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FROM THE MAIL: RECALLING THE REPUTED WORDS FROM A NUN IN PURGATORY TO ONE IN A CLOISTER

A suffering soul in purgatory to Sister M. at a cloister in 19th century France (from Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory):

"If you could only know what I suffer! Pray for me, please. I suffer intensely everywhere. My God, how merciful You are! No one can imagine what Purgatory is like. Be kind and take pity on the poor souls.

"May 1874. I have been in the second Purgatory since the Feast of the Annunciation. On that day I saw the Blessed Virgin for the first time. In the first stage, we never saw her. The sight of her encourages us and this beloved Mother speaks to us of Heaven. While we see her, our sufferings are greatly diminished.

"You do well to pray to St. Michael and to urge others to do so. One is indeed happy at the hour of death when he has had confidence in some of the saints. They will be his protectors before God in that terrible moment.

"Make it a practice to live in the presence of God with a pure intention. God seeks devoted souls who will love Him for His own sake. These are very few. He wants you to be one of His true friends. Many think they love God, but they love Him for their own sakes.

"February 1875. Watch carefully over your interior life. Keep all your small troubles for Jesus alone. He is well able to make up to you for whatever He takes from you. Your life must be one of unceasing interior acts of love and of mortification, but God alone must know of it. Do nothing extraordinary. Lead a very hidden life, yet one closely united to Jesus.

"Love God very much. How happy are the souls that do this. They possess a treasure! The great penance of your life will be, not the absence of your Jesus but great sorrow for all the pain you have given Him, by your failure to love Him as you desire, in return for the overwhelming number of graces which He has showered upon you and which He will continue to shower upon you.

"Love everyone, but do not put your trust entirely in anyone, because Jesus wants to be your great confidant. Everything for Him and for Him alone. Perform all your actions in the presence of God as I have so often told you. Consult Him before all you do or say. Let your life be one of faith and love... Do nothing to distinguish yourself. Without offending anyone, avoid the company of those who are too unreserved and those who are uncharitable. As for yourself, be busy about your own affairs. Keep your opinions to yourself and never express them unless obliged to do so. Be preoccupied with only that one subject, the mainspring of your life, Jesus.

"December 8, 1875. Love God intensely. Do not fear your own suffering. Trust in Him, never in yourself. Die to yourself from morning to night... Do not breathe or live except for Jesus Christ. God must be your only confidant. Complain to no one except for Him. Be quite hidden from the eyes of everyone else.

"Feast of the Annunciation. When God wishes a soul to be entirely His, He begins by crushing it, very much as apples are crushed in the press—to extract its passions, its self-seeking, in a word, all its defects. When a soul is sufficiently broken, He reshapes it according to His will. If it is faithful, it is soon transformed. Only then does Jesus load it with His choicest graces and inundate it with His love.

"Jesus wants you to deal with Him, as with an intimate friend, without any fear whatsoever. It is true that His Majesty is frightening and that you are not worthy to have such intimate converse with your Jesus, but is He not the Master that enriches whomsoever He wills? Ask Jesus to make you rich in every virtue, as He wishes you to be, but in the meantime, shape your life in accordance with His inspirations. Enlarge your heart because what Jesus desires above all things is to see in it His love. What wonderful graces you will receive if you are faithful, graces you have never even thought of.

"May 12th. Mortify yourself corporally, but more especially spiritually. Forget yourself. Deny yourself in everything. Never look at what others are doing. God does not demand the same perfection from everyone. All are not enlightened in the same way, but you, whom Jesus Himself enlightens, look only to Him, let Him be your aim and object in everything.

"Never grow weary in your work. Begin each day as if you had so far done nothing. This continual renouncement of one’s will and comfort and one’s own opinions is a long martyrdom, but it is most pleasing to God. God wants you to be something special, not as regards your exterior, but in your inner soul. He asks of you a union with Himself, so great that you never lose sight of Him, even amidst your absorbing occupations.

"While on earth one truly cannot picture or imagine what God really is, but we (in Purgatory) know and understand Him for what He is, because our souls are freed from all the ties that fettered them and prevented them from realizing the holiness and majesty of God, and His great mercy. We are martyrs, consumed as it were by love. An irresistible force draws us towards God who is our center, but at the same time another force thrusts us back to our place of expiation. We are in the state of being unable to satisfy our longings. Oh, what a suffering that is, but we desire it and there is no murmuring against God here. We desire only what God wants. You on earth, however, cannot possibly understand what we have to endure.

"Be ingenious in mortifying yourself and in breaking your own will. Be especially nice to those who are less agreeable to you than to others, no matter what wrong they may have done to you. This means renouncing yourself and pleasing Jesus. Nothing else matters. It is on these occasions that you must silence the human will, but you must do it because Jesus wills it. Do not allow self-love to get the upper hand, but do all blindly to please Jesus alone."

[resources: Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory] 

[Print article]

Praying the 27-day Family Tree novena

The first nine days for our Father’s side.
The next nine days for our Mother’s side.
The next nine days for yourself.
The Creed, Our Father, three Hail Mary’s and Glory be.
Then fourteen times:
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and
Eternal rest grant unto them O! Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon them and may they rest in peace. Amen.
Make an act of Contrition.

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Dear Michael Brown of Spirit Daily,

I'm a seminarian in Boston who has a friend named Veridiana Ledesma who had recently gone on pilgrimage to Medjugorje. On her way back up the Croatian Coast she had stopped at a city several hours north, namely the Dalmatian city of Zadar.

I recommended she stop at Zadar because Zadar is famous for it's most beautiful sunsets (made even more famous by Alfred Hitchcock's visit to the same city sometime in the 60's where he claimed it being the most gorgeous sunset he had ever seen.)

This city is famous for it as well as being home to the mummified body of St. Simeon mentioned in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2.

What I included in the attachment is a strange photo that Veridiana took of the Zadar sunset, because she thought that not only did the sky look beautiful, but "looked weird."

I myself see Our Lord Crucified in the clouds, or it can also look like an Angel blowing a trumpet. Near the sun is what looks like a dragon being chased near the sun.

Just wanted to share it with you.

God bless you and Spirit Daily,

Br. Neven Ivan

[Print article]

Patricia’s story

Planned Parenthood and the body parts

October 18, 2012 

The following story was sent out by the Sacramento 40 Days for Life group on October 13 with this note: “Patricia worked at the Planned Parenthood here in Sacramento and is now helping the Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion healing ministry.”

My name is Patricia.

I have the best childhood memories. The only thing missing in our family was God. We never went to Mass on Sundays, never read the bible, and I had no idea how to pray the rosary. Since we didn’t have a strong religious foundation in our family, my mother practiced new-age beliefs and my parent’s marriage (and our family) fell apart. My parents divorced and my younger brother and I decided to live with our father. The divorce deeply wounded us all.

As a young girl, I was popular in school. I had good grades, won school recognition awards, and felt confident. I was definitely the apple of my father’s eyes. I noticed when I was 12 (when my parents began to have problems) that I started to pull out my hair when I was anxious or worried. it would actually make me feel better.

My father and I developed a close relationship when he was going through his divorce. We would go to the movies, shop and dine out often. In a way, this filled in the void for my mom. My father meant everything to me.

At 19 I had my first serious boyfriend. He was 5 years older than me and I cared for him very much. We became sexually active, which I was not prepared for. Looking back I think that the security, love and unity that was lost in my family, I tried to find in my relationship with my boyfriend. A couple of months into our sexually active relationship “bingo” I was pregnant. All my dreams and goals just went down the drain.

The one thing that struck my heart the most was the thought of disappointing my father. How could I do this when he is still grieving over his divorce? How am I going to leave him alone and also abandon him? The gossip in our family will humiliate him after he speaks so fondly of me to everyone.

That night I gave my boyfriend the news. He was so happy and joyful to be a father. That gave me a feeling of security and support so we decided to keep the baby. My friends at the time were not too pleased with my pregnancy. One of my best friends at the time did not have the courage to tell me in person how she felt about my pregnancy so she sent me a sentimental letter in the mail. The letter basically said that I was making a complete mistake, I was too young to be a mother and I had a long future to look forward too. Therefore, I should get an abortion before 4 months and a half – before I’m too far along.

Soon all my friends ganged up on me and felt the same way. I knew they wanted the best for me but it was pure ignorance. I was so confused at this point. I decided to proceed with my abortion and I would lie to my mother and boyfriend and tell them I had a miscarriage.

The day of my abortion my girlfriend accompanied me. I was very scared. When I was brought into the procedure room the doctor saw that I was nervous. She tried to calm me down by saying, “Patricia, I had two abortions myself and I performed two abortions on my daughter, she is ok, I am ok and you are going to be ok also. Look at me. Everything is fine. You are not doing anything wrong. This will only take 5 minutes.”

I have to admit I did feel better especially when she told me that she went through the same thing. During the procedure, as the baby was getting sucked out of my womb, I felt disgusted with myself and felt like the biggest traitor to my child. Deep down I knew I was doing something horrible, but, at the same time I felt relieved. The “problem” was taken care of. That night I told my boyfriend the news. I lied and said I miscarried. He cried and was devastated, but I expressed no emotion. The guilt and shamed buried my feelings.

As our relationship continued, my feelings towards him started to change. I was less attracted to him and I was unsure about him. At times I started to feel some depression and inner grief and I didn’t understand why. The clinic where I had my abortion encouraged me to resume my sexual relationship but this time practicing safe sex. They gave me birth control pills, but, I was taking them irresponsibly. 4 or 5 months after my abortion “round two” I was pregnant for the second time. How could I be such an idiot and put myself in this same situation? Immediately I knew I was not going to keep this child. I booked my appointment at Planned Parenthood because it would be embarrassing to go back to the clinic I just recently had my first abortion at. What would they think of me? This abortion was quick, emotion-less and no one knew about it. I still felt ashamed of myself.

The relationship with my boyfriend (on my end) worsened. I had a hard time kissing him or being affectionate. I felt disgusted by him. As my depression and grief increased, I felt more distant from my boyfriend.

6 months later, you guessed it, I was pregnant for the third time. I gave my boyfriend the news again and he was so excited. I gave him all my reason on why we should not have this baby and basically forced him to go with me to the abortion clinic. He did not want to but he was scared I would leave him.

During the third abortion I was very emotional. My boyfriend was terrified for me and he would squeeze my hand tightly. I looked up and saw the tears flowing from his eyes. At that very moment I thought to myself, “What a wicked person I am, he is thinking this is my first abortion when I have already killed two of our children. I am trash. I am a killer, a murderer.” Our relationship after that grew further and further apart but it was mostly me. I couldn’t bare him touching me. I waited a few weeks and I broke off the relationship. He was devastated and completely heartbroken. I had no emotions. He would not leave me alone so I decided to move to Sacramento, California and start my life over.

I needed a job in California. I saw an ad in the newspaper that Planned Parenthood was seeking a bilingual person for back office work. I thought to myself, “This is awesome – I want to work for Planned Parenthood since they were so nice and caring when I had my second abortion – plus, they provided me with free condoms and birth control pills.”

I interviewed with the manager at Planned Parenthood. She said, “Ok – we do about 40 abortions a week, 20 on Wednesdays and 20 on Fridays.” I told her I had no problem with seeing blood and she told me that Hispanic woman and African-American woman were the 2 top ethnicities having the most abortions in their clinic.

I was hired on the spot. My first day was on a Monday. Mondays were consultation days at Planned Parenthood. The manager instructed me, “You must do everything in your power to convince these girls to keep their appointments for their abortions. If you see that they are frightened and want to back out, console them by telling them you had one yourself. Oh, and never EVER call it a baby, a he, or a she. You call their baby an “it.”

When she said these things to me I was shocked. It seemed hypocritical and deceiving. Something inside didn’t feel right. I didn’t think too much about it and began counseling woman and young girls (in English and in Spanish) and encouraging them to have their abortions – giving them my full support.

Wednesday came – my first day assisting the doctor with the abortions. My manager that morning instructed me, “Patricia never ever tell a woman what you see happen in the back office after the abortions are performed. You must never tell the patient that we basically throw their baby away in the garbage.” I was appalled by this. Is she really saying this to me so bluntly? I didn’t know what to think.

With the first patient, I held her hand while she underwent her abortion. Of course she was crying uncontrollably and she nearly fainted. After the procedure was over, my job was to take the bag attached to the machine that was used to perform the abortion, empty the bag out in a back room and dump all the contents out onto a huge glass petri- dish. 5 body parts were to be found in order to give the physician the “ok” that the abortion was successful and the patient was able to leave the procedure room.

When the medical assistant who was training me emptied out the contents from the bag into the petri-dish I couldn’t handle the smell. She then grabbed a pair of tweezers and started searching inside the petri-dish. She then found an arm, grasped it with the tweezers and held it up to the light. She said, “This is one part -it’s the arm.” I could see the detail in the baby’s hand, the knuckles and the fingernails formed. She then found the second arm. I was horrified at what I was witnessing. I tried to act normal like it wasn’t affecting me. She then lifted one of the legs up to the light with the tweezers. I could see the small tiny hairs on the skin, the lines around the knees forming and the toenails. But when she held up the head of the baby, that’s when I knew I had murdered my three children. On the head I could see the nose, the nostrils, the eyelashes and even the eyebrows forming.

I thought to myself “My God what have I done? I was also lied to and deceived.” 20 body parts would get thrown into this bag and at the end of the day the bag is tied into a knot and placed inside this big freezer. It turns into a block of ice. The place looked like a holocaust on abortion days. I was falling into more depression working there. I would cry at my lunch hour in my car almost every day. One day, I left and never went back.

My self esteem was so low and I wasn’t that confident gal I once was. I started dating, what you might say was, a loser who was also a drug addict. I started doing Cocaine. I had experienced it before but didn’t do it habitually. I would tell my boyfriend that I felt a deep grief and depression and he recommended doing Cocaine when I felt those emotions because it helped to numb the pain.

My boyfriend then showed me how to smoke Methamphetamine out of a pipe. The rest is history. I became extremely addicted quickly. I was living a whole different life with different people. I didn’t know who I was; I was so lost. Little by little I started losing my possessions. I lost everything 6 months later. I was severely addicted to smoking speed/crack for about 3 years.

During those three years I would sleep in motels, cars, hung out on sidewalks for the night or slept in the homes of drug dealers or other crack addicts. I was around people who were deeply addicted to heroin, people who possessed guns and people who had warrants out for their arrest. I had so much anxiety especially when I was high. Of course the hair pulling trauma worsened. I pulled so much hair out daily, I soon had bald patches everywhere. I was frail, thin, and my bones where starting to pop out, especially my ribs. My eyes developed dark circles and were sunken in. I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the person I was looking at. I would just see an empty person looking back at me. I was a dead woman walking. I completely lost my identity.

Towards the end of my addiction, I would hear voices speak to me and I would speak back to them and argue with them. I was spun. One day while in a motel room with a bunch of drug addicts my boyfriend and I got into a huge argument. He snapped his fingers at me and told me to leave. I didn’t know where to go so I sat down onto the sidewalk in the motel parking lot. I then saw all my “friends” get into a car and leave me. I was all alone – with no food, no water, no friends, no family and no drugs. I sat there all day. I curled up into a semi fetal possession with my head buried into my knees and I sobbed and sobbed. I had nothing. I hit the lowest point I could possibly hit, rock bottom.

At that moment, I felt God’s presence looking down at me. I lifted my head up while still in tears and started to speak to Him. I told Him, “You are all that I have left. I don’t know how I let my life end up this way. I want to thank you for the beautiful childhood and family you gave to me and I’m sorry I ruined my life. Thank You for everything.”

As soon as I finished my short conversation with the Lord, a young blonde girl my age (22) with a name tag that said “Bonnie” knelt down beside me, embraced me with a hug, looked at me in the eyes and said, “Jesus loves you.”  I looked back at her – confused. She smiled and said “I’m a waitress at the restaurant right over there. I was taking an order and the Lord spoke to me. He said, “Look out that window and tell that girl sitting on that curb that I love her and that I will never abandon nor forsake her until the end of times.” So I put my order down to come out and tell you this.”

I couldn’t believe God responded so quickly. I was amazed. Bonnie took me into the restaurant and with the sweetest smile told me to order whatever meal that was on the menu. She was a daughter of a pastor and she told me she would drive me wherever home was. And she did.

After being away from my father’s home for 3 years, there I was standing at his front door. I was so nervous and I shook as I knocked on the door. My father opens the door to see his little princess looking like a skeleton with hardly any hair and deep sadness in her eyes. I started bawling and threw myself to his feet and begged his forgiveness – very much the prodigal daughter.

Years went by and I would hear people talking about Rachel’s Vineyard retreats (for healing after abortion) or I would see a pamphlet from time to time. I would avoid thinking about going because I made the decision that it was not for me. I thought to myself, “No way, I already went to confession. Jesus has healed me and there’s nothing more healing in this area He could possibly do for me.” I admit I was ashamed and I was frightened.

When Valerie Fish, the coordinator of the Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats in Northern California called to help me register for the retreat, the tone of her voice and the love she transmitted made me feel peaceful and at ease.

When I arrived,

 the staff was so caring and loving. They made me feel extremely comfortable and welcome. That weekend was so powerful and transforming for me. God revealed many things to me and not only did he heal the wounds from my three abortions, he also healed the open wounds I still had regarding my parent’s divorce and my past drug addiction.

The most powerful thing for me that weekend was that I went in the retreat feeling like a murderer a horrible sinner who aborted three children. When I left the retreat, I realized that I was a MOTHER of three beautiful children that Jesus and Mary were taking care of and that they’re waiting to meet me one day in heaven. My heart was so joyful.

My first child, my daughter, is named Marianna in honor of the Virgin Mary. The second child, my son, is named Emmanuel in honor of Jesus. My third child, my daughter is named Rose in honor of the Rosary.

That weekend I made a vow to my three children. Since I terminated their life and didn’t give them a chance to live, in their honor I would do everything I could to stand up and defend life.

God has blessed me to be a part of the Rachel’s Vineyard staff and to share my testimony in front of hundreds of youth in the Bay area. God has also blessed me to be leader in our first Spanish Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats in Northern California beginning in October 2011.

But, the biggest blessing is that God gave me spiritual parents in Valerie and Bob Fish. Valerie has guided me spiritually, and, through her, God has blessed me to be His servant. I thank God for the opportunity to share my testimony. But, my testimony is not about me – it’s about Him and for His glory. Amen.

Resources: http://cal-catholic.com

 YEAR OF FAITH

The Queen of Heaven Visits Adele Brise

Adele Brise with students

On October 9, 1859, the life of a Belgian immigrant named Adele Brise was forever changed. It was on that day she received her third apparition of the Blessed Mother, who identified herself as the Queen of Heaven. Our Lady’s specific request of Adele was to pray for the conversion of sinners, offer her Holy Communion for the conversion of sinners, make a general confession and to gather the children, teaching them what they needed to know for salvation.

On December 8, 2010, 151 years later, Bishop David Ricken released a statement declaring with moral certainty, the apparitions and locutions received by Adele Brise were worthy of belief, although not obligatory among the Christian faithful. Why is it that Our Lady’s message has taken center-stage now, after 150+ years of having a quiet, humble following? At Champion, the sun did not spin (as happened at Fatima) and no miraculous spring was found (as at Lourdes). The appearance of Mary to Adele was not extravagant but was simple; it was to encourage Adele in her faith and to respond to a call of catechesis. So what does a message meant for a Belgian immigrant in 1859 mean for us today? One would only need to look around to find the answer.

Societal Understanding

Statistics indicate for most of the Catholic faithful weekly participation at Mass is not a priority. CARA suggests that 23% of all Catholics attend Mass on a weekly basis while only 17% of those born after 1981 attend Mass weekly. [1] CARA also indicates “About one in eight Catholics (12 percent), participate in Reconciliation once a year and an identical proportion do so several times a year. Two percent report that they participate in Reconciliation at least once a month.” [2] From this, we can conclude the engagement of the Church’s sacramental life on the part of the Catholic faithful is lacking.

In addition to the decline of Catholics practicing their faith, every person is immersed in a culture where sin is readily accepted, including abortion, contraception, pornography, homosexuality, etc. As a nation we can still need to listen to and heed Our Lady’s message. Given the need for our society’s conversion, the reemergence and public spotlight placed on the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help 150+ years following the apparition calls us to realize the need for our personal conversion and reliance on the sacraments.

The Message and Mission for the New Evangelization

Our Lady told Adele she was the Queen of Heaven who prayed for the conversion of sinners and that she wished for her to do the same. On the morning of October 9, 1859, Adele Brise had attended Sunday morning Mass with her sister and a local neighbor woman. [3] Our Lady affirmed her reception of the Eucharist but told her to do more, she had to make a general confession and offer her communion for the conversion of sinners. Following this, Our Lady exhorted Adele to gather the young children and teach them their catechism, how to make the Sign of the Cross, and what they needed to know for salvation.

The message which called Adele to a life of prayer became the basis of the ministry she was to undertake. She rooted herself in the Eucharist and unveiled herself in the Sacrament of Penance. Before she could begin the mission, she had to have an inner conversion in order to effectively bring others to that point of conversion called for by the Blessed Mother. Paul VI said “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses”. [4] Adele became a witness by the life she led.

Through the foundation of a tertiary order, her life became a life of availability for all people. When she died on July 5th, 1896, it was only a few years later that the tertiaries disbanded. Unlike Bernadette Soubirous or Lucia dos Santos, Adele was not called to a contemplative life within a cloister, but to an active life in the Church. She was to be a contemplative in action. As a result, the tertiary order supplied Adele with the maximum capacity to fulfill her mission, by dedicating her entire life to this calling.

After rooting herself in prayer and drawing closer to the Eucharistic and forgiving Lord, Adele was then able to carry out her mission, to teach the young people. Adele’s life of prayer and action stands as a witness to the Church today. She is indeed a model for the New Evangelization. By looking at how Adele lived and responded to the call of Our Lady to bring souls to Christ, we in turn are entrusted with the same mission. Despite the demise of the tertiary order, the mission has been entrusted to the Church at large.

The New Evangelization

Pope Paul VI first wrote about the need for a New Evangelization in Evangelii Nuntiandi and John Paul II wrote about it extensively throughout his papacy. In their writings, both popes describe today’s society as being marked by: an age of defiance to Church authority, a decline in the sacramental life of the Church (especially in Mass attendance and Reconciliation), a breakdown in the family, secularization, and atheism. [5] Noticing these problems, John Paul II wrote his first encyclical Redemptor Hominis calling mankind to rediscover its Redeemer.

John Paul II would develop his vision of the New Evangelization over the course of his pontificate. The hallmark of his program for the New Evangelization is quite simple: man needs to encounter the Lord in both Word and Sacrament. By drawing near to Scripture, the Mass, and the Sacrament of Penance, one is given the necessary grace to persevere in the spiritual and moral life. Under the papacy of Benedict XVI the Church continues to call her faithful people to evangelization.

In September, 2010, Benedict XVI initiated the Pontifical Council for promoting the New Evangelization through his motu proprio, Ubicumque Et Semper. Pope Benedict realized the need for catechesis and evangelization was still prevalent and like his predecessors, he continues to make evangelization a priority. The Pontifical Council encourages the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and is exploring new ways of evangelizing in the third millennium. [6] With the convocation of the Synod for the New Evangelization on October 7, 2012, the Church continues to understand how it can relay the faith to the next generation.

We can learn from Adele Brise and the message she received from the Queen Heaven. The message and mission Adele Brise received in 1859 proposes to the Church a program for the New Evangelization. It was a program effective 150 years ago and can still be effective today. The New Evangelization does not necessarily call us to have better materials or to reach out in new and different ways. [7] Rather, one needs to return to the source of all life–the same wellspring which Adele drew from—the Sacraments of Eucharist and Penance coupled with personal prayer. Catechists first need to be formed in the spiritual life so they truly believe what they confess before being able to relay the faith to others. Re-echoing Paul VI, they must first be witnesses of the Christian life before they can be teachers. If we are not living a joy-filled life as Christians, marked by our prayer, who is going to want to learn about or imitate what forms our way of life.

Taking Our Lady’s Message to Heart

Everybody is busy no matter what their vocation in life is. In the midst of our daily schedule, it might be difficult for us to pause for quiet prayer and reflection. At times scheduled events on Sundays, like a child’s soccer game, calls a person to realize their priorities and to find time at some point to participate in the Sunday Eucharist. It is at moments such like this that we are being called to fidelity to Our Lady’s message, of prioritizing our celebration of the sacraments. By making sacrifices to attend the Mass, you will be teaching your family about the importance of the sacraments and how they are the foundation of the Christian life.

Secondly, to fully respond to Our Lady’s call, does not mean you have to go and sign up to teach catechism classes, but if you feel that is one way you could respond, then please do. Remember the message and mission was twofold—prayer and catechesis—contemplative and active. Be sure to take moments to pray each day and pray for the conversion of yourself and for those around you. In this way you will be heeding Our Lady’s request to pray for the conversion of sinners. Lastly, teach others by your life. At the end of Mass the deacon (or priest) can dismiss the people with several options, two of which reflect this: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” and “Go and announce the gospel of the Lord.”

The Church in her great wisdom sends us forth, knowing the Eucharist has shaped and formed us, and now commissions us to share the good news. This is what Adele Brise did in her life and we can do so by sharing the faith with all we meet, simply by living our Christian values. On this anniversary of Our Lady’s apparition to Adele Brise, may we come to a better understanding of how to live Our Lady’s message in the age of the New Evangelization.

Notes:

[1] http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/FRStats/mattend.jpg
[2] http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/FRStats/reconciliation.pdf, p. 57
[3] It is interesting to note the historical record does not say she was accompanied by her parents. Given the liturgical timeframe, Saturday anticipatory Masses were not the norm and fasting before Mass was required. As a result, either Lambert or Catherine Brise attended Mass earlier in the morning, or they had fallen victim to the lackadaisical practice of the faith that prompted Our Lady’s message to Adele.
[4] EN, 41.
[5] Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi (Washington DC: United States Catholic Conference, 8 Dec 1975); Pope John Paul II. Ecclesia in America (Washington DC: United States Catholic Conference, 22 Jan. 1999); Pope John Paul II, Novo Millenio Ineunte, (Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 6 Jan 2001).
[6] Pope Benedict XVI, “Ubicumque Et Semper,” Vatican: the Holy See, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_letters/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apl_20100921_ubicumque-et-semper_en.html (Accessed April 5, 2011).
[7] An article from America Magazine recently focused on this question, specifically the necessity of memorization in religious education as a foundation from which prayer then would subsequently follow. See: David Impastato, “Faith by Heart,” America Magazine, September 10, 2012, accessed online (October 7, 2012), http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=13564
Image credit: National Catholic Register

 

Welcome to Borneo, Sabah..The Land Below The Wind to  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton as representatives of Queen Elizabeth II in conjunction with the celebration to mark the 60-year reign of the Queen. We, Sabahan peoples are very excited yet proud and grateful because you choose our country and we are happy to see you here in Malaysia. 

Enjoy the Majestic Danum Valley Conservation Area, Lahad Datu, Sabah which very beautiful and undisturbed rainforest.

We love both of you and God Bless You...

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AT A TIME OF GREAT SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, FORGET ARGUMENTATION AND ELEVATE ABOVE THE TERRAIN WITH GOD

We live at a time of obvious spiritual blindness, a blindness caused by sin, arrogance, anger, and lack of prayer -- for it is only through prayer with unitive contemplation (of God) that we transcend and can see (beyond sidelines) the larger picture.

You might also call it peering "backstage" (spiritually).

Do you see what is really transpiring, or what is paraded about as reality?

While everyone stares at the dramatics of "news" and other forms of media (as if every little development is of historic mega-consequence), most are oblivious to the real reasons and powers behind many events. We are on all sides too often immersed in the superficial. What seems so "big" to us may not be so very big in the scheme of eternity.

With prayer, we transcend in a way that allows a "birdseye" view of the landscape and it's like driving down a highway:

When we're wearing spiritual blinders, our vision is blocked by buildings or trees; we see very little into the distance; there is only what is very near.

With prayer (and fasting), on the other hand -- and dramatically -- we rise above the brush, the forest, the fence, the barricade, and have more the vantage point of a plane in the sky.

We can see a larger mosaic. We can see far beyond a single patch of forest. We see a number of scattered towns and villages. We can see formations of clouds and potential storms for hundreds of miles -- a good thing. We have a much fuller picture of what we are passing and where we are headed. We note the traffic in the distance. It is the terrain from a plane instead of a train. This is prayer.

To transcend is also to detach. It is to take yourself from material matters and emotions that spring from pride and circumstances that cause you tension (for here you have a first-warning signal) and see with the eyes of Heaven.

Leave to God what causes you anxiety.

Just plain walk past it.

See all around you but take matters one step at a time.

Don't rush, rush, rush.

It is a first sign (anxiousness, with confusion) of the evil one.

Focus on love.

Today, you hear much political rancor; much is self-righteous; and there are serious issues (such as genetic engineering and war and abortion). But don't let the devil (who plays all political parties) strip you of love. "Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house," says Ezekiel 12. "They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house."

It is love in all circumstances that grants the greater vision to see beyond the pettiness of those who otherwise will cause you aggravation and to see their good and it is to take a deep breath before responding to insult. Silence is the taste of grace.

The Eucharist brings us the larger vision with intuition and the other day a priest mentioned how after distributing the Host one day he suddenly found himself looking down on the pews as if from the ceiling. He was no longer on the ground. He was elevated! He actually saw things from above. When the Host is elevated, so is our vision.

It is wisdom.

An opposite of wisdom is control: trying to manipulate, which also brings myopia (as does any obsession).

Scientists go to a tree and try to figure it out instead of simply asking for understanding from the One Who created it. A window in an ivy tower may be obscured by ivy.

Fear of eternity leads many to blindness.

The call of life is the call to find the truth in ourselves. Life is a time to develop and sharpen the feelings, sensitivities, and sensibilities of Heaven. When we wear spiritual blinders, we grope in the dark which is often caused by disbelief which leads to fear. When we fear, we are rooted in a negative. To be negative is to express a denial; it's characterized by absence (as in "absence of light"). It is to lack optimism.

For when we do not believe in the supernatural reality of God we fear what we see as the blackness of death.

 We are blind also when we are discouraged. We are blinded when we are intimidated by the task before us.

We're blinded by jealousy; we're blinded by pride; we're blinded by lust; we're blinded by greed. We're blinded by unforgiveness. We're blinded by stress. We're blinded by the minutiae of the world (including, often, politics). We're blinded by any sin which brings the Prince of Darkness.

And so it is that our times are ones of great spiritual myopia.

We know this because it causes shock when a priest suggests that the shooter in Colorado was influenced by Satan (as he was) or a politician in Romania declares that a lewd singer/dancer is a disciple of the devil (despite all evidence that such is in fact the case).

See what is true and declare it.

The eyes open with prayer, fasting, and taking one day (or, as a viewer has noted, one step) at a time.

"Thank you so much for the lesson on the joys of weariness," wrote Rory Page of Clinton, Montana. "I learned one of my most profound lessons when we visited Yellowstone National Park three weeks after having gall bladder surgery (which came after a week in the hospital to calm down my pancreas). I was doing much better but was still weak but we wanted to go to the bottom of the lower falls. To get there you have to walk down 375 stairs. Well, going down was nothing! But, as we got ready to head back up the stairs, I got to the bottom and looked up; I had an absolute panic attack and tried to think of how difficult it was going to be to have someone carry me back up -- an embarrassing rescue. However, I caught my breath and tried to calm myself. It was then that it came to me that I only had to take one step at a time. That I didn't have to see the 300-plus steps still in front of me but only see the next one I had to take. I knew that I could stop and take a rest -- even sit down if I had to. So, off I went; head down, one step at a time.  It was one of the best lessons I ever learned and I have definitely applied it to other situations that seem impossible.  Thank you for reminding me of my weariness and how blessed we are when it comes" (and is overcome).

Resources: Spiritdaily

A Religious/Political Manifesto

A Religious/Political Manifesto

“Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend the truth is to suppress it.” –Pope Sr. Felix III

Fueled by these words I’ve (at last) found my courtroom voice.  For the record, (not just for the sake of argument), here’s my political manifesto based on my religious beliefs.

1.  I oppose abortion. Innocent babies being killed in their mother’s womb is inhuman, similar to the Holocaust.  Life begins at conception not at “post viability” of 20 weeks as the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade decreed. Pregnancies are a gift from God, no matter the circumstances of their origin.  Babies have a right to life as much as any of us and the right to life outweighs any woman’s choice. (Is it just me or is it objectively ridiculous that the right to "privacy" has stretched to cover abortion?) A law or Court that justifies any form of murder, especially the most helpless, weak and vulnerable of human beings is unjust. 

Two weeks after conception, I heard my baby's heart beat.

2.   I oppose homosexual marriages.  Marriage is a sacred union between man and woman.  This is Catholic Church teaching based on the natural law that man is fundamentally different from woman. Case in point: two women cannot biologically create offspring together and two men cannot replace the love of a mother.  A married man and woman with irrevocable vows is the foundation of a family, which is the basic unit of society.  Homosexual unions are intrinsically disordered and are not in the child's best interest. Even if such unions favored by human law and human votes,  they are not sanctioned by God’s law and cannot supersede natural law.

3.  I oppose sterilization and contraception.  And paying for it under guise of a so-called “tax.”   The marital act has two purposes: 1. Unitive—the couple becomes one flesh and 2. Procreative—the marital act creates the possibility of conception.  These two functions cannot be separated, and thus each act of sexual intercourse must be open to the possibility of new life. God, not scalpels/condoms/pills (or petri dishes and scientists), decides whether conception takes place or not. 

Public funds have no business interfering with private sexual matters, particularly when its purpose of preventing pregnancy can be achieved by self-control and abstinence. Additionally, preventive pregnancy is not a disease.  Health diseases require medical treatment or procedure.   Federal government classifying sterilization and contraception as “health issues” at the expense of taxpayers is a misuse of its powers. I concur with the dissenting opinion of the HHS case, that Congress has the power to regulate commerce, not create commerce.  How is it logical exactly that "regulating children" falls under the "regulating commerce" powers of Congress?

4.   I oppose euthanasia.   There is no such thing as a “right to die” or right to terminate life.  Life and death belong to God. Even if a life is wrought with pain and suffering, it is every human being’s duty to preserve life.  The value of suffering, while not patently clear to many in this earthly life, will make sense with Christian faith, in eternal life.   When the government protects anyone who actively assists in causing the death of another, it aids and abets the crime of murder.   And I truly wonder: if I cast a vote for euthanasia,  does that make me an accomplice in the eyes of Divine Justice? 

5.  I oppose the death penalty.   No man can judge ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt about a fellow human being’s sin and deprive another of life as a consequence. That matter is left solely for God’s justice. Each person is made in the image and likeness of God, deserves the worth and dignity of a child of God and the chance to live out the term of his life.  Every person is entitled to the opportunity to repent of his sins, giving society the divine opportunity to forgive as Christ did.

6.  I oppose the persecution of religious freedom.  The State is not superior to the Church.  The US Constitution has never deemed it so.  A government that dictates its citizens to violate their conscience is a communist or fascist state.  The establishment of a dictatorship was not the intention of the founding fathers of the United States of America.  If America does not return to its Christian history, its future will follow the crisis of secular Europe and communist Russia and China.   (Perhaps I should interview some of my former clients who fled Russia, China and Cuba to seek asylum from the US because of cruel political persecutions and publish it to get a convincing picture.)

Similarly, the Philippine Constitution was written to prevent the arbitrary and oppressive government of dictatorship.  The country’s freedom was granted through a miraculous intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after she was publicly invoked by the Church and the people during the political revolution of 1986.  If the Philippines turns its back on its Catholic roots, an undermined Church will not be able to summon the people to oust another corrupt, tyrannical or secular form of government and leave Filipinos in the hands of a godless regime.  (Perhaps we should read the martial law cases filed against former dictator Ferdinand Marcos to remember the horror.)

7.  I oppose uncurbed free speech that promotes immodesty, profanity and obscenity.  I reject the entire pop culture that profanes the sacred name of “Jesus Christ” as a curse word and manipulates a gullible audience into accepting sins of immodesty and impurity as norm.  The deceptive glare of television and movies has dimmed the light of right and wrong in many souls. Free speech has never been unrestrained in judicial history. Though the contemporary standards of “obscenity” has nose-dived in recent years, God’s laws on purity and virtue have remain unchanged.   That is only the standard to uphold.

That said, I do not condemn people who commit sin (I am a sinner myself); I do not hate people who believe otherwise; and I can love errant politicians and opposing voters alike.  But I will pray for their conversion and if they are Catholic, I will pray even more fervently that they understand why politics and religion cannot be separate.  We have only one soul and our Catholic faith, as entrusted to the Catholic Church, ought to shape it for eternity.  Naturally, politics (and everything else in our lives) follows our beliefs.

Archbishop Chaput made so much sense when he said: “The right to pursue happiness does not include a right to excuse or ignore evil in ourselves or anyone else. When we divorce our politics from a grounding in virtue and truth, we transform our country from a living moral organism into a kind of golem of legal machinery without a soul.”

         I oppose all these grave errors because absolute freedom without moral limitation makes every form of evil a free-for-all. 

*If you agree and need a voice, please feel free to repost or circulate.

*If you oppose my views, you may (or may not) be heard –depending on whether you follow the rules for commenting or not.  Civilized debates can be done here.  But if you copy anything from this blog post for the purpose of critiquing, rebutting or opposing it, you should know: It’s protected by US copyright laws, not permitted by the writer, not qualified as fair use and would be illegal.

IT MAY SEEM PECULIAR, BUT SOME OF LIFE'S GREATEST GRACES COME ONLY AFTER A TEST OF WEARINESS

One of the most exciting aspects of life is weariness. That sounds strange, doesn't it? Yet, you heard right. One of the most exciting aspects of life is weariness. And it is strange -- to state that a "negative" can be a positive.

But life is full of negatives that can be turned into positives and weariness can be a special fount of grace.

Let us explain:

In life, the greatest accomplishments -- and, ultimately, the greatest joys -- come only after a trial of weariness. Often, intense weariness. True? It takes all the energy we have to accomplish something. This means it is worthwhile!

Think: the greatest project you've ever been involved with. Think: childbirth. Think: the toughest challenge or course. School. Jobs. Even illness. We all have our "Mount Everests." We all know the feeling of climbing and climbing and halting and catching our breath and starting again and feeling we can't go on and fearing failure but pushing upward. At the top, exhilaration!

For often, the best and longest-lasting fruits are wrought through trials that include exhaustion, disappointment, discouragement, even desperation. In a word, weariness. You wanted to give up. You won when you didn't. Consider the weariness that Lindbergh fought as he flew over the Atlantic and how, at his weariest, he was encouraged by voices from the other side. Think of the early settlers. Think about those who dug the Erie Canal by hand. Weariness usually means you are working hard; you are fighting the good fight. 

It's part of the tests of life: for all of us, there are times in life when we just want to throw up our arms and say, "I can't take it anymore. I'm exhausted. I'm too tired. I can't go on! I'm weary, to the bone."

Yet, this is exactly the time to regroup, pray, rest for as long as feasible, and then forge forth; what you'll find is that grace will suddenly come to and propel you.

Look at what Jesus said: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12: 9). Note that at His weariest point on the Cross ("Father, take this cup..."), the ground shook around Him. The last weariness is death when we release our spirits. What glory! Or go back further into Scripture: "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:30-31).  Hear what He said to His disciples: "So you had not the strength to keep awake with Me one hour?"

Now, it also says in Scripture that we need to focus on what is immediately before us. Sufficient for today are the tests. Don't expend time fretting over what is farther down the road. This helps us pass the test of weariness. It's when we try to gulp in the entirety of the challenge all at once that we become intimidated, discouraged. (Yet, words again from the Bible: "Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own," Matthew 6:34.)

The Lord's grace is sufficient for any test and weariness is like a long fast. It has power. With it, we can transcend the limits of nature. Just make sure you're not bringing the hardship on yourself! The Lord never gives more than you can handle. Also, He always gives a second wind. He breathes it into us. This is the Holy Spirit.  Be prudent, yes; plan; but don't let the extent of an ordeal  overcome you.

Pray without ceasing.

Pray instead of fretting.

When you are praying you are not worrying (if you are praying from the heart). What a key to life that is.

Rest when you need to and pray always and think of possibilities, not problems. Pray throughout weariness for it is when (see Jesus in the desert) the devil comes. 

Worrying solves nothing. Yet, how much energy so many of us spend doing just that? That is unnecessary weariness. Transcend it through prayer. Plan for the future but live day to day. 

And remember: if you're not being made weary by something, you may need a bigger goal! 

For life is a struggle -- a wondrous one -- right to the very glorious end.

[resources: Michael H. Brown's A Life of Blessings]

From: Spirit Daily 

Why Go to Church?

A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me I can’t remember a single one of them. So I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor.

It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me those meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”

When you are DOWN to nothing . . . God is UP to something!

Faith sees the invisible, Believes the incredible and Receives the impossible!

Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment!

 

"Be a Dad!" by Fr. Larry Richards

"Be a Dad!" | Fr. Larry Richards | Adapted and excerpted from Be a Man! Becoming the Man God Created You to Be | Ignatius Insight

You are going to die!

It doesn't matter how rich we are, or how popular we are, or how powerful we are: we are all going to "kick the bucket" one day. Isn't that a nice thought?

What we have to do is take some time to sit and meditate about taking our last breath. What do you want your wife to say about you? What do you want your kids to say about you? Once you've decided, "Okay, when I am taking my last breath this is what I want", you can start living your life with your end goal in mind. You will start living in such a way that when the day of your death happens, the people who know you will say what you want them to say.

Death is the ultimate thing that takes control out of our hands. Even if we commit suicide, we cannot control what happens after we die. Not one of us had control over our own birth and not one of us has control of what happens after we die.

I have been to a lot of deathbeds throughout my priesthood, so I know what it is going to be like when you are dying. While you are lying there, the thing that is going to be most important to you is your relationships—the people that you loved and the people that in return loved you.

Then why don't we live every day with that in mind? Make the decision to never let your wife or your kids go to bed or walk out the door without telling them first that you love them—life is just too short! It will change your family. It will change the world.

You should underline John 15:12 in your Bible, where Jesus commands us, "Love one another as I have loved you." This is not an option. He also said, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you" (Jn 15:9). Jesus told the people He loved that He loved them.

Why is it that men do not do that? Men are embarrassed. They are afraid. It makes them vulnerable. They think to be a man, you don't go around telling the people you love that you love them; but Jesus told twelve men that He loved them. Then He told us to love others in the same way.

Let me give you a hint: you will never in your life regret that you told your wife and your kids and the people you love that you love them—never. You won't be lying on your deathbed one day saying, "I can't believe that I daily told my loved ones that I loved them. What is the matter with me?"

Now, how do you fall in love with someone? You know that you did not get to know your future wife by meeting her once and giving her forty five minutes to an hour once a week. You spent time with her. You got to know her. The same is true with our relationship with God. It might take you months—it might take you years—but you have to do it. You have to keep spending time with God until the answer to the question of whether or not you know God is unequivocally yes.

We need to know who our true Father is. There's only one Father for everybody: God the Father! That guy you call your dad, he's the instrument of fatherhood, but he's not your true Father.

When we talk about our fathers—whether we had a good father, a bad father, a close and supportive father, or a distant and unsupportive father whom we did not know at all—it doesn't matter as much because the reality is, we all have the same Father in heaven. It's that Father Who will bring healing to us.

Husbands are called to love God primarily through their wives. Your wife is the sacrament of Christ to you. You are the sacrament of Christ to your wife. When she looks at you, she is supposed to see Jesus Christ. That is why Ephesians 5:22–24 is such a wonderful passage. It says, "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the Church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands." Many of us remember the translation that said that wives were to be "submissive to their husbands". The problem is that many men just stop with their wives being "submissive". The men love that part, which is why so many women go crazy.

I make this very explicit when I am preaching at a marriage ceremony. I start with the bride and I say, "Sweetheart, you read the Bible every day, don't you?" At first I usually get a "Yes, Father", and then I say kiddingly, "If you lie to a priest, you know, you go to hell." Then she will usually quickly say, "Okay, no, Father." Then I continue, "Well, there is a verse in Ephesians that says, 'Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as to the Lord.' " And then I ask, "Do you think it means what it says?" And I always get an emphatic "No, Father!" Then I literally jump up and down and scream, "Yes, it means what it says!" When I say this, all the feminists in the crowd become very upset and say things like, "This is another reason I hate the Catholic Church." And the bride thinks, "Why did we ever get this priest to marry us?" I love this!

Then, as anyone who knows me knows, I am an equal opportunity offender, so I turn to the groom, who usually likes all of this. Now it is time for the other shoe to fall. I then ask the groom, "You read the Bible every day, right?" He always responds, "No, Father." Then I ask, "Well, do you know what it says in Ephesians after 'Wives, be submissive to your husbands'?" The groom always shakes his head and says, "No." Then I continue, "It says, 'Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.' " Then I ask, "Do you know what that means?" I then continue kiddingly, "Your life is over!" Then I tell them that every day they need to be more concerned about each other than they are about themselves! That is what marriage is about!

So you need to start to do at least one unselfish act for your wife every day. Surprise her. When was the last time you treated her the same way you did when you were still trying to get her to marry you?

Next, let us focus on your children, which I think is easier because they are a part of you. Do we allow our children to be themselves? Some people think that the best father you can be is a strong disciplinarian. Absolutely, I agree. But just as much as you discipline your children, you must also build them up.

Sometimes we are just harsh and we think this is what God wants, but that isn't the way God is. God loves us. He gives away His life for us. And then He always tells us He loves us. Correct?

One of the roles that men have, given to them by God (see Gen 3:16; 1 Cor 11:3; Eph 5:23), is to be the spiritual leaders of their families. Now this is where I have called men "spiritual wimps" for many years. Many men have let their wives be the spiritual leaders of their families, but this is not the way God created it to be. Now this does not mean that you are the master of your wife and family; it means, like Jesus Christ, you are the servant leader of your family.

First off, this means that you lead by example. You must be a man of prayer. For it is only as a son who listens to his heavenly Father that you can bring the will of the Father to your family. You cannot be a good and true leader unless you are a true and good follower. You must daily spend committed time in prayer with God, then lead your family in prayer. Do you have daily committed time with your family in prayer? And no, grace before meals is not enough!

You need to be the spiritual leader by being a man of sacrifice. You exist to give your life away for others, like Jesus did. That means you give your life for your family first and foremost.

My good friend Danny Abramowicz loves to tell men at men's conferences: "Men, your kids will always love their mother, but they want to become just like you!" If we are not holy ourselves, then our families will not be holy. It is that simple. God is going to speak to men, women, and children, but He is speaking especially to men to help us be His very image.

You are the sacrament of Fatherhood to your children just like St. Joseph was the sacrament of Fatherhood to Jesus. Just as God used St. Joseph to form Jesus Christ in His humanity, so too does He want to use you to form your children. So I would encourage you before you read any further to stop and ask St. Joseph for his intercession for you so you can grow in holiness.

The Lord God of the universe is calling all of us to be great men, men that are examples of Him and who use Him as our example. We are called to become another Christ in this world. Our goal is to bring others to Him.

Do it and you will live forever.