Sanctification and Evangelization of Labor

The work of Jesus began during the wedding feast in Canna, when at the behest of His Blessed Mother He changed water into wine for the wedding guests.

Today’s Gospel marks the announcement of Jesus work and his embarking from his native land, for as we are told, a prophet is not welcomed in his own homeland.

We are also remined or work in both the Gospel the epistle and the homily. Work brings sanctity – separation. To work has its roots in the original sin of Adam and Eve and sets us apart as Christians and separates us from the world. When I say the world, I am not referring to the poor those who cannot or do not work, for their work, the poor, is to give us the opportunity to show compassion and gives our own work new meaning when we know the fruits of our labor are shared.

Jesus shared his labor and fruits first with the 12 and then all of those who followed him. They were hungry and He fed them they were sick and He healed them, they are many more ways for us to sanctify ourselves through work as described in the Christian way of life in Matt 25:31-46.

As the life of St. rose who’s feast we celebrate today we are reminded that our work encompassed in our respective vocations and jobs is that of sanctification and evangelization. We are separated from the wealthy, who do not work and the dignity of our labor whatever that may be is to be a lesson in evangelizing them.

St. Joseph was not known for being an owner but revered for being a worker. As men and women of God St. Joseph and Jesus our models of evangelization and sanctification through labor.

Copyright 2017 Fred Celio

Today we celebrate the feast of the immaculate conception, of the mother of God -- The ark of the new covenant. The original Ark, portrayed in the film the raiders of the lost ark, contained manna used to feed the Jews on their travels seeking the promised land, the tablets given to mosses... containing the 10 commandments, and Aaron's rod, which spotted and began to grow before the very eyes of Pharaoh during the captivity of the Jews.


Today is a day of reflection on the power and foresight of God, as we celebrate this great miracle, which is the begging of our freedom as Catholics.


What better day to reflect on the voiceless victims of abortion. 


The Supreme Court Holding in Roe v. Wade can be seen as spiritual decline. One may also see it as the starting point for the rhetoric of victim blaming?


An innocent victim in the womb is blamed for making life uncomfortable, unprofitable, an annoyance, an interference, a burden, a threat to feminist values, and female health. As with all forms of victim blaming this type of thinking is designed to absolve one from sin, by holding the innocent victim accountable, as if doing so somehow absolves makes the actions of others reasonable. In God's eyes all have equal value, and none are burdensome.  


If we are truly a free country based on unalienable rights, these must be extended to all from conception to natural death.


Victim blaming has become fashionable in some circles, many very powerful. We blame victims for their poverty, their disabilities, their old age, their homelessness, we even blame victims for their incarceration and execution with or without a trail and due process. 


You say you believe in civil rights and equality for all. Life begins at conception, and the rights we hold dear begin, once a human being is conceived.

Civil Rights to the Conceived NOW!


One would expect no less from a society, that does not value the conceived as human beings. From their the downward spiral begins. The moment we start to categorize human life in an artificial hierarchy, is the moment we sin by blaming those on the rung lower than us on any ladder for being lower than us. This is not in line with Catholic social teaching, which reflects Jesus, the mind of God.


In God's eyes their are no ladders nor rungs, there is no one to blame, save ourselves for not helping a brother or sister up, help to bring them out of the womb; alive and kicking, and anyone else who we may perceive to be beneath us. 



Luke 16:19-31Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

19 There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen; and feasted sumptuously every day.

20 And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores,

21 Desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover the dogs came, and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell.

23 And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom:

24 And he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame.

25 And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazareth evil things, but now he is comforted; and thou art tormented.

26 And besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you, cannot, nor from thence come hither.

27 And he said: Then, father, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren,

28 That he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments.

29 And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 But he said: No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance.

31 And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.
Without due reflection, these days it has become fashionable to blame the victims of poverty, incarceration, refugees, the disabled, the mentally Ill, and victims of Sexual abuse in favor of clergy perpetrators. 



Matthew 25:31-46Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

31 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.

32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:

36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.

37 Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?

39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?

40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink.

43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.

44 Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?

45 Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.

46 And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
Matt 25:31-46 is quite clear. We blame the homeless and look the other way, for they are invisible. Often Angels take the form of the homeless, and we walk by as if we do not even see them and miss a conversation, with perhaps St. Michael himself. 

What better way for an angel to move about the world unnoticed than to take the form of a homeless person. 
How quickly we look away from stories in the news and justify, when African American males, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, are executed without trial while in police custody, on camera or after body cams mysteriously turn off.
And what of those incarcerated, justly or unjustly. Innocent victims, in ever increasing numbers are being released from our prisons, after having served time for crimes they did not commit. 30% of the time our criminal justice system imposes the death penalty on innocent inmates.
Mary Was Full Of Grace And Fully Free
"Mary was free from original sin and from internal temptations but not from external temptations. Even Jesus himself was tempted. So just as Adam and Eve sinned, Mary also could have sinned - since in fact she was fully free."
(In the Arms of Mary, pg. 151)
How would our blessed mother be received by your parish, if she were to walk in to Mass this Sunday. She a young unmarried woman carrying a bastard child. A young woman who heard voices and saw visions of angels. 
Advent is not only a time when we wait for the baby Jesus, it is a time to reflect on how we see and treat others. 
Are we ready?
Are we Worthy of the baby Jesus.
Pax Christi
Copyright Fred Celio 12/08/2016 

Pentecost: The Most Important Day on the Liturgical Calendar

Pentecost makes us one body my brothers and sisters. 

This is a great truth that we have family -- the body of Christ Universal around the world and beyond. Pentecost from which we get the sacrament of confirmation the lay people share in apostolic succession. It is staggering to meditate on personally and collectively this gift of apostolic succession To have been touched physically and spiritually by someone, who was touched by someone, who was touched and breathed on by someone, who was touched and breathed upon and heard the same words -- receive the Holy Spirit by someone all the way back in an unbroken and documented chain to one of the 11 in the attic who sat comforted by Blessed Mother, as she was the only one who had already received the Holy Spirit, who actually walked with ate, slept with touched and was touched by Jesus. Unfortunately, Joel Osteen can't say that. (May the Lord Bless him and his work, through Christ Our Lord Amen).

We Catholics are truly related, let us not forget this,.
Hallelujah it is Pentecost. Jesus has completed His mission to bring the Kingdom of God/Heaven to earth -- Do you think He brought it to other planets?
Our family is universal.
Pax Christi,

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joel osteen versus the humble parish priest

Seventh Sunday of Easter Reading 1

Reading 1 acts 1:12-14

After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles
returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.

When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

 

These are the 11 awaiting the Holy spirit. When The Holy Spirit  descends on Pentecost, Jesus' prophesy is fulfilled, these 11 begin laying hands on others and the Sacrament of Confirmation is initiated.

What a gift. Those who have received this sacrament have been sealed with the Holy spirit as those who were in the attic, we are empowered to evangelize and to stand firm confident in our faith that the enemy will not overcome us.

 

Apostolic succession is also given us -- the common lay Catholic. We have had hands laid on us infused with the Holy sprit in succession linked in an un broken documented chain to those named above.

 

This is empowering as well, and with these gifts come responsibility to evangelize.

 

We stand strong in our faith. Making mistakes yes. Sinning yes but return to God n reconciliation and strengthen our souls from the spiritual nourishment t provided by the Eucharist.

 

Thus, armored we join the spiritual battle the outcome already known the battle for souls winning souls for God.

 

There is no more noble calling then to be a common Lay Catholic.

 

Pax Christi

The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Epistle to the Hebrews

An examination both of the letter itself and of the earliest testimonies of tradition, in reference to the circumstances of its composition, leads to the following conclusions:

(1) The place of composition was Italy (13:24), and more precisely Rome (inscription at end of the Codex Alexandrinus), where Paul was during his first imprisonment (61-63).

(2) The date of its production should certainly be placed before the destruction of Jerusalem (70), and previous to the outbreak of the Jewish War (67), but after the death of James, Bishop of Jerusalem (62). According to ch. xiii, 19, 23, the Apostle was no longer a prisoner. The most probable date for its composition is, therefore, the second half of the year 63 or the beginning of 64, as Paul after his release from imprisonment probably soon undertook the missionary journey "as far as the boundaries of Western Europe" (St. Clement of Rome, "I Epistle to the Corinthians", v, n. 7), that is to Spain.

(3) The reason for its composition is probably to be found in the conditions existing in the Jewish Christian Church at Jerusalem. The faith of the Church might fall into great danger through continued persecution by the Jews, who had put James, the head of the community to a violent death. Precisely at this period the services in the temple were celebrated with great pomp, as under Albinus (62-64) the magnificent building was completed, while the Christian community had to struggle with extreme poverty. The national movement which began shortly before the outbreak of the last Jewish war would increase the danger. These circumstances might lead the Apostle to write the letter.

(4) The Apostle himself declares the aim of his writing to be the consolation and encouragement of the faithful (xiii, 22). The argument and context of the letter show that Paul wished especially to exhort to steadfastness in the Christian Faith and to warn against the danger of apostasy to the Mosaic worship.

The chief importance of the Epistle is in its content of theological teaching. It is, in complete agreement with the other letters of St. Paul, a glorious testimony to the faith of the Apostolic time; above all it testifies to the true Divinity of Jesus Christ, to His heavenlypriesthood, and the atoning power of His death.

The atoning power of his death and divinity would surely strengthen the Church in Jerusalem, who were at the time of the letter without a bishop.  Eusebius  was then appointed bishop by Peter, James (the Greater), and John.  Eusebius himself was martyred by the Jews.

Although Hebrews testifies to Our Lords Divinity, a very important point not just theologically but in the context of the diocese and the times in which St. Paul was writing.  Most of the  members of the Curch in Jeruslem at that time were Jewish converts, in fact as mentioned above, one of St. Paul's main reasons for writing the letter after the martydom of St. James (the lesser) was  to warn against the danger of apostasy back to the Mosaic worship.

In addition to talking about Our Lord's divinity, St. Paul also talks about His humanity.  This is a mystery that must be ponder yet never can we fully understand it, for how can the creature expect to understand the creator. 

Jesus was not half and half.  Nor did he grow into his God nature.  n fact His nature was fully God and Fully human.  The human mind as much as we meditate cannot grasp this and we must accept it as a mystery of God's great love for us.

His humanity though has implications for Blessed Mother (Henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed).  For Pur Lord's humanity came from her.  The relationship between blessed mother and the Holy Spirit is another mystery that we must ponder.  This was observably a love relationship, as there can be no conception without love.  As the Arc of the New Covenant, Blessed mother chosen by her son from the beginning of time for this purpose; Blessed mother was much more than the old Arc of the covenant, for in the old arc we find some manna, the tablets containing the ten commandments, and Araons staff that sprouted.  In the New Arc though we find not just holy items touched by God the Father but the sharing of love  that resulted in the conception of Our Lord, as well as the sharing of DNA, and all th intimacy that goes with human pregnancy and motherhood.  For it is from blessed mother that Our Lord obtains His humanity.  Thus, she was carefully chosen, and told of this by the angel Gabriel.  Her reaction is that to that messages is exactly what opne would expect of such and exceptional huan being chosen by her creator and son for this purpose, that is why me, how can this be that my God would chose me (humility) and then let it be done to me according to His will (complete obedience).  At the moment of her yes, the Holy Spirit over shadowed her in a form of love that we cannot comprehend and Jesus was conceived.

Let us also today ponder the holiness of Blessed Mother as the arc of the New Covenant in comperison of the arc of the old.  When it was the high priest's turn to go behind the curtain and give prayers at the old arc they tied a rop around his leg lest he be found unworthy and struck dead upon entering the presence of God behind the veil.  Many of Aaron's descendants were retrieved dead because they were found to be unworthy.

Blessed mother was conceived immaculately, that is without original sin, there was no baptism at the time of Jesus conception, would our Lord have entered a vessel that contain this original sin?  Of course not, she would have been struck dead upon conception and Our Lord's entire plan for our salvation would have been thwarted, for both mother and child would have died.  Hence, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception -- the feast we celebrate on December 8. If you had the power would you not exempt your mother from original sin, that stain left on all of our souls from Adam and eve.  It is Baptism that removes this sin, Blessed Mother was not Baptized, yet she was the vessel of God -- a living arc of the New Covenant.  Ponder the mystery of her Immaculate conception, the role she played as arc not just as a container, but supplying Our Lord with his human DNA, the nutrients needed for His sustenance and all the other human intimacies that go with pregnancy. No the title arc of the new covenant is not enough to describe her holiness and the special graces she received, for she was more than a box a mere container of holy objects.  She gave Our Lord His human nature.  And remember he was not half and half but fully human and fully God.

Pax Christi

Copyright 2011 fred celio

St. Rose of Lima

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Rose of Lima. She is the first citizen of the new world to be canonized. I feel compelled to write, but, at the same time inadequate. St. Rose endured great mortification. She offered these to Our Lord in atonement for those souls suffering in purgatory. Such determination was rewarded with visions of Our Lord.
I have been consecrated to Blessed Mother for over a year now, and for some reason, I thought that would be the end of my own sin and suffering, and yet it has not. I remain hard pressed to avoid certain sins, even with the grace pured out freely by Blessed Mother.  I have committed to the purgatory project as well, and yet I am again hard pressed to live up even to this small commitment.  My weak efforts pale in comparison to our celebrated St. Rose.  I wonder how many Saints live among us today?  This Saturday i listened to and watched Fr. John Corapi on EWTN.  He pondered similarly, although he had met two such people,  He was ordained by Pope John Paul II. John Paul II is in the beginning of his canonization.  I do not wonder at all about the validity of his sainthood.  We saw him as a young man, and then he showed us how to die with dignity, Fr. Corapi had also met and spent some time with Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  She certainly  lived each day Matt: 25:31-46.  I am moved to use as and email signature one of her quotes, "If I judge people, I have no time to love them."  This is the spirit of Matt: 25:31-46 distilled into a line.
Just as I fall short of the example of St. Rose, so do I fall short of the examples of these coming Saints, with whom I have shared some of my own earthly time.
Against her parents wishes to marry, St. Rose remained a virgin throughout her life, and at the age of twenty entered the Domincan order.  There she fasted three days a week.  When was the last time I skipped a meal?  When was the last time I thought of doing penance for the sins of the world, and those who suffer in purgatory.
Often times I feel more like the woman who washed Jesus's feet with her tears, and was thus forgiven of my many transgressions, back sliding and failings.  But of course I cannot focus on those. I can go to confession, and start anew to live up to my faith, and the example of Saint Rose.
My hope and prayer is to get through graduate school and become a teacher, for this is my calling.  But to give up a meal or to think of the mortifications that St. Rose endured for the salvation of others including myself.  No I must admit, though I often think of Sainthood, I do not act like a Saint.
How many of us truly do?  How many of us go to Mass and confession once per year at Easter time to preserve our Catholicism?  Is this really living the faith?  Often times it seems a duty, and Sainthood an unreachable goal.  It is not that I have not suffered in my life.   All who are Catholic have suffered in some way or another for our faith, but yet to choose mortification, and endure it for others goes against everything we are socialized in the US to seek after.  I look for comfort.  I look for a good salary and retirement eventually.  Although perhaps that is not true.  I don't much believe in retirement.  The older we get the more so we should be contemplating the things of the spirit and God, and His Blessed Mother.
Having lost my way when I was younger, I have no chance at being like St. Rose.  I am more like the prodigal son (70x7).
I think of my friend Fr. Paul and his cheerfulness and kindness as he fasts.  You can see it in his eyes and his work and his emaciated frame.  Sometimes he as St. Rose subsist only on the daily meal of the Eucharist.  Sainthood frightens me.  As with many Americans, I want an easy comfortable life and then to ease into heaven, wtihout have done much.  dying in grace for sure, because I need all I can get, but not too much discomfort in this life.  It is true I think of my family and those I love, and long to do more for them.  But do not the pagans themselves do as much.
Leaving a lucrative career and teaching; this is how I've been moved.  But even that has it's comforts, even these days when schools are cutting back, and children are asked to bring their own toilet paper to school.  I know I am rambling a bit, but recently for my studies I read and article by a New York city school teacher, called New Jack.  He compared his work to that of a friend of his who was a correctional officer.  I know that in jails and prisons toilet paper is a coveted commodity, and yet some of our public school children are being asked to bring it to school.
This day I am also reminded of another priest.   It is not often that I get to Sacramento, but when I do I have the honor of attending St. Rose parish there for Mass.  And in that church and school and thrift store and home for the orphaned labors a man in his 80s now.  He has been at St. Rose longer than Vin Scully has been the voice of the dodgers. And perhaps he is a Saint among us.  I have had the benefit of his living the Gospel Matt 25:31-46.  I have heard his homilies and met with him individually.  Once he even heard my confession late at night, and drove me back to where I was staying in Sacramento.  He was interested in me.  where I grew up.  Where I went to school.  At the time though I was not present enough to tell him.
Today as I think of Saint Rose the Saint and the parish in Sacramento, I wonder too if I have met Saints, as Father Corapi.
I think of two Monsignors this day Irish both -- Kavanagh  and O'Brien.  Monsignor Kavanagh continues to labor on this earth for others. Monsignor O'Brien has long since passed.  He was my pastor at Our Lady of perpetual help in Clovis, Ca.  Both of these priests helped me when no one else would, and I am richer in grace for having been able to spend time with them both.
But are they so different from th vast majority of our priests.
Who is your pastor?  whom do your remember on this feast of St. Rose?
http://www.stmichaelgodsknight.com


copyrught 2010 Fred Celio.

The Feast of The Nativity -- The Holy Family

Without an understanding and a love of the Holy family, we cannot have an understanding and a love of Jesus Christ.

Today is the feast of the Nativity, a celebration of the Holy family. Gospel is not from the nativity scene we are accustomed to but from the Gospel according to St. Luke 2:41-52. This is the story of the finding of Jesus in the temple.

As happens even to this day the child Jesus fully God and fully human, wandered away from His parents each thinking he was with the other. Imagine how worried would the parents of our own time be, with our kidnappings and amber alerts, we are alot more concerned with children as a society than were people in Jesus's day this must have added to the Holy parents' concern about the disappearance of Jesus. Then added to what we know of the slaughter of the innocents, a boy of Jesus's age must have stuck out like a sore thumb. Thus, adding even more to the parent's concern. These two factors may likely have played a role in Jesus returning home with his parents until his age of 30, when his ministry began.

The mystery of the holy family is so rich it is hard to know where to start. I am getting the mustard seen effect -- the more I mediate on this mystery the richer, broader and deeper it becomes until what appears small and simple at first could take a whole book, nigh volumes to fully explore.

There is the very distinct difference between Jesus and Mary, and St. Joseph. Because while Jesus and Mary were born without original sin, St. Joseph was born with original sin. So, to be near Jesus, he had to have been and extraordinary man, completely sanctified in the Jewish faith, and though with the stain of original sin, there being no baptism yet, he had to be free from other mortal sin in order to be that close to God to have held Jesus in his arms and not be struck dead. He was obviously given the special graces to attain this mostly sinlessness, and must have practiced his Jewish faith precisely, in order for Jesus to have chosen him as a step father from beginning of time.

St. Joseph was also repsonsible for providing the temporal needs and the religious education of Jesus, althg we can see from the day's gosple that Jesus needed no instruction, and that St. Joseph probably benefited more from the relationship and from the teaching of Jesus than the Saint's own knowledge however perfect that might have been.

St. Joseph was also responsible for teaching Jesus a trade. or that pf building and fixing wooden objects, a humble trade, even more so at the time of Jesus than in our own time.

And so here was St. Joseph, not exempt from original sin, given special graces, working at a humble trade, not wealthy devout in his obedience to his Jewish faith and example in moth areas to the human nature of his Son, God almighty, benefiting from the extra graces given him, and yet susceptible to all the temptations we as men have. The perfect model of the Father in the home, and reminiscent of my own father who died in 1997. Dad you did a good job. Are you seeing the mustard seed affect here.

In my own life I have not lived up to either the example of St. Joseph or my Father. I have a long way to go. I definitely can see the traits of St. Joseph my Father's life, although I did not appreciate these until he died.

And so St. Joseph, was an exceptional man, chosen by Jesus from the beginning of time, to be his step Father, to provide for an protect him in his innocence and helplessness. And to provide for and protect his mother. Jesus's in his humanity did not share genetics with St. Joseph hence the term step father.

Jesus as we know was conceived by the Virgin Mary out of the Holy spirit's love for her. And that the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and left her pregnant with Jesus and virginal, and yet loved in a special way. According to Arch bishop Fulton Sheen there can be no conception without love.

so, any contemplation of the Holy Family brings into contemplation the mystery of the Holy trinity. The Holy spirit overshadowed the virgin Mary, and yet since the trinity are three persons in one, all three persons were loved and there, Jesus was with the Holy spirit when the overshadowing occurred and thus conceived with the holy spirit and the father in the womb. And let us not forget that Blessed Mother gave Jesus his humanity.

This mystery is hard to comprehend as well. In order for Jesus to be fully God and Fully human, he had to have a human nature, this came exclusively from Blessed Mother, who's egg and DNA interacted with what was placed within her by the trinity via the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.

She was chosen from the beginning of time for this, and the graces given to her where as special as this selection. She was immaculately conceived, without original sin, joining only Adam, Eve and her Son Jesus in this grace. Both Jesus and His mother were susceptible to temptation, Jesus in his human nature,and Blessed Mother due to her full humanity. Both remained without sin. But there is an important difference, Jesus Christ is God, Blessed Mother is not.

Both were tempted and passed the test, i.e., remained sinless. Both were stand ins replacements redeemers for Adam and Eve.

So, the Holy Family had 30 years of peace, and then at Cana, it all began, and Jesus and His mother began together. It was she who asked him to change the water into wine, it was she who told the rest of us to do whatever he tells you, it was she, St. Joseph having died, who alone knew, of His divine nature. And it was she who said woman what is this to me, when she asked him to start his ministry that would end in the passion and death of her flesh and blood, did she know it all at that point?

Well she knew what He told her of this in their special relationship. And it was he who said to her the first time calling her woman the universal woman, when He said to her woman what is this to me. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen explains,in the Aramaic what Jesus said was woman what to thee is to me, meaning are you really ready to start this, to give me to the world and watch my passion and death. I will then giver you to the church as the universal mother of all. Everything has gone according to plan, good job, but are you really ready for this. Jesus loved His mother so much and respected her position in the Holy family that He allowed her to call the time of the beginning of the messianic period, this short period of time between the time of the dispertion and the end times.

She started the epoch when saying yes to God through the angel Gabriel, and she said yes to her son, when she asked him to fix the wine at Cana,they have run out of wine, it was as if she asked, we need your blood now; now is the time; she was allowed to start this, by her Son, Jesus Our Lord and Savior and her true Son and Father, Her son and her God, so honored her, and so do we honor her according to her elevation and eventual assumption.

And so do we honor the entire Holy family for saying yes and allowing for our redemption, for Jesus in his humility to come as a human to humble himself and gives us what he new we needed fro our salvation a church a kingdom of god on earth, and a demonstration of eternal life by his resurrection and the nourishment for our soul spiritual food in the form of the Eucharist his presence for us to consume, our bodies carrying our souls in the communion line to receive this great gift of soul food of soul nourishment and the grace that comes with that of it is in that moment of communion when we consume the body and blood of our lord that we become like Blessed Mother when we say yes to salvation when we do whatever he tells us, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to us.

St,Joseph is the model for all men, Blessed mother the model for all woman ans Jesus the model for all children and declaring the importance of children in his humility.

The ideal family the Holy family saying yes and submitting to the father in heaven and in their arms.

this is an important day and there is much here to contemplate many mysteries to meditate on and model as best we can.

http://www.stmichalegodsknight.com

copyright 2009 fred celio

Do Catholics believe in the rapture of the church?

Except when speaking of the Assumption of the Blessed virgin Mary, the rapture is a concept made up by fundamentalists, to support their fundamental socio-political views, and to fill their coffers with the cash of the ignorant.

People like Hal Lindsey etc. have made a great deal of money by misinterpreting the book of Revelations which was written by St. John to give hope to the early Catholic Church during the OFFICIAL Roman persecution. It is written in ancient Hebrew symbolic style, so that it would be understood by the early catholics, who came from a Hebrew tradition, but would not give away the faith of a person found by a Roman authority to be carrying the letter, and thus having the carrier be identified as a Catholic and thus be put do death or be asked to worship the emperor or be put to death, as the Romans would not be able to understand it.
Since it is written in this symbolic manner it is easily used by the fundamentalist movement to support their fundamental goal of establishing a new socio-political system to their liking. Remember one of the hallmarks of the fundamentalist or evangelical movement is that the bible and religion are bent and only useful in so far as they support the socio-political agenda. It is this socio-political agenda or point of view that is fundamental whether it be so called "christian" Islamic fundamentalism, the religion is secondary and only "used" to support the fundamental -- socio-political goals. These goals are a threat to the United States of America and to other faiths.
Evidence suggests that The fundamentalist or evangelical movement was started by a group of subversive wealthy "intellectuals" bent on the destruction of the US as we know it by removing the freedoms in the Constitution and the Declaration of independence; and replacing these witha strict adherence to a pseudo religious law. Thus we see something called Islamic law not only Arab countries, but working itself into European nations, and we see a sort of old Mosaic law, being promoted by the so called Christian Fundamentalists/Evangelicals aka religious right wing.
In the US we have found via the ideals initially expressed by Thomas Jefferson of freedom and democracy that these fringe groups eventually fade away. Actually they tend to ebb and flow in the US. But it is our freedom and democracy, the very things these groups seek to first discount and then destroy that saves us. Ridiculous ideas tend to be uncovered and die in the free market place of ideas.
Naturally it is our freedom of speech that the fundies seek to destroy first, using a so called "higher" authority they seek to replace freedom with their version of right. Ironically the fundamentalist use any expression of opposition to their point of view as an example of limiting their own freedom of speech. This very article I am entering will be attacked by fundamentalists as an attempt to limit their freedom of speech, when in fact any thinking person would see it as an expression of an opposing point of view supported by an interpretation of the facts -- this is true opinion. Whether or not you agree or disagree with my interpretation of the facts is up to you. My point of view will will stand or fall in the free market place of ideas.
I am Catholic, and I believe e we are the first group the evangelicals or funides would get rid of if they ever had their way or sway.
Our social teaching and doctrine are based in our history of tradition, apostolic succession, pope the magistrium, and scripture and it is formed from knowing the truth, but it is our religion that is fundamental not our social teaching. The church and scripture begot our social teaching, and when any social teaching is found to be out of line with doctrine it is the social teaching that is changed; with the evangelicals it is the other way around, if the social-political is found not to be supported by scripture it is the interpretation of scripture that is changed. This is a direct result of Luther's precedent from which has come the idea that scripture can be interpreted and understood on an individual basis, without the exegies based on our history to understand it's context. This conveniently allows various sects and protestant denominations to branch off of each other endlessly (ie the Calvary Chapple movement (non-denominational) was formed by Chuck Smith who branched off from his pentecostal roots for his own reasons). Until we get to the modern day evangelicals the "fundies" who so far removed from the vine aka Jesus that they do not know the truth when they hear it. Many were born into these sects, and thus have a prejudice against the truth. are not responsible as Pope John Paul II taught us; they are not responsible for the original heresy that they were born into.
However, a case can be made that a "fundie" born into one of these sects in the united states, with our freedom of access to the truth and our freedom of religion who remains a part of one of these sects beyond middle age, must retain some culpability for the heresy they hold tightly to as well as for leading so many from the truth.
So, no the rapture is nonsense invented to sell books to support a sinister pseudo-christian sub culture.
Let me reiterate, the fact that we as Catholics hold common positions with the fundies on abortion and gay marriage. and the encyclical of John Paul II does not the negate the fact that these evangelical sects while being our brothers and sisters through baptism continue to be separated and hang tightly to a partial truth which includes heresy. As any young catholic can tell you baptism does not insure salvation beyond the washing away of original sin and all other sins at the time of baptism, and since w retain free will after baptism we most certainly are capable of sinning and thus losing our salvation after baptism, if we do not seek and receive absolution through the sacrament of confession as prescribed by Jesus and written by us in the new testament as a part of the new covenant. We Catholics are the leaders, of these brothers and sisters in baptism who have fallen away, and it is our duty to bring them home.
This is very difficult for some of us, and many Catholics get picked off into fundie fellowships, my suggestion is not to associate with them even on the common ground we hold on abortion and gay marriage, unless one is deeply grounded and rooted in the truth of Catholicism.

Other than the assumption of Blessed Mother there is absolutely no historical or biblical support for the "rapture".

copyright 2009 Fred Celio

http://www.stmichalegodsknight.com

The Assupmtion of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Two excellent homilies today on the daily scripture page. One from the Deacon and on from the Hermitage. But these can be found at http://www.stmicahelgodsknight.com/. I look for your suggestions on what else may need to be included. There you will find today's Roman Catholic scripture readings as well as an excellent homily from the hermitage of our lady of Guadalupe.

When I think of this day, well I wonder what it must have been like to be present, the rapture as our partly christian friends would understand it. I spent some time at Calvary Chapel, "learning" to live like first century Christians, which was my longing at the time.

Little did I know that I was learning from them, and the Episcopal Church, that what I was longing for was to come home. Home to the Kingdom of God/Heaven on earth -- the Catholic church.

Refer to something called "the rapture" but without an understanding of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is as foreign to me now as the idea that one can "walk with the Lord" without following the liturgy. The Liturgical year allows us to literally walk with the Lord, as they did in that first century.

Imagine if you will being huddled in the attic waiting. Waiting for what, Jesus was dead hanged from a cross; even though He had promised to send and advocate. Where was this advocate? Well the Holy Spirit was among them all the time. Our Blessed Mother was there; she having had the Holy Spirit with her, as these brave men now huddled at her feet for fear they would meet the same fate as Jesus, and waiting for the Romans. Instead they had her strength from the Holy Spirit, who dwelled within her. And behold Jesus appeared to our nascent church, our first magistirium, hand picked from the beginning for this sacred calling of carrying on the kingdom on earth.

And Jesus showed himself in His glorified body, and breathed the Holy Spirit into them, while at the same time ordaining them, save St. Peter who was ordained prior to the Crucifixion separately, and given the keys to the kingdom of God on earth, that God himself humbled to found.

Filled with the Holy Spirit and thus the courage to move on with the building of the kingdom. They now had what Blessed Mother had and then some. For they unlike Blessed Mother knew sin. She as the stand in for eve, never knew sin.

She was and is not divine. She was just a susceptible to sin as the rest of us or having been born immaculately conceived without original sin was nonetheless just as susceptible as Eve. But where Eve succumbed to temptation, blessed mother did not. Not even when they hammered the nails into his hands. God whom she knew as a human mother.

For this she was and we all were rewarded with "rapture" the Assumption. This we celebrate today as part of the liturgical year, Universally. We literally walk with the Lord.

Please pray for those who are sick, and the souls who suffer in purgatory, as we celebrate the triumph of our blessed mother, who crushed the serpents head rather than listen to him.

Peace to you all

copyright Fred Celio 2009