I was reading in Isaiah 56:9-12
All you beasts of the field, come to devour- all you beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. The shepherds also have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. "Come," they say, "Let us get wine, let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure."
Does this passage not describe Americans today? To be fair, many people all over the world. We are slumbering, not paying any attention to those beasts who come to devour us, easily catching us off guard. We are concerned with our pleasures. We think that how it is is how it will always be. No need to worry about the future. We are full of pride, thinking no one will challenge us, no one will come to take away what we have. And our leaders are without vision, oblivious because they have their own agenda, each trying to increase his own power and influence.
What of the righteous? "The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands." (Isaiah 57:1) In this culture, Christian people are ignored as being 'not with it' so no one cares if they are cut off.
The rest of this chapter talks about all the ways the culture is turning from God: deceitful, lustful, worshiping the world, shameless, looking everywhere for new things to tantalize - even as far as hell, finding new strength in new sins. God questions, "Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not give me a thought? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and so you do not fear me?" (verse 11) How many go about their lives taking no thought of God? Many, many of our children, my own included, think that faith in God is unnecessary; their lives seem to be going along just as they like without God. Verses 17 and 18 "Because of the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry; but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart." This generation is enamored with stuff; everyone's closet are full and many have to rent storage units to contain all the things they have but don't even use. God must heal these slumbering dogs.
But as for the wicked, solidified in their evil ways: "But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot rest, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked." In this world there are many wicked people. They strive for their own gain and power. They think that eventually they can rule the whole world, as in the days of the Tower of Bable. God alone is fit to rule the world.
Beware, therefore, things will not always be as they have been; never in the history of the world has this happened. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Get wisdom.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PATH: Reflections on how faith and political realities combine.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Retired?
I didn't expect this. I thought that it was surely several years off. But instead it has come like falling off a cliff. I am still in free fall. I don't know where I will land or in what condition. Some days I feel positive, seeing signs that God is caring for us and some days I am scared witless, feeling like I am staring into a black hole where I might at any moment run smack into the bottom with no warning.
More than anything this is a journey of faith. God quietly shut down our business but He has not yet revealed what shall be for us. He preserved my husband's life with a triple by-pass which prevented a certain, fatal heart attack, so we know He has a plan. It is so hard to be still and wait for the Lord. Patience and fortitude, gifts of the Spirit, needed now.
More than anything this is a journey of faith. God quietly shut down our business but He has not yet revealed what shall be for us. He preserved my husband's life with a triple by-pass which prevented a certain, fatal heart attack, so we know He has a plan. It is so hard to be still and wait for the Lord. Patience and fortitude, gifts of the Spirit, needed now.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Books
I chose the book background for my blog because I love books. I have hundreds at home and I can't bear to part with a one. Sadly, I also have quite a few that I haven't read. Just don't have as much time to read as I would like. There is so much to learn, so many places to explore, so many ideas to consider in books. They are real treasure. I hope you read and that you encourage your children to read as well.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Who Are We Following?
In one day's readings were the verses below from the Old Testament. They set me to thinking about who we are following now. The news of the shootings in Tucson yesterday made me aware again that there is a shadow group that wants uprising and violence in the United States and elsewhere in the world. You have only to read the news to see that in places where the governments have already had to deal severely with the lack of funds, the people there have taken to the streets in riots. They are being organized and fed a line that isn't true. They are being told that the government is supposed to taken care of them is every possible way. Well, it can't and good government was never intended to. These rioters are lazy. They want things handed to them. They do not want to make sacrifices.
What will the people of the United States do when money runs out here? It could come very, very soon if the congress does not vote to raise the debt ceiling. (I personally think they shouldn't. It just encourages them to spend money they don't have.) But how will people react if they don't get their welfare check, their unemployment check, etc? There are those, as I said, who are just waiting for a crisis to encourage riots here. So, read from the first Psalm and gain wisdom:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2
We should cling to God because He will deal with these wicked people who are trying to get everyone to do the wrong thing.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:4-6
Satan is actively trying to get the nations to conspire to have a one world government. But only God can rule the whole earth, only He is fit to. These folks have been straining indeed to get out from under all that God requires: marriage between a man and a woman, the sacredness of life for the unborn and the elderly, to love one another as neighbor.
Why do the nations conspire,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
"Let us burst their bonds asunder,
and cast their cords from us."
Psalm 2:1-3
It will not go well in the end for those who defy God. And we should actively take refuge in Him, not be led astray by those who are of the world.
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
with trembling, kiss his feet,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2:10-12
There is much evil afoot in the world right now. It is enough to make me wonder if the end is not near, everything does seem to be in the power of Satan and things seem to be going his way. It is discouraging.
We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
1 John 5:19
But we should never despair. There is a light which the darkness can't overcome. We should follow that light. It is the light of love and hope.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land overshadowed by death,
on them has light shined.
Isaiah 9:2
I am by nature a pessimist. I don't expect things to go well. I worry a great deal. I have to remind myself all the time of eternal truths. I have to remind myself whose I am, who takes care of me. I want to be wise, not foolish. I want to follow the One who leads me to eternal life, not the ones who would lead me to eternal death. I have to be careful that I am not fooled. Therefore I pray: "Come Holy Spirit, give me Wisdom."
What will the people of the United States do when money runs out here? It could come very, very soon if the congress does not vote to raise the debt ceiling. (I personally think they shouldn't. It just encourages them to spend money they don't have.) But how will people react if they don't get their welfare check, their unemployment check, etc? There are those, as I said, who are just waiting for a crisis to encourage riots here. So, read from the first Psalm and gain wisdom:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2
We should cling to God because He will deal with these wicked people who are trying to get everyone to do the wrong thing.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:4-6
Satan is actively trying to get the nations to conspire to have a one world government. But only God can rule the whole earth, only He is fit to. These folks have been straining indeed to get out from under all that God requires: marriage between a man and a woman, the sacredness of life for the unborn and the elderly, to love one another as neighbor.
Why do the nations conspire,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
"Let us burst their bonds asunder,
and cast their cords from us."
Psalm 2:1-3
It will not go well in the end for those who defy God. And we should actively take refuge in Him, not be led astray by those who are of the world.
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
with trembling, kiss his feet,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2:10-12
There is much evil afoot in the world right now. It is enough to make me wonder if the end is not near, everything does seem to be in the power of Satan and things seem to be going his way. It is discouraging.
We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
1 John 5:19
But we should never despair. There is a light which the darkness can't overcome. We should follow that light. It is the light of love and hope.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land overshadowed by death,
on them has light shined.
Isaiah 9:2
I am by nature a pessimist. I don't expect things to go well. I worry a great deal. I have to remind myself all the time of eternal truths. I have to remind myself whose I am, who takes care of me. I want to be wise, not foolish. I want to follow the One who leads me to eternal life, not the ones who would lead me to eternal death. I have to be careful that I am not fooled. Therefore I pray: "Come Holy Spirit, give me Wisdom."
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sacrifice
Monsignor Luigi Giussani, the founder of the ecclesial movement, Communion and Liberation is one of my favorite authors. He wrote: "The cross of Christ revealed, on the one hand, the dominion that sacrifice has on the life of all and, on the other hand that its meaning was not necessarily negative, or better, that it had a mysteriously positive significance: it was the condition for men to reach their destiny.... Sacrifice becomes a moral value... when it becomes a... response to Christ's death. If sacrifice is accepting the circumstances of life, as they happen... then sacrifice becomes the keystone of all life — life's value is in the sacrifice one lives."
In Jeremiah there is a verse which says, "I will put anguish in them so that they will find me." We humans have such a hard time with sacrifice. We shun it if we can. But what if it is the coin of the realm for heaven? Revelations 3:18 says: "Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich..." What if this "gold" is sacrifice? Am I willing to store up this sort of treasure in heaven?
In coming times there may not be enough of anything for anyone. Am I willing to share even the last bit I have left rather than say, "No, I need this, I have none to share with you."? I believe that we will have a much greater opportunity to sacrifice in the coming times and whether or not we do will prove whether or not Christ will find any faith on Earth when He returns. He asked if there would be any so there must be a possibility that there would not be.
Sacrifice is a moral value that must be planted firmly in our lives now while it has a chance to take root. Is Christ the only one to sacrifice? No, if our goal is to be like him. He gave everything, we must be willing to do the same in the circumstances of our own lives. Store up for yourselves this sort of treasure in heaven.
In Jeremiah there is a verse which says, "I will put anguish in them so that they will find me." We humans have such a hard time with sacrifice. We shun it if we can. But what if it is the coin of the realm for heaven? Revelations 3:18 says: "Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich..." What if this "gold" is sacrifice? Am I willing to store up this sort of treasure in heaven?
In coming times there may not be enough of anything for anyone. Am I willing to share even the last bit I have left rather than say, "No, I need this, I have none to share with you."? I believe that we will have a much greater opportunity to sacrifice in the coming times and whether or not we do will prove whether or not Christ will find any faith on Earth when He returns. He asked if there would be any so there must be a possibility that there would not be.
Sacrifice is a moral value that must be planted firmly in our lives now while it has a chance to take root. Is Christ the only one to sacrifice? No, if our goal is to be like him. He gave everything, we must be willing to do the same in the circumstances of our own lives. Store up for yourselves this sort of treasure in heaven.
Debt Ceiling Conundrum
Here's a thing to consider. When you have charge up your credit cards to the limit, is it a good thing for the bank to raise your limit or to force you to stay under a certain amount of debt? And how should you respond to being at your credit limit? Should you pay down your debt and avoid adding to it, or should you just keep on charging and hoping the bank will keep raising your debt limit? This is basically what the government is doing by considering raising the country's debt ceiling. Here are some quotes from The Blaze, first from the news story and second a comment by a reader:
WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — Some Republican lawmakers said Sunday they opposed raising the ceiling on the nation’s debt without tackling government spending, and President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser warned against “playing chicken” on the issue and said preventing further debt would be “insanity.”
“The impact on the economy would be catastrophic,“ Goolsbee told ”This Week” on ABC. “That would be a worse financial economic crisis than anything we saw in 2008.”
Raising the debt ceiling will lock the world into an economic/financial catastrophe it has never before witnessed.
There are no easy answers anymore. There are two options: a somewhat controlled collapse or one that just happens and cannot be stopped or controlled. Make your choice. I don’t trust Obama and company to oversee a controlled collapse (I’d trust someone like Christie though), but I really, really, really don’t trust them to be at the helm during an uncontrolled collapse and the panic that will allow them to do, literally, anything. Damned if we do; damned if we don’t.
If we don’t raise it, we basically admit what most already realize. If we do raise it, we get to live in denial for a little bit longer until a Treasury auction goes bad an interest rates skyrocket.
Will the government go for a controlled crash of the economy or will they let us smack into the end at full speed? At some point the economic steam runs out - it's like driving your car towards a dead end. There is absolutely NO WAY to avoid a crash. For a hundred years the government has spent more than it has taken in and has promised many, many people that it would pay them for all sorts of things. Now the piper must be paid. There is no money, there is not going to be money. There is only going to be debt and soon no one will want to loan any more to the US because there will be no expectation of being repaid. We will be in default. When we go, the world goes. Total collapse ensues.
Are you ready? Being prepared is the best way to combat fear. Know where your true security lies: in your God first, then your friends and your family. Can you stand feeling a little crazy now buying extra groceries, keeping extra cash on hand and investing in silver or gold or other precious metals? I hope so.
WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — Some Republican lawmakers said Sunday they opposed raising the ceiling on the nation’s debt without tackling government spending, and President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser warned against “playing chicken” on the issue and said preventing further debt would be “insanity.”
“The impact on the economy would be catastrophic,“ Goolsbee told ”This Week” on ABC. “That would be a worse financial economic crisis than anything we saw in 2008.”
Mister President
Posted on January 2, 2011 at 11:18pm Not raising the debt ceiling will be an economic/financial catastrophe the world has never before witnessed.Raising the debt ceiling will lock the world into an economic/financial catastrophe it has never before witnessed.
There are no easy answers anymore. There are two options: a somewhat controlled collapse or one that just happens and cannot be stopped or controlled. Make your choice. I don’t trust Obama and company to oversee a controlled collapse (I’d trust someone like Christie though), but I really, really, really don’t trust them to be at the helm during an uncontrolled collapse and the panic that will allow them to do, literally, anything. Damned if we do; damned if we don’t.
If we don’t raise it, we basically admit what most already realize. If we do raise it, we get to live in denial for a little bit longer until a Treasury auction goes bad an interest rates skyrocket.
Will the government go for a controlled crash of the economy or will they let us smack into the end at full speed? At some point the economic steam runs out - it's like driving your car towards a dead end. There is absolutely NO WAY to avoid a crash. For a hundred years the government has spent more than it has taken in and has promised many, many people that it would pay them for all sorts of things. Now the piper must be paid. There is no money, there is not going to be money. There is only going to be debt and soon no one will want to loan any more to the US because there will be no expectation of being repaid. We will be in default. When we go, the world goes. Total collapse ensues.
Are you ready? Being prepared is the best way to combat fear. Know where your true security lies: in your God first, then your friends and your family. Can you stand feeling a little crazy now buying extra groceries, keeping extra cash on hand and investing in silver or gold or other precious metals? I hope so.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friends, to Keep the Fire Lit
Saint Bonaventure is a Doctor of the Church. This is what he said:
The further one withdraws from the world, the closer becomes one's friendship with good people. It follows that the more the company of ungodly people loses its attraction, the more the company of saintly and spiritual people inspires the heart with radiant delight. Saint Gregory says: "Anyone who keeps close to a holy man discovers that by seeing him often, listening to his words and witnessing his exemplary behavior, he is set on fire with love of the truth, keeps away from the darkness of sin, and is inflamed by the love of divine light." Saint Isidore writes: "Seek the company of good people. If you share their company, you will also share their virtue.
A log by itself will go out, but close to others on fire, it will blaze up itself. It is the same with people. Keeping close to friends who encourage you towards virtue (and that is what true friends do) will help you immeasurably in growing in virtue. Make it a point to spend time regularly with good friends. As Matthew Kelly says, "What you give time to, grows."
If times grow tough, as I believe they will, having good friends is going to be essential. Sirach 6:14-17 "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also."
The Bible is full of references to friends and friendship. Like Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity." Or Proverbs 18:24 "There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Or again John 15:15 "...but I have called you friends..." no doubt Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother or at least one of them, if you are so blessed.
We were not meant to live separate lives but to live in community, helping one another, blessing one another and being helped and blessed ourselves. Our culture has separated us. We must do what we can to restore human relationships. The world depends on it and our own happiness does too.
The further one withdraws from the world, the closer becomes one's friendship with good people. It follows that the more the company of ungodly people loses its attraction, the more the company of saintly and spiritual people inspires the heart with radiant delight. Saint Gregory says: "Anyone who keeps close to a holy man discovers that by seeing him often, listening to his words and witnessing his exemplary behavior, he is set on fire with love of the truth, keeps away from the darkness of sin, and is inflamed by the love of divine light." Saint Isidore writes: "Seek the company of good people. If you share their company, you will also share their virtue.
A log by itself will go out, but close to others on fire, it will blaze up itself. It is the same with people. Keeping close to friends who encourage you towards virtue (and that is what true friends do) will help you immeasurably in growing in virtue. Make it a point to spend time regularly with good friends. As Matthew Kelly says, "What you give time to, grows."
If times grow tough, as I believe they will, having good friends is going to be essential. Sirach 6:14-17 "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also."
The Bible is full of references to friends and friendship. Like Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity." Or Proverbs 18:24 "There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Or again John 15:15 "...but I have called you friends..." no doubt Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother or at least one of them, if you are so blessed.
We were not meant to live separate lives but to live in community, helping one another, blessing one another and being helped and blessed ourselves. Our culture has separated us. We must do what we can to restore human relationships. The world depends on it and our own happiness does too.
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