts and attitudes/emotions affect physical functioning and overall health.”
Past president of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D. and clinical psychologist in Irvine, California says, “Humor stimulates laughter and we know that physiological stimulation through laughter leads to a number of health benefits by reducing stress and boosting antibodies that fight infection. The research, particularly on heart disease, is dramatic. People who are chronically angry are four to five times more likely to have a heart attack than people who are not.”
There are other studies revealing that depressed people may be 42 percent more likely to develop diabetes. Sadness seems to stack the odds against you.
John Barefoot, Ph.D. research professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina initiated a 25 year study of medical students from the 1950s and discovered at the end of the study in 1980 that the ones who had been hostile were the ones who were more likely to have died. Later expanded studies have confirmed those same findings.
Support groups can have a powerful impact on your health as well when you’re dealing with sadness and depression or a circumstance that is painful. In a study at Stanford University researchers found that cancer patients who were included in a support group lived longer.
Our mind is a powerful weapon that can be used to defeat our enemy, disease, or as an ally to heal us and give us great health and a long life.
Maybe there is something to the old adage Laughter is the Best Medicine.
In good health,
Deanna Dean
-------------------------
Friday, September 12, 2008
FEARLESS SUCCESS
FEARLESS SUCCESS
Move Away From Fear and Into Success, by Author Geoff Thompson
Monday, September 08, 2008 by: Kevin Gianni (see all articles by this author)
Key concepts: Optimum health, Food and Raw food
(NaturalNews) This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Fountain of Youth Summit, which can be found at (http://fountainofyouthworldsummit.com ) . In this excerpt, Geoff Thompson shares on moving from fears to success.
The Fountain of Youth World Summit with Geoff Thompson, martial arts guru, best selling author and BAFTA winning screen writer.
Kevin Gianni: Let's get started. I'm here with Geoff Thompson. Geoff Thompson is a BAFTA winning screen writer and out in the U.K. that's similar to the Oscars, right or Academy Awards Geoff?
Geoff Thompson: Yes, it's classed as the British Academy Award.
Kevin Gianni: That's fantastic. He's also a Sunday Times best seller and a martial arts guru. And he's here to talk about how he's gotten this fantastic success. Basically Geoff, and he'll tell you himself, he was just an ordinary guy and he's brought himself to just fantastic, fantastic success. So Geoff I want to welcome you aboard.
Geoff Thompson: Thank you. Thank you. It's great to be here.
Kevin Gianni: So why don't we start. Why don't you tell me your story and then we can start to get some idea of what everyone else can do to reach some of this fantastic success.
Geoff Thompson: Well, what's great about my story is that I used to sweep floors in a factory and just did lots of menial manual jobs and I was told by the people around me that I should be grateful for that; that jobs like that didn't grow on trees and I shouldn't get above my station. So my great story is that I didn't believe that was true. I've always believed anyone can do anything if they're prepared to step into their fear. So I started working as a nightclub doorman because I have a lot of fears. I started working to overcome my fears. This is what the poet Rumi called night traveling. He said that we should go out into the night and hunt down our fears. And he said that the moon shone for night travelers so that if you went out and hunted your fears you would get light.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So I started confronting all my fears and did what I really wanted to do, which is become a writer. And I've gone on, as you said, to become a BAFTA winning writer. My first feature film is actually in production as we speak. We're two weeks into production. I've got another three films that we're making this year. I intend to make a film a year for the next 30 years. That's my intention.
Kevin Gianni: Wow.
Geoff Thompson: I intend within five years, with God's help, to become one of the top five screen writers on this spinning blue planet. That's my intention..
Kevin Gianni: That's fantastic.
Geoff Thompson: And when I stand at the Oscars after thanking God because I connect to this unseen hand, that's where my power comes from, but when I'm at the Oscars I'm going to hand my Oscar up and I'm going to say this is for the likes of us. You know that lovely thing from the Ragged Trousered Philanthropist where the character says this is not for the likes of us, which is what I grew up being told.. So I'm going to say to all them kids out there, that want to be screen writers or want to be sculptors or whatever they want to be, whether they want to be healthy, I'm going to say to them this is for the likes of us.
I want to be there to prove to myself and to prove to everybody else that thinks they can't that they can. That we can access any dimension, any sphere, any level we want if we're prepared to just turn into our own sharp edge. And so I think people believe they can't do anything but I know we can.. I look at things from Carlos Castaneda when he's training with Don Juan Matus and Don Juan Matus says to him, "your reality is like one room in a house of a hundred rooms". He said if you train with me I'll show you how to actually fill the 99 rooms. He said actually if you come and train with me I'll show you how to get out of the house. So my whole life has been about accessing different rooms, accessing different realities, accessing, you know, actually getting out of the house because I know I can. I know that we all can.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: And to do that it's been a process of growing my consciousness, getting more information, which is what I love about your program because it's full of empirical information. And just turning into my fears because I've always recognized that the growth is where the discomfort is; where people feel uncomfortable, where people feel hurt, where people feel they can't go. That's where the gold is. That's where the alchemistic change happens.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So I just encourage people wherever they are to turn towards their discomfort, overcome their fears and they can become and do anything.
Kevin Gianni: That's a challenging thing to do. I know a lot of people experience fearfulness every single day. What are some of the techniques that someone can use to actually turn into their fear and not feel like they're going to get hurt?
Geoff Thompson: I think the main thing for me was I wanted to develop a desensitization towards the feeling of adrenalin.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: Because it's mostly the feelings that stop us from growing. And anticipation is normally much worse than actually the thing we want to do. So I find that if I can get the anticipation out of the way, actually doing the thing isn't actually that difficult. You know, we always tend to blow things out of proportion. So we've got to make sure that the discomfort we turn into is anabolic and it's there to help you grow and not catabolic, which is a discomfort. You, know, like if you put your hand over the stove -- that's a catabolic discomfort.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: It doesn't help us grow but injure us. And every individual has to, you know, has to listen to their gut and their gut will tell them when it's catabolic and when it's anabolic. So, obviously, we don't want to do things that are a discomfort, that are going to create atrophy or injure us.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: We just want to turn into the things, into the discomfort that can help us to grow. And everybody really knows what that is. They just have to be very brutally honest with themselves. For me what I did initially, my initial thing, was I drew a pyramid on a piece of paper.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: And on each step of the pyramid I wrote down one of the things I feared. Now, first of all that takes a lot of self honesty because you have to be very honest about your fears -- a lot of people say "I'm not really scared of it, I just don’t want to do it".
Kevin Gianni: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.
Geoff Thompson: But you have to be very honest.
Kevin Gianni: And I wonder if anyone out there has heard them say that before?
Geoff Thompson: I've said it so many times when I was younger; "I'm not really scared of it. I just don't want to do it".
Kevin Gianni: Right.
Geoff Thompson: You've got to be brutally honest even if it's just to yourself. Write the fears down and then systematically confront them one by one until you gain desensitization over it. They call it flooding.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: Because you just flood yourself with the thing that you're uncomfortable with. Now, you can do this very gradually or you can just dive in according to your character, according to how you are.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: Sometimes you can confront the thing once and you will overcome it and other times you may have to confront it three or four times.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: One of the things I learned Kevin is that fear didn't actually go away. You just learn to use it as an alchemistic fuel.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So you just learn to manage it and to drive it. It's a difficult fuel if you don't do anything with it because it's caustic. If you do something with it then it will take you out of the stratosphere. So I don't really see it as fear anymore. I just see it as part of the chemical cocktail. You know, for me it's an indicator that I'm going in the right direction because most people are always turning away from discomfort and I'm always turning into it.
Kevin Gianni: Okay. So when you're writing them down in a pyramid form I mean are you arranging them in any particular order?
Geoff Thompson: Yes I would arrange it so that my least fear is at the bottom; my biggest fear is at the top.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So my least fear when I started was a fear of spiders but it was a debilitating fear. If there was a spider in the corner of the room I couldn't sleep.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So I started to get a few utensils together like a broom with a crop on the end and started to kind of touch a spider at a distance and got closer and closer until the end I could pick a spider up and handle it and let it roam around my arm. And recognize that the majority of spiders are completely harmless. My biggest fear was a fear of violent confrontation.
Kevin Gianni: Okay, and now you're a martial artist?
Geoff Thompson: Yeah, even as a black belt I still feared violent confrontation because as a black belt I was still training in very controlled environments.
Kevin Gianni: Oh, I see. Okay.
Geoff Thompson: I was frightened of the actual eruption of violence; you know the expletives, the aggression.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: So I became a nightclub doorman so that I could expose myself to violent confrontation. Now, that's extreme and that worked very well for me. I mean I spent ten years as a nightclub doorman and developed a security mentality because of it and that worked for me. I know with the people who become security men or that climb mountains or have done other things they've developed to, you know, they've overcome their internal fears but that's the one that worked for me so I became a nightclub doorman. I've always been a night traveler. I didn't know that's what it was at the time but that's what I've always been and that's what's enabled me to go from living in a bad sect sweeping floors thinking that was my lot to, you know, share in a conversation with LL Cool J at the BAFTAS and, you know, having my photograph taken with Renee Zelwegger and Peter Jackson and, you know, that's just the reality that I've accessed. And that reality sat just
beyond my fear. That's the big secret. The big secret is that everybody turns away from discomfort but actually if you turn into it you'll find that the gold is hidden just beyond it. And the confrontation itself is never as bad as the anticipation. And it's not like you've got to jump in all in one go. You can do it a little bit at a time
----------------------------
Move Away From Fear and Into Success, by Author Geoff Thompson
Monday, September 08, 2008 by: Kevin Gianni (see all articles by this author)
Key concepts: Optimum health, Food and Raw food
(NaturalNews) This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Fountain of Youth Summit, which can be found at (http://
The Fountain of Youth World Summit with Geoff Thompson, martial arts guru, best selling author and BAFTA winning screen writer.
Kevin Gianni: Let's get started. I'm here with Geoff Thompson. Geoff Thompson is a BAFTA winning screen writer and out in the U.K. that's similar to the Oscars, right or Academy Awards Geoff?
Geoff Thompson: Yes, it's classed as the British Academy Award.
Kevin Gianni: That's fantastic. He's also a Sunday Times best seller and a martial arts guru. And he's here to talk about how he's gotten this fantastic success. Basically Geoff, and he'll tell you himself, he was just an ordinary guy and he's brought himself to just fantastic, fantastic success. So Geoff I want to welcome you aboard.
Geoff Thompson: Thank you. Thank you. It's great to be here.
Kevin Gianni: So why don't we start. Why don't you tell me your story and then we can start to get some idea of what everyone else can do to reach some of this fantastic success.
Geoff Thompson: Well, what's great about my story is that I used to sweep floors in a factory and just did lots of menial manual jobs and I was told by the people around me that I should be grateful for that; that jobs like that didn't grow on trees and I shouldn't get above my station. So my great story is that I didn't believe that was true. I've always believed anyone can do anything if they're prepared to step into their fear. So I started working as a nightclub doorman because I have a lot of fears. I started working to overcome my fears. This is what the poet Rumi called night traveling. He said that we should go out into the night and hunt down our fears. And he said that the moon shone for night travelers so that if you went out and hunted your fears you would get light.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So I started confronting all my fears and did what I really wanted to do, which is become a writer. And I've gone on, as you said, to become a BAFTA winning writer. My first feature film is actually in production as we speak. We're two weeks into production. I've got another three films that we're making this year. I intend to make a film a year for the next 30 years. That's my intention.
Kevin Gianni: Wow.
Geoff Thompson: I intend within five years, with God's help, to become one of the top five screen writers on this spinning blue planet. That's my intention..
Kevin Gianni: That's fantastic.
Geoff Thompson: And when I stand at the Oscars after thanking God because I connect to this unseen hand, that's where my power comes from, but when I'm at the Oscars I'm going to hand my Oscar up and I'm going to say this is for the likes of us. You know that lovely thing from the Ragged Trousered Philanthropist where the character says this is not for the likes of us, which is what I grew up being told.. So I'm going to say to all them kids out there, that want to be screen writers or want to be sculptors or whatever they want to be, whether they want to be healthy, I'm going to say to them this is for the likes of us.
I want to be there to prove to myself and to prove to everybody else that thinks they can't that they can. That we can access any dimension, any sphere, any level we want if we're prepared to just turn into our own sharp edge. And so I think people believe they can't do anything but I know we can.. I look at things from Carlos Castaneda when he's training with Don Juan Matus and Don Juan Matus says to him, "your reality is like one room in a house of a hundred rooms". He said if you train with me I'll show you how to actually fill the 99 rooms. He said actually if you come and train with me I'll show you how to get out of the house. So my whole life has been about accessing different rooms, accessing different realities, accessing, you know, actually getting out of the house because I know I can. I know that we all can.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: And to do that it's been a process of growing my consciousness, getting more information, which is what I love about your program because it's full of empirical information. And just turning into my fears because I've always recognized that the growth is where the discomfort is; where people feel uncomfortable, where people feel hurt, where people feel they can't go. That's where the gold is. That's where the alchemistic change happens.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So I just encourage people wherever they are to turn towards their discomfort, overcome their fears and they can become and do anything.
Kevin Gianni: That's a challenging thing to do. I know a lot of people experience fearfulness every single day. What are some of the techniques that someone can use to actually turn into their fear and not feel like they're going to get hurt?
Geoff Thompson: I think the main thing for me was I wanted to develop a desensitization towards the feeling of adrenalin.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: Because it's mostly the feelings that stop us from growing. And anticipation is normally much worse than actually the thing we want to do. So I find that if I can get the anticipation out of the way, actually doing the thing isn't actually that difficult. You know, we always tend to blow things out of proportion. So we've got to make sure that the discomfort we turn into is anabolic and it's there to help you grow and not catabolic, which is a discomfort. You, know, like if you put your hand over the stove -- that's a catabolic discomfort.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: It doesn't help us grow but injure us. And every individual has to, you know, has to listen to their gut and their gut will tell them when it's catabolic and when it's anabolic. So, obviously, we don't want to do things that are a discomfort, that are going to create atrophy or injure us.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: We just want to turn into the things, into the discomfort that can help us to grow. And everybody really knows what that is. They just have to be very brutally honest with themselves. For me what I did initially, my initial thing, was I drew a pyramid on a piece of paper.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: And on each step of the pyramid I wrote down one of the things I feared. Now, first of all that takes a lot of self honesty because you have to be very honest about your fears -- a lot of people say "I'm not really scared of it, I just don’t want to do it".
Kevin Gianni: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.
Geoff Thompson: But you have to be very honest.
Kevin Gianni: And I wonder if anyone out there has heard them say that before?
Geoff Thompson: I've said it so many times when I was younger; "I'm not really scared of it. I just don't want to do it".
Kevin Gianni: Right.
Geoff Thompson: You've got to be brutally honest even if it's just to yourself. Write the fears down and then systematically confront them one by one until you gain desensitization over it. They call it flooding.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: Because you just flood yourself with the thing that you're uncomfortable with. Now, you can do this very gradually or you can just dive in according to your character, according to how you are.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: Sometimes you can confront the thing once and you will overcome it and other times you may have to confront it three or four times.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: One of the things I learned Kevin is that fear didn't actually go away. You just learn to use it as an alchemistic fuel.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So you just learn to manage it and to drive it. It's a difficult fuel if you don't do anything with it because it's caustic. If you do something with it then it will take you out of the stratosphere. So I don't really see it as fear anymore. I just see it as part of the chemical cocktail. You know, for me it's an indicator that I'm going in the right direction because most people are always turning away from discomfort and I'm always turning into it.
Kevin Gianni: Okay. So when you're writing them down in a pyramid form I mean are you arranging them in any particular order?
Geoff Thompson: Yes I would arrange it so that my least fear is at the bottom; my biggest fear is at the top.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So my least fear when I started was a fear of spiders but it was a debilitating fear. If there was a spider in the corner of the room I couldn't sleep.
Kevin Gianni: Okay.
Geoff Thompson: So I started to get a few utensils together like a broom with a crop on the end and started to kind of touch a spider at a distance and got closer and closer until the end I could pick a spider up and handle it and let it roam around my arm. And recognize that the majority of spiders are completely harmless. My biggest fear was a fear of violent confrontation.
Kevin Gianni: Okay, and now you're a martial artist?
Geoff Thompson: Yeah, even as a black belt I still feared violent confrontation because as a black belt I was still training in very controlled environments.
Kevin Gianni: Oh, I see. Okay.
Geoff Thompson: I was frightened of the actual eruption of violence; you know the expletives, the aggression.
Kevin Gianni: Um-hum.
Geoff Thompson: So I became a nightclub doorman so that I could expose myself to violent confrontation. Now, that's extreme and that worked very well for me. I mean I spent ten years as a nightclub doorman and developed a security mentality because of it and that worked for me. I know with the people who become security men or that climb mountains or have done other things they've developed to, you know, they've overcome their internal fears but that's the one that worked for me so I became a nightclub doorman. I've always been a night traveler. I didn't know that's what it was at the time but that's what I've always been and that's what's enabled me to go from living in a bad sect sweeping floors thinking that was my lot to, you know, share in a conversation with LL Cool J at the BAFTAS and, you know, having my photograph taken with Renee Zelwegger and Peter Jackson and, you know, that's just the reality that I've accessed. And that reality sat just
beyond my fear. That's the big secret. The big secret is that everybody turns away from discomfort but actually if you turn into it you'll find that the gold is hidden just beyond it. And the confrontation itself is never as bad as the anticipation. And it's not like you've got to jump in all in one go. You can do it a little bit at a time
----------------------------
Bible
Each week the readings in Mass end with the phrase, "The Word of the Lord." As Catholics we believe that this revelation of God is central to our life. Vatican II produced a clear declaration of the nature and role of Scripture. In this work, "Dei Verbum" we read:
"The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body." (VI, 21)
For many the idea of honoring the Scriptures is not a difficult task. Still, many people often wonder about its origins. To begin to understand the history of the Bible we need to look at the canon. The word "Canon" (kanon) is a Greek word that means "rule or measure" The Canon is the approved list of books that make up our Bible today.
The Old Testament canon of the Catholic Church, which differs from the Protestant one, contains 46 books. Seven of these books, sometimes called the Apocrypha or Deuteronocanonicals, were part of the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. It is the version used by St. Paul in his writings and it was in wide use in the early church. Therefore, the Catholic Church treats these 7 books with the same reverence as the rest of the Old Testament canon. Protestants, following a later Jewish tradition, omit these books. We must note that the more historically accurate list is the list of the Septuagint.
But are the Old Testament books authoritative? Consider this from Fr. William Most:
"The testimony of Christ and the Apostles, who cite the OT as a sacred work, is indicative of the inspiration of the books they cite. Their testimony may suffice for the entire OT, inasmuch as they often quote from the Septuagint (LXX), which contained both protocanonical and deuterocanonical books." (Most, Bible III, Canon)
Therefore since Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the Old Testament (namely the Septuagint) we can accept these books as firmly established as approved or canonical.
The New Testament contains four biographies of the life of Jesus called the Gospels. After the Gospels comes Acts of the Apostles. This is a historical narrative about the life and work of the early church and the spread of Christianity to communities outside of Israel. A large portion of the New Testament contains letters written to these new Christians in order to explain, correct, and encourage them in the faith. These letters are commonly called the Epistles. Finally, we have the symbolically-rich Revelation to John with its primary message of hope and joy in the expectation of Christ's return and victory.
Some of these books were in circulation as early as 20-30 years after Jesus' resurrection. But there were many others circulating that did not accurately record the words and actions of Jesus. Some of them contradicted the words and declarations of the Apostles Jesus instructed to teach and lead. At some point there had to be a determination of what writings were truly inspired a canon was needed.
Father Michael Geisler sums the process up like this:
"Canonicity was based on three criteria: (a) apostolic origin - one could trace the books back to one of the apostles or their companions, (b) orthodoxy - the content of these books conformed with authentic preaching about Christ and the Church, and (c) catholicity - those books were used by all or nearly all the communities of the faithful."
(from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology)
Officially, the earliest New Testament canon was given by the Council of Rome in A.D. 382 under Pope Damasus (and later confirmed by the 3rd Council of Carthage in A.D. 397). Therefore by the year 400A.D. the list of New Testament books that we now have in our Bibles was in place.
The Catholic Church played an extremely crucial role in the life of the Christian Scriptures. The decisions that were made about these books were made with the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised would lead the church into all truth. These books are indeed "The Word of the Lord." Illuminated and guided by the Church's Tradition, they are a source of nourishment to our souls. May we not neglect so great a gift.
====================
Can Catholic beliefs be rightfully challenged in modern times?
Having spent a majority of my life in Catholic schools, I studied and was inspired by Catholicism in doing right by others. However, as I grew older and reviewed some of the religious specifics I had learned, I began to see inconsistencies in those lessons.
Could the bible have fault? Responding from my life lessons in religion, I personally believe that there is not only likely misinformation in the bible, but it is entirely possible that some situations may not have happened at all in the manner documented.
What are some examples? One of my key disputes are that Catholic followers are no to pray or give prayer to false idols. Specifically we are not to pray to anything other than Jesus; God himself. Yet, in the very same bible and per instruction from the highest positions in the church, they require prayer to St. Michael or a more common Hail Mary prayer as well as others. Why would the very bible that gives specifics to pray to no other idols or false god's nor angels, then encourage or specify prayer to anyone other than Jesus; God himself?
Another example of these discrepancies are that Jesus; God has risen from the dead and came back to prove life beyond death yet some parish members do not believe in life after death such as in ghostly activity. My opinion is that if you believe in the bible, then you must believe all of the bible, not select captions or chapters.
Further, many of the stories of the bible are witness accounts of what happened both BC (before Christ) and AD (anno domini or after death). A good posing question would be if these stories actually occurred or quite possibly were misinterpreted.
Could biblical stories be misinterpreted? It would be ridiculous to think that all stories in the bible are absolutely accurate. As we are literally taking their interpetations as fact and are further instructed by the church not to question. Yet, the bible was written by man as mans' interpretation of happenings and experiences. Let us not forget that those interpretations could be documented incorrect as the bible itself has been re-written a handful of times and into most every national language in modern times. Each of those languages can not specify exactly the same information. Thus, if the English version was different just a minor amount to; let's say, the Japanese version, then that would mean there are already differences in how history transpired in biblical times. Simply from translation. As some languages have far more descriptive and specific words to help describe the situations of that time. Does that mean that a nationality that has the bible translated has less description? And if that be the case, who chooses which words are the most accurate or which words to remove in those descriptions? The answer to this question is, "Man". Man is not only capable of sin and error but is so designed. Thus, it would be ridiculous to think that man's interpretation of the bible through many generations and translations actually occurred as described in modern times. There have been documented variations of happenings in the bible over the course of time. How a situation occurred and how it was resolved. Man, translated the bible, we all agree on this as the bible was never written in English, other verbs and adjectives had to be used in the interpretation. Thus, subject to interpretors' best guess in his abilities. Now, let's assume that some of the interpretors of the past were not college students or graduates but rather a common man. A man that had no study credentials or accomplishments. We would have to be quite conceited to consider all of the above and still believe the bible is accurate in today's time.
In closing I have but one more thing to consider that I happen to personally believe after many years of studies in the Catholic faith. The bible gives inhuman example stories. Such as the parting of the Red Sea. Or the burning bush. Or the city of Babilon, etc. Personally I believe in the story essence in each. I do not believe at all that the Red Sea was parted nor the full description of the city of Babilon. But, if we believe in the essence or the morals of the stories that is all that is expected of us. However, we have parishioners that do not question these stories as completely accurate and happened exactly as documented in today's bible. To me, that is a foolish assumption. However, loosing one self in the story and not absorbing the moral teachings is where society needs to stop and appreciate what man has written through the ages to help each of us continue on a more rituous path.
My feelings of these huge events such as the parting of the Red Sea, etc are that man were living off of the land to the most part. You grew your food, you didn't go to a store as we experience today. Yes, there was bartering, etc. However, my feelings on these events are back to man's interpretation of them. I feel the men that were present for these monumental experiences were likely experiencing much of the interpretation through the eyes of a man having ingested herbs and spiritual drugs. Is that so far off to consider? Keeping in mind many hundreds of years later, the American Indians were still using earth herbs to hight hen their religious experiences. If you have even the remote belief that my statements are true, then you have to completely re-think your own interpretations of the bible and it's stories. As there are a number of above listed variables that would play into any one man's interpretations in biblical times. We have news agencies in modern times that argue and debate current events and even events of twenty or fifty years ago. When considering we are discussing things thousands of years ago, it is absurd to take the Catholic bible as absolute. In final, my belief is that God gave us the minds and the free will to make our own decisions and take from these very stories and improve ones' life.
Learn more about this author, Mick Phipps.
Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:
Reflections: Discrepancies in the Catholic bible
In my life time I only visited a catholic church on one occasion it was back when i was a teenager I had a girlfriend that was catholic and she talked me into going to her church on Sunday . I actually find catholic churches a bit spooky with all the statues etc.
I did though pick up what i believed to be a catholic bible one time and was reading Mathew 5 and 6 . They translate not to use repetitious prayers like the heathen do to say do not babble like a pagan . Now surely that has to be a translation meant to change the real meaning . Warning us not to use repetitious prayer don't sound much like babble like a pagan . Seems they must need to make room for repetitious prayer in my opinion .
One time I also picked up a book on Catholicism and started to read their version of the 10 commandments . I was shocked the second command was no longer recorded as a command . Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness was no longer a command . To make 10 Commands they took and made 2 commands out of the 10th one . Thou shalt not covet .
If I remember correctly They made one Thou shalt not covet the neighbors wife and then a other thou shalt not covet the neighbors house . So does that mean you can covet the neighbors boat ? his truck? his business? .
Well I guess we are free to make some graven images now as we got rid of that one .I just like to know how they know what graven images they are making . Did Mary really look like that? Christ? Are they guessing? Could it be somebody else ? Why do we need these images any way?
The Babel like a pagan scripture was enough for me surely that translation is meant to open the door for repetitious prayer when scripture says not too .
There are no discrepancies in the original languages of Hebrew,Chaldees,Aramaic and Greek.
There are discrepancies in translations.The fact is God spoke as holy men of old were moved as the Spirit led them. Anyone can check out the languages with a concordance. The problem is translations that veer off the original tongues.The Catholics use Latin and even copies of copies that are inferior. King James 1611 English Bible is as close of translation with out errors you can get. Yes there are errors but again you can check them out.
If your faith is in your church then that is a problem and judgment is upon all churches as all of them today are unfaithful.If you have left your faith it is because you weren't saved from God and have no idea what you believed and never really check it out. God does the saving and he draws us to him.No church,no membership,baptism or communion saved anyone.
You can believe what you want as most unbelievers and so called Christians do. You can use the excuse that churches are all splintered up and have different doctrines and stay away from God. Men created their own doctrines for those churches. But the fact is there is the Bible and there is no excuse.God is now judging the churches and will judge on the last day and it is upon us. So I would think twice before you decide what truth is. There is only one truth.
God commands us to search out the scriptures,for reproof and false teachings.
In the first 4 chapters of the Revelations God has already identified churches that were dead 1900 years ago."If judgment starts at the house of God ,where will faith be when he comes",Christ said.If those churches in Revelations are dead and they all are today;what do you think is happening now to the churches? God is in control and he has allowed this to happen as some truth has gone out through the churches. Today though, if God has opened our eyes we can see what happened to Israel the external church before and up until Christ and Pentecost. They rebelled from moses unto Christ. And the New Testament churches have and are doing the same thing. They all think they are save but Christ is coming as a thief to them and those who stay in them and to all the unbelievers.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me,Lord,Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto (them),I (never) knew you:depart from me,ye that work iniquity.Matt.8:18-23
Yes this is a long way around discrepancies but now one can tell where truth is or where truth isn't. Again if someone isn't bringing truth, they are a false prophet and if truth is sent out then by it you will judge if one doesn't abide in the truth. Some one is wrong, there can only be one truth and God isn't wrong. It is either the churches or the true believers that are commanded by God to send out the truth in these last of last days. Cry now for the mercy of God.
Learn more about this author, 2011 AD
There are so many discrepancies and contradictions in the bible. Too many to count. Not to mention extreme ideas including blood sacrifice, and severe consequences for people who sin.
The main problem with trying to decipher the bible is, there are so many ways to interpret it. Depending on someones own personal belief, it can be twisted around to serve their agenda. Also many times people will turn a bible verse into a metaphor. Or turn what was meant to be a metaphor into a truth.
Different denominations can also hold beliefs that are odd and contradict the bible. The first thing that comes to mind is the Catholic faith.
In every Catholic church you will not only find a statue of Jesus on the altar, but somewhere in the church will also be a statue of Mary. People of the catholic faith worship not only Jesus and God, but they pray to Mary. They pray to certain saints. It clearly states in the ten commandments not to "Have any other Gods before me".
Another thing that baffles me about catholics is the use of a confessional. If you read Matthew 7 verses one through five, it clearly states that we are not to judge people. It sends the message that God himself is the only one that judges. With the exception of Jesus. Still people will go into a little booth, and confess their sins to a priest. Accepting it as fact, that the priest can forgive them. The priest then gives them a penance, and after saying a few hail Mary's they are forgiven. Is the priest a representative of God?.
Which leads me to my next thought. When it comes to sex in the bible, the advice is clear. 1 Corinthians, verses 1 through 15 explains in specific terms that everyone should refrain from sex. However, if you can not do that you are suppose to marry. The reason being so, "Satan can not tempt you in your weakness".
The fact is that priests are put up on a pedestal. They are expected not to have sex. This not only goes against what the bible says, but as we well know can be a spring board into the abuse of children. Which has cost the Catholic Church millions so far, and from what I have read, the problem is far from over.
I believe the Catholic Church would be well served to change their policies. A lot of people have inquired as to why they haven't done this. I can only assume that since the catholic Church is actually a multi million dollar business, people don't want a change. Add in religious dogma and things will probably never change.
=========================
The desire for more
When I asked a nun at Church if there could be a Bible Study at Church in the evening, her answer was, "with all the parents driving kids to sporting events, they just don't seem to have the time".
This is so sad because Catholics do not act Christian which is evidenced by not reading or living the Bible, or fellowship at Church. They go to mass on Sundays and many can't wait to leave and race out of the parking lot! When I go to a Bunco party at someone's house, I can immediately tell that they are Protestants; they are more welcoming and act the way that Christ would want people to act. These people learn your name, whether it be socially, or when you are a visitor at their church.
Perhaps if the Bible was studied in the Catholic Church, and prayer meetings were offered, then these people would "get the point" of it all. They need to know that John 3, which they hear in the gospel, is something to live by. They must confess their sins, admit that they are a sinner, ask God to lead their life, and become saved. Salvation is more than an Easter story and just because the Bishop comes to their church on a designated day, doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit arrives then too. He comes, when individuals ask and are ready to surrender their life to God, which is explained in the Bible. This Good Book is not a representation of merely a history book, for it is the "best seller" of all times.
Catholics need to "live" a spiritual life, and they are not going to get that by memorizing prayer; they must pray to Jesus with their heart, and all their soul. They must get into "heavy duty" prayer and study what the Bible really is all about. They should learn at an early age that it is not corny to have prayer meetings at home, to listen to Christian music, and to follow the advice in the Bible for everyday things. If our young people knew that there were answers there about saving money, and making choices, their lives could be so much easier. Gluttony, sloth, and envy, along with a different perspective of what lust really is, would be avoided. You don't hear the word "sin" very much in today's world, but on the other hand, if you ask children what "obeying" means, they probably are not sure and don't hear it at home.
If fathers put the almighty dollar at the top of the list, they teach their children to worship material things. If mothers don't refer to what God would want want they are trying to enforce anti-bullying techniques at home, then children will not learn what is at the root of anger. If sports are put in front of relgion, as far as a priority, then it is obvious that the Bible means nothing to them. If Sunday morning soccer games are scheduled, or Mother's Day games change family plans, then something is terribly wrong. Values are taught in the Bible and perhaps parents are not doing their job. Many Catholics are not doing their job.
Even Thomas Jefferson said that schools would be ruined if God was taken out of the classrooms for this country was founded on Christian principles; those that are in the Bible.
It is time for a spiritual renewal in this country; no wonder why only 7% of the world's population is not Catholic. The Torah and the Koran are spiritual guide-books, and people that believe in the religions that use them, respectfully use these books, as God's living Word. Then why shouldn't Catholics use, read, pray, and know their Bible? It is the road map to eternal life!
Learn more about this author, Carol Natoli
"The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body." (VI, 21)
For many the idea of honoring the Scriptures is not a difficult task. Still, many people often wonder about its origins. To begin to understand the history of the Bible we need to look at the canon. The word "Canon" (kanon) is a Greek word that means "rule or measure" The Canon is the approved list of books that make up our Bible today.
The Old Testament canon of the Catholic Church, which differs from the Protestant one, contains 46 books. Seven of these books, sometimes called the Apocrypha or Deuteronocanonicals, were part of the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. It is the version used by St. Paul in his writings and it was in wide use in the early church. Therefore, the Catholic Church treats these 7 books with the same reverence as the rest of the Old Testament canon. Protestants, following a later Jewish tradition, omit these books. We must note that the more historically accurate list is the list of the Septuagint.
But are the Old Testament books authoritative? Consider this from Fr. William Most:
"The testimony of Christ and the Apostles, who cite the OT as a sacred work, is indicative of the inspiration of the books they cite. Their testimony may suffice for the entire OT, inasmuch as they often quote from the Septuagint (LXX), which contained both protocanonical and deuterocanonical books." (Most, Bible III, Canon)
Therefore since Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the Old Testament (namely the Septuagint) we can accept these books as firmly established as approved or canonical.
The New Testament contains four biographies of the life of Jesus called the Gospels. After the Gospels comes Acts of the Apostles. This is a historical narrative about the life and work of the early church and the spread of Christianity to communities outside of Israel. A large portion of the New Testament contains letters written to these new Christians in order to explain, correct, and encourage them in the faith. These letters are commonly called the Epistles. Finally, we have the symbolically-rich Revelation to John with its primary message of hope and joy in the expectation of Christ's return and victory.
Some of these books were in circulation as early as 20-30 years after Jesus' resurrection. But there were many others circulating that did not accurately record the words and actions of Jesus. Some of them contradicted the words and declarations of the Apostles Jesus instructed to teach and lead. At some point there had to be a determination of what writings were truly inspired a canon was needed.
Father Michael Geisler sums the process up like this:
"Canonicity was based on three criteria: (a) apostolic origin - one could trace the books back to one of the apostles or their companions, (b) orthodoxy - the content of these books conformed with authentic preaching about Christ and the Church, and (c) catholicity - those books were used by all or nearly all the communities of the faithful."
(from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology)
Officially, the earliest New Testament canon was given by the Council of Rome in A.D. 382 under Pope Damasus (and later confirmed by the 3rd Council of Carthage in A.D. 397). Therefore by the year 400A.D. the list of New Testament books that we now have in our Bibles was in place.
The Catholic Church played an extremely crucial role in the life of the Christian Scriptures. The decisions that were made about these books were made with the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised would lead the church into all truth. These books are indeed "The Word of the Lord." Illuminated and guided by the Church's Tradition, they are a source of nourishment to our souls. May we not neglect so great a gift.
====================
Can Catholic beliefs be rightfully challenged in modern times?
Having spent a majority of my life in Catholic schools, I studied and was inspired by Catholicism in doing right by others. However, as I grew older and reviewed some of the religious specifics I had learned, I began to see inconsistencies in those lessons.
Could the bible have fault? Responding from my life lessons in religion, I personally believe that there is not only likely misinformation in the bible, but it is entirely possible that some situations may not have happened at all in the manner documented.
What are some examples? One of my key disputes are that Catholic followers are no to pray or give prayer to false idols. Specifically we are not to pray to anything other than Jesus; God himself. Yet, in the very same bible and per instruction from the highest positions in the church, they require prayer to St. Michael or a more common Hail Mary prayer as well as others. Why would the very bible that gives specifics to pray to no other idols or false god's nor angels, then encourage or specify prayer to anyone other than Jesus; God himself?
Another example of these discrepancies are that Jesus; God has risen from the dead and came back to prove life beyond death yet some parish members do not believe in life after death such as in ghostly activity. My opinion is that if you believe in the bible, then you must believe all of the bible, not select captions or chapters.
Further, many of the stories of the bible are witness accounts of what happened both BC (before Christ) and AD (anno domini or after death). A good posing question would be if these stories actually occurred or quite possibly were misinterpreted.
Could biblical stories be misinterpreted? It would be ridiculous to think that all stories in the bible are absolutely accurate. As we are literally taking their interpetations as fact and are further instructed by the church not to question. Yet, the bible was written by man as mans' interpretation of happenings and experiences. Let us not forget that those interpretations could be documented incorrect as the bible itself has been re-written a handful of times and into most every national language in modern times. Each of those languages can not specify exactly the same information. Thus, if the English version was different just a minor amount to; let's say, the Japanese version, then that would mean there are already differences in how history transpired in biblical times. Simply from translation. As some languages have far more descriptive and specific words to help describe the situations of that time. Does that mean that a nationality that has the bible translated has less description? And if that be the case, who chooses which words are the most accurate or which words to remove in those descriptions? The answer to this question is, "Man". Man is not only capable of sin and error but is so designed. Thus, it would be ridiculous to think that man's interpretation of the bible through many generations and translations actually occurred as described in modern times. There have been documented variations of happenings in the bible over the course of time. How a situation occurred and how it was resolved. Man, translated the bible, we all agree on this as the bible was never written in English, other verbs and adjectives had to be used in the interpretation. Thus, subject to interpretors' best guess in his abilities. Now, let's assume that some of the interpretors of the past were not college students or graduates but rather a common man. A man that had no study credentials or accomplishments. We would have to be quite conceited to consider all of the above and still believe the bible is accurate in today's time.
In closing I have but one more thing to consider that I happen to personally believe after many years of studies in the Catholic faith. The bible gives inhuman example stories. Such as the parting of the Red Sea. Or the burning bush. Or the city of Babilon, etc. Personally I believe in the story essence in each. I do not believe at all that the Red Sea was parted nor the full description of the city of Babilon. But, if we believe in the essence or the morals of the stories that is all that is expected of us. However, we have parishioners that do not question these stories as completely accurate and happened exactly as documented in today's bible. To me, that is a foolish assumption. However, loosing one self in the story and not absorbing the moral teachings is where society needs to stop and appreciate what man has written through the ages to help each of us continue on a more rituous path.
My feelings of these huge events such as the parting of the Red Sea, etc are that man were living off of the land to the most part. You grew your food, you didn't go to a store as we experience today. Yes, there was bartering, etc. However, my feelings on these events are back to man's interpretation of them. I feel the men that were present for these monumental experiences were likely experiencing much of the interpretation through the eyes of a man having ingested herbs and spiritual drugs. Is that so far off to consider? Keeping in mind many hundreds of years later, the American Indians were still using earth herbs to hight hen their religious experiences. If you have even the remote belief that my statements are true, then you have to completely re-think your own interpretations of the bible and it's stories. As there are a number of above listed variables that would play into any one man's interpretations in biblical times. We have news agencies in modern times that argue and debate current events and even events of twenty or fifty years ago. When considering we are discussing things thousands of years ago, it is absurd to take the Catholic bible as absolute. In final, my belief is that God gave us the minds and the free will to make our own decisions and take from these very stories and improve ones' life.
Learn more about this author, Mick Phipps.
Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:
Reflections: Discrepancies in the Catholic bible
In my life time I only visited a catholic church on one occasion it was back when i was a teenager I had a girlfriend that was catholic and she talked me into going to her church on Sunday . I actually find catholic churches a bit spooky with all the statues etc.
I did though pick up what i believed to be a catholic bible one time and was reading Mathew 5 and 6 . They translate not to use repetitious prayers like the heathen do to say do not babble like a pagan . Now surely that has to be a translation meant to change the real meaning . Warning us not to use repetitious prayer don't sound much like babble like a pagan . Seems they must need to make room for repetitious prayer in my opinion .
One time I also picked up a book on Catholicism and started to read their version of the 10 commandments . I was shocked the second command was no longer recorded as a command . Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness was no longer a command . To make 10 Commands they took and made 2 commands out of the 10th one . Thou shalt not covet .
If I remember correctly They made one Thou shalt not covet the neighbors wife and then a other thou shalt not covet the neighbors house . So does that mean you can covet the neighbors boat ? his truck? his business? .
Well I guess we are free to make some graven images now as we got rid of that one .I just like to know how they know what graven images they are making . Did Mary really look like that? Christ? Are they guessing? Could it be somebody else ? Why do we need these images any way?
The Babel like a pagan scripture was enough for me surely that translation is meant to open the door for repetitious prayer when scripture says not too .
There are no discrepancies in the original languages of Hebrew,Chaldees,Aramaic and Greek.
There are discrepancies in translations.The fact is God spoke as holy men of old were moved as the Spirit led them. Anyone can check out the languages with a concordance. The problem is translations that veer off the original tongues.The Catholics use Latin and even copies of copies that are inferior. King James 1611 English Bible is as close of translation with out errors you can get. Yes there are errors but again you can check them out.
If your faith is in your church then that is a problem and judgment is upon all churches as all of them today are unfaithful.If you have left your faith it is because you weren't saved from God and have no idea what you believed and never really check it out. God does the saving and he draws us to him.No church,no membership,baptism or communion saved anyone.
You can believe what you want as most unbelievers and so called Christians do. You can use the excuse that churches are all splintered up and have different doctrines and stay away from God. Men created their own doctrines for those churches. But the fact is there is the Bible and there is no excuse.God is now judging the churches and will judge on the last day and it is upon us. So I would think twice before you decide what truth is. There is only one truth.
God commands us to search out the scriptures,for reproof and false teachings.
In the first 4 chapters of the Revelations God has already identified churches that were dead 1900 years ago."If judgment starts at the house of God ,where will faith be when he comes",Christ said.If those churches in Revelations are dead and they all are today;what do you think is happening now to the churches? God is in control and he has allowed this to happen as some truth has gone out through the churches. Today though, if God has opened our eyes we can see what happened to Israel the external church before and up until Christ and Pentecost. They rebelled from moses unto Christ. And the New Testament churches have and are doing the same thing. They all think they are save but Christ is coming as a thief to them and those who stay in them and to all the unbelievers.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me,Lord,Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto (them),I (never) knew you:depart from me,ye that work iniquity.Matt.8:18-23
Yes this is a long way around discrepancies but now one can tell where truth is or where truth isn't. Again if someone isn't bringing truth, they are a false prophet and if truth is sent out then by it you will judge if one doesn't abide in the truth. Some one is wrong, there can only be one truth and God isn't wrong. It is either the churches or the true believers that are commanded by God to send out the truth in these last of last days. Cry now for the mercy of God.
Learn more about this author, 2011 AD
There are so many discrepancies and contradictions in the bible. Too many to count. Not to mention extreme ideas including blood sacrifice, and severe consequences for people who sin.
The main problem with trying to decipher the bible is, there are so many ways to interpret it. Depending on someones own personal belief, it can be twisted around to serve their agenda. Also many times people will turn a bible verse into a metaphor. Or turn what was meant to be a metaphor into a truth.
Different denominations can also hold beliefs that are odd and contradict the bible. The first thing that comes to mind is the Catholic faith.
In every Catholic church you will not only find a statue of Jesus on the altar, but somewhere in the church will also be a statue of Mary. People of the catholic faith worship not only Jesus and God, but they pray to Mary. They pray to certain saints. It clearly states in the ten commandments not to "Have any other Gods before me".
Another thing that baffles me about catholics is the use of a confessional. If you read Matthew 7 verses one through five, it clearly states that we are not to judge people. It sends the message that God himself is the only one that judges. With the exception of Jesus. Still people will go into a little booth, and confess their sins to a priest. Accepting it as fact, that the priest can forgive them. The priest then gives them a penance, and after saying a few hail Mary's they are forgiven. Is the priest a representative of God?.
Which leads me to my next thought. When it comes to sex in the bible, the advice is clear. 1 Corinthians, verses 1 through 15 explains in specific terms that everyone should refrain from sex. However, if you can not do that you are suppose to marry. The reason being so, "Satan can not tempt you in your weakness".
The fact is that priests are put up on a pedestal. They are expected not to have sex. This not only goes against what the bible says, but as we well know can be a spring board into the abuse of children. Which has cost the Catholic Church millions so far, and from what I have read, the problem is far from over.
I believe the Catholic Church would be well served to change their policies. A lot of people have inquired as to why they haven't done this. I can only assume that since the catholic Church is actually a multi million dollar business, people don't want a change. Add in religious dogma and things will probably never change.
=========================
The desire for more
When I asked a nun at Church if there could be a Bible Study at Church in the evening, her answer was, "with all the parents driving kids to sporting events, they just don't seem to have the time".
This is so sad because Catholics do not act Christian which is evidenced by not reading or living the Bible, or fellowship at Church. They go to mass on Sundays and many can't wait to leave and race out of the parking lot! When I go to a Bunco party at someone's house, I can immediately tell that they are Protestants; they are more welcoming and act the way that Christ would want people to act. These people learn your name, whether it be socially, or when you are a visitor at their church.
Perhaps if the Bible was studied in the Catholic Church, and prayer meetings were offered, then these people would "get the point" of it all. They need to know that John 3, which they hear in the gospel, is something to live by. They must confess their sins, admit that they are a sinner, ask God to lead their life, and become saved. Salvation is more than an Easter story and just because the Bishop comes to their church on a designated day, doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit arrives then too. He comes, when individuals ask and are ready to surrender their life to God, which is explained in the Bible. This Good Book is not a representation of merely a history book, for it is the "best seller" of all times.
Catholics need to "live" a spiritual life, and they are not going to get that by memorizing prayer; they must pray to Jesus with their heart, and all their soul. They must get into "heavy duty" prayer and study what the Bible really is all about. They should learn at an early age that it is not corny to have prayer meetings at home, to listen to Christian music, and to follow the advice in the Bible for everyday things. If our young people knew that there were answers there about saving money, and making choices, their lives could be so much easier. Gluttony, sloth, and envy, along with a different perspective of what lust really is, would be avoided. You don't hear the word "sin" very much in today's world, but on the other hand, if you ask children what "obeying" means, they probably are not sure and don't hear it at home.
If fathers put the almighty dollar at the top of the list, they teach their children to worship material things. If mothers don't refer to what God would want want they are trying to enforce anti-bullying techniques at home, then children will not learn what is at the root of anger. If sports are put in front of relgion, as far as a priority, then it is obvious that the Bible means nothing to them. If Sunday morning soccer games are scheduled, or Mother's Day games change family plans, then something is terribly wrong. Values are taught in the Bible and perhaps parents are not doing their job. Many Catholics are not doing their job.
Even Thomas Jefferson said that schools would be ruined if God was taken out of the classrooms for this country was founded on Christian principles; those that are in the Bible.
It is time for a spiritual renewal in this country; no wonder why only 7% of the world's population is not Catholic. The Torah and the Koran are spiritual guide-books, and people that believe in the religions that use them, respectfully use these books, as God's living Word. Then why shouldn't Catholics use, read, pray, and know their Bible? It is the road map to eternal life!
Learn more about this author, Carol Natoli
Family Corner
THE CLARION CALL
Author: Vijitha Sebastian Adappoor
Family Corner
Man is endowed with many precious gifts of heart and mind. Yet man conducts himself very miserably at times. Forgetting the divinity within him, he immerses himself in worldly desires. He tends to lead an animal existence. With his power of speech and power of discrimination man can conquer many hearts.
When we hear the different disturbing news items regarding godmen who do not abide by the law of virtue, we become baffled and distressed. The lure of money may drive a person crazy. He flouts all norms of ethical living and this eventually becomes a source of great mental agony.
The mind must be weaned away to help man to refrain from indulging in prohibited acts and regain his self respect and reputation. Arrogance regarding our capabilities and possessions will never remain with us when we adopt servitude to God. To be a religious person is a process where we continuously gather knowledge and this needs to be updated regularly. It is truly said that nothing dedicated to God would go waste. Separation from children and the yearning to be with them is experienced by most parents. Similarly God also yearns for his devotees to come back to him. Just like the parents who ask their children to come home even if it is just for a day, every small act of faith pleases God abundantly.
Vijitha Sebastian Adappoor
Jesus has called us to be his witness. A person is called as a witness to prove what the other person has said. This attracts others and they begin to believe in it. I am sure it will be a great pleasure to the one for whom we become a witness. Won’t it be much more to be a witness to the Word of God? Jesus himself was his Father’s great witness. John 8; 28 says, ‘I do nothing on my own authority, but I say only what the Father has instructed me to say.’
Through our words, actions and behaviour we become witnesses for Christ. We will be ready to be a witness only when we fully believe in the Word of God. By doing so, we are adding to the kingdom of God and we give importance to the first commandment. It will also contribute to our happiness and well being. Preventing God’s grace leads us to sinfulness. Moving away from the grace of God makes man disconsolate.
When birds give a clarion call, they can be heard for two miles on a quiet morning. As Christians we also have to give a clarion call to action an urgent or inspiring appeal to people to do something to revive the social fabric and regenerate the church. Religion is important to man. The rites that we observe should be done with interest without anticipating any reward. All our actions and thoughts concerned with our belief and prayers to God are assimilated by the generation following us. They should feel replenished as they continue the journey after us and experience the communion of their brothers and sisters in Christ as they take part in the Eucharistic celebrations. So we are being given a call to take better care of the quality of the Eucharistic celebration to confer meaning to everyday events.
As parents we must respond to this call and help our children to discover the invitation of Christ. It will also give us an opportunity to evoke in them peace, compassion and bliss. It is our chance to make our children aware of the dynamic presence of Christ in the Eucharist lest they be carried away by the rituals. The consumerism and religious indifference in our lives today distances us from our faith.
We also need to put a stop to the hate belching that is going on around us. To do this we need to let go our resentment and forgive each other. Our magnanimity should touch our children and help them to open their hearts and understand each other in the many situations that life unfolds for them. They will also learn to accept each other’s apologies and when the need arises offer their own without any hesitation. Our children should become witnesses to the dependable goodness that they have encountered.
We should realize that no one can escape the consequences of one’s action but by the grace of God we can overcome our difficulties. We should never be ungrateful to those who help us to discipline ourselves. A personal friendship with Christ should be the root of our Christian formation and the transmission of the same should be done to the next generation. We should always accompany those who cherish faith in God so that we remain spiritually nourished and lead an intense sacramental life. It will also help us to deepen our knowledge of Christ and set a high standard of Christian living.
===============
Stop Wasting Life, the Father Still Waits!
Author: Jacob Chanikuzhy
God's Own Words
The Book of Sirach admonishes the fathers of Israel: “To son or wife, to brother or friend, do not give power over yourself, as long as you live and do not give your property to another …For it is better that your children should ask from you than you should look to the hand of your children… At the time when you end the days of your life, in the hour of death, distribute your inheritance” (Sirach 33,1924). Jewish rabbis reiterated the need for maintaining one’s control over one’s property by giving the following teaching: “Three cry out and are not answered. Viz., he who has money and lends it without witnesses; …he who transfers his property to his children in his lifetime.”
The father in Jesus’ story of the prodigal son (Lk 15, 1132), however, was so generous and optimistic that he gave his younger son his share of inheritance. Neither the motive behind the father’s conceding to the demand of the son nor the son’s intention behind the demand is known to us. After all, in the bible there is no lack of stories which show favouritism to the younger sons: Jacob’s favourite son was Joseph and when Jacob heard that Joseph had been killed, Benjamine became the apple of his eye. Moses was younger to Aaron, David and Solomon were younger sons. The line of Israel’s inheritance was through the younger – Abel, Isaac and Jacob.
Here in our story, the younger son seems to have sold all his inheritance before he left for a far away land. Never has he wanted to return to his father’s home, it seems. His father’s gifts gladdened him but the presence of the father seemed intolerable. His search for absolute freedom from the control of his father, family, fatherland, faith and God landed him in a gentile land. There he began to squander his money. He had no pains in gaining it and no pains in losing it either.
Sin is wasting, misusing or trading the precious gifts of the Father for the passing pleasures of this world. Health is wasted for the delight of eating and drinking. The heart is misused as the residence of evil affections; the head, of wicked thoughts and plans. All the five senses are made the servants of lust. Faith is traded for pomp and glory; heaven for earth and God for mammon. But, eventually there arrives a mighty famine where one is no longer in a position to enjoy the muchwanted pleasures. The sight is gone, hearing is lost, appetite is vanished… The desire for the wicked indulgences increases but the capacity to gratify it decays.
The younger son broke away from home promising himself all enjoyment the world can offer for a young man. But now he suffers from hunger, hard treatment, base ingratitude from his former companions and from a deep consciousness of his most degraded condition. When the misfortune struck him the prodigal came to his senses. He prepares a confession without making any excuses (like it was not really my fault; many are doing even worse things etc.). He does not make any high sounding promises either. He just wants to put him under the mercy of his father. So he returns. The story shows that the younger son was forgiven even when he was far off.
A rabbinic story reads: “A king had a son who had gone astray from his father a journey of a hundred days; his friends said to him, “return to your father;” he said, “I cannot.” Then his father sent to say, “Return as far as you can, and I will come to you the rest of the way.” So God says, “Return to me, and I will return to you.”
The father now turns to be an embodiment of mercy. His gracious “eyes” sees the son from far off; compassion spills over his merciful “heart;” his “feet” rush to the street; he puts his forgiving “arms” around his beloved; his merciful “lips” kisses him passionately and his tongue utters the kindest of words. Before, the Father had put his possessions at the service of his son and now his whole self. Yes, the father does not seem to have learnt his lesson despite the unkind and ungrateful act of his younger son. He is taking greater risks now. How will the son respond to the magnanimity of the father? The story does not tell us anything about it. It is left to our freedom to decide the course of action of the prodigal son because he is none other than you and me.
======================
STORIES
The Shepherd and the Suit
Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the side of a deserted road. Suddenly, a brand new Jeep Cherokee screeches to a halt next to him. The driver a young man dressed in a Bironi suit, Cerutti shoes, Gucci sunglasses, Cartier wristwatch and a Charvet tie gets out and asks the shepherd, ‘If I guess how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?’
The shepherd looks at the young man, then looks at the grazing sheep and replies, ‘Okay.’ The young man parks his car and connects his notebook to the Internet. He logs in to the NASA website, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a database and prints out a report on his portable printer. He turns to the shepherd and says, ‘You have 1586 sheep here.’ The shepherd answers, ‘That’s correct, you may have your sheep.’
The young man takes his animal and puts it in the back of his Jeep. The shepherd looks at the young man and says, ‘If I guess your profession, will you return the animal to me?’
‘Yes, why not.’
‘You are a consultant.’
‘That’s amazing, how did you know?’
‘Very simple,’ answers the shepherd. ‘First, you come here without being called. Second, you charge me for something I already knew and third, you don’t understand anything about my business. Now can I have my dog back?’
====================
The Peacemaker
IT is reported that two kingdoms were on the verge of war for the possession of a certain embankment which was disputed by them. And the Buddha seeing the kings and their armies ready to fight, requested them to tell him the cause of their quarrels. Having heard the complaints on both sides, he said:
“I understand that the embankment has value for some of your people; has it any intrinsic value aside from its service to your men?”
“It has no intrinsic value whatever” was the reply.
The Tathagatha continued: “Now when you go to battle! Is it not sure that many of your men will be slain and that you yourselves, kings, are liable to lose your lives?” And they said: “It is sure that many will be slain and our own lives be jeopardized.”
“The blood of men, however,” said Buddha, “has it less intrinsic value than a mound of earth?” “No,” the kings said, “The lives of men and above all the lives of kings, are priceless.” Then the Tathagatha concluded: “Care you going to stake that which is priceless against that which has no intrinsic value whatever?” The wrath of the two monarchs abated, and they came to a peaceable agreement.
Other Youth & Children :-
===================
The Flame of Pain
Author: SAdhu Ittyavirah
When a car speeds along a highway, it is on the flame of fire within, it does so. Inside the car, there is the internal combustion engine, which is not visible to an onlooker.
When the car is in the garage and is as it were lifeless, there is no fire inside. It is when the internal combustion sets in, the car becomes as it were alive and begins to run, doing the work for which it has been made.
It is the flame of fire which gives to all vehicles (cars, lorries, buses, aeroplanes, rockets, space vehicles like the Discovery…) the thrust to move forward. Without this thrust they will be lifeless, almost like logs of timber.
It is on the flame of pain, all of us move forward. All of us have something or other to suffer. It is this flame of pain, which gives us the thrust to perform our mission. Without this flame of pain, we will be like lifeless bricks.
===============
Tolerance
I remember walking down the hall of the elementary school with the principal to my new third grade classroom. As the door opened, my biggest fear was confirmed. I was the only AfricanAmerican in the room. I felt all twentyeight pairs of eyes looking right at me. The teacher halfsmiled as she showed me to my seat. Wishing to be back in my old town and my familiar school was all I could think about as I struggled with the emotions welling up inside me.
I didn’t expect it, nor did I know how to react, when one boy came over at recess and asked me if I wanted to play ball. He led me toward the main group and announced that I was going to be on his team. Grumbles could be heard, but it was obvious that this boy was a leader and no one objected. We became instant friends.
Through the years, I watched this boy befriend every new student and consider myself lucky to be part of an evergrowing circle of friends — a friendship without boundaries.
====================
The Donkey and Us
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town.
The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked.
As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.
The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, ‘What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.’
So they then decided they’d both walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride.
So, they both rode the donkey.
Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned. The moral of the story?
If you try to please everyone, you might as well...
========================
Daily slaughter of poor Indian girls
ActionAid, a charity and NGO, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have sounded the alarm bells. In a report titled Disappearing Daughters the two groups have found that in India baby girls are being disproportionately aborted or neglected and left to die. In one area in the state of Punjab, there are only 300 girls for every 1,000 boys among high cast families, the report claims.
Findings from areas across five states in north and northwest India reveal that the asymmetrical sex ratio between girls and boys has not only worsened but is accelerating compared to the last national census in 2001. In many rural areas tradition dictates preference for sons, who work in the fields, over daughters.
It is estimated that around 500,000 female foetuses are currently being aborted every year; 10 million may have been aborted in India over the last two decades.
CBCI Vice President Card Oswald Gracias told AsiaNews that “in India the Catholic Church has been striving selflessly to promote life from conception to its natural end, through our medical centres and nursing homes. In the most rural and remote areas of our country, the Church has been defending life irrespective of caste and creed.” –ASIAN
Author: Vijitha Sebastian Adappoor
Family Corner
Man is endowed with many precious gifts of heart and mind. Yet man conducts himself very miserably at times. Forgetting the divinity within him, he immerses himself in worldly desires. He tends to lead an animal existence. With his power of speech and power of discrimination man can conquer many hearts.
When we hear the different disturbing news items regarding godmen who do not abide by the law of virtue, we become baffled and distressed. The lure of money may drive a person crazy. He flouts all norms of ethical living and this eventually becomes a source of great mental agony.
The mind must be weaned away to help man to refrain from indulging in prohibited acts and regain his self respect and reputation. Arrogance regarding our capabilities and possessions will never remain with us when we adopt servitude to God. To be a religious person is a process where we continuously gather knowledge and this needs to be updated regularly. It is truly said that nothing dedicated to God would go waste. Separation from children and the yearning to be with them is experienced by most parents. Similarly God also yearns for his devotees to come back to him. Just like the parents who ask their children to come home even if it is just for a day, every small act of faith pleases God abundantly.
Vijitha Sebastian Adappoor
Jesus has called us to be his witness. A person is called as a witness to prove what the other person has said. This attracts others and they begin to believe in it. I am sure it will be a great pleasure to the one for whom we become a witness. Won’t it be much more to be a witness to the Word of God? Jesus himself was his Father’s great witness. John 8; 28 says, ‘I do nothing on my own authority, but I say only what the Father has instructed me to say.’
Through our words, actions and behaviour we become witnesses for Christ. We will be ready to be a witness only when we fully believe in the Word of God. By doing so, we are adding to the kingdom of God and we give importance to the first commandment. It will also contribute to our happiness and well being. Preventing God’s grace leads us to sinfulness. Moving away from the grace of God makes man disconsolate.
When birds give a clarion call, they can be heard for two miles on a quiet morning. As Christians we also have to give a clarion call to action an urgent or inspiring appeal to people to do something to revive the social fabric and regenerate the church. Religion is important to man. The rites that we observe should be done with interest without anticipating any reward. All our actions and thoughts concerned with our belief and prayers to God are assimilated by the generation following us. They should feel replenished as they continue the journey after us and experience the communion of their brothers and sisters in Christ as they take part in the Eucharistic celebrations. So we are being given a call to take better care of the quality of the Eucharistic celebration to confer meaning to everyday events.
As parents we must respond to this call and help our children to discover the invitation of Christ. It will also give us an opportunity to evoke in them peace, compassion and bliss. It is our chance to make our children aware of the dynamic presence of Christ in the Eucharist lest they be carried away by the rituals. The consumerism and religious indifference in our lives today distances us from our faith.
We also need to put a stop to the hate belching that is going on around us. To do this we need to let go our resentment and forgive each other. Our magnanimity should touch our children and help them to open their hearts and understand each other in the many situations that life unfolds for them. They will also learn to accept each other’s apologies and when the need arises offer their own without any hesitation. Our children should become witnesses to the dependable goodness that they have encountered.
We should realize that no one can escape the consequences of one’s action but by the grace of God we can overcome our difficulties. We should never be ungrateful to those who help us to discipline ourselves. A personal friendship with Christ should be the root of our Christian formation and the transmission of the same should be done to the next generation. We should always accompany those who cherish faith in God so that we remain spiritually nourished and lead an intense sacramental life. It will also help us to deepen our knowledge of Christ and set a high standard of Christian living.
===============
Stop Wasting Life, the Father Still Waits!
Author: Jacob Chanikuzhy
God's Own Words
The Book of Sirach admonishes the fathers of Israel: “To son or wife, to brother or friend, do not give power over yourself, as long as you live and do not give your property to another …For it is better that your children should ask from you than you should look to the hand of your children… At the time when you end the days of your life, in the hour of death, distribute your inheritance” (Sirach 33,1924). Jewish rabbis reiterated the need for maintaining one’s control over one’s property by giving the following teaching: “Three cry out and are not answered. Viz., he who has money and lends it without witnesses; …he who transfers his property to his children in his lifetime.”
The father in Jesus’ story of the prodigal son (Lk 15, 1132), however, was so generous and optimistic that he gave his younger son his share of inheritance. Neither the motive behind the father’s conceding to the demand of the son nor the son’s intention behind the demand is known to us. After all, in the bible there is no lack of stories which show favouritism to the younger sons: Jacob’s favourite son was Joseph and when Jacob heard that Joseph had been killed, Benjamine became the apple of his eye. Moses was younger to Aaron, David and Solomon were younger sons. The line of Israel’s inheritance was through the younger – Abel, Isaac and Jacob.
Here in our story, the younger son seems to have sold all his inheritance before he left for a far away land. Never has he wanted to return to his father’s home, it seems. His father’s gifts gladdened him but the presence of the father seemed intolerable. His search for absolute freedom from the control of his father, family, fatherland, faith and God landed him in a gentile land. There he began to squander his money. He had no pains in gaining it and no pains in losing it either.
Sin is wasting, misusing or trading the precious gifts of the Father for the passing pleasures of this world. Health is wasted for the delight of eating and drinking. The heart is misused as the residence of evil affections; the head, of wicked thoughts and plans. All the five senses are made the servants of lust. Faith is traded for pomp and glory; heaven for earth and God for mammon. But, eventually there arrives a mighty famine where one is no longer in a position to enjoy the muchwanted pleasures. The sight is gone, hearing is lost, appetite is vanished… The desire for the wicked indulgences increases but the capacity to gratify it decays.
The younger son broke away from home promising himself all enjoyment the world can offer for a young man. But now he suffers from hunger, hard treatment, base ingratitude from his former companions and from a deep consciousness of his most degraded condition. When the misfortune struck him the prodigal came to his senses. He prepares a confession without making any excuses (like it was not really my fault; many are doing even worse things etc.). He does not make any high sounding promises either. He just wants to put him under the mercy of his father. So he returns. The story shows that the younger son was forgiven even when he was far off.
A rabbinic story reads: “A king had a son who had gone astray from his father a journey of a hundred days; his friends said to him, “return to your father;” he said, “I cannot.” Then his father sent to say, “Return as far as you can, and I will come to you the rest of the way.” So God says, “Return to me, and I will return to you.”
The father now turns to be an embodiment of mercy. His gracious “eyes” sees the son from far off; compassion spills over his merciful “heart;” his “feet” rush to the street; he puts his forgiving “arms” around his beloved; his merciful “lips” kisses him passionately and his tongue utters the kindest of words. Before, the Father had put his possessions at the service of his son and now his whole self. Yes, the father does not seem to have learnt his lesson despite the unkind and ungrateful act of his younger son. He is taking greater risks now. How will the son respond to the magnanimity of the father? The story does not tell us anything about it. It is left to our freedom to decide the course of action of the prodigal son because he is none other than you and me.
======================
STORIES
The Shepherd and the Suit
Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the side of a deserted road. Suddenly, a brand new Jeep Cherokee screeches to a halt next to him. The driver a young man dressed in a Bironi suit, Cerutti shoes, Gucci sunglasses, Cartier wristwatch and a Charvet tie gets out and asks the shepherd, ‘If I guess how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?’
The shepherd looks at the young man, then looks at the grazing sheep and replies, ‘Okay.’ The young man parks his car and connects his notebook to the Internet. He logs in to the NASA website, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a database and prints out a report on his portable printer. He turns to the shepherd and says, ‘You have 1586 sheep here.’ The shepherd answers, ‘That’s correct, you may have your sheep.’
The young man takes his animal and puts it in the back of his Jeep. The shepherd looks at the young man and says, ‘If I guess your profession, will you return the animal to me?’
‘Yes, why not.’
‘You are a consultant.’
‘That’s amazing, how did you know?’
‘Very simple,’ answers the shepherd. ‘First, you come here without being called. Second, you charge me for something I already knew and third, you don’t understand anything about my business. Now can I have my dog back?’
====================
The Peacemaker
IT is reported that two kingdoms were on the verge of war for the possession of a certain embankment which was disputed by them. And the Buddha seeing the kings and their armies ready to fight, requested them to tell him the cause of their quarrels. Having heard the complaints on both sides, he said:
“I understand that the embankment has value for some of your people; has it any intrinsic value aside from its service to your men?”
“It has no intrinsic value whatever” was the reply.
The Tathagatha continued: “Now when you go to battle! Is it not sure that many of your men will be slain and that you yourselves, kings, are liable to lose your lives?” And they said: “It is sure that many will be slain and our own lives be jeopardized.”
“The blood of men, however,” said Buddha, “has it less intrinsic value than a mound of earth?” “No,” the kings said, “The lives of men and above all the lives of kings, are priceless.” Then the Tathagatha concluded: “Care you going to stake that which is priceless against that which has no intrinsic value whatever?” The wrath of the two monarchs abated, and they came to a peaceable agreement.
Other Youth & Children :-
===================
The Flame of Pain
Author: SAdhu Ittyavirah
When a car speeds along a highway, it is on the flame of fire within, it does so. Inside the car, there is the internal combustion engine, which is not visible to an onlooker.
When the car is in the garage and is as it were lifeless, there is no fire inside. It is when the internal combustion sets in, the car becomes as it were alive and begins to run, doing the work for which it has been made.
It is the flame of fire which gives to all vehicles (cars, lorries, buses, aeroplanes, rockets, space vehicles like the Discovery…) the thrust to move forward. Without this thrust they will be lifeless, almost like logs of timber.
It is on the flame of pain, all of us move forward. All of us have something or other to suffer. It is this flame of pain, which gives us the thrust to perform our mission. Without this flame of pain, we will be like lifeless bricks.
===============
Tolerance
I remember walking down the hall of the elementary school with the principal to my new third grade classroom. As the door opened, my biggest fear was confirmed. I was the only AfricanAmerican in the room. I felt all twentyeight pairs of eyes looking right at me. The teacher halfsmiled as she showed me to my seat. Wishing to be back in my old town and my familiar school was all I could think about as I struggled with the emotions welling up inside me.
I didn’t expect it, nor did I know how to react, when one boy came over at recess and asked me if I wanted to play ball. He led me toward the main group and announced that I was going to be on his team. Grumbles could be heard, but it was obvious that this boy was a leader and no one objected. We became instant friends.
Through the years, I watched this boy befriend every new student and consider myself lucky to be part of an evergrowing circle of friends — a friendship without boundaries.
====================
The Donkey and Us
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town.
The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked.
As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.
The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, ‘What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.’
So they then decided they’d both walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride.
So, they both rode the donkey.
Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned. The moral of the story?
If you try to please everyone, you might as well...
========================
Daily slaughter of poor Indian girls
ActionAid, a charity and NGO, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have sounded the alarm bells. In a report titled Disappearing Daughters the two groups have found that in India baby girls are being disproportionately aborted or neglected and left to die. In one area in the state of Punjab, there are only 300 girls for every 1,000 boys among high cast families, the report claims.
Findings from areas across five states in north and northwest India reveal that the asymmetrical sex ratio between girls and boys has not only worsened but is accelerating compared to the last national census in 2001. In many rural areas tradition dictates preference for sons, who work in the fields, over daughters.
It is estimated that around 500,000 female foetuses are currently being aborted every year; 10 million may have been aborted in India over the last two decades.
CBCI Vice President Card Oswald Gracias told AsiaNews that “in India the Catholic Church has been striving selflessly to promote life from conception to its natural end, through our medical centres and nursing homes. In the most rural and remote areas of our country, the Church has been defending life irrespective of caste and creed.” –ASIAN
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)