Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Catholic Defender: Freedom Is Not Free
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
a Young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers graves?
No, freedom isn't free.
I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen",
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
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Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Catholic Defender: 10 June Set For Next Debate
The debate will be moderated by Jimmy Z as John of deepertruth will defend the Catholic teaching concerning the Sacred Scripures.
The Protestant position will be defended by "The Attack Cat" who wants to prove once and for all that the Protestants are right in their judgment and definition of Scripture.
As before, the Catholic Defender will be supporting John helping him prepare for this epic for the ages. Please keep 10 June set on your calenders as this will be good. John is preparing even now as we speak!!!
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The Catholic Defender: Eye of the Tiger II
The debate will be live on blogtalkradio that you find our other shows.
The challenger is coming to challenge the Catholic Church in a one on one debate.
John has accepted to take on the Protestant Attack Cat.
America Vs Parts Unknown
Catholic Vs Protestant
John is getting himself ready to defend the Catholic Faith in this must debate for the ages. Jimmy Z will moderate the debate.
Time to be announced! Come support John as the Attack Cat vows to Purrfectly defeat the Catholic Faith. Sola Scriptura, it is or it isn't!!!
Does this sound like a great debate? John is ready and waiting! He has the "Eye of the Tiger"!
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You and me versus the world
Let's be clear. The kid growing up in 1971 (as I did) had a very small window on the world. The world was what your parents, your teachers and Walter Kronkite told you it was.
Yet, even in my small corner of the world, at my young age, I understood that my family was Catholic and that there were people who hated me for it. The 40 years since have only widened the scope of my view but the hatred is still there. If anything, it has increased.
Flipping through the channels (that now number in the hundreds), I chanced by an episode of "Two and a half men". One of the characters on this insipid show, asked another if the Charlie Sheen character took him for granted, or something like that. I don't remember the exact context- it isn't important. It was the sarcastic response from the woman character that struck me- "Do Catholic Priests make poor baby sitters?"...as if it was a given that all Catholic Priests are child molesters.
Considering the hatred, bigotry and poor taste of such a corrosive retort, I could not help but wonder what the response would have been by substituting "Catholic Priest" with "Protestant Minister", "Jewish Rabbi" or "Muslim Imam", or even "Public School teacher", "Boy Scout leader", "Congressman" or "CPS Caseworker" or even "Homosexual Male". Every one of those vocations would be statistically more likely to fit this caustic stereotype than "Catholic Priest", so why did this comedy show choose to take a gratuitous shot at Catholicism by raising the horrific crime of pedophilia to a punch line?
It's very simple. If you had assaulted any of those groups in such a way, the outcry would be immediate and overwhelming. However, it is open season on Catholics because the whole world hates Catholics.
Just look around you. The media hates Catholics and constantly interjects their venom into stories at every opportunity. A recent AP story referred to the beatification of Pope John Paul II as "a needed boost for a church still stinging from the sex abuse scandal". One of the big cable networks commented on the Pope calling the space station as ironic coming from the church that "Condemned Galileo for asserting that the earth revolved around the sun" (an untrue assertion by the way). Many recent other stories have deliberately miss-stated the Church's position on condoms, evolution, the Eucharist and even technology. A recent media story asserted that an I-Phone/ Android application could replace Sacramental confession.
The entertainment industry is no different. From comedian Dayne Cook's derision of the Eucharist as the "crouton de Christ" to ventriloquist Jeff Dunham's disgusting remark about Catholic Priests and small boys. In movies, Catholics are portrayed as ignorant buffoons and Catholic Priests as intolerant or even evil. Examples include Saturday Night fever, Home Alone, The last temptation of Christ, the Seventh Sign, All the Right moves and The Da Vinci code.
Lawmakers clearly hate the catholic church, crafting proposed laws making it a crime to be Catholic. If you are a Catholic praying the Rosary in front of an abortion clinic or even at a supposedly Catholic university, you are cited as a trespasser and arrested. Those who hold the opposite view are left alone.
The Abortion lobby, itself, explicitly hates the Catholic Church as does the education system. In fact, the Abortion lobby, the radical homosexual lobby, the education system and government have formed an unholy alliance to foist upon our children the idea that standing up for life, the sanctity of marriage, smaller, less intrusive government and freedom of speech and religion are actually examples of bigotry and intolerance that cannot be tolerated.
That Catholicism is viscerally hated by the Social and Religious left- the secularists, the atheists, the free-sexers, the abortionists, homosexual advocates and big government liberal tyrants, it is just as viscerally hated by the right. Evangelical Christians, united with us in opposing gay marriage, Government mandated control of our lives and the suppression of our freedoms, nevertheless, are each day, creating new books, blogs, web sites and Facebook pages deriding Catholicism as an evil cult, worshipers of Mary, Angels, Saints, the Pope...even statues! These, supposedly Christian, people accuse us regularly of supporting the most attrocious crimes including pedophilia and genocide.
Now, it may be true that there are Youtube sites and Facebook pages and blogs that deride atheists and liberals, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Evangelicals but the difference is that strong numbers of all of those groups hate the Catholic Church.
Hatred of Catholicism can be found in every walk of life, from the Intelligentsia to the blue collar carpenter, Left wing, right wing and moderate, Jew, Muslim, Evangelical protestant, Mormon or Secular Humanist atheist.
They all hate us.
In fact, the Roman Catholic Church is the one and only institution that the whole world hates. This is exactly what proves we are the true Church.
18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 It is to fulfill the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'
What an honor and privilege it is to be hated for Jesus.
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Friday, May 27, 2011
The Catholic Defender: Welcome To Fright Night
Fearfully, Peter Vincent pulled out his crucifix and stood before Mr. Dandridge who walked towards Peter Vincent and said, "You have to have Faith to work against me Mr. Vincent, Vampire Killer".
Genesis 32:24-27 states, "And Jacob was left alone; and a man (angel) wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.
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The Catholic Defender: Thank You Sandra, A Warning Of The Eucharist!
Catholics! Are you listening? What Hosea warns about is not so extraordinary.
Jesus warns, "I know your works: you are neither cold or hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So. because you are LUKEWARM, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).
Think about this; it will be easier for those who are "cold" on Judgment Day than those who are LUKEWARM who will be thrown out!
Jesus makes this clear saying, "For to everyone who has,more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth" (Matthew 25:29-30).
Sandria was recieved into the Catholic Faith this past Easter Vigil. She is a dynamite witness on YouTube and Facebook and the following she has put together so that this might hit a Catholic at their core.
To wake them up! Scott Hahn has said that sometimes it takes an outsider to stir us up with what we have. Please share this to the farthest ends to reach the lost! To wake up a sleeping giant! Sandria worked putting together this video with a great Catholic speaker! Can anyone identify who this Priest is?
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The all-too frightening reality that is hell...the lost ability to change your mind.
Hell is one of those realities that is difficult for the mind to penetrate. First of all, the sheer horror of hell should be enough to make one shudder. Physical pain beyond anything we have ever dared to imagine, against which even the most horrid tortures of earth are unworthy of comparison. St. Vincent Ferrier said that, in comparison to the fires of hell, earthly fire is cold. Hunger beyond imagination, without a crumb of food. Thirst that an ocean of water could not quench, with never a drop to be received. Un-ending shrieks and groans assualting our hearing, suffocating stench, frightful images, never ending exhaustion withouteven a second of rest....
A lost soul, in a vision, once said that one can be mistaken in depicting hell but one can never exxagerate. Saint Jacinta, the Fatima visionary said that one vision of hell would cause one to never sin again.
However, the most terrible realities of hell stem from the complete loss of hope. A Catholic Saint has said that a sign outside hell's gate reads "All hope abandon ye who enter here".
No hope of water, food or sleep. No hope of even a second's relief from the unimaginable pain. An inexpressable longing for God with no hope of ever being with Him. Ne hope whatsoever.
Ever.
A soul damned gets no consolation from the fact that it has been in hell ten thousand years...or even ten thousand times ten thousand times ten thousand years.
This is the frightening reality that causes one to bristle. This is what causes one to see hell as the ultimate overkill. Why would God not simply destroy the sinner rather than hold him/her into existence for the means of torture?
It is not a reality that is easy to be reconciled with. It surely is a reality that should invoke a healthy fear.
A healthy fear.
To remain in a morbid forbid of hell is to lose sight of some very precious and important things;
- There is noneed for you to go there.
- God does not will it.
- Jesus Christ suffered and died to prevent it.
- It is your decision whether you will go there or not.
True, you do not explicitely choose the punishments of hell. Yet, the punishments of hell are the consequence of your willful rejection of God. It is the cost of your decisions.
God does not force His love and mercy on you. He, not only offers you His mercy but He even freely gives you the grace, without which you could not choose it. Think about this. God actually choose you to choose Him! (1 Thessalonias 1:2-4, John 15:16).
The most frightening aspect of rejecting God's mercy is that, one day, you will get your way.
At life's end, do not presume that God will entertain your pleas for mercy, your excuses, your moral rationalizations. Stripped of free will, you will not be able to be contrite, to rationalize, to make excuses.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Deeper Truth Blog fan page
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tonight on Blog Talk radio
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Sunday, May 22, 2011
Pondering my ponderings...
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I blog about momming and teaching and fostering and wifing and cooking and goating with my particular Catholic and ex-unrepentant heathen flavor because these are the things that I do. I hope I don't come across as a self-proclaimed expert because I am certainly not one. My main point, in most of my posts is to think out loud, share what has worked for me and what has not, smile at my shortcomings, and hope for the best. That's it, really.
I feel that I am pretty okay at mothering. I have my good days. I know I was a pretty decent school teacher because I had these yearly evaluations that told me so. I make a poor excuse for a wife, I'll admit. I know I wouldn't want to be married to me, so I give credit where credit is due for any success there: the Sacrament, my husband's forgiving nature, and a whole lot of reading up on the real experts. Most of my wifely posts are me preaching at me reminding myself to get doing what I know I am supposed to be doing.
I thought somebody out there might have enough in common to laugh with me or even enough common sense to laugh at me at times, but I knew I enjoyed the company of others' thoughts on the ethernet and thought I might be able to contribute a thought or two, too. It's all a little awkward though, this blogging thing. I can see how easily it might degenerate into a roadblock to family time, a popularity contest, a vanity feeder, or an idea narrower. I really don't need any help finding new ways to fall short, so I do try to keep the pitfalls in mind. At best I guess, blogging is a bit like writing magazine articles, but it has a more intimate appeal to it somehow. When I read a good blog regularly, I feel the stirrings of something very like friendship with the blogger.
If this were the 1950s, I'd have you over for coffee and tea in the afternoon and we could laugh over the mountains and molehills of the daily grind together. But this is the Post-Modern Era. We are so neatly modern that I sit here in my home and type, you sit there in yours and read, and we share a moment displaced. It's much less entertaining this way. Much less civilized. All this social networking and blog reading feels cozy and homey, but is it enough to battle a certain modern loneliness we all have?
I don't know. What I do know is that I've been privileged to share some of my inner workings here. I feel very grateful and sometimes apologetic towards the people who have read what I've written. I hope you all, like my husband, find me just entertaining enough you can forgive me my shortcomings and, like real friends, point them out when they show, so I can tuck them back in again.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
*BEST of DTB #89* The Catholic Defender: the importance of fathers in the home
Pope Paul VI was quoted by the Catholic Magazine "Immaculata" from a book they produced called "The Devil and Exorcism" (April 1974) saying, "show the devil to Christian souls as he really is, and his ugliness will not attract them; hide the devil and in ignorance they will follow him. The devil has been hidden too long. Not by the Church but by those who have little faith or no faith in the supernatural. The power of the devil weakens as soon as his pretenses are exposed".
St. Peter tells us to "Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour".
This is echoed in the St. Michael Prayer and that is an important prayer for today's spiritual warfare:
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.
Amen.
Some very serious facts to consider (From an earlier article The Rise of the Fatherless):
- 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times
the average.
- 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.
- 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Center for Disease Control)
- 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
- 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)
- 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average. (Rainbows for All God’s Children)
- 70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)
- 85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)
It is clear that there are many young people today that are not being equipped to fight the battle of life. Even should your speak to them about the Faith, many times it shoot right past them because they do not know the language.
In 2006, there were reported 33,000 suicides that year. How tragic this is. Many of these can be reached with help, but a good foundation might go a long way as well.
The following is from an earlier article (Are Condoms Safe):
STD's are the most common diseases in America next to the common cold and flu.
12 Million new STD cases are reported each year. That is about 33,000 per day.
45 million Americans are infected with an incurable STD.
There are now more than 60 different kinds of STD's that exist.
20 different STD's are rampant among teenagers.
63% of all STD's occur in persons less than 25 years of age.
STD's infect 3 million teenagers each year and growing.
Last year it was reported that 1 out of 4 girls have been diagnosed down to the age of 12. 60-80% infected with an STD do not develop initial symptoms.
AID's has been a leading cause of death (among 18-25 years old) despite wonder drugs that help extend life, there is no cure. The following statements reveal the danger condoms present in acquiring STD's:
The destruction of many families has wounded our Country. To strengthen our Nation, we must strengthen our families. It is important that we return to God with all our hearts. Our Lady's peace plan from heaven is a most important opportunity.
I recently was at a local Senior Citizen Home and what a great honor it was to share the Rosary with them. I have deputized them into the Rosary Patrol. Can you imagine something like this all across the Country!
Many of the people at these locations have lost touch with their families (truly sad and wrong), but the Lord certainly would bless them in praying the Rosary for our Country! In doing so, many would be able to recognize the "Angel of Light" and turn to the true God!
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A conversation with God
Where am I not?
I cannot find you.
It is because you seek me only half-heartedly.
Why am I so weak?
Because you are human and you still think you can make yourself stronger. You must yield fully to me.
Lord, it is so hard...my life is so difficult with so many distractions.
Am I to be but one of your distractions? No, my child. You cannot love me unless you put me first.
I'm so tired....
It is because you do not put me first.
I'm so discouraged.....
It is because you do not put me first.
Lord, look upon all my past failures....
How would it profit you for me to do that?
I am so wretched.
Do you speak thus, so that you may become less so? Or do you so speak that you may continue in your wretchedness and blame Me?
Lord forbid it! I don't blame you!
Don't you? You speak of your wretchedness as your natural state... as if I created you so. Did I create in you your selfish, unreasoning will, or have you done this to yourself?
I did it to myself, Lord.
You did it? Is this a thing past, my son?
No, Lord. You are right. I am still doing it.
You call me 'Lord' and you tell me I am right...yet your selfish will remains, why?
Lord! If I only knew! If I only knew! Will you tell me!?
Will you listen to me? Will you believe in me?
Yes, Lord! I believe! I believe! Help my unbelief!
Will you listen to me? Will you believe in me?
Yes, Lord! I will listen, I will believe! please tell me the answer!
My child, do I speak to you even now and you do not listen? Will you believe? Will you listen? This is your answer. How can you know peace if you do not know Me? How can you know Me if you will not obey me? I have set before you life and death. Do not look for the difficult answer when the simple one shall suffice.
I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have any false gods before Me.
Will you take me back, Lord?
Do you seek ME or just my mercy?
Both
Do you? search your heart, my child. I cannot be your Savior unless I am also your Lord. I cannot force my loving will upon you. You must desire it above all, you must choose it unreserved. If you seek only my mercy and not my will, you shall receive neither. If I cannot give you my mercy, it is because you do not truly choose it.
Do you understand this, My Son?
I do.
Show me.
I will. Help me!
My child, I am always here to help you. I suffered and died to secure the graces to save you. I have given you more than you can possibly repay. I have given you my Mother as your own. I have given my flesh and blood to sustain you and the Church to pray for you. You have all you need to reach me. Get up! Arise, my child, from the dead and walk again.
Dispense with your anger and your hypocrisy, your despair and pride, regret and fear. Away with them all! They are but walls that you have placed before me. They have become your gods. Away with them!
If I cannot give you my mercy, it is because you do not truly choose it. If I cannot give you my mercy, you must meet with my Justice. My child, how will you stand against my Justice?
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Saturday, May 14, 2011
*BEST OF DTB #88* The Catholic Defender: Guardian Angels
On YouTube he is known as "TheChurchAuthentic".
He has recently come back home to the Catholic Faith! God is so good and merciful!
"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:1-2).
The following is his story:
Oct 31, 2010
Just Passing Through A poncho-draped sentry at the Fort Hood East Gate waved me through with an OD flashlight. The wipers on my red '65 Mustang were working overtime as I peered through the night at my new surroundings. Assigned to 1/9 Cav Hq/Hq Co 1CavDiv, I was told to take the main road to the end. Half a mile down this road I came upon two hitchhikers, a common sight in 1973. The pair of lean soggy soldiers slipped into the small back seat. "Where to?" I asked.
"We'll tell you." one said.
I thought, maybe I picked these guys up so I could tell them about Jesus. I did a lot of that in those days, living with the Jesus People in Southern California prior to being drafted. I didn't always feel comfortable about "witnessing" as it was called, but had this compulsion to do so. I think it was guilt. Perhaps I was trying to pay Jesus back for what he had done for me. Or was I trying to sell Jesus? Anyway, it was awkward and scary. Oh well, here goes...
"Do you guys know Jesus? He's the one who died for you."
A quick shot in my rear view mirror and I noticed them glance at one another. Silence. The rain on the white rag top seemed awfully loud and I hoped we would arrive at their drop-off soon.
I thought, "Maybe I should shut up sometimes."
Coming to an intersection, I had the green light at 30 mph and suddenly I looked out my driver's side window to see a pair of headlights inches from my door approaching me at about 30, and this guy wasn't slowing down. Certain that we would be T-boned, I instinctively turned toward the passenger side and raised my left arm to shield my head. Suddenly, through the passenger window, I saw the taillights of this same car moving away from us at 30 mph. No time to brake, no time to swerve, no reason to slow down, I continued to drive.
The other driver ran a red light and I can't call the MPs because there was no accident. If there was, I wouldn't be calling anybody. One of the silent ones spoke up in a somber voice, "He should have hit you."
My heart was racing faster than a mustang's and I said, "Fellas, I think you just saw a miracle." More silence.
"You can drop us off at the next corner," said the other.
It's been 37 years since that rainy night in Texas and just recently I reflected on a New Testament passage in the 13th chapter of Hebrews, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
Hmm...
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Friday, May 13, 2011
* BEST OF DTB #87* The Catholic Defender: The Father Kapaun Story
We have had several Catholic Priests who have served their Faith and their Country with heroic fortitude and courage.
One such Priest was Father Emil J. Kapaun. He was from Wichita, Kansas and on Holy Thurday, 1944 he entered the United States Chaplaincy.
In 1948 he was sent to Japan before he went to Korea in July 1950.
That On coming November 2 (All Soul's Day), Father Kapaun was taken prisoner by the Chinese and North Koreans.
He was in their prisons for seven months. Father Kapaun spent himself in heroic service to all the Soldiers serving with him as a POW.
Ignoring his own health he continued to serve those he considered his flock, which was all of them regardless of faith background.
The stories of his heroism was reported by eyewitnesses who claimed he did the work of three men.
He would find ways of getting food to give to those starving from the Chinese and Koreans. "He would sneak past the guards to visit the enlisted men and sick at the peril of his life".
The Communist authorities told Father Kapaun that prayer would not help his men; medicine was the only thing that would do any good".
Father Kapaun replied, "Since they aren't getting any medicine, I don't think it would hurt to try a little prayer".
Capt Ray M. Dowe Jr would later say of Father Kapaun that the chaplain stole wood every morning in winter months to warm other POWs when they arose, washed the cloths of those who had dysentery and cleaned the latrines.
Then Father Kapaun became ill. Father Kapaun developed a blood clot in his Left leg that prevented his daily rounds.
"When he started to recover, the Chinese took him to the hospital against the directions" of the doctor, Maj Clarence L. Anderson.
The chinese "threw him in the death room where they deglected him until he died on May 23, 1951. The Communist killed him because they could not cope with him. He was the greatest man I have ever known".
Father recieved the "Legion of Merit", the "Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism near Unsan, when on 2 November 1950, his regiment was under attack for 36 hours. He was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" for valor while aiding a wounded soldier under intense enemy fire near Kumchon, Korea.
Father Kapaun represents the finest of Americans who went to war defending life and liberty believing that America stood for those freedoms.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
*BEST OF DTB #86* The Catholic Defender: Adoni
It was interesting in that he identified himself as a "Nestorian" Christian. He also stated that the Nestorian Believers made up about 5% of the Christians in Iraq.
Just to give a background on the Nestorians, in 431, the Catholic Church at the Council of Ephesus defined that Jesus was 100% God and 100% man in one person.
Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople at the time had questioned the apostolic tradition which emphasized the disunity between Christ's human and divine natures.
To give added weight to the Catholic position, Mary was given the title "Theotokos", Mother of God.
That Mary was not just the Mother of the humanity of Jesus but the whole person. Jesus was conceived and born fully one person with two natures. He was not someone simply with multiple personalities.
My friend came up to me asking me what an "Apostle" was.
I simply responded that an apostle is one who is sent. Then I elaborated a little bit more explaining that Jesus had prepared his Disciples for three years for the missionary work that he was calling them to.
Not only does Jesus give the Apostles the "Deposit of Faith" but also the authority to proclaim it to all the nations.
That for nearly 2,000 years the Catholic Church has been empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach good news setting the captives free.
My Iraqi friend listened intently to me as I explained this to him when he asked me a second question.
He asked me why we were making a God out of Mary. To him, this was what kept the Nestorians from coming back to the Catholic Faith.
I thought about that for a second and I responded that the title "Theotokos" is an important title not necessarily for Mary, but because it identifies who Jesus is, Jesus is the Incarnation.
Jesus asked his Apostles who people say the Son of Man is and during the early centuries of the Church, that question was hammered out in the face of all the various heresies.
Nestorianism was just another heresy the Catholic Church had to contend with. I quickly posed this question to my friend:
"What is the difference from the Catholic definition "Theotokos" Mother of God, and Elizabeth's recognition of Jesus as "Adoni" or "my Lord"?
This is a very famous scripture coming from Luke 1:39-45, "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry. 'Blessed are you among women. and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of My LORD (Adoni) should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord".
This leads into the great song of praise from Mary, "My soul magnifies the Lord (Adoni), and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever".
As I finished what I was saying, my Iraqi friend became highly interested in our Bible Study I had been conducting there at the Division Chapel. Oh, wouldn't it be great to bring back those who have wondered from the fold so long ago? Sometimes we can only do so one person at a time!
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Monday, May 9, 2011
The Catholic Defender: Cattle Guards
Actually, some might say because of their positions, we feel our pain.
Well, because of the many extraordinary situation our President and Vice-President must face every day.
I can understand the pressure they are working under. Recently there was a confusing issue concerning Colorado "Cattle" Guards that the Obama Administration had.
We have them here at Fort Hood Texas as I would see them all the time.
For those of you who might not know what a "Cattle Guard" is, they are horizontal steel rails put at fence openings, in dug-out places in the roads adjacent to highways (sometimes across highways).
They prevent cattle from crossing over acting as a gate. Cattle will not step on or over the rails keeping the cattle in the correct pasture or lot.
They are called cattle guards. A story has been circulating around about the following:
A few months ago, President Obama received and was reading a report that there were over 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado.
Before the Secretary of the Interior could respond and presumably try to straighten President Obama out on the matter, Vice-President Joe Biden intervened with a request that...before any cattle guards were fired, they be given six months of retraining for Arizona Border guards.
I wonder what they know about "Gaurdian Angels"?
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Sunday, May 8, 2011
*BEST OF DTB #85* It simply isn't possible for the RCC to be the "Whore of Babylon"
Let's go through the clues that point to the harlot and you will see how not one of them could possibly find it's fulfillment in Catholicism.
Revelation 17Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk."
Here we see, plainly exposed, the fundamental deadly flaw in the false doctrine of Sola scriptura. To believe in "The Bible alone" assures (despite protestations to the contrary) that the reader will shade the passages with his/her own predjudices, injecting into the text that which is actually not present. Protestant dispensationalists actually impose their anti-Catholic bias on this passage. As a result, they must futurize an entity and events that John clearly tells us are past and present with respect to his time.
In fact, John says that even those future events will soon come to pass (1:1). The idea that the "whore of babylon" discourse is a prophecy of end time events, featuring only end-time entities is a complete protestant invention, without one letter of scriptural support.
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4* The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication;To assert this as an allusion to the Catholic Church, anti-Catholics actually undercut their arguments by mixing many metaphors. These Apocaliptic writings are very clear that the whore, the beast and the anti-christ (alluded to later) are 3 related, but distinct entities. However, anti-catholics routinely juxtapose all 3 onto catholicism. this, of course, makes them look every bit as confused and desperate as they are.
What is being shown here is clear. The beast is an agent of Satan and the woman is condemned for playing it's whore.
The first clues to the identity of the whore would have been unmistakable to the people of John's time. This is without question, referring to those inhabiting the Temple in Jerusalem-
Exodus 285 "They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and
fine twined linen.
9 And you shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on
them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone,
and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their
birth.
Exodus 2529 *Of pure gold you shall make its plates and
cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring libations.
It is quite clear that these things all point to Jerusalem's temple. Though you could argue that a "golden cup" could be misunderstood to allude to the Communion Chalice of the Catholic Church and that purple and scarlet vestments (along with every other color imaginable) may have been used in the catholic mass from time to time, it is clear that the totality of descriptors, including precious stones and pearls (found nowhere in catholicism) refers to the Jewish Temple.
The clincher, again, is the fact that her spiritual harlotry is recorded as having already occured in John's time. To try to make this fit catholicism is pretty difficult unless you admit that the Catholic church was present in John's time and was once God's Holy people. spiritual harlotry cannot be committed by anyone but God's people.
5 and on her forehead was written a name of mystery:"Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations." 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.Notice that a distinction is made between "saints" and "martyrs of Jesus". In 18:24, the distinction is between "prophets" and"saints". What is being said here is very clear and unmistakable. There are three specific groups of victims of the Whore;
- Prophets
- Old Testament Saints
- New Testament Saints (martyrs of Jesus)
Again, to futurize this passage is to take a leap that the text will simply not allow. Though one can infer that additional, future victims could happen, the text does not specifically say so, but one must stipulate that victims of the whore's villany include those prophets that existed before John's time and those New testament saints of John's time. this is, again, impossible for the catholic church and, as the Bible clearly shows, can only be fulfilled in one entity.
Matthew 2337* "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning
those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children
together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38*
Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. * 39* For I tell you, you will not
see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Luke 1333 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and
the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from
Jerusalem.' 34* O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those
who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 35* Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
On the strength of this Biblical evidence alone, it has been shown that, even if you accepted the ludicrous assertions of countless catholic murders during the middle ages, there is no scenario you can create where the catholic church was even in existence to kill all of the prophets and the martyrs of Jesus. Not even Rome or Greece or Persia or even the original Babylon can fulfill that dubious title. In fact, the city of Jerusalem is the one and only historical entity culpable for the murder of all the prophets and martyrs up to John's time. That is a fact that cannot be plausibly disputed.
When I saw her I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come
The Angel is taking great pains to show that the beast is one who did exist, now does not exist and will exist again. Whatever your interpretation of who the beast is, it cannot be the Catholic church unless you can prove that the catholic church did exist prior to AD 66, Did not exist in AD 66 and appeared again after AD 66. There is no interpretation of historical events in which this scenario works.
The only way to interpret the imagery of the Seven headed beast (called a seven headed dragon in Revelation 12) is to view it through the lens being slowly drawn in. The Beast/Dragon is first identified as Satan (Revelation 12:9) in the sense that he is the ultimate source of all evil. Drawing the lens in closer, it is that specific beast upon which the harlot has committed spiritual adultery with, to the point of even assuming it's name 'Babylon'. This is unmistakably, the evil Roman empire of John's time. Finally, bring the lens to it's closest focus, and we look at the seven heads of the larger beast to find the specific beast John is referring to.
Notice that John says, both of this beast, and of the particular head, that it was, but now not is. In other words, it is (in John's time) dead.
10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition.
So, let's break this down. The now dead, but soon to be "ressurected" specific beast, is a head of the larger Roman beast, which is a type of the ultimate beast- Satan. Therefore, the specific beast is not only one of the seven heads, it is one of the five that have fallen. This important fact is shown over and over again so that the people of John's time would not miss the identity of the specific beast who is a specific person who existed as one of the first 5 heads of the Roman beast.
They are;
- Augustus
- Tiberius
- Cladius
- Caligula
- Nero
John emphasizes this by telling us that the seventh King (Othos), once he came, would reign only a short while. Indeed, Othos reigned only 6 months.
Let us be clear. Whatever conclusions we draw about John's words that the beast would later rise from hell, be they figurative or literal, be they fulfilled shortly or in the end times or both, we cannot escape the fact that it was a specific person of John's time that the peoplewould have been able to deny by the clues given.
Revelation 13And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great
authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal
wound was healed, .............. 18 This calls for wisdom: let him who has
understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its
number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Many argue that the book of Revelation shows that this partiular beast rises from the dead (either figuratively or literally) as Anti-Christ or one of his agents. Others say that his rising from the dead refers figuratively to his being a type of Vespasian who, through his son Titus, destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Still others see a dual fulfillment, in which Jerusalem is actually destroyed twice- in 70 AD and in the end times. All of these explanations are plausible. ( I hold to the third view).
What cannot be denied is the original identity of the Beast as a man, one of the first five Roman Emperors, who died and whose number in Genatria add up to the required sum of 666.
There are only two qualified candidates;
- Caligula
- Nero
To identify the Beast as Rome and, more specifically, Nero is key. For if the Beast is Rome, the harlot cannot be Rome. A whore cannot be a whore to herself.
Revelation tells us very clearly that whore is distinct from the Beast, joined only by their spiritual adultery.
This is the trap that anti-Catholics cannot escape. If, as they laughingly assert, the larger Beast is the Catholic Church and the specific beast/anti-Christ is the Pope, then just who is the whore?
Are we to believe that the Whore sits on herself and commits spiritual adultery with herself? Are we to believe that the roman beast hates itself, turns on itself, devours it's own flesh and burns itself with fire?
15 And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Verses 9-10 tells us that the seven heads have the dual meaning of representing both the seven mountains of the Whore and the seven Kings of the Beast. This is such a strong distinction. They are two seperate cities. The seven mountains (Oros) upon which the Whore sits cannot be the same as the seven hills upon which the beast sits.
Verse 18 clinches it. The Whore is the Great City and the Great City is Jerusalem.
Revelation 117 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in thestreet of the great city which isallegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
This constitutes proof that the harlot of babylon is Jerusalem. I have not merely asserted it, I have proven it, not beyond a reasonable doubt but beyond any doubt. Those who still refer to the Catholic Church as the whore of babylon are proposing that which the Bible shows to be absolutely impossible. They continue to do so at the expense of what little remaining credibility they may have.
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Friday, May 6, 2011
*BEST OF DTB #84* The Catholic Defender: The Wisdom Of Gamaliel
Yes, when you oppose the Catholic Faith, you are opposing God. During this time period, there were many looking for the Messiah. Many false messiahs were abounding and led people astray.
People such as Theudas and Judas the Galilean were two that Gamaliel refereed to specifically.
Mark 9:38-41, perhaps a follower of one such false prophet found in Jesus something that the false messiahs lacked. St. Mark states, "John said to him, Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us. But Jesus said, Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward".
The Apostles recognized this man was not of their number and forbade him from working in Jesus name. This man did not know Jesus, but was acting from what he had observed.
He recognized that these false messiahs did not have the signs that Jesus had been known to do.
This was still Pre-Church as the Lord was still instructing his Disciples.
The time was coming when Jesus would be sending the Catholic Church to the nations.
The Church would unite the Captives under the Lord's command as it will preach the good news to all the nations.
Gamaliel's sound advice is a testament to the truth of the Catholic Faith as it has lasted 2,000 years.
It survives the false prophets throughout all it's history.
There will always be Theu'das, Judas the Galilean, or the modern day Sandor Clan, but the Catholic Faith will never fall.
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Thursday, May 5, 2011
* BEST OF DTB #83- 2011 BLOG POST OF THE YEAR* No Pope? No Hope
Jesus?
No, Peter- the first Pope. (Acts 5:15)
Were these first century Christians worshiping Peter? Today's anti-Catholics would say so, if a similar situation were to arise today.
In fact, it has...and they do.
French nun Marie Simon-Pierre was miracuously cured of Parkinson's disease through the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II. This was the documented miracle that resulted in His beatification on May 1st of this year (the feast of the Divine Mercy).
Though this miracle was the most undeniable, it certainly wasn't the only.
In fact, thousands of miracle testimonies are pouring in, attributed to the intercession of this devout and holy man. Here is just one.
The Book of Acts tells us that many signs and wonders were performed by the hands of the Apostles and none dared join them and they were held in high honor. (5:12-13)
Miracles performed by the Apostles hands? None dared join Them? They were held in high honor? The protestants would have you believe that Salvation is a personal matter. Just me and Jesus. That is bunk. The Bible teaches no such thing.
God has always worked His will through human beings and has used miracles to point the finger at who spoke for Him. Protestants downplay modern day public miracles because modern day public miracles do not happen in protestant churches. There is a reason for that.
The hand of God points to John Paul II. He was a man of astounding Holiness and accomplishment whose constant admonition Be not afraid echoed the very words of Christ.
A man who Billy Graham called the moralest man on earth. A man who even rabid anti-Catholic John McArthur had to admit was in heaven, after suffering for Christ.
John Paul II brought the message of Christ to more people than any other single person in history. His message of love and unity should be enough to believe and understand that this was Christ's chosen Vicar. However, if that is not enough, the miracles clinch it.
John 10
[36] Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent
into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? [37] If I
do not the works of my Father, believe me not. [38] But if I do, though you will
not believe me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that the Father
is in me, and I in the Father
If you cannot recognize who God sets His anointing on, how can you even hope to hear His voice?
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