The 2014 Synod of Bishops, a meeting that had uncovered deep divisions within the Catholic church, will continue next year when the world will find out if those divisions will be bridged and if so, how. An article published by a decidedly non-religious medium, Reuters, summarized the event. [1]
While one can dream of the perfect person and a perfect family in a perfect world, the dream cannot be translated into reality for nobody is perfect and therefore no family is perfect at a place that is no longer the Garden of Eden. How the Church plans to deal with those who have sinned but cannot "go and sin no more" is a challenge because a sinner will keep on sinning without the grace of God.
Certainly, no one really expects the Church to expand her definition of family to include unmarried heterosexual couples with kids and married homosexual couples with adopted children, and to welcome divorced men living with their pretty, young girlfriends, leaving their wives without husbands and their children fatherless and to permit a Bishop to go around sprinkling "dykes" on their "bikes" at a gay parade with Holy Water.
It will be interesting to see how far the Church under this pope will go in accepting those existing outside of the scope of a traditional Catholic family [2] without judging them. If indeed this pope is willing to embrace everyone with open arms, Heaven would look very different in his imagination than in Cardinal Burke's.
[1] http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/10/23/what-the-catholic-synod-that-discussed-divorced-lgbt-believers-did-and-didnt-do/
[2] This entry is not complete without without analyzing Jesus' family (see http://www.gotquestions.org/Joseph-and-Mary.html). Jesus' family was not traditional. The Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit (a one-of-a-kind of conception that is not equivalent to a sperm-bank pregnancy or an in vitro fertilization) before Jesus had a father (Joseph and Mary were betrothed when Joseph was asked to become the father of Jesus, the "husband" of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by angel Gabriel), but it could be said that Jesus was conceived by God the Father, and therefore He had a Father before He was conceived. Technically, Jesus had two fathers. A boy from a good Catholic family does not have two fathers (notwithstanding the Lord's prayer that begins with "Our Father" and other prayers to God the Father), let alone parents who never have sexual relations with each other. Joseph and Mary never had sexual relations before the birth of Jesus (it was not likely that the Blessed Virgin Mary had sex with Joseph when She was carrying the Son of God in Her womb) and presumably none after they were married (they were supposedly married) since Jesus had no siblings. This is not "normal" within the context of the traditional Catholic family.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
The Sperm Bank Baby
A report by Lisa Ling on a sperm bank produced a few thoughts. She was at the Fairfax Cryobank where apparently the best looking, the most athletic and the most intelligent male specimens were being collected in the form of spermatozoa. Women who wish to be fertilized by the sperm of a model male can pay for the privilege. [1]
This is not what Mother Nature intended. Actions that human beings take that are contrary to Mother Nature will lead to the destruction of civilization. Suppose all children born are from a select group of exceptionally attractive, athletic and smart alpha males with DNA that predisposed them to be decision-makers and leaders, then who will follow? Who will do the cooking and the cleaning at home? Who will be the car attendants, the chefs and the servers? Who will be the garbage collectors, the hairdressers, the seamstresses, the plumbers and the carpenters?
And what if the women who are being fertilized by these sperms are not saintly themselves, but are downright selfish, cunning, manipulative and ruthless, then would their offspring not possess some or all of those traits? Would the world then not have too many very capable, attractive, bright men and women who would do evil deeds?
What if the men who ejaculate into a container have character flaws and are virtueless sinners themselves? Would their offspring also have some or all of that unfortunate DNA?
Is it natural for a man to enter a small room with magazines and videos to self-stimulate to ejaculation and then aim his erect penis at a container to shoot his semen into? The male specimen Lisa Ling interviewed insinuated that he did that twice a week. Does anyone think that there maybe something abnormal with that man's thought process or desires? Was he that desperate for money, assuming he gets paid well for his hand job?
Would Carlos Slim [2], [3] who is neither slim nor tall, exceptionally attractive nor athletic but incredibly wealthy qualify as a candidate at the Fairfax Cryobank? Did his mother get fertilized by an unknown man's sperm at a sperm bank? Would billionaire Slim walk into a room and ejaculate so that whichever offspring from his sperm can sue his eventual estate as a relative for not including him or her in his will?
Would a good Catholic priest ever condone an act of masturbation? Would he himself ejaculate for a sperm bank? Would the Catholic church not be better off to have exceptionally good-looking, smart and athletic priests who are celibate, loving and humble to attract all the sexually deprived wives and their homosexually latent husbands to church to listen to their sermons?
If Jesus were alive today, would He, a homeless, uneducated, indigent man who would rather suffer and die than fight for His beliefs, qualify to be a specimen at a sperm bank? Would any woman want to be impregnated by His seed after reading His anonymous specifications?
Is a sperm bank baby necessarily going to be a more loving person and live a happier life than a baby naturally conceived? Is there any guarantee that a sperm bank baby is going to deliver as expected? Were Albert Einstein's children also geniuses? Were any of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's children famous composers? Were Steve Jobs' biological parents successful and wealthy?
I believe the answer to all the queries in the paragraph above is in the negative, which proves that there are no guarantees in life, whether the life comes from a sperm bank zygote or not. One thing is certain: God is still in charge [4], no matter how much control one thinks one has over one's life and the lives of one's children.
[1] This entry does not address the perversion of the family structure.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim
[3] http://www.forbes.com/profile/carlos-slim-helu/
[4] The fact that God is in charge does not contradict man's Free Will. Man can exercise his Free Will but the outcome of his will rests with God.
This is not what Mother Nature intended. Actions that human beings take that are contrary to Mother Nature will lead to the destruction of civilization. Suppose all children born are from a select group of exceptionally attractive, athletic and smart alpha males with DNA that predisposed them to be decision-makers and leaders, then who will follow? Who will do the cooking and the cleaning at home? Who will be the car attendants, the chefs and the servers? Who will be the garbage collectors, the hairdressers, the seamstresses, the plumbers and the carpenters?
And what if the women who are being fertilized by these sperms are not saintly themselves, but are downright selfish, cunning, manipulative and ruthless, then would their offspring not possess some or all of those traits? Would the world then not have too many very capable, attractive, bright men and women who would do evil deeds?
What if the men who ejaculate into a container have character flaws and are virtueless sinners themselves? Would their offspring also have some or all of that unfortunate DNA?
Is it natural for a man to enter a small room with magazines and videos to self-stimulate to ejaculation and then aim his erect penis at a container to shoot his semen into? The male specimen Lisa Ling interviewed insinuated that he did that twice a week. Does anyone think that there maybe something abnormal with that man's thought process or desires? Was he that desperate for money, assuming he gets paid well for his hand job?
Would Carlos Slim [2], [3] who is neither slim nor tall, exceptionally attractive nor athletic but incredibly wealthy qualify as a candidate at the Fairfax Cryobank? Did his mother get fertilized by an unknown man's sperm at a sperm bank? Would billionaire Slim walk into a room and ejaculate so that whichever offspring from his sperm can sue his eventual estate as a relative for not including him or her in his will?
Would a good Catholic priest ever condone an act of masturbation? Would he himself ejaculate for a sperm bank? Would the Catholic church not be better off to have exceptionally good-looking, smart and athletic priests who are celibate, loving and humble to attract all the sexually deprived wives and their homosexually latent husbands to church to listen to their sermons?
If Jesus were alive today, would He, a homeless, uneducated, indigent man who would rather suffer and die than fight for His beliefs, qualify to be a specimen at a sperm bank? Would any woman want to be impregnated by His seed after reading His anonymous specifications?
Is a sperm bank baby necessarily going to be a more loving person and live a happier life than a baby naturally conceived? Is there any guarantee that a sperm bank baby is going to deliver as expected? Were Albert Einstein's children also geniuses? Were any of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's children famous composers? Were Steve Jobs' biological parents successful and wealthy?
I believe the answer to all the queries in the paragraph above is in the negative, which proves that there are no guarantees in life, whether the life comes from a sperm bank zygote or not. One thing is certain: God is still in charge [4], no matter how much control one thinks one has over one's life and the lives of one's children.
[1] This entry does not address the perversion of the family structure.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim
[3] http://www.forbes.com/profile/carlos-slim-helu/
[4] The fact that God is in charge does not contradict man's Free Will. Man can exercise his Free Will but the outcome of his will rests with God.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Male Strippers And Ebola
The Catholic Church neither condemns male strippers nor has it
elevated them automatically to sainthood even though the current pope
blessed a former male stripper's talking parrot [1].
Without hoping to become saints, two American male strippers, Axl Goode and Taylor Cole, have acted saintly by isolating themselves after they had flown on the same Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 as Amber Vinson, the Ebola-infected nurse [2], [3]. May God bless them both.
[1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/pope-francis-blesses-male-strippers-talking-parrot#3q8sec5
[2] http://hotair.com/archives/2014/10/17/male-strippers-on-ebola-infected-nurses-flight-pretty-appalled-by-cdcs-irresponsibility/
[3] http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/models-axl-goode-and-taylor-cole-self-quarantine-after-sitting-near-ebola-nurse-amber-vinson-on-flight-to-dallas/story-fnh81jut-1227094447147
Without hoping to become saints, two American male strippers, Axl Goode and Taylor Cole, have acted saintly by isolating themselves after they had flown on the same Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 as Amber Vinson, the Ebola-infected nurse [2], [3]. May God bless them both.
[1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/pope-francis-blesses-male-strippers-talking-parrot#3q8sec5
[2] http://hotair.com/archives/2014/10/17/male-strippers-on-ebola-infected-nurses-flight-pretty-appalled-by-cdcs-irresponsibility/
[3] http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/models-axl-goode-and-taylor-cole-self-quarantine-after-sitting-near-ebola-nurse-amber-vinson-on-flight-to-dallas/story-fnh81jut-1227094447147
We Keep Our Lives -- You Keep Your Ebola And Your Dollars
[1]Heaven on earth apparently does not welcome Hell on earth. Who could blame the Cozumel authorities for turning their back on money? There is no need for money in Heaven and Heaven on earth. God has provided plenty for the people who live in Cozumel. They may not be the wealthiest but who needs wealth in such a beautiful place where people are enjoying their health and their lives?
Belize also refused to let the quarantined passenger to disembark so that the passenger could be flown back to the United States. [3]
Cozumel and Belize are not the only earthly paradises. There are many. I hope they all remain pristine and uncontaminated. If they have to shut out travelers to keep their people safe, they have my support.
[1] Photos from http://www.cozumelwatersports.com/ToursExcursions/3Stop_Colombia_Palancar_Cielo.htm and http://www.promoscozumel.com/cozumel_watersports_scuba_diving_snorkel_in_cozumel.html
[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/17/cruise-ship-carrying-texas-ebola-nurse-refused-entry-in-belize/
[3] http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/17/belize-refuses-entry-to-cruise-ship-carrying-texas-hospital-worker-who-may-have-handled-ebola-victims-specimen/
In The Face Of Ebola And Death
Ebola [1] is forcing people of the world to face their mortality. Whether the fear is real or perceived, people are uneasy about the nature of Ebola, how it is transmitted and the possibility of it mutating into a spore [2] that suspends in the air ready to lodge in the lungs of every air-breathing mammal.
Although there are a handful of patients who seemingly may have been cured of Ebola, time will tell if they will relapse, caused by the awakening of an Ebola virus that had become dormant in their bodies during treatment, giving rise to a second generation Ebola that is even more virulent for having survived whatever medication that was used to eradicate its ancestors.
I do not wish my speculation to add to any existing fear. However, one must face reality and accept that new and deadly diseases will continue to plague the world. While the medical community is working to prevent the spread of any deadly disease, new lethal germs continue to appear, putting pressure on pharmaceutical companies to develop more and more powerful drugs to combat them. With HIV still a concern a concern and Ebola growing out of control, viruses seem to have the upper hand.
It is normal for people to be stressed out over the spread of Ebola, no matter who or where they are, how wealthy or impoverished, because everyone wants to cling to life. Life, as this blog has continually emphasized, is precious to everyone who has it. It is precious because it is a gift from God. Sometimes people forget and they go to war because of economic, religious and ideological differences but mostly because of greed, power and the absence of humility.
What if Ebola has taken hold in the war and protest zones of the world? What would fighters and community organizers on both sides be focused on first, their lives stricken by a debilitating illness or their self-serving causes?
When the human race faces mortality and a mountain of worries, the only way for man to find interior peace is to place his future the hands of God Who is his Creator and Savior. When an individual faces mortality, it is important to reconcile oneself to God to find peace and gain eternal salvation.
[1] "There are five strains of the Ebola virus, each named after countries and regions in Africa: Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston. The Zaire Ebola virus is the deadliest, with a mortality rate of 90 percent. It is the strain currently spreading through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and beyond." See http://www.dw.de/top-ten-most-dangerous-viruses-in-the-world/a-17846283
[2] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3215575/posts
Although there are a handful of patients who seemingly may have been cured of Ebola, time will tell if they will relapse, caused by the awakening of an Ebola virus that had become dormant in their bodies during treatment, giving rise to a second generation Ebola that is even more virulent for having survived whatever medication that was used to eradicate its ancestors.
I do not wish my speculation to add to any existing fear. However, one must face reality and accept that new and deadly diseases will continue to plague the world. While the medical community is working to prevent the spread of any deadly disease, new lethal germs continue to appear, putting pressure on pharmaceutical companies to develop more and more powerful drugs to combat them. With HIV still a concern a concern and Ebola growing out of control, viruses seem to have the upper hand.
It is normal for people to be stressed out over the spread of Ebola, no matter who or where they are, how wealthy or impoverished, because everyone wants to cling to life. Life, as this blog has continually emphasized, is precious to everyone who has it. It is precious because it is a gift from God. Sometimes people forget and they go to war because of economic, religious and ideological differences but mostly because of greed, power and the absence of humility.
What if Ebola has taken hold in the war and protest zones of the world? What would fighters and community organizers on both sides be focused on first, their lives stricken by a debilitating illness or their self-serving causes?
When the human race faces mortality and a mountain of worries, the only way for man to find interior peace is to place his future the hands of God Who is his Creator and Savior. When an individual faces mortality, it is important to reconcile oneself to God to find peace and gain eternal salvation.
[1] "There are five strains of the Ebola virus, each named after countries and regions in Africa: Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston. The Zaire Ebola virus is the deadliest, with a mortality rate of 90 percent. It is the strain currently spreading through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and beyond." See http://www.dw.de/top-ten-most-dangerous-viruses-in-the-world/a-17846283
[2] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3215575/posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
My Hero
My hero: Jordan Matson from Racine County, Wisconsin [1]. [2], [3]:
Below is an article quoted from USA Today [4]:
[1] Top photograph: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10/us-marine-from-wisconsin-joins-kurdish-ypg-forces-to-fight-isis/
[2] Bottom photograph: http://www.veooz.com/photos/EHWtE1g.html
[3] http://fox6now.com/2014/10/04/racine-man-decides-to-do-something-about-isis/
Update on 10/17/14, citing another article on the internet published on or about October 7 per the earliest date stamps in the comment section: http://guardianofvalor.com/truth-behind-jordan-matsons-american-fighting-isis-ypg-military-career/
[4] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/06/jordan-matson-joins-kurds-against-islamic-state/16796487/
[5] Although I do not believe that engaging ISIS in battle is the solution, quoting Jordan Matson, I agree that my "online sympathy" and my "five minutes of lip service does nothing." Jordan Matson has the courage I lack and is doing what I am incapable of doing. He is my hero. My only contribution to his courageous endeavor is my prayer: May God be with you and everybody alongside you always!
Below is an article quoted from USA Today [4]:
DERIKE, Syria — Like many Americans, Jordan Matson is outraged by the brutality of the Islamic State. But unlike virtually every other American, he decided to take on the militants head-on.
Now, the 28-year-old Racine, Wis., man is recovering in a hospital here in northeastern Syria from a shrapnel wound in his foot, the result of a mortar attack by Islamic State fighters in Jazaa, along the Iraqi border.
Tall with slightly graying hair, Matson conceded that people back home might call him crazy for joining Kurdish forces three weeks ago to help end the Islamic State's reign of terror.
"I couldn't just sit and watch Christians being slaughtered anymore," he said in an interview with USA TODAY. "I got sick of giving online sympathy. Five minutes of lip service does nothing. These people are fighting for their homes, for everything they have." (Emphasis added). [5]
Matson was critical of the United States for being slow to launch air attacks on the Islamic State militants, who have been fighting in Syria for three years and seized large portions of Iraq earlier this year.
"It wasn't until an American was beheaded did we do anything," he said of the execution of journalist James Foley in August. "We just let the monster grow and grow.
"For the U.S. government, it's not about human life. It's about how they look in the opinion polls," added Matson, who was wearing a military uniform and a traditional Kurdish black and white scarf across his shoulders.
Matson, who now goes by the name Sadar, served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman from May 2006 until November 2007, attaining the rank of private first class, according to Army Human Resources Command.
...
To get to the battlefield here, Matson said he worked as a delivery driver for a food service company for six months to save enough money for a flight and to support himself for the three years that he expects to be here.
"I was Googling the Syrian civil war looking for a military force fighting ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIL) that wasn't a terrorist organization. I found the YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Unit) on Facebook and saw it wasn't a terrorist organization so I contacted them," he said.
"They asked me a few questions to make sure I wasn't pro ISIS and then they told me I could come. I just flew by the seat of my pants."
...
Matson flew from Chicago to Warsaw to Istanbul, and then drove to Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey. There he was picked up by a YPG member who drove him to Iraq, where he crossed the border into Syria pretending to be a doctor.
"They don't pay me, but they treat me like family. If I need anything, they look after me," he said.
Able to speak a few words of Kurdish and with the help of sign language, he manages to get his point across to his comrades and the doctors at the rundown hospital filled with wounded fighters in this largely desolate city.
Matson said the Kurdish forces are very young with no heavy weapons or body armor "Sometimes it's just kids. That's the way it is. I have a Kalashnikov (automatic rifle), that's it."
"In the dark, with no night vision goggles, we can't see ISIS," he said. "The other night 12 black figures walked towards our base and just starting shooting at us."
He laughed as he recalled a young YPG fighter whose aim was so bad he wasn't able to shoot a chicken for dinner one evening.
Despite his comrades' shortcomings, he remains committed to the battle. "Once I can put a boot back on," he said, "I'm back there."
Contributing: The Army Times
[1] Top photograph: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10/us-marine-from-wisconsin-joins-kurdish-ypg-forces-to-fight-isis/
[2] Bottom photograph: http://www.veooz.com/photos/EHWtE1g.html
[3] http://fox6now.com/2014/10/04/racine-man-decides-to-do-something-about-isis/
Update on 10/17/14, citing another article on the internet published on or about October 7 per the earliest date stamps in the comment section: http://guardianofvalor.com/truth-behind-jordan-matsons-american-fighting-isis-ypg-military-career/
[4] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/06/jordan-matson-joins-kurds-against-islamic-state/16796487/
[5] Although I do not believe that engaging ISIS in battle is the solution, quoting Jordan Matson, I agree that my "online sympathy" and my "five minutes of lip service does nothing." Jordan Matson has the courage I lack and is doing what I am incapable of doing. He is my hero. My only contribution to his courageous endeavor is my prayer: May God be with you and everybody alongside you always!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
An Invitation From Heaven
You receive a formal invitation from Heaven, assuming that you accept, would you prepare yourself in the same way as you would after being invited to a private dinner at the Buckingham Palace or the Kremlin, like getting your hair styled, buying new clothes and shoes, deciding what jewelry to wear, for example?
Each person prepares himself or herself differently before attending a momentous event. Likewise, there is no fixed formula that prepares oneself for Heaven [1]. Each person sins in his or her own way and each person has a unique relationship with God. Just as unique is how one expiates one's sins in preparation for Heaven.
The invitation to enter Heaven is an open one. Whether and how to accept it is up to each person's own Free Will.
[1] The Catholic Church would disagree with that assertion for the Church maintains that there is a fixed formula that everyone could follow to enter Heaven. That formula, although works, is impractical, which means that it does not really work. To make it work, the Church has come up with the concept of confession. Confession is a good thing for it reminds us of the need to constantly perfect ourselves in preparation for Heaven even though very few have perfected themselves through confession, prayer and penance, perhaps with the exception of San Francesco d'Assisi who received the stigmata. Because sin is an addiction, and it is chronic, an individual has to rely on the forgiveness and love of God to enter Heaven. No one enters Heaven without the Grace of God. Each person receives the Grace of God at different times and in different doses, each according to his and her uniqueness. In return, God expects love. Whether and how much love is reciprocated is the individual's choice.
Each person prepares himself or herself differently before attending a momentous event. Likewise, there is no fixed formula that prepares oneself for Heaven [1]. Each person sins in his or her own way and each person has a unique relationship with God. Just as unique is how one expiates one's sins in preparation for Heaven.
The invitation to enter Heaven is an open one. Whether and how to accept it is up to each person's own Free Will.
[1] The Catholic Church would disagree with that assertion for the Church maintains that there is a fixed formula that everyone could follow to enter Heaven. That formula, although works, is impractical, which means that it does not really work. To make it work, the Church has come up with the concept of confession. Confession is a good thing for it reminds us of the need to constantly perfect ourselves in preparation for Heaven even though very few have perfected themselves through confession, prayer and penance, perhaps with the exception of San Francesco d'Assisi who received the stigmata. Because sin is an addiction, and it is chronic, an individual has to rely on the forgiveness and love of God to enter Heaven. No one enters Heaven without the Grace of God. Each person receives the Grace of God at different times and in different doses, each according to his and her uniqueness. In return, God expects love. Whether and how much love is reciprocated is the individual's choice.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
The Angelic Face
Seeing a face so beautiful is not an everyday encounter, a face that is angelic with kind, sparkling eyes that draw you into deep within his or her soul where you can experience the true beauty of innocence and with a smile so sweet and genuine that no one can doubt that it comes out a pure and loving heart. These faces, as rare as they are, remind us that God exists and that they exist for God.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Africa - Satan's Earthly Cauldron?
Every human, regardless of skin color, is a creation of God but that
does not mean than Satan will not interfere. The majority of
inhabitants in Africa happens to be black and it is in that continent
that Satan has arguably established Its cauldron in which evil is
manufactured. The products that come out of Satan's cauldron warp God's
creation in order to destroy it. That is not to say that good does not
ever come out of Africa, it does, but because of the concentration of
Satan's power in that continent, the influence of evil overwhelms the
good, and many things and people that have origins in Africa have not
been good for the rest of the world. Conversely, the fact that Satan
may not have a strong presence in other continents does not mean that
certain things and people that have originated from there are not evil,
they are.
This entry, however, is limited to an examination of the effects upon the world that had origins in Africa:
1. HIV - from the Congo [1], [2]
2. Killer Bees - also known as Africanized honey bees [3], [4], [5]
3. Ebola - originated in the Congo [6]
4. Muhammad - Some have stated that the prophet Muhammad had a African mother and African ancestors [7]
5. Can the reader think of any other virus, bacteria, insect, influential character and just plain folk (past and present) with African roots that has brought disaster to the rest of world?
While Asia has its share of deadly exports such as the Hong Kong flu, the avian flu and swine flu and so on, they are not quite as deadly as HIV or Ebola. The Bubonic plague that hit Europe in the Middle Ages now has its origin established scientifically in Egypt and north Africa. [8]
These examples do not prove conclusively that Africa is the sole source of evil but they also do not exempt Africa from being a major contributor to the world's problems, notwithstanding the Virgin Mary's apparition in Kibeho, Rwanda [9].
[1] http://www.theaidsinstitute.org/node/259
[2] http://www.avert.org/origin-hiv-aids.htm
[3] http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/killbee.htm
[4] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-makes-killer-bees-so-deadly/
[5] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/10/09/swarm-bees-attacks-four-people-kills-one/
[6] http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html
[7] http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-original-black-arabs-of-arabia-part-4-the-black-stone-the-black-tribe-of-koreysh-black-prophet-mohammed/
[8] http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-original-black-arabs-of-arabia-part-4-the-black-stone-the-black-tribe-of-koreysh-black-prophet-mohammed/
[9] http://www.michaeljournal.org/kibeho.htm
This entry, however, is limited to an examination of the effects upon the world that had origins in Africa:
1. HIV - from the Congo [1], [2]
2. Killer Bees - also known as Africanized honey bees [3], [4], [5]
3. Ebola - originated in the Congo [6]
4. Muhammad - Some have stated that the prophet Muhammad had a African mother and African ancestors [7]
5. Can the reader think of any other virus, bacteria, insect, influential character and just plain folk (past and present) with African roots that has brought disaster to the rest of world?
While Asia has its share of deadly exports such as the Hong Kong flu, the avian flu and swine flu and so on, they are not quite as deadly as HIV or Ebola. The Bubonic plague that hit Europe in the Middle Ages now has its origin established scientifically in Egypt and north Africa. [8]
These examples do not prove conclusively that Africa is the sole source of evil but they also do not exempt Africa from being a major contributor to the world's problems, notwithstanding the Virgin Mary's apparition in Kibeho, Rwanda [9].
[1] http://www.theaidsinstitute.org/node/259
[2] http://www.avert.org/origin-hiv-aids.htm
[3] http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/killbee.htm
[4] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-makes-killer-bees-so-deadly/
[5] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/10/09/swarm-bees-attacks-four-people-kills-one/
[6] http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html
[7] http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-original-black-arabs-of-arabia-part-4-the-black-stone-the-black-tribe-of-koreysh-black-prophet-mohammed/
[8] http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-original-black-arabs-of-arabia-part-4-the-black-stone-the-black-tribe-of-koreysh-black-prophet-mohammed/
[9] http://www.michaeljournal.org/kibeho.htm
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
A Sword Cuts Both Ways
Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, a number of people with a lot power sitting in room were almost giddy seeing the toppling of certain leaders in the Mideast. Whether or not Twitter played a major role maybe debatable [1] but the fact that it played a role is not in dispute. This was a smart move except those who planned it were so arrogant that they thought it would not boomerang. It did [2]. They are not laughing now.
They were proud. They thought they were smart, smarter than anybody in the world. They were full of themselves. After all, they beat their political opponents and won elections, and they had their followers. They were too blind to realize that a sword has two edges, and it cuts both ways. They were blind too to the teachings of Christ.
Instead of loving thy enemy [3], they wanted to dominate the world by destabilizing the existing social order, to change regimes, so that they would appear strong, not that they are strong. The only way to become strong is to win an enemy's respect. That, they have not done, nor have they decimated all their enemies, not even one of the least militarily equipped with modern weaponry.
Many will disagree that loving ISIL is not the answer because loving one's enemy is not easy to do, that Christ was wrong given what is occurring in Syria and Iraq [citations omitted], Egypt and Libya [4]. Looking at the same facts, they would have to agree that Satan is winning.
Satan has a plan to destroy humanity. It uses those in power to cause death and destruction. When one part of the world is chaotic, It creates another chaos in another part and turns it into an inferno.
God has not lost, however. Heaven is bit by bit fulfilling the promises made in the Book of Revelations [5]. It seems like the fourth seal had already been broken, with killing by sword [6], famine in Somalia [7], plague in northern China and Colorado, United States [8], and while AIDS is not yet over, ebola [9] (the wild beast in this case is microscopic) is here.
Until everything that is happening gets much worse and picks up the pace as it worsens, nobody will believe that the end has begun.
It is not easy to repent and not relapse, but that does not mean repentance is a waste of time. The cleaner the soul, the easier the path to Heaven. Some souls maybe corrupted beyond salvation. There is a place for them too. Still, mercy is continuously hopeful until it is extinguished.
Pray for all, and be at peace.
[1] http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/twitters-role-in-arab-spring-exaggerated-experts-find
[2] https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1657610732707026689#editor/target=post;postID=2623727758744860517;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=link, paragraph 6/
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:43-48
[4] http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/10/06/report-ansar-beit-maqdis-increases-attacks-egypt-assist-isil-palestinain-groups/
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%206
[6] http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921107000872
[7] http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/08/somalia-famine-only-days-live-2014830113012260245.html
[8] http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/07/24/334440738/shades-of-the-middle-ages-the-plague-popped-up-in-china-and-colorado
[9] http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
They were proud. They thought they were smart, smarter than anybody in the world. They were full of themselves. After all, they beat their political opponents and won elections, and they had their followers. They were too blind to realize that a sword has two edges, and it cuts both ways. They were blind too to the teachings of Christ.
Instead of loving thy enemy [3], they wanted to dominate the world by destabilizing the existing social order, to change regimes, so that they would appear strong, not that they are strong. The only way to become strong is to win an enemy's respect. That, they have not done, nor have they decimated all their enemies, not even one of the least militarily equipped with modern weaponry.
Many will disagree that loving ISIL is not the answer because loving one's enemy is not easy to do, that Christ was wrong given what is occurring in Syria and Iraq [citations omitted], Egypt and Libya [4]. Looking at the same facts, they would have to agree that Satan is winning.
Satan has a plan to destroy humanity. It uses those in power to cause death and destruction. When one part of the world is chaotic, It creates another chaos in another part and turns it into an inferno.
God has not lost, however. Heaven is bit by bit fulfilling the promises made in the Book of Revelations [5]. It seems like the fourth seal had already been broken, with killing by sword [6], famine in Somalia [7], plague in northern China and Colorado, United States [8], and while AIDS is not yet over, ebola [9] (the wild beast in this case is microscopic) is here.
Until everything that is happening gets much worse and picks up the pace as it worsens, nobody will believe that the end has begun.
It is not easy to repent and not relapse, but that does not mean repentance is a waste of time. The cleaner the soul, the easier the path to Heaven. Some souls maybe corrupted beyond salvation. There is a place for them too. Still, mercy is continuously hopeful until it is extinguished.
Pray for all, and be at peace.
[1] http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/twitters-role-in-arab-spring-exaggerated-experts-find
[2] https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1657610732707026689#editor/target=post;postID=2623727758744860517;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=link, paragraph 6/
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:43-48
[4] http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/10/06/report-ansar-beit-maqdis-increases-attacks-egypt-assist-isil-palestinain-groups/
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%206
[6] http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921107000872
[7] http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/08/somalia-famine-only-days-live-2014830113012260245.html
[8] http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/07/24/334440738/shades-of-the-middle-ages-the-plague-popped-up-in-china-and-colorado
[9] http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Rest In Peace, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., a Franciscan Friar, passed away yesterday, on the eve of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi [1], [2]. Pray for me from Heaven, Fr. Benedict Groeschel.
I do not know Fr. Benedict Groeschel other than listening to him speak on EWTN. I missed him when he was forced to step down as host of EWTN's Sunday Night Prime [3]. In my opinion, he was one who spoke his mind without deceit and guile, unlike Judas and politicians of all stripes.
Whether Fr. Benedict Groeschel was right or wrong when he stated that in many molestation cases involving the clergy, the minor was the one who seduced the priest [4] is not for people to judge because his statement cannot be disproved, or proved, without a scintilla of doubt. He later apologized stating that the priest was always to blame. I agree, since the priest is an older adult and in a position of power who must adhere to his vow of chastity and must refuse and reject such advances by a minor when they occur.
[1] http://franciscanfriars.com/father-benedict/
[2] "St. Francis died about sunset on Saturday, October 3, 1226." See The Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962, with Kyriale In Gregorian Notation, compiled from The Missale Romanum, October 4, St. Francis of Assisi, Confessor, p. 1437 (Kansas City, Missouri: Angelus Press, June, 2014).
[3] http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/04/1127740/-Fr-Benedict-Groeschel-will-no-longer-host-on-EWTN# Below is the reason:
I do not know Fr. Benedict Groeschel other than listening to him speak on EWTN. I missed him when he was forced to step down as host of EWTN's Sunday Night Prime [3]. In my opinion, he was one who spoke his mind without deceit and guile, unlike Judas and politicians of all stripes.
Whether Fr. Benedict Groeschel was right or wrong when he stated that in many molestation cases involving the clergy, the minor was the one who seduced the priest [4] is not for people to judge because his statement cannot be disproved, or proved, without a scintilla of doubt. He later apologized stating that the priest was always to blame. I agree, since the priest is an older adult and in a position of power who must adhere to his vow of chastity and must refuse and reject such advances by a minor when they occur.
[1] http://franciscanfriars.com/father-benedict/
[2] "St. Francis died about sunset on Saturday, October 3, 1226." See The Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962, with Kyriale In Gregorian Notation, compiled from The Missale Romanum, October 4, St. Francis of Assisi, Confessor, p. 1437 (Kansas City, Missouri: Angelus Press, June, 2014).
[3] http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/04/1127740/-Fr-Benedict-Groeschel-will-no-longer-host-on-EWTN# Below is the reason:
In a National Catholic Register interview published Aug. 27, Fr. Groeschel suggested that a minor is “the seducer” in “a lot” of sexual abuse cases. He said he was inclined to think that abusers on their first offense should not go to jail “because their intention was not committing a crime.”[4] Ibid.
Fr. Groeschel apologized for the remarks last week, saying he did not intend to “blame the victim.” He affirmed that a priest or anyone else who abuses a minor is “always always wrong” and “always responsible.”
Thursday, October 2, 2014
A Word On Climate Change
A little over a week ago, I posted photographs of Leonardo DiCaprio as the United Nations Messenger of Peace looking almost like Asian. He is actually the UN Messenger of Peace on Climate Change [1]. I suppose this planet has sufficient evidence showing that it has become warmer and that its ice is melting, but whether these conditions are a result of man's carbon footprint or a part of a normal cycle for this planet is not the subject of this entry.
This entry assumes that changes in climate around the world are linked to carbon emissions. In this regard, my wish for Leonardo DiCaprio as a UN speaker for climate change is to focus less on political solutions but more on personal responsibility. In other words, he ought to talk more about the climate changer (every single person on this planet) and less about the solutions government and industries can come up with [2]. Specifically, he should show that one ought to use less energy [3], [4] and live more like Christ.
In addition, he ought to suggest that manufacturers of electronic gadgets that changes almost every season to label their products, showing a greenhouse gas factor used to produce it, hopefully to deter environmentalists (from ordinary folks to presidents and prime ministers) to stop clamoring for the next new cell phone, laptop, television, electronically-equipped vehicle, yacht, submarine, fighter jet, drone and so on.
This blogger must be dreaming, but that is the nature of a dreamer. Hypocrisy is here to stay, and so is climate change, and the example that Christ had set for all is but a faded memory for most (if it is even on their minds), and a concept to admire and worship but not practiced for some.
In reality, sad is the truth and its ugliness simply denied.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11116036/Leonardo-DiCaprio-tells-UN-Climate-Change-conference-make-history-or-be-vilified-by-it.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2656850/Leonardo-DiCaprio-borrows-one-largest-superyachts-earth-treat-pals-World-Cup-style.html
[4] http://www.socialitelife.com/photos/shirtless-leonardo-dicaprio-spends-another-day-on-a-yacht-in-st-tropez-with-toni-garrn/leonardo-dicaprio-toni-garrn-enjoy-an-afternoon-of-fun-sun-4 (click on arrow to view all the photos) Wealth, and people who enjoy yachting and living lavishly do not bother me in the least, hypocrisy does.
This entry assumes that changes in climate around the world are linked to carbon emissions. In this regard, my wish for Leonardo DiCaprio as a UN speaker for climate change is to focus less on political solutions but more on personal responsibility. In other words, he ought to talk more about the climate changer (every single person on this planet) and less about the solutions government and industries can come up with [2]. Specifically, he should show that one ought to use less energy [3], [4] and live more like Christ.
In addition, he ought to suggest that manufacturers of electronic gadgets that changes almost every season to label their products, showing a greenhouse gas factor used to produce it, hopefully to deter environmentalists (from ordinary folks to presidents and prime ministers) to stop clamoring for the next new cell phone, laptop, television, electronically-equipped vehicle, yacht, submarine, fighter jet, drone and so on.
This blogger must be dreaming, but that is the nature of a dreamer. Hypocrisy is here to stay, and so is climate change, and the example that Christ had set for all is but a faded memory for most (if it is even on their minds), and a concept to admire and worship but not practiced for some.
In reality, sad is the truth and its ugliness simply denied.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11116036/Leonardo-DiCaprio-tells-UN-Climate-Change-conference-make-history-or-be-vilified-by-it.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2656850/Leonardo-DiCaprio-borrows-one-largest-superyachts-earth-treat-pals-World-Cup-style.html
[4] http://www.socialitelife.com/photos/shirtless-leonardo-dicaprio-spends-another-day-on-a-yacht-in-st-tropez-with-toni-garrn/leonardo-dicaprio-toni-garrn-enjoy-an-afternoon-of-fun-sun-4 (click on arrow to view all the photos) Wealth, and people who enjoy yachting and living lavishly do not bother me in the least, hypocrisy does.
Pure Evil And Pure Good
The goal of Pure Evil is to ruin everything that comes from Pure Good, including all the living things on this planet, the planet itself and the universe it is in. Pure Evil wants to bring death and destruction to all of God's creations.
Satan which embodies all that is evil has been destroying mankind and all of its natural surroundings by infiltrating the thrones of power. Each person sits in the throne of power. Adam had his throne, Eve had hers [1]. They both had the power of free choice, and so did (and does) each and every one of their descendants.
Given Satan's extraordinary power of temptation, the choice of Adam and of Eve were warped, and so were (and are) the choices of all of their descendants in one way or another, warped. In other words, every person who had/has ever made a choice had/has made a contribution to the destruction of creation, fulfilling Satan's goal.
[1] Thrones with tremendous power have wielded it with disastrous consequences. A man-made catastrophe is never fully healed and forgotten; one merely builds on top of another because men of Sin do not forgive and forget. Over time, they arm themselves with better and more deadly weapons while sacrificing the environment they and their descendants depend on for existence, not to mention the extinguishing of lives indiscriminately when they were (and are) being unleashed with shock and awe. Indeed, it shocks Pure Good that man can be so evil and awes Pure Evil that man can be so cunning and barbaric, regardless of the degree of sophistication of the weapons that kill.
Satan which embodies all that is evil has been destroying mankind and all of its natural surroundings by infiltrating the thrones of power. Each person sits in the throne of power. Adam had his throne, Eve had hers [1]. They both had the power of free choice, and so did (and does) each and every one of their descendants.
Given Satan's extraordinary power of temptation, the choice of Adam and of Eve were warped, and so were (and are) the choices of all of their descendants in one way or another, warped. In other words, every person who had/has ever made a choice had/has made a contribution to the destruction of creation, fulfilling Satan's goal.
[1] Thrones with tremendous power have wielded it with disastrous consequences. A man-made catastrophe is never fully healed and forgotten; one merely builds on top of another because men of Sin do not forgive and forget. Over time, they arm themselves with better and more deadly weapons while sacrificing the environment they and their descendants depend on for existence, not to mention the extinguishing of lives indiscriminately when they were (and are) being unleashed with shock and awe. Indeed, it shocks Pure Good that man can be so evil and awes Pure Evil that man can be so cunning and barbaric, regardless of the degree of sophistication of the weapons that kill.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Parable Of Unfair Wages
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard [1]
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Fr. Joseph Illo's homily follows [2]:
Everyone that hears this parable thinks how unfair life is. Jesus defends himself for giving equal pay for unequal work, and we listen with quiet resignation. Yes, God has been unfair to me many times in my life. I’ve been misunderstood by my best friends; I’ve been punished for doing good things; I’ve been cheated out of what should have been mine. I should be happier, I should be living a better life, I should be more respected in my community, I deserve a higher standing of living. Life just isn’t fair, and God’s responsible for life’s injustice.I agree 100 percent.
Jesus does not disagree. In fact, he seems to bait us in this parable: “You think I’ve been unfair with you?” I won’t deny it, He says, and I’ll even chastise you for pointing it out. “Friend, take what is yours and go,” the Landowner says to the complaining worker. “What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?” Go, and do not question me.
God doesn't owe us anything, but He gives us everything anyway
I’d like to point out two things about this Scripture.
The first point is that God is God, and really, we have no right to question him. Does a gnat question the man who brushes him off? We are really nothing before God, and can stand on no authority of our own to challenge his judgments. We delude ourselves if we think we can demand anything of God. God is God, and we are not God.
There is a second point, however, and it is even more important than the first. God loves us. He loves us poor, trembling, insecure, complaining and whining gnats. I might think he is unfair with me, and that he loves that guy more than me, and that he has forgotten me. But this parable actually says quite the opposite. Everyone gets equal pay. Jesus is telling us that he gives each of us the same amount of his providence. He goes out five times during the day—at daybreak, at nine, at noon, at three, and at five o’clock—looking for unemployed people. He wanted to give honest work, and honest pay, to men that were without work or pay. Is it the fault of those hired at 5 o’clock that they did not get hired sooner? “No one has hired us,” they say. No one valued their work enough to hire them until the Landowner finds them. The worst experience is to be unwanted, and not valued, by others. Personally, I would much rather be the man hired at daybreak, working for someone who appreciates me, than that lonely guy kicking stones all day, hoping someone would hire him.
In the end, all get the same daily age. And in Scripture, that wage is eternal life. All the workers make it to heaven, because all responded to the Landowner. All came to the land of everlasting rest, owned by God, which we call heaven.
Getting to Heaven
The next time you feel that life is unfair, remind yourself that God gives each of us all that we need to be eternally happy. The next time your stomach gets sour over the fact that you’ve tried to honor God all your life but don’t feel the rewards—the next time you feel cheated—ask yourself: would I want anyone to be shut out of heaven forever? I think all of us would say that what we really want is bad men to become good men, and for everyone to go to heaven. This life is so brief, nothing really compares to the life of the world to come. So what if I have a little more grief than the next guy? The main thing is for us all to get safely to heaven.
Let us count on the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary to keep us steady in our resolve to work in just the way God wants us to, and to work for the salvation of all souls, that we may all be in heaven one day with her, and the Blessed Trinity, and all the angels and saints forever.
[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20
[2] http://www.frilloblog.com/, search under 2014, then look for 9/21/2014.
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