CONTEMPATION A FORM OF PRAYING.

 

ADULT CATHOLIC MEDITATION, how to pray and CONTEMPLATE.

HELP TO CONTEMPLATE.

We have to learn how to get kowledge from the gospel, it is the Word of God, revealed by Jesus Christ himself to his apostols, during his personal precense in this earth. We will take only one example that will show us how to pray, to contemplate, frases and teachings direccted to his disciples, by Jesus Christ.

After some of his diciples had left him, because they had not understood his messege, He asked those who still were with him: How about you, do you want to leave me also? Peter took the word and answerd, to whom would be us  going Lord?, only you have words of eternal life.  

To whom would be us going Lord?, Peter´s words are full of meaning that we can contemplate, first he is admiting that there is no one to whom appeal, that could be more appropiate than God, in this case the second person of the holy Trinity, the son of God Father. This lesson is for all times, today we can not draw upon, and will never be able to turn up, but to God, and the best way to do it will be guided by the hand of our Mother in Heaven, the Holy Virgin, Mother of God Christ.

Only you have words of eternal life, St. Peter here is showing how convinced is him of the divinity of Jesus Christ, his conviction is absolute free, his words are comming from the bottom of his heart, he is not thinking of what a leader like him should say in front of his companions, he is expressing his most profound feelings and his faith, also those are words of disapproval of the actitude of the ones that had left. And the reference of eternal life is full of meaning of his beliefs and convictions.

This should give us a perspective in our own life, questions like,  what we are here for?, why did God created us?, do God loves me? What God expects from me?,  How is my inner freedom, what is the meaning of eternal life?. Lets meditate shortly on this matters.

We are here because we were created, our material body comming from our mother and father and our spiritual soul by God himself, and the purpuse cannot be other than love, yes love of God. All creatures when created are an act of love, there is no other reason, and in the case of the human persons there is an enormous difference with other creatures, due to be created at the image and likeness of God, this is something that can take us trough libraries, the Bible and many treaties, and the answer will allwais be the same, if we are speaking of the truth. Wrong theories will allwais exist, but are nullities.

God acting in his love created our first parents in a state of justice and perfect nature, that they broke, sining, adviced by the devil, and us, their offspring inherited this original sin and a defective nature. But he kept in us our own  free will, our liberty to be good and if so get an eternal life of happiness in his company, and very important the capability of defending us from the acts of the devil. If there are bad persons, that commit bad things, and are against the will of God, it is a result of not using that part of our liberty, our freedom, to refuse the handling of the devil.

Thy only expects from us to be able to find our happiness in serving his will, and this is the most perfect way of living this life, before the Eternal Life, that Thy has prepared for us.

This is only a short simple of how we can find ways of meditation fom many passages of the Gospel. There are many sayings that and many times and in different ways , give us the opportunity of meditation  wich is  a daily custom of praying, very appreciated by God.

One advice that comes useful to help our meditatios is the use of the “Catechism of Catholic Doctrine”. This is a treasure that comes among many othes documents, from the Vatican Council II,  and special thanks to St Jhon Paul II, hat decided its formation, it is so necessary and important, that every home should have it,  its index can show us where to consult whatever we are looking for. It is the most complete book on our doctrine, and we will alwais find it a perfect tool, a most useful way of getting the information that we need.

Lets pray to the Holy Virgin Mary to help us in our contemplations.

Jorge Casas y Sánchez.

THE SANCTIFICATION OF WORK.

 

SANCTIFICATION OF WORK .

In the service to Thy there are no simple tasks, no matter what we do in our lives, in our obligations, in our work, all are of big importance, its value consists of the spiritual level of who practices it, it is us who have to give it, its value.  By the teachings of St Paul we learn that it is absolutly proper, and of all necesity, to hold God in the highest part of the core of all things. When we practice this, we are giving to our activity, besides its natural value a supernatural one, and this means sanctification of our work, of our family life, our civil life, and all other time in our lives. This is one of the more important teachings of Saint Josemaría Escribá, founder of Opus Dei.

It is alike wether our activity is in our home, or we are a professional of some kind, as far as it is an honest, way of making our living, it speaks of the dignity of the person, of the development of our personality, and also as means of cooperating to the progress of the family and society to wich we belong, and this is part of the existence and being of the rest of the world. It is a way of sanctity, in wich by means of out personal activity we not only sanctify our selves, but if we offer it properly to God, we  are not only sanctifying our selves,  but are sanctifying our work, and this can help can sanctifying others. No other way can do do better to improuve the quality of mankind existance. We are puting Jesus Christ in the center of our indispensable activities, and this is most agreable to the Holy Trinity.

We must exercise our virtue of Hope, doing our obligations with responsability, with love, knowing that we are pleasing God, that we are investing in our salvation, when we perform in the best posible manner all our doings, we are not only pleasing God, but we are doing of ourselves, better persons, and this is a very important issue, It is not necessary to mention all the adventages that this means. As catholics that fullfil our christianity acording to our doctrine and a well done activity, with our best effort,  offered to God, is a sure the way we obtain our sanctity, way of salvation. Our efforts will never be unimportant to God, on the contrary, Thy that knows every thing, is alwais taking note.

Other virtues that are associated to the sanctification of our work are perseverance, and when offering it, as a way of santifying ourselves, results in that difficulty  makes it more gratifying, we seek gladly the solutions, the intensity of our efforts make up for better results. Also the spirit of sacrifice to obtain a better done job is very valuable at the eyes of God, specially if we perform with peace of mind, joy and presence of jesus. Along the working day we should mantein a communication with Jesus as a feed of force, of gladness, as a feeling of complying, this is realy the santification of our labor. Also a good advice is the offering of what is ahead of us, what has been planned for, or by us, to show Jesus Christ that we are willing to perform all our tasks as offering to Thy, looking to please and to acces a life of true saints.

We know that this offerings are the most pleasant orisons elevated to Heaven, that the Holy Trinity accepts it with pleasure, this is the motive to carry out with all the perfection that we are capable of, our duties. Lets ask the Holy Virgen Mary, to help us, specially bringing to our memory, at all times of the working hours, that we must offer to God our activity and to perform it in the best way.

THE LORD´S PRAYER OF THE HOLY MASS.

 

THE LORD´S PRAYER, OF THE HOLY MASS,.

We will be  seeing some of the taugths of Saints like Saint Thomas and Saint Agustine, on the Lord´s Prayer, and to start, we do it with the prayer itself.  After we will exam sentence by sentence.

“Our father wich art in heaven,  Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not , into temptation, but deliver us from devil”. –Matt, VI, 9-13.

It was necessary that Jesus Christ should teach his apostols  how to pray, they asked  for it, and that they brougth that knowledge to us christians. His teaching was a way to produce at its maximun, our hope in God, and He would not hear from us something that Thy would not listen to. So this magnificent prayer of the Sunday´s Mass, exposes  all we have to expect from our hope, and what and how our hope has to rest in God, and to Thy we have to direct our prayers.

Our fathervwich art in heaven. This is the prayer that Jesus Christ, taugth his apostols, when they asked him, how to pray, and Saints like  Augustine and The Aquinas have things to let us, about it. It calls our attention that Jesus tells his apostols to call Thy Lord “our Father”,  being that He is the only Son of God, nevertheless  has won for us,  all mankind,  to be adopted sons of the Lord, this is a very important  inheritance from Jesus Christ, to all mankind, past, present and to come, because he suffred death for all. As well as in the Cross he gave us his own Mother, as our Mother in Heaven. Let us then consider, beloved, whose children we have begun to be, and see how our Creator has condescended to be our Father, an eternal inheritance.

Hallowed be Thy name, holy Thy name in us, for once we were not holy, but He has alwais been, it is for ourselves that we pray, it is by us that his name must be hollowed, in order to have us, what He does not need, since Thy has all the goods we can imagine, and we need all the goods, starting with a life of saints, passing trough:  health, home, food, etc. Also in this part of the prayer we are asking to improuve our knowledgment of God, that it becomes as perfect as posible.

Thy kingdom come,  his kingdom is eternal and it is wether , we ask for it or not that it would come since it has no beginning, and not will have an end. In this prayer, we also ask for ourselves, believing in Him, and the progress we make in our faith, taking in account that all mankind was redeemed by the blood of his only Son, so be his kingdom, to all redemed. At the Parousia of Jesus Christ, He will call some to his right and others to his left, and to those called to the rigth He  will say: “Come ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom”.  This is what we ask for when we pray “thy kingdom come”, that we are caled to the rigth.

Thy Will be done as in heaven, so in earth. It is the Will of God,  that the wicked be dammed and the good shall reign. For that He gave us the dignity of his image, bein us capable of elevate ourselves  to know and love Him. In Heaven the Trinity of God and all his creatures are hollowed, loved, admired, etc. between them and with God above all, that is His Will, and in earth we all should try to do alike. We recon that God is the ultra: power, love, beuty, goodness, justice, etc. He is in Heaven and this shows us that he has the power needed to give solution to our needs, if they are pointed, in some way, to our salvation.

Give us this day our  daily bread. In this part of the prayer we ask not for us only, but for all man kind, specially the poor, and we ask from him not only what we need as eat,  but also the sacred bread of his body, that is Comunion. We need it over the eats of our body. Receiving Thy in the Sacrement of Eucaristy  we are nourished in our spiritual soul. We will receive as we deserve, and we will deserve  if we ask properly, that is being in grace, and asking not on terrenal wishes, but at the eyes of God, Thy concedes what is pointed to grant  our salvation.

And forgive us our debts,as we forgive our debtors. It is of good being to forgive. Those who have not been just, or well educated, and fail to deal properly with us, some how Gods justice will punish, but us in eart should pardon. Lets  not be confused with the Legal Justice that should reign among men. If some one does wrong, agaist a just law, he will be judged in earth in some way. And will pay with time in jail or similar. We mankind are not perfect, we all have shortcommings, defects, and many times do not see them happen, and even without knowing it, we are pardoned. So lets love be in us, in our relations with others, and not hate. If we do not forgive the others, how can we espect to be forgiven by God ?.

 

And lead us not, into temtation, but deliver us from the devil. We are week, since our nature was mistreated by Adan and Eve, God knows that better than us, but if we contributet what is  necessary from our part, trying to be good, we will find that God wants to help us, alwais in relation to our salvation. Temptation is not bad in itself, what is bad, and very bad is to accept it, to rejoyce in it,  and find pleasure in it, it is sin, but since temptation will many times atack us, we have to make the necessary efforts to defeat it. Our Mother in heaven the Holy Virgin is of great help, to avoid temptation if we appeal to Her. Of course it comes from the devil, but it will never be stronger than us. God has given us the tools necessary to defeat the devils acts.

Prepared by Jorge Casas.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE OF CHARITY.

 

                                                                                       

CHARITY, A THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE.

In the interpretation of the Revelation, written or in the Traditon of our religious faith, we must cherish the worthy virtue of charity, the virtue of love.  It is alwais  necessary to  recall our virtues, not only the theological, that as you know are: Faith, Hope and Charity but also the human ones. Their base is Faith upon wich the other are based, since without  it,  the other could not exist in us. Hope is the true belief that God will take us to eternal salvation, if we live our existence as good chistians, since God cannot  fail in its promises. That is won in this life, and if so, in the next, after we are called by God, the Hope is not needed, since we are in the presence of Jesus, faith either due to the same reason, but charity is, and will be present in the eternity of the those saved (saints) and in heaven.

 In regard to the human virtues, of wich trying to make a list would be an endless attempt, we must say that are of the utmost importance, due to them being the base of all virtues. It is common knowledge that, even being countless there are four virtues thet head the other, they are, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance, and generaly are defined as the firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will, that govern our actions, also they  put in order our passions and guide us in the way to salvation.

Examples of the catholic charity in our lives are many, they show in us as young children, in the adult and the old, that is because God has placed love in the souls of every person, this is the reason why we observe, for example,  love for its progeny of the bad people, as well as in the good people, but good people go far beyond that, loving all mankind, instead bad ones, who hate enemies, opposite polititians, neigbours, persons of other color, race, etc. What we must consider heartly is the importance of the dignity of the human person, this comprehends, honor, love, gracious way of living,  excellence in the relations with the others,  praise of any anything worthy, and that will take us, with our efforts of living morally  well, in the way that God likes to see  us.

Virtues must cover our actions  as citizens, in the true democracy, and magistrates working in favor of legislation that  takes in acount  the vitue of CHARITY with the dignity proper to the human persons. This includes education in liberty, personal vigor, expectations of mankind regarding his work, future, family, religión,  political preferences, voice, etc. Of this the family is the institution that has to be a priority,  kept, protected, and cherished as the place where persons receive the best and most important things in life, where CHARITY, is taugth learned and practiced, along with the principal knowledgments of the human persons, things like, speaking, walking, eating, loving, washing, good manners, frienship, responsability, etc. and family is being atteked, by organizations like New Order,  of George Soros, that have wicked intentions of world domination and for that in his intentions is destroying the family institution, favoring the Gender Ideology,  a most perverse idea, that goes against our christian and traditional virtues and values.

We must pray to te Holy Spirit and our Holy mother of Heaven, to help mankind in this dificult times, making our best efforts to keep the mentioned virtues and values, in the family, in our religión and in our traditional christian life.

Prepared by Jorge Casas.

SUMMARY OF JHON PAUL II ENCICLICAL "VERITAYIS SPLENDOR"

 

·          SUMMARY, VERITATIS SPLENDOR,

( Pope S.Juan Pablo II Enciclical)

Summary[edit]

Veritatis splendor responds to questions of moral theology that had been raised during the postconciliar period of the Church (events after the Vatican II ecumenical council of 1962-65). These questions revolve around man's ability to discern good, the existence of evil, the role of human freedom and human conscience, mortal sin, and the authority of the magisterium of the Catholic Church in guiding man. In response to these, Pope John Paul II emphatically says that moral truth is knowable, that the choice of good or evil has a profound effect on one's relationship with God, and that there is no true contradiction between freedom and following the good. Veritatis splendor consists of three chapters: (I) Teacher, What Good Must I Do; (II) Do Not Be Conformed to this World; and (III) Lest the Cross of Christ be Emptied of its Power.

Response to moral relativism[edit]

Veritatis splendor begins by asserting that there are indeed absolute truths accessible to all persons. Contrary to the philosophy of moral relativism, the encyclical says that moral law is universal across people in varying cultures, and is in fact rooted in the human condition. Pope John Paul teaches that no matter how separated someone is from God, "in the depths of his heart there always remains a yearning for absolute truth and a thirst to attain full knowledge of it." ^[6] He goes on to say that the splendor of truth "shines forth deep within the human spirit." ^[7]

Moral authority of the Catholic Church[edit]

Ultimately, John Paul teaches, "to ask about the good, in fact, ultimately means to turn towards God, the fullness of goodness." Against the idea that the Church's teaching body has a mainly exhortatory role, the pope reiterates the Catholic doctrine that the magisterium of the Catholic Church has authority to definitively pronounce on moral questions. Even more, John Paul teaches that the Church is Christ's particular response to help answer everyone's question of what is right and wrong...

Human freedom and divine law[edit]

John Paul teaches that there is no true conflict between human freedom and God's law. The true end of human freedom is growth as a mature person into how each is created by God. Furthermore, God's divine law governing human behavior is not opposed to human freedom, but rather "it protects and promotes that freedom."

The encyclical affirms that today's respect for human freedom represents one of the positive achievements of modern culture." However, he cautions, though it is good, human freedom is not in itself an absolute. Merely deciding for oneself that one may do something is not at all a true substitute for determining whether something is in fact good or bad. Because God is the true author of good, it remains of critical importance to understand how the divine Law, as expressed by the authoritative magisterium of the Church, considers an issue before determining absolutely for oneself.

Natural law[edit]

The pope welcomes and supports the role of human reason in discovering and applying the natural law (those aspects of the moral law that may be discovered without divine revelation). Nevertheless, because God remains the true author of moral law, he states that human reason will not properly supersede the elements of the moral law that are of divine origin—the encyclical states that this "would be the death of true freedom." In particular, John Paul denies those ideas of morality that treat the human body as a "raw datum, separating man and how he uses his body from his greater meaning derived from the entirety of his person.

The judgment of conscience[edit]

John Paul reiterates the longstanding Catholic teaching that people are obliged to follow their conscience, and that if they do not, they are condemned by their own conscience.

He depicts conscience as an inner dialogue. However, he says, it is not merely a dialogue of man with himself, but also one between man and God. Following Bonaventure, John Paul compares conscience to a divine messenger which proclaims God's divine law. Contrary to its presentation elsewhere, John Paul states that conscience does not substitute the divine law. Rather, it is the process by which man applies that law to the moral dilemma at hand.

Veritatis splendor states that because the judgment of the conscience may be errant, a person has an obligation to ensure that their conscience is informed always and everywhere. Hence, it is necessary to understand what the divine law, as expressed through Church teaching, is and the reasons behind it. Even if a person does not possess a guilty conscience for committing a morally wrong act, its commission causes damage to the soul in other ways, and, if habitual, can inhibit a person from perceiving truth. John Paul goes so far as to say that habitual sin enslaves man and so following a wrong judgment of conscience is in the end a step away from freedom.

The "fundamental option", sin, and salvation[edit]

The encyclical also responds to the idea of the "fundamental option." In this way of thinking, a man's particular actions do not necessarily affect his ultimate salvation—what is important is his fundamental orientation towards or against God. The pope writes:

"There is no doubt that Christian moral teaching, even in its Biblical roots, acknowledges the specific importance of a fundamental choice which qualifies the moral life and engages freedom on a radical level before God. It is a question of the decision of faith, of the obedience of faith (cf. Rom 16:26) "by which man makes a total and free self-commitment to God, offering 'the full submission of intellect and will to God as he reveals' "."^[8]

John Paul firmly opposes the theological assertion that such a fundamental choice can be separated from particular actions, stating that it is contrary to Scripture as well as to long-held Catholic teaching on sin and salvation. He also opposes it on philosophical grounds, writing, "To separate the fundamental option from concrete kinds of behaviour means to contradict the substantial integrity or personal unity of the moral agent in his body and in his soul."

John Paul emphasizes that the "fundamental option" view undermines the traditional Catholic understanding on mortal sin and venial sin, their distinction, and effects: "For mortal sin exists also when a person knowingly and willingly, for whatever reason, chooses something gravely disordered.... The person turns away from God and loses charity."

Reality of intrinsically evil acts[edit]

The encyclical also says that certain acts are intrinsically evil. In the language of Catholic moral theology, this means that certain acts are always wrong, and that there are never circumstances in which they may be permitted if done knowingly and intentionally. Stated another way, this is a strong support for the long-held doctrine of Catholic moral theology that "the ends do not justify the means." John Paul bases this on the argument that certain acts are so destructive to the human person that there are no extenuating circumstances that would allow them. As an example, John Paul specifically mentions the teaching of Pope Paul VI on contraception, which stipulates that although it is permissible to tolerate a lesser evil to prevent a greater one, or to promote a greater good, it is never permissible, even in the gravest of circumstances to intentionally do an evil so that good may come of it. Or in other words it is never permissible to intend directly something which contradicts a moral order. This reiterates Paul VI's teaching on contraception, and that if an act is intrinsically evil, a good intention or particular circumstances can diminish their evil, but they cannot remove it.

Possibility of obeying the commandments[edit]

John Paul teaches that man can and must respect the norm of morality even in the most difficult situations: "Temptations can be overcome, sins can be avoided, because together with the commandments the Lord gives us the possibility of keeping them."^[9] He rejected the proposition that the Church's teaching is essentially only an "ideal" which must then be adapted to each case.^[10]

GERMAN DANGER OF CISMA. II

I continue with my last post, of the GERMAN DANGER OF CISMA. All of us by now  must have invoked the Holy Trinity, about the german problem, hoping that the Holy Spirit, has been listened by the part of german bishops and priests, that are out of order, and much too much out of order. The Catholic Church, cannot be considered as an NGO or even a goverment  one, but as the institution that Jesus designed being the will of his Father God Allmigthy, to preserve, teach, and govern its pristine Doctrine, and that consists of keeping, and be responsable, with absolute fidelity of the Doctrine given to us, by Jesus and it is guided by the Holy Spirit, please see gospel John 16. 7 It is precisely the Holy Spirit, that has completed with its inspiration the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The mistakes of these german bishops and priests are of such dimention, that no good christian will ever, not only reject, but feel the deepest indignation, in front of wht they claim,  things that pretend  to be acording to the  "new times", but in reality are inhuman, sinfull and will be hardly punished in the eternal life, matters  as abotion and euthasia, to receive Communion being under mortal sin, the rigth of receiving communion even  if you are a protestant, to have women as priests, bishops, etc. they are gainst the celibacy of the presbyters, this is a case of a true tresure of our clergy, wanting marriage of them, also they seek, admitance of homosexuality into the clergymen . Anyway with what has been said, I think it is enough to draw in  us the picture of the craziness of the menace to catholisism. of course, and this will be as sad as can be, if it goes on, and they do not repent. !Worst than Luther!.Let us pray to the Holy Trinity and Virgin Marie, that there is a solution and understanding, that in no way, it is posible to amend the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, it has to be preserved as the great treasure from God given to mankind.

GERMAN DANGER OF CISMA.

 

GERMAN BISHOPS OUT OF LINE.

It has been annouced that very soon this days, there will be a benediction of homosexual pairs, in a catholic church of Germany.

This is a case of attentive gravity, due to this kind of cenemony would be propper only yo catholic marriages, and not homosexual pairs, of men or lesbians. This situation has been severily censured by the Pope, who sees the inadmisible action, that is a serious offense to all christianity, and has forbidden it. So if they do it it is almost secure that he actors will be excomulgated from the Catholic Church.

The reasons that these German bishops and priests have are completily out of order, because their arguments are off the Jesus doctrine and based  on an idea of prosperity of the German church, trying to make a ligth religión in order to obtain more fellow falowers.

This situation needs all the support that we can exercise in favor of the Pope, since we are a world wide community based on fidelity to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and not base don priciples of “modern justice” and liberties, but on what Jesus left us in his revelation, and being it cared  and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

This situation affects all christianity, and gives us the obligation of taking it to our prayers, all fellow catholics not only the germans are affected by this, since could fall into a cisma, that will cost us tears of sorrow, what we must pray for  the comeback of the faith lost, and that they can  recover their lost dignity. That they must not be confused by the glorious and dignity of Jesus commandmets Revelation, Tradition, and doctrine that are sublime, not earthly ideologies, the best thing at this moment for the bishops that allow and the priests to be involved in this disobedience to the Pope, is to cancel this benediction repent and ask God and the Pope for forgiveness. Unfornatly all churches are loosing fellows, but  this is no reason to loose faith and dignity,

 Our religión must be enforced, by every one of oneselves,  even if hard and difficult to keep,  because it is how we deostrate our love to God, it is convenient, its price is glory, in the contrary, provoking cisma in the church is eternal “inferno” hell.