Saturday, February 26, 2011

Tell Him, "I still do!": A Challenge for Wives


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Christie's Note: You may be asking yourself, "Why is she posting marital advice on an apologetics blog?" Marriage is the first and foremost place where you put your Catholicism into action. You serve God first by serving your closest neighbor--your spouse. You witness to the world the wonder and awe of the unity of the Persons of the Trinity by becoming one through the Sacrament of Marriage. Your home and family is the Garden of Holiness where God cultivates us for Heaven. The family is where it is at, my friends. It's where the action is. Think on this: isn't it easier to be the Good Samaritan to our neighbor, but to our spouse? Sometimes it's hard to even remember to be polite. Where the challenge is greatest, there is where you draw the line and hunker down. There is where you engage the enemy and where you must fight the battle against temptation, weakness, sin, and Satan himself. He is the Father of Lies and he has been after marriage since the beginning of time. Fight back with this, your first battle strategy...

Here's a challenge I'd like to share with you. It is counter cultural in the extreme--it's all about treating your husband with respect.

Your husband, personally, may or may not deserve respect, but then again, you may not either. If you waited to respect each other until either of you behaved up to a certain standard, respect could become rare indeed! Respect in a marriage is more about honoring the office of spouse than a particular spouse. Your particular spouse may be driving you crazy, but because of who you are, and what God set up marriage to be, you need to behave as if your spouse deserves the best from you. Your husband is a child of God, after all, so although he may or may not deserve your best, He deserves it. Think of it this way, God is your Father-in-law and he can see exactly how you are treating His child. You need to behave accordingly.

And since you are God's child as well, you need Him to worry about making sure your husband takes care of you in the same way. Treating your spouse well, without worrying about being treated well in return, is an act of Faith--not in your spouse, but in God. He will pour out Grace upon the woman who acts in such faith. Even if it is the Grace to endure while He works on your husband a bit more.

From speaker, author, and mom, Sheila Wray Gregoire To Love Honor and Vacuum

A Challenge

For the last few weeks we've been talking about how to radically transform your marriage by focusing on meeting his needs--rather than waiting for him to meet yours. I issued a challenge to all of you to do these five things for six weeks, and see what happens:

1. Thank your husband once a day for something (try to make it something different each time)
2. Compliment your husband to your mother, your children, your friends, whatever, within earshot of your husband, every chance you get.
3. Do not nag.
4. Do not give the silent treatment.
5. Make love with relative frequency (say at least 2-3 times a week).

 
Try it and let me know how it goes...if he notices?...if he responds? I'd love to know. I've been slipping on my personal version of this challenge, so I'm taking it as a wake-up call. This is going to be my focus for Lent this year. 



Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Catholic Defender: The Catholic Church under Attack

This video is important to show because it shows that the Catholic Church is under attack first by the modernists who have taken over much of our higher place of learning such as Notre Dame.

The Progressives seek to infiltrate the Church from within. The following is a video that shows how the gay agenda seeks to work undercover subverting the Word of God.

The Catholic Church is under attack as is the family.

The radical left use Marxist, Communist techniques of infiltration to destroy their enemies from within.

These enemies of Christ love to see the Church investigated for sexual impropriety. They seek to bring the Church of Christ to it's knees before the world. Note the following:



The response for the faithful Catholic is to take back the ground taken by the Progressives. We need to get behind the Pope and pray for him. We need to get behind Bishops in union with him at the grass roots level.

We need to ensure that all Priests and religious are given security background checks, that all who enter any seminary have the ability to renounce the Gay Agenda and to restore conservative traditional values. We can police much of this from within.

Prayer has to be the strength of what we do, but action has to accompany it. The Laity sometimes must help support the Priesthood to help keep it clean. It is from the family that we receive Priests.

Before I sponsor a Seminarian, I want to make sure that he has the right heart for what his calling may be. If there is any doubt, he does not make the grade, then we need to know why. If it is because of a Liberal Seminary, that needs to be exposed.

Only Seminaries that is solidly behind the Pope should we send good men to the seminary. There are far more great men such as Father Cropi and Father Calloway than those who push the progressive agenda such as Father Jenkins.

From here on out, I say that when a Priest has done wrong, that the attention and the scandal go right back at the Pro-Homosexual organizations that planted the problem.

If a Priest has done wrong, that those responsible for that man in sending him to the priesthood to infiltrate it, they pay for the restitution. That is who we should go after, not the faithful rank and file of Catholics going to Mass!

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The Catholic Defender: Women Priestess?

I do not know why this is, but mankind just seems to never learn. We become so progressive in our thinking that we end up right where we began.

I am saddened by the thought that any Catholic Bishop would ordain anyone in rebellion against the Vatican.

I find this rebellion to be repugnant. How tragic this is that some of us can lose our bearing like that.

This does not abode well with the Lord as this attack rebels against the very core teaching of Jesus. That the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Dr. Norma Jean Coon posted the following excerpt Feb 23, 2011, "

SAN DIEGO, California, February 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A woman “ordained” to the diaconate with a dissident, “pro-choice”, pro-homosexual Catholic group has renounced the act and pledged fidelity to Pope Benedict XVI. Dr. Norma Jean Coon was “ordained” by a woman calling herself Bishop Patricia Fresen of the group Roman Catholic Women Priests on July 22, 2007.

The Roman Catholic Women Priests organization is tied to pro-abortion and anti-family groups also calling themselves Catholic such as Catholics for Choice and Dignity USA.

In a February 11 statement on her website, Coon calls the ceremony “illegitimate” and expresses regret for the scandal caused.

“I confess to the truth of Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis,” she writes, referring to the document affirming the infallibility of the Church’s teaching on the male priesthood. “I confess the authority of the Holy Father on these issues of ordination and recognize that Christ founded the ordination only for men.”

Dr. Coon says she only acted as a “deacon” on two occasions, once reading the Gospel and then distributing communion, and withdrew from the program within two weeks of the ceremony.

“Formally, I relinquish all connection to the program of Roman Catholic Women Priests and I disclaim the alleged ordination publicly with apologies to those whose lives I have offended or scandalized by my actions,” she writes. “I ask God’s blessings upon each of these folks and their families.”

Dr. Coon, welcome home and may God grant you peace, may the Lord use you to reach out to those lost.

Let me put this in perspective for a moment. Acts 5:1-11 states a smaller case, "A man named Ananias, however, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. He retained for himself, with his wife's knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. Peter said to her, Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount? She answered, Yes, for that amount. Then Peter said to her, Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out. At once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole Church and upon all who heard of these things.

Adam and Eve lead the human race into rebellion causing original sin and a fallen race, these seek to cause a terrible schism.

A schism originating from the outside through the liberal progressive movement. There is another higher case of concern for those involved in this rebellion.

Korah, Dathan and Abiram, along with 250 Israelites who were leaders in the community, members of the council and men of note. They approached Moses and challenged his authority. They were seeking the priesthood.

Numbers 16:11 states, "It is therefore against the Lord that you and all your band are conspiring. For what has Aaron done that you should grumble against him"?
The same question can be asked of this bishop who is ordaining women against the Lord's will? Does this bishop really think he is above God or his anointed?

Dathan and Abiram's rebellion ended badly, "The ground beneath them split open, and the earth opened it's mouth and swallowed them and their families and all of Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive to the neither world with all belonging to them; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the community. But all the Israelites near them fled at their shrieks, saying, The earth might swallow us too" (Numbers 16:31-34).

Jesus delivers us from all this, but you have to choose whom you will serve this day. The Catholic Church is the one true Faith and woe to those who rebel against her:



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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

God's Girl: When I fall in Love...



When I fall in Love…

I promise to Love you ... forever.

Weddings… captivate: bringing a strange sense of awe & expectancy, the Height of Romance: True Love… & promise something Beautiful.

Our Wedding was wonderful! We dragged the party miles into the Kwa-Zulu Natal bush to a Shrine, were we could have a Pilgrimage start to our new lives together in Christ. We came from all directions to stay over at a Benedictine Monastery & then ventured off to find the Chapel that Our Lady had asked to have built “where the 7 springs meet.” But hopefully it wasn’t just memorable because of the picnic or pilgrimage. Interrogated by the custodian of the Shrine as to why we wanted to marry there, many couples had asked & been refused. So why were we honored with this off-the-beaten-track bush-wacky wedding? We put God in the center of it all, wanting those who came, to have an encounter with Love: God in Person!

Promises of Love: Wedding Vows: are nothing less than Magnificently Heroic. We promise to be unswerving in Love, come what may… in good times & bad, in sickness & in health, for richer for poorer, we promise to be True all the days of our life, Faithful in steadfast Love. I will Love you & HONOR you all the days of my life … until: DEATH.

My heart seems to freeze at the enormity of the pledge. Does our Word become Flesh? How many broken promises of Love have shattered our view of Marriage & Romance? Faithfulness is rare. Every one promises it, yet so few Embody it. No-one wants to find themselves on the raw side of this deal, with visions of their future scrambled. There is nowadays, a certain cynical approach to ‘happily ever after’, as few seem to make it. What has happened? Were did we go wrong ? Weddings are not as joyful as they should be, not as electric. Brides seem to wear ”been there & done that” the perfume of Experience, where virginal purity once added a mystical dimension to the day. Grooms so often look bored & as though they were “just going through the motions”, pitching-up like a good boy rather than forging into a new and courageous realm of Manhood: Husbandry. I challenge you to look at wedding photo’s & it’ll jump right out at you! There are 2 types: the one, looks like a dress-up party, or actors in a photo shoot, polished & perfect, sophisticated & … strangely disappointing. The other type, seem less ‘picture-perfect’ but containing the element of Truth, no actors to be found, but REAL people, entering a whole new way of living, the much anticipated adventure called Covenant Love where the ”Two becoming One Flesh”. This latter infuse the air with wonder, something distinctly mystical, something Divine.

I’m reminded of the words: the body, in fact, & it alone, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual & divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden since time immemorial in God, & thus to be a sign of it,” ( John Paul II: Theology of the Body 76)

“Love one another as I have Loved you.” – the New Commandment: an impossible ideal. Yet grace is given, for those who believe. We are called to breathe Divine Lives, lives that reflect Heaven even on the earth. To Love in God’s Image. To Love as He Who is Love: Loves. “God is Love & he who abides in Love abides in God, & God abides in him.” – 1 Jn.4:16

“Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” - 1 Cor. 13:4-7

“God Himself is an Eternal Exchange of Love, … & He has destined us to share in that exchange.” ( – CCC n. 221 )

“Be Merciful as your Heavenly Father is Merciful… Be Perfect as your Father in Heaven is Perfect”. Mercifully live Loving Kindness, Steadfast Love. Here we need to pause, & reflect. Where are we now days ? Are we Unfaithful in Love because we have no Faith? It takes supernatural power to Love in this undying way that Wedding Vows call for. How many of us take this commitment without considering it’s depth, without crying out interiorly to Heaven for help to achieve this impossible goal that we voluntarily consented to ! Imagine, vowing something that is only achievable WITH God’s grace, & then not sticking close to the Only One that can Help you keep your promise ? …Nuts.

These days we need a new Wedding Feast of Cana, where Jesus causes abundant wine to flow for Married couples, causing them to rejoice. Wine symbolizing Married Love, Divine Love, The Holy Spirit, The Covenant. This new wine was given at the special notice of Jesus’ Mother. Mothers! They are ever watchful & attentive to people’s needs. How wonderful they are! Let us run to our Heavenly Mother with our need for this wine, this Love in Marriages. The wine has run out worldwide practically. Mother! Please ask Your Beloved Son for this new wine to be poured out on all Marriages, to over flow & run through the hills enriching the land causing families to flourish, & we, on our part will “do whatever He tells us”. Amen. Hearing these words, “When I fall in Love… it will be forever” ( I have always Loved this song!) I think of Horton the Elephant, “I meant what I said, & I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful 100%.”



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Friday, February 18, 2011

An unimaginable hatred in today's times

One thing can be said, about our modern times that is a positive. It can be said that man has never possessed more tools at his disposal for seeking out the truth- the internet, smart phones etc... That is why the numberless falsehoods and misrepresentations, and the resulting hatred and bigotry from this piece by John McArthur, should sadden everyone who calls himself a Christian.

This is truly a shocking piece, both for it's venom and it's abject ignorance. That a supposedly educated preacher could be so woefully ignorant of so many basic theological tenants is appalling.

Read for yourself- unbridled ignorance and anti-Catholic bigotry.

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Guardian Angel: What does it take to save a baby

When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
11 Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, 12 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 13 And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Why would this article start with such a verses? Have you ever wondered what Jesus is asking of HIS Bride?

Are we still worshiping and doubting? When Jesus spoke to the eleven disciples, was He speaking to the Bishops and Priests today, and then through them to HIS children?

You see, Jesus knows that when we make disciples of all nations, lives and souls will be saved. When we follow his commands, lives and souls will be saved. Jesus is willing to be with anyone who is obedient and seeks to be HIS and start a relationship, and HE will manifest Himself through them, wishing that none would perish.

If we claim Christ, then we are to be the hands, we are to be the heart, we are to be the rightly formed conscience so that Jesus can work through us to stop the abominations.

There are six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, The false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19

As I was in Phoenix over the last few weeks, I have been blessed to meet some true brothers and sisters in Christ that go to Mass daily, say the Rosary daily, and say the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily.

As I watched them, they tried to be like Jesus, asking for the will of our Father in Heaven, and then getting up from their prayers denying themselves and embracing their crosses to follow Jesus. Some studying to show themselves approved.

Some helping the poor, some taking the Eucharist to the sick and disabled, and the list could go on. Know that such pockets of Catholics are all across the world, that you are not alone in your walk with Christ, and that someone’s life and soul is in your path, and if you will use the gifts that God has given you they may stand some day in eternity with HIM.

So what does all of this have to do with saving the life of a baby, and how does it affect me. On this past Monday I went to Planned Parenthood in Phoenix, where they are Slaughtering the innocent, remember that is an abomination to God.

I was with five other people when I showed up with my daughter to show her what Jesus will do when we are faithful.

The first person that I went up to was a Priest, a true Shepherd that had picked up HIS cross and was willing to lead sheep and let Jesus manifest Himself through him.

Father and I immediately said a rosary together, and then I observed the ladies counseling a black lady and tell her about Margaret Sanger and her desire to exterminate the blacks and all minorities.

The black lady was watching a baby and two toddlers in the back seat of a car, and she said that her sister had went inside and was going to have and abortion.

They talked to her about how the black babies were the group with the highest percentage of deaths by abortion.

She said that her sister had already made up her mind, but when she heard about the agenda to kill the black babies, she sent a text to her sister inside, and the three ladies said they would watch the children if she wanted to go save her sister and her baby.

The baby and mother came out unharmed with the sister and they left, having been prayed for and ministered to, and given options for life by those that heard the words of Jesus. A baby was saved and more than one soul was affected and brought closer to Jesus.

This Shepherd, and these brothers and sisters in Christ will not have to hear the following sentence, because they have seen and heard, and then became doers of the Word.

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed." Luke 6:46-49

Again, this baby and mother were saved to give honor and glory to our Father in Heaven.. There would have been death if this Shepherd and Christians had not made HIS words biography in the streets. Now I have to ask you, how many lives and souls will be lost if you and I stay at home. You and I must be there to lift up the arms of the Shepherds and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ with our words and our actions to be about our Father’s business.

So are you ready to serve the King of Kings? Are your eyes seeing and your ears hearing what it takes to save a baby? Pray, Stand, and Act, lives and souls will be affected for the Lord.

Then you will have the opportunity to hear these words from the Lion of Judah. “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Pray, read this again, and then “go” like Jesus tells us, and let God use YOU. Even though we may not see it, there is a plan, and you and I were born for this moment in time.

“Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” Matthew 5:16






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The Catholic Defender: More Rosary Patrol Miracles

My time in Iraq was filled with prayer, I was given so much by so many.

These stories are intended to inspire you as God does answer prayer and he does work miracles. Sometimes we do not always understand the outcome.

Sometimes the Lord may say no. We can always approach Our Lord in confidence as a child.

If anyone out there has a story they would like to share, please let me know. God is so good

On 30 October, 2009 this request was given:

Would you add baby Rylee to your intentions this next 30 days. I posted about it in another thread.

I responded just a short time later:

Most certainly, thank you for remembering us here!!! May the Lord who is the true Physician bring healing into this family and baby Rylee. I believe in the power of prayer and the power of the Rosary. All of this in accordance to God's Holy Will!

On 2 Nov, All Souls Day, I received the following response:

Thanks for asking about Rylee. The last update I have is from Saturday. My friend visited them Saturday morning. She said that Rylee is still in ICU. Her brain swelling is going down, which they want. She will remain in the drug-induced coma to help her brain rest as much as possible. Surgery to repair her skill will eventually bet he goal, but that date won't be set for some time.

In addition to Rylee, will you add her mother, Robin to that prayer list. Because there is a head injury, DFCS/social services investigates. Robin has been through 2 interviews with them so far. Besides worrying about the health of her newborn, she now has fears that DFCS will take her older child from her because of this. She worries that they'll go to her house when she's not there and take her older daughter away. She feels a gut-wrenching amoutn of guilt. Please pray that God takes this pain away from Robin...she is going to hold on to it because she feels so guilty.

I will keep you updated as to Rylee's condition.. as well as how mom is coping.

Thank you for your prayers.

My response:

Thanks, that has to be a tough burden to bear, and I don't have much use for child services. Sometimes they look for excuses to give reason for their jobs. A lot of innocent families have been targeted by them.

And another prayer issue the Rosary Patrol was praying about:

New update about the helicopter crash, the Doctors are finding that our Soldiers brother is doing ok, they may release him in 24 hours. His buddy does have a Fractured Spine, but he is able to move his fingers and toes. Please keep him in your prayers!!!

I received the following post on 4 Nov:

I will definitely add Fr. Wood and PFC Autry to my prayer list. Speaking of prayer lists, an update on Rylee is that it has been confirmed that she has a blood clot in her brain. They took her off the ventilator this morning, but she didn't do well. She's stable right now. The first goal is to get her out of the drug-induced coma, then deal deal with the blood clot. Please keep the family in your prayers.

eta: another update as of Wednesday late afternoon - Rylee is off the ventilator, off of sedation and her mom is holding her!!!! The CAT scan is also showing that the blood clot is dissolving! God is working a miracle before our eyes! Thank you so much for your prayers!

I responded:

That is awesome!!! The Rosary Patrol will continue through November!!! That is amazing, I will have to tell Gigi!!!! Kind of reminds me of our gunshot victim! He's doing great also!!! And your Daughter's arm too!! God is soooo good!

The people involved in the helicopter crash seems to be doing better even as more information come out about the accident. The Brother does have spinal injury and has a cast for him, but he is expected to recover. That is good news as well as his crew mate.

I received this news on 5 Nov:

Praise God!!!!

I have even more news on Riley. Here is an update from her Mom that that was written late last night and in my inbox this morning:

Rylee is on the road to recovery, miracles do happen and this is definitely
one.

Yesterday, Tuesday had some of the darkest moments of this entire ordeal and

at the end of the day there was light.

With the discovery of the bleeding and other complications we were informed
by the nursing staff that Rylee was going to remain in ICU for some time
maybe weeks and we should start to select the nurses we liked to oversee her

care, the situation seemed to be worsening. This was not what the Doctors
had forecasted.

As we were trying to wrap our heads around what we needed to do to care for
Rylee the end of the day brought positive change. As the evening went on so
did her improvements, to the point of amazing the Doctors and Nursing staff.


Today Wednesday she is off most of her medication, breathing tubes etc. She
spent the night wide awake not sleeping the entire night.

After meeting with the Doctors today the blood on the brain is shrinking,
meaning is has stopped and they said the body will start to break it down
and it will vanish.

As it stands now if she eats well tomorrow and her blood pressure gets under
control they are going to move her out of
ICU into a regular room for a few days just for monitoring and then
HOME!!!!!

Thank You everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

My response:

Please send the family the continued prayers from the Rosary Patrol in Iraq!!! This is good news. I even shared this with our Company Commander. Is this Family part of your Parish?

Another post:

The family is not part of my parish. In fact, the neighbor who is my friend through a faith-sharing women's group at my parish, is not even a member of my parish. Sue is a member of Seekers, a faith-sharing women's group, that meets at my parish every Wednesday morning. Sue is a member of another nearby Catholic Church but her good friend leads our Seekers group. Robin, the mother of Rylee, is neighbors with Sue. Sue is an absolutely WONDERFUL young woman who definitely shines Christ's light. Speaking of Sue, I'd like to add her and her family to your intentions next month. She has a daughter who has severe allergies... to gluten of all things and thankfully when it was time for her to receive her First Holy Communion, someone in Seekers told Sue to just pray about her daughter receiving. Sue was despairing because her daughter's whole life has been spent where she is "special" because of her dietary needs and she was so upset that there was a possibility that she wouldn't be able to receive Jesus. She prayed and prayed that her daughter would not be "excluded" from receiving the Eucharist. Her prayers were answered shortly before her daughter was supposed to receive her First Holy Communion. She received a call where she learned that there was a nun who spent all night on a recipe for gluten-free hosts... and it was finally ready... and in time for Elizabeth to receive her First Holy Communion. It was truly a miracle... and Elizabeth has been able to receive Communion ever since. Praise God. So, next month, I'd love it if you'd add them to the Rosary Patrol Prayer intentions.

I responded on 6 November, you might recall an incident that happened at Ft. Hood:

Today, I had the opportunity to teach another Soldier how to pray the Rosary, it was their first time and it went very well. We dedicated the Rosary for the situation at Ft. Hood.

I know that Gigi for one will be exhausted as she got home after 1200 midnight and had to be back by 0700 this morning. The more I am finding out the more this was an act of terrorism.

This was posted to me on 6 Nov about Baby Rylee:

I have another Rylee update - it is much needed, I think.

My friend, Sue visited Rylee at the hospital yesterday. Robin, the mom, was cradling Robin her arms feeding her a bottle. She was wide awake, alert and even gave out a nice big burp. Her bandages were off of her head and her wounds from the attempted surgery are large but healing. She said it is a drastic change from Tuesday when the nurses didn't leave Rylee's side for five hours, her parents were asked to stay outside of the room, Rylee had turned blue, and the doctors were preparing them for a few more weeks in ICU. The improvements she's made are truly miraculous. They are moving to a regular patient room and both Mom and especially Dad see God's hand in this. Robin made a point to tell my friend that she was blessing her with holy water.

To the Rosary Patrol, thank you for your prayers. You are part of this miracle!

I was happy to respond:

That is awesome news, I'm glad that Baby Rylee continues to improve. Sounds like Mom is doing better too, what a terrible ordeal this has been. If their faith is stronger through this, that is the miracle God was wanting!!!

On 11 Nov I received further news:

Yes, I do have an update. Rylee is HOME!!! She began to have seizures over the weekend, but that was expected. She's taking two medications to regulate them and doctors feel she can be home for now. Discussions about surgery on her skull will take place after awhile.

So... great news! Thank you for all of your prayers. The family i sever so grateful and appreciative! Bless you all!

I also received this post from another Defender of the Catholic faith:

What a wonderful confirmation and consolation for the Rosary Patrol... Thank you for all the recent inspiring postings and pictures, answered prayers and new requests...May Our Lord continue to use you for His Glory. May Our Blessed Mother continue to watch over you and yours.

I posted this on 23 Nov:

The following is a note from one of our Soldiers wanting to give an update concerning his Brother whom we have been praying for:

"My little brother Ashley, is recuperating after a helicopter crash in his home with his family in Jackson Missouri. The crash happened 3 weeks ago, 80 miles off the coast of Creole, Louisiana. Ashley has some cracked ribs, crushed vertebre, and little self-esteem as he is a proud pilot. confident in his flight skills. I spoke with him on the phone for over an hour a few days ago. I hadn't spoken with him for that long in over 10 years, so that was quite a treat for me. Ashley is wearing a back brace and is being weaned off the medication he has to take. An investigation of the crash cleared Ashley of any error or wrongdoing, so that was a load off his shoulders and emotionally uplifting. Still in some pain, he is still resting and feeling better each day. Please keep praying for him and thanks to everyone for their prayers they have already said. Prayer is powerful as evidenced by this true story of survival and healing. Thank you and all the best"!

I want to echo this as well, thank you all for your continued prayers for all the Rosary Patrol dedication
s!!! God bless!





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The Catholic Defender: Rosary Patrol Miracles

When I speak of "Rosary Patrol Miracles", I really mean Miracles God has shown through the use of the Rosary, which there are many from all over the world.

Anyone who is determined to pray the Rosary is part of Mary's Army, the Rosary Patrol. The following are taken from "Defenders of the Catholic Faith" from the Thread, "The Catholic Defender in Iraq".

I wrote this from Iraq on 12 April, 2009:

Tonight, a Soldier came to me and asked me how to pray the rosary. I gave him some items that some of you have sent me to hand out. He expects to join us tomorrow! God bless!!!

I wrote the following on April 13:

I've got a Soldier who is looking to make his first Confession in 5 years when Father visits us next!!! He prayed the rosary with us today enlisting officially in the Rosary Patrol! I also have a native Iraqi who is Muslim that is seeking to become Catholic! He plans to participate with us praying the rosary as well! This opportunity fell in my lap today and I am so thankful. If I had the opportunity, I think I could reach many more of them! We will go one person at a time.

If there are something like 17,000,000 fallen away Catholics in the United States, as a group, that would be the second largest group in the U.S. That's larger than the largest Protestant Denomination, the Southern Baptist. Think of this, if 1% of those who have fallen would return with a simple invitation, that would be something near 200,000 people! Let's do it, one person at a time. Jesus would leave the 99 to seek after the one lost. Once found, there is a huge party in heaven! The Angels rejoice!

I call this, "Operation Restore the Vineyard"!

PS, Lisa, I received the box today, but it got here on Easter!!! Thank you so much! I will be showing the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" tonight!!!

I wrote this on 17 April:

This is an update on the Soldier who has been away from the Church for 5 years. He has been coming to the Rosary, he's part of the Rosary Patrol and he plans to see Father when he returns in a couple of weeks. He came to last Sundays Liturgy of the Word and enjoyed it. I can hear angels singing in heaven tonight!!!

I wrote this on 25 April:

The last two days I've had Soldiers come to me to ask about becoming Catholic!!! One of them prayed their first rosary today! A new member of the Rosary Patrol! He was Baptized as a Baby but that is all he knows so he will join my list for the Easter Vigil 2010 Mass! The other one has a marriage issue he will have to resolve. He wants to marry a Catholic but he is divorced. He was raised Methodist but he is now more non-denominational. I talked to him for a while and told him what he needs to do. First thing is to decide if he wants to be Catholic! Today, I had encourage this young Soldier, maybe 19 or 20 years old, to join us for the rosary. We pray it at the Chaplains office at noon everyday. I'll show up there and wait a few minutes and if nobody shows up then I go a head and leave. Today, nobody showed up after about 10 minutes so I decided to get lunch. Remember, I had already prayed with a group at 05:00 in the morning. I was in the Aid Station, didn't yet have a bite when this Soldier came into the Aid Station. He was late but wanted to do the Rosary. I didn't hesitate, we went and prayed the rosary. This was his first one ever. He liked it so well, he will be back tomorrow as we will talk about the Easter Vigil 2010!!!

This was written on May 2, 2009 by one of the Rosary Patrol from California:

As I have said before CD you certainly raise the bar for us at home.

I read your post and think to myself who have I taught to pray the rosary lately. Who have I shared with lately that how I handle the stress of my current life situation is by prayer. So once again thank you for allowing us to be prayer partners with you and the rosary patrol.

Even though we participate with prayer and the wonders of technology I marvel at the bond you have with all your soldiers and also with the Iraqis you help. Praise God that you have a song on your lips. Thank God for your wife and that you each can offer up your time together for the good of our Country and yes the world. It is certainly a blessing that you can speak with Gigi regularly while you miss her presence and good cooking! It is almost a mixed blessing tho to be in communication but yet so far away when a loved one is in Harm's Way. There is no way to comprehend the pain of repeated separation yet you are using it to help soldiers in ways that will help them their whole lives.

I was with Vets from the 187th AB REG CTA yesterday and what touches me most is how their experiences in combat, not nearly the duration of combat our present day soldiers have seen, and yet it marks their whole lives. CD you talk about the enemy of today and how his face has changed...makes me think of the many soldiers that became monks after WWII to integrate their war experience...Well you are handing these soldiers, who have the most combat experience in recent times, tools that help them now and will surely help them the rest of their lives....did I say that already....thanks for sharing the journey.

I wrote this on May 4:

Today has been a blessed day, all the gifts we received were fantastic! Tonight we prayed the rosary with 6 Soldiers one of them being an Iraqi Christian. It was his first Rosary!!! There will be many more! I received some rosaries today and two of the blue ones were used and given away. I was tempted to keep one of them but I gave it to someone more in need! That's exactly what you would want and expect and it is the right thing to do!!! Thank you all for those great gifts. Tomorrow I plan to take some pics with some of the items given to Soldiers!!

Please keep us all in your prayers as there is a real enemy out there just abiding their time....
We are prayer warriors united in faith! The Rosary Patrol is picking up steam and I think it has much to do with all of your prayers. There are many who come in here just to browse and pray. We are heading towards 3500 views and of that, I know there is much prayer!!! That's why I call this teamwork! Everyone here becomes a part of the adventures of the Rosary Patrol.

I wrote this on 7 May:

A good example of this can be seen with a new Medic I received yesterday. He has been Baptized and Confirmed a Catholic yet has never been to confession. He has not been to Mass since 2005, and he has been approached by many other groups talking down against the Church. He is now part of the Rosary Patrol, took part today for the first time!!! He plans to get himself right with the Catholic Church as I was able (through the Holy Spirit) to open his eyes on a lot of things.

Mrs Hicks is a great American and it is an honor to remember her Son as well as all of the others. Thank you for sharing with us that she sent a card to you! I truly do plan to post some pics probably Saturday as I want to get the action on Friday!!!

The following request begins on 9 May:

May I add someone else onto your prayer list as well?

Will you lift up Patrick Whaley in your prayers? He is a 23 year old GA Tech student who fought off attackers and they shot him in the back. He is currently in critical condition having sustained injuries to the stomach, lungs and liver. Patrick and his family used to attend my church. As an Eagle Scout project he built a beautiful prayer trail near our church. His mother was my first co-catechist.

I responded quickly :
Most certainly! 30 days! Did they catch the shooters?

Response came back :

Not yet. They tried to get Patrick into their van, but he didn't. That's when they shot him. Another couple who happened to be getting into their vehicle at the time, were pushed aside and their vehicle carjacked. They dumped the vehicle blocks away... but attacked another male within a mile of Patrick's attack. This guy they forced into their van. There were 3 of them. One remained in the van while the other 2 attacked the single man. He got into the van where they demanded his ATM card. He said he gave it up and didn't look at their faces in hopes that they wouldn't kill him. They dumped him off at a dead and street. The guy said they held the gun to his head and he started crying pleading for his life.. saying he's got family, please. They shot him in the leg and ran off. As far as I know, they didn't get them, but I'm not sure how much of a report Patrick was able to give. He's on a respirator and I know that he was able to hand write notes to his family. He called his attackers cowards because they shot him in the back. That's about all I know at this point.

The May 11 Rosary Patrol dedications were:

Rosary Patrol dedications for this week include:

Soldiers going outside the wire

The Iraqi/Afghanistan war fronts, military and civilian peace and safety

For families separated do to deployment

For our own families (Gigi)

For SGT Hicks, PFC Spencer, and Jay-D who died in Iraq 28 April 2007 and their families

For Sarah who broke her arm

For Seth who was murdered recently and his family

For Alex who is accused of the murder and his family

For Patrick Whaley who was shot in the back by cowards who is in intesive care

May the Lord bless us with His continued presence for the above and for all those added in the prayer requests of the Board Prayer Request forum (Matthew 18:20).

This was written on 17 June:

What times do you pray the rosary? I was thinking that maybe there is a time that would work for me to pray it at the same time. That would be cool.

Also, I wanted to report that Sarah is officially 100%. She had her last follow-up doctor's appointment and her arm is all better. She no longer needs to wear the brace and she can officially return to all of her normal activities. She's doing great in swimming - even diving in at the start of each event. She's doing great. She won her heat in Backstroke last night and also was part of the winning relay medley for her heat. I don't know how her times were but I'm sure they were improved from last week. Her backstroke looked great and her freestyle did too... especially the start(dive in).

Anyway, report back to the Rosary Patrol that all the prayers have been wonderful and appreciated.

The following was taken from the Georgia bulletin:

Patrick Whaley was shot. His plans for his college break were left behind May 4 as the ambulance worker scissored through his bloody T-shirt in a parking garage in Midtown.

The 22-year-old spent half of May recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital. His classroom this summer has been a rehab room where he undergoes physical therapy. His body is recovering from a 70 percent blood transfusion, broken ribs, loss of lung capacity.

Patrick would fully recover despite what doctors feared. In fact, they recognized the "hand of God" in the healing of Patrick. There were a good number of such stories!

_________________


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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

So, you thought the whole point of current abortion law was to end DIY abortions? Think again...


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"If the legal challenge had succeeded, women would also have been required to keep the fetus and return it to a clinic to help ensure that the abortion had been completed."

This quote is what the Pro-Aborts want in their lobby to get Do-It-Yourself Abortions available in England. This is the same industry that fights against using ultrasound to allow a woman to see the reality of her pregnancy before making a final decision for an abortion. This resistance is spun as "compassion" but as it leads to a significant drop in the number of abortions and the corresponding loss of abortion revenues, there may be other motives behind it as well. Now we see these same "compassionate" people want a woman to abort at home, scoop the tiny child up and into a baggie or specimen cup and take it in to the clinic for an examination. Any woman who has experienced the horror of a miscarriage can tell you that this is not something you want to sign up for. This is how far from reality you can stray once you start heading away from reason and truth.

The article...
Judge: No 'DIY' Abortions in England

LONDON (CNS) — A British judge dismissed a legal challenge to allow women to abort a child at home. 

The attempt to reinterpret the 1967 Abortion Act so that it permitted “DIY” or “bedroom” abortions was thrown out Feb. 14 by Justice Michael Supperstone in the High Court in London following weeks of deliberations. 

The case was brought by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, widely known as BPAS, a chain of abortion businesses, which carries out about 55,000 of the 200,000 abortions in Britain each year. 

The abortion provider contended that women seeking early abortions should be allowed to take misoprostol, a drug used in conjunction with the chemical abortion drug RU-486, at home rather than in a hospital.

But the proposal was opposed by the government, which argued that the law still required women to take both first and second doses of the drugs under supervision in medical facilities.

Link to the rest of the story...

The Catholic Defender: The Rosary Patrol

On Monday, 21 February at 7:00 P.M. Central, live on blogtalkradio, deepertruth will begin praying the Rosary.

While serving in Iraq, I organized a rosary group I called the :"Rosary Patrol".

We will pick this up again Monday each week.

I want to invite everyone who has a desire to pray the Rosary to come and join us here at deepertruth blogtalkradio.

If anyone would like to have the rosary patrol to dedicate the Rosary for your intentions, please respond each week so we can pray for your needs.

This is from one of my Rosary Patrol members (Iraqi) November 15, 2009!

In a small village, far from Cordoba about 15 Km, at the 10th of this month, a lady took her one month old baby to baptize him, in the church, there where others baptizing their babies too and there was a female photographer taking pictures to other babies. the infant's mother asked the photographer to take a picture for her son while the priest baptize him and she had told her previously that she own nothing to pay for the picture but she ask her as a favor, the photographer has agreed to do the courtesy as she knows the mother and son lives in poor and the baby has no father, the photographer took the pictures using a regular camera, and sent it to the Cordoba city for development, and it was the surprise when the pictures were received, as the poured water on the Babbie's head revealed as a rosary and here I'm sending you the picture, as it was published in the newspapers and shot by the photographer's lens.













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Is this the choice you defend?

Those of you who insist to a right to choice. Is this what you defend? Lord Jesus, have mercy on us.


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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Upcoming debate

On March 18th, I will be debating Dale McAlpine of PeriloustimesUK blog on the doctrine of purgatory. The debate will be on our blog talk radio show. I am hoping for a civil, rational debate but after reading this on his blog, my optimism has waned dramatically.

Please note that each of the numbered and highlighted statements is a demonstrable, factual falsehood. Not an opinion, a factual lie. Granted, these are Mr. McArthur's remarks, not his. However, that he associates himself with these remarks is outrageous. In each of the numbered, highlighted remarks, McArthur erects a straw man- a non existent Catholic position. These are not the only errors in this piece but certainly the most egregious;


"In the long war on the truth, the most formidable, relentless and deceptive enemy has been Roman Catholicism. This is a logical fallacy called poisoning the well. It is a particular type of Ad Hominem attack, conspicuously lacking in anything that can be responded to.

It is an apostate, corrupt, heretical, false Christianity, it is affront for the kingdom of Satan.

This is known as a parade of horribles. Notice the deliberate use of hyperbole for shock value and, again, no substantive support.

The true church of the Lord Jesus Christ has always understood this.

Argumentum ad populum. Literally; an appeal to the masses. "everybody knows that". Here the debater argues that proposition "A" is true because all the truly smart people say it is. A totally fallacious argument.

And even through the Dark Ages from 400 to 1500, prior to the Reformation, genuine Christian believers set themselves apart from that system, and were brutally punished and executed for their rejection of that system....those believers throughout those centuries along with genuine and discerning believers today understand this is a false system.

This is the fallacy of the unestablished premise. You must take the writer's word that they were A) The true believers B) the system was false. C) They were punished because of the false system. D) As true believers, they share the same faith as protestants today.

McArthur does not even attempt to establish any of these premises on factual evidence.

It has a false priesthood. It has a false source of revelation, tradition and the magisterium. It has illegitimate power granted to it by this magisterium, this papal curia.

see above

1 It engages in idolatry by the worship of saints and the veneration of angels


That is a lie. The Catholic church worships the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit alone. We hold the angels and Saints as created beings who exemplified the faith in a way we may emulate.


.
2 It conducts a horrific exaltation of Mary above Christ and even God

That is such a grotesque slander it is hardly worthy of a response. We hold Mary to be the single most blessed and holy of God's fully created mortal humans. However, to accuse us of elevating her above God, calls into question Mr McArthur's sanity.

.
3 It conducts a twisted sacrament of the Mass by which Jesus is sacrificed again and again

Another despicable lie. Christ died once and for all. There is no resacrifice of Christ in Catholicism. The sacrifice is once. It is the offering that is perpetual- as it has been from the very start-

Malachi 1

11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.


.
4 It offers false forgiveness through the confessional.

Baloney! Again, confession to a Priest goes all the way back to the Levitical Priesthood of Aaron. It is reaffirmed in John 20:23. There is nothing false about it.There is nothing in Scripture to indicate that this precept has ended.

It calls for the uselessness of infant baptism and other sacraments.

Useless? A Sacrament instituted by Christ HIMSELF is USELESS!? The Bible is very clear that baptism was performed on whole families. (1 Corinthians 1:16, Acts 16:33) John received the Holy Spirit (something that happens at Baptism in His mother's womb! (Luke 1:15)

Calling Baptism a useless Sacrament is nothing short of blasphemy.

5Motivated by money, it has invented Purgatory.

The doctrine of Purgatory has existed since the start of the church and has too many Biblical proofs to count. Here is just one

1 Corinthians 3
12 Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- 13* each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15* If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

The Biblical basis for purgatory is very sound and the assertion that the doctrine was created for money is absurd and untenable.


And by the way, Purgatory is what makes the whole system work. Take out Purgatory and it's a hard sell to be a Catholic. People hang in there because of the deception of Purgatory. 6Purgatory is the safety net, when you die, you don't go to hell. You go there and get things sorted out and finally get to heaven if you've been a good Catholic.


Rubbish. Purgatory is not a safety net. Any soul not saved in this life will not be saved in purgatory either. Purgatory is a place where some of the saved must go first to atone for non mortal sin by temporal punishment.

Take away that safety net, that's a hard sell because7 in the Catholic system you can never know you're saved, you can never know you're going to heaven.

Baloney! Any Catholic not in a state of mortal sin can be assured that he/she is going to heaven- either immediately after death or after a time of atonement in purgatory. It is the protestant who can never be sure of this fact. His assurance is one of delusion. There is no evidence of a person going to heaven by the heretical doctrines of protestantism.


You just keep trying and trying.." ~John Macarthur


The abject hatred and dishonesty in this piece is beyond appalling. I have just shown you 7 outright, demonstrable, bald-faced lies.

Your comments welcome.


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Monday, February 14, 2011

* BEST OF DTB #65* The Catholic Defender: St. Peter in Rome

The primary reason why some dispute St. Peter was in Rome is because they want to take St. Peter out of the authority of the Catholic Church.

With St. Peter out of the way that would open the door to them to reject the Catholic Faith.

This is pure and simple. I find it interesting that they will call the Catholic Church the "Whore of Babylon" because they believe that the Church was founded in Rome by Constantine.

Yet, when you share with them that St. Peter was in Rome based on the premise that he was in "Babylon", they can't accept that. 1 Peter 5:12-13 states, "I write you this briefly through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Remain firm in it. The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son".

BTW, St. Mark's Gospel entered the New Testament canon through the authority of St. Peter. St. Luke's Gospel was recognized through the authority of St. Paul. Babylon was a code name for Rome.

Following St. Peter during the early years after the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus we know that he was present at Pentecost. He gives the first Papal dissertation in Acts 2:14-41 when 3,000 people were baptized the first day.

A short time later, St. Peter gave a second speech at the portico called "Solomon's Portico". St. Peter and John were taken from there to the Sanhedrin where the Pharisees wanted to punish them but feared the people who were praising God (Acts 4:21).

We know that St. Peter was still in the Holy Land when persecution broke out against the Christians.

After St. Stephen was stoned to death, people went everywhere to escape Saul of Tarsus. Everyone except the Apostles. St. Peter gives a third speech and Baptized Cornelius near Caesarea.

St. Peter received a vision and message from an angel while in Joppa when three men came to see him to take him to Cornelius.

This would be very important for the early Church as God reveals to St. Peter his plan of salvation for the Gentiles.

St. Peter begins to speak when the Holy Spirit came upon the house of Cornelius.

St. Peter ensures the baptism of the entire household (Acts 10:9-48).

This would become important for the early Church and infant baptism.


King Herod captures St. Peter and puts him in prison, but God had other plans for St. Peter getting him away from the clutches of Herod (Acts 12:1-17).

We know that St. Peter was in Jerusalem for the Council of Jerusalem (49 A.D.), "After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them, 'My brothers, you are well aware that from the early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts".

After this scene, we do not see much of St. Peter in Jerusalem. This is the last time we see St. Peter in the book of Acts. St. Paul becomes the dominate figure from this point on.

So where does St. Peter Go? Does he ride his donkey into the sunset into retired life? No, not at all!

According to Tradition, St. Peter went to Antioch and ordained St. Evodius a bishop.

St. Peter appears to have gone immediately to Antioch after being released from jail by the angel. St. Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of the Apostle John, who died around AD 100 AD.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347 – 407 AD), grew up in Antioch, learned the history which taught that St. Ignatius had been ordained at the hands of Apostles, including St. Peter.

According to ancient tradition, St. Ignatius was the child whom Christ had held, as described in Matthew 18:4. It is also from here that St. John Chrysostom learned the history and tradition that Christ was born on December 25th, 2 B.C.

St. John Chrysostom would preach on the subject literally on Christmas day. It is important to understand from this tradition, St. Peter was in Antioch at one point. What about St. Peter in Rome?

Writing in his Annals circa A.D. 116, Tacitus a Pagan Historian, describes the response of Emperor Nero to the great fire that swept Rome in A.D. 64:
"But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow, nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome. Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind."
Suetonius, another Pagan historian also confirms Nero's persecution of Christians at Rome (c. 120 A.D.):
"Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to
a new and mischievous superstition." (Lives of the Caesars 26.2)

One of the Early Church Fathers who heard from St. Peter personally, was ordained by St. Peter would become the third successor to St. Peter. St. Clement of Rome about 95 A.D. wrote:

"Let us come to the heroes nearest to our times. . . . Let us set before our eyes the good apostles; Peter, who by reason of unrighteous jealousy endured not one or two but many labours, and having thus borne his witness went to his due place of glory. Paul, by reason of jealousy and strife, pointed out the prize of endurance. . . . When he had preached in the East and in the West he received the noble renown of his faith. Having taught righteousness to the whole world, even reaching the bounds of the West, and having borne witness before rulers, he thus left the world and went to the holy place, becoming the greatest pattern of endurance."

St. Clement writes of Peter's stay in Rome, "I do not command you, as Peter and Paul did".
Ignatius of Antioch wrote:

"Not as Peter and Paul did, do I command you [Romans]. They were apostles, and I am a convict" (Letter to the Romans 4:3 [A.D. 110]). Such a comment would only make sense if Peter had been a leader, if not the leader, of the church in Rome.

Later in the second century, Irenaeus of Lyons believed that Peter and Paul had been the founders of the Church in Rome and had appointed Linus as succeeding bishop.

Tertullian also writes: "But if you are near Italy, you have Rome, where authority is at hand for us too. What a happy church that is, on which the apostles poured out their whole doctrine with their blood; where Peter had a passion like that of the Lord, where Paul was crowned with the death of John (the Baptist, by being beheaded)."

St. Dionysius of Corinth also serves as a late second-century witness to the tradition. He wrote: "You (Pope Soter) have also, by your very admonition, brought together the planting that was made by Peter and Paul at Rome and at Corinth; for both of them alike planted in our Corinth and taught us; and both alike, teaching similarly in Italy, suffered martyrdom at the same time".

Later tradition, first found in Saint Jerome, attributes to Peter a 25-year episcopate (or apostolate) in Rome.
St. Peter's crucifixion in Rome is the only recorded traditional account of St. Peters death. John 21:18 states, " Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God".It is interesting to note that there are no viable examples or traditions of St. Peter having this experience anywhere else.

The grave that is claimed by the Church to be that of St. Peter lies at the foot of the aedicula beneath the floor under the main Altar. DNA testing reveals that the bones found were the bones of a 60-70 year old man.

On June 26, 1968, Pope Paul VI announced that the relics of St. Peter had been discovered. The evidence through scientific analysis found St. Peters name more than 20 times at the site, the bones had a purple and gold fabric.




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