Scandals and The Catholic Church

 Last week, June 29th, was the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul and in the sermon for last Sunday we were reminded about the nature of the Church. Jesus Christ founded His Church to be the guide for us, but more importantly to be the dispenser of grace from Him. That is the nature of the Church! We need to not be so focused on the scandals which the secular media keep bringing up, as well as those who are haters of the Church - including Satan. Satan rejoices when he can draw our attention away from Jesus Christ, His Church and the Sacraments. The more we sow discord, the more we are doing the work of Satan. Our focus needs to be on what nourishes our souls and that which builds up His Church, not rips it apart.

Now, does that mean we just turn a blind eye to those who have been criminal in the Church? By no means, but those who have done wrong need to be turned over to the civil authorities and let the chips fall where they may. Do your duty and move on, it is not our duty to be inquisitors and go out looking for trouble. It is also not our duty to stand on the street corners and hold up signs. Sure, it lets everyone know you care - but it is also rekindling the flames of discord that many non-Catholics love to stir up - and again - Satan loves to see disharmony among God's people. Ask yourself, "Whom do I serve?"

Bring your focus back to the Eucharist, the Mystery of Faith, the Mass, Confession, and all the Sacraments. Look to Christ for His Grace and BE the example of Christ to others.

 

Rembrandt's painting of Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee

 Such a learning tool! Note that those in the front of the boat are focused on the storm and worried for the boat to come apart - but those in the back of the boat are focused on Christ. They are still worried, but their trust is in the Lord to get them through this - and He does. The lighting of this painting is interesting too, those being more illuminated, even attention brought to them, are not those focused on Christ. The back side of the boat is in darkness, but Jesus is the Light, and His face is the Light in that darkness. When Jesus awakes, He scolds the Apostles - "Oh ye of little faith!"

When our ship is rocked by the storm of scandals - remember Who is in control - and do not lose faith.

The Dissertation Journey

 The dissertation process, which all my coursework up till now has been building toward, takes the next step, next week as I being the 900 level courses which are all about the dissertation. I have my committee in place (Chair, Content Expert, and Methodologist) so now we embark upon the finalization of the prospectus, proposal, research, and the writing of the report (the dissertation itself).

Image by Mario Zucca https://dribbble.com/shots/337654-Dissertation-Journey-Map/attachments/337654-Dissertation-Journey-Map?mode=media

I am completing my final 800 level course this week, which was a little out of order. I am in PSY-827, which should have preceded PSY-855 (where you get your committee assembled), and this was unknown to me (that it was misordered) until I was finished with 855. So, I had to take a break from my newly assembled committee and do one more course of "regular coursework" prior to jumping back into my dissertation courses. In the picture (above) by Mario Zucca, I have been on the Island of Isolation, of sorts, being disconnected from the committee, but again - that changes next week (July 8th, 2021, to be precise).

If all goes well, the process should be over by late December 2021 or perhaps by February 2022.

I will keep any interested readers posted as to how the process is going. Stay tuned!

AMDG,

Scott<<<

 

I am playing a bit of catching up... My instructor posted:

Psalm 36:5-6 MSG "God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks."

Psalm 36:5-6 MSG, tecartabible.com

How has God's love been manifested in your life?

This theme goes with the previous week’s theme – “count your blessings.” Psalm 103:2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

I am blessed with nearly 40 years of marriage, 6 wonderful children, one of which has passed, but we were given 22 years after the doctors told us we would only have six months. We have a roof over our heads, gainfully employed and my wife and I are both pursuing terminal degrees in our chosen studies.

I could go on and on, and even attempt to list 100 blessings from just today, as I mentioned in the previous Scripture of the Week posting, but I think you get the point. God has given me so much, I cannot begin to give back to Him as much as He has given to me – but I will bless the Lord always, His praise shall continually be in my mouth (Psalm 34:1).

In Christ, 

Scott<<<

Scripture of the Week: You are wonderfully made - Psalms 139:13 – 16

In my current course our instructor shares something from Scripture each week, here is her posting for this week (and my response).

Scripture for the week to remind you that every each one of you is special.

Psalms 139:13 – 16: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knitted me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

You are wonderfully made and are God's creation. Remember God loves you, and all your days are recorded in his book. (1) In what ways are you wonderfully made? (2) Do you count your blessings, and (3) can you name them one by one?

Source: https://www.mindonjesus.com/bible-verses-to-start-the-week/#:~:text=Below%20are%20Bible%20verses%20to%20start%20the%20week.,and%20don%E2%80%99t%20take%20your%20Holy%20Spirit%20from%20me.

 Being reminded of how much God loves us is always welcome!

Counting our blessings is something we inherit from our Jewish brethren. It comes from the Talmud (Menachot 43b) and according to Jewish tradition you are to count, actually recite at least 100 blessings per day. This sounds a bit daunting at first, but they can add up quickly if one is observant. 

1. Thank the Lord for the new day, 
2. for the breakfast on your table, 
3. for the water you clean and groom with, 
4. for the clothes you have to wear, 
5. for the house you live in, 
6. for your health (or recovery if you are sick), 
7. for the air we breathe 

We have seven right there, and we have not even left the breakfast table yet! 

There is also the Shema, a blessing every Jewish male is to recite twice every day, morning and night. The Shema begins, “Hear, O Israel: G-d is our Lord, G-d is one” (Kriegel, 2021). The full Shema is three paragraphs from the Torah (the first 5 books of our Old Testament), from Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41 (Rich, 2020).

So, to answer the questions:   

1. I am wonderfully made in the image of my Lord and God (Genesis 1:27), how much more wonderful can that be?! I am reminded here of the fact that we are creations in His image, and the complexities of our very being, as well as the world in which we live, are testimonies to “order-creation science” (McKelvey, 2001).
2. Do I count my blessings? To be honest, not nearly as often as I should!
3. Can I name them one by one? Along with my answer to #2, while I have tried this a few times (to count at least 100 blessings per day), this is a lesson I am still learning from our Jewish roots.

References

Kriegel, L. (2021). THE SHEMA: A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE. First Things, , 1-4. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/scholarly-journals/shema/docview/2492712967/se-2?accountid=7374

McKelvey, B. (2001). What is complexity science? Is it really order-creation science? Emergence. 3(1). 137-157. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.330.5792&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Menachot 43b: The William Davidson Talmud. https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.43b.17-18?lang=bi

Rich, T. (2020). Shema. Judaism 101. https://www.jewfaq.org/shemaref.htm

New Logo for CDF

 I created a new logo for CDF:

What do you think?

The Catholic Debate Forum

The Catholic Debate Forum, CDF, is coming back! After a long hiatus when Yahoo shut down all yahoogroups (and Scott was too busy with school!) it is coming back! We're trying Free Forums, so come on over - give it a shot!

https://catholicdebateforum.freeforums.net/ 

Help bring back our old membership and invite new friends and challengers!

AMDG,

Scott<<<

aka: CathApol

Pentecost Sunday - The Birth of the Catholic Church

 

It was on this Sunday, in 33 A.D., the Catholic Church is born! The Apostles gathered together to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Weeks (50 days after Passover - which is where we get the name "Pentecost" as in pente = 50) and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary, witnessed as tongues of fire upon their heads.

So Why Red Vestments for Pentecost?

It is widely known that red is the color of martyrdom, and is the color of the vestments for the feast day of a martyr, but why red on Pentecost? Well, there are at least two reasons red is the appropriate color for Pentecost, first and foremost - red is also the color for fire, and the fire of the Holy Ghost is represented in the red vestments. Secondly, it is truly an apostolic holy day (holiday) and since most of the 12 Apostles (all but St. John) died as martyrs, the red color of martyrdom is also appropriate.

Happy Birthday to the Catholic Church! 

Nearly 2000 years strong!