If you love reading mystery stories, this book is for you. It contains murders, sex and violence. At times it makes me feel insignificant and other times I feel as though I’m the single focus of the words I’m reading. If you enjoy war stories, failures, success stories, love and romance then pick up this book. I’m sure we’ve all picked up and read from a bible at some time or another. If not, we’ve heard passages read from someone at a Church wedding or funeral service. The main point is, we all have access to scriptures; But how many of us have really read it? Most Protestants really delve into this book but if you are a cradle Catholic like me, you’re comprehension is probably ambiguous at best.
I have finally taken the advice of my spiritual advisor. I’m reading the entire bible and when finished I will work on a study of this book. I challenge all cradle Catholics and those so inclined to take this suggestion. What I am discovering is a plethora of wisdom from readings that I heard read every week but didn’t appreciate. It takes us on a time-travel and gives witness to the story of humankind in relation to our Creator.
There is nothing missing in the bible. It inspires us with an abundance of faith or teaches us the shortcomings that a lack of faith will bring. And as stated in scripture: “There is nothing new under the sun.” Ecc.1:9
There are songs, hymns, prayers, spiritual guidance, as well as battles between good and evil. It even gives advice on hygiene. It lays out guidelines for a legal system, and gives specific instructions to build a place of worship. No other book covers everything like the bible does and I truly mean everything! I think Dostoevsky put it proper when he penned, “Good heavens, what a book it is, and what lessons there are in it! What a book the Bible is, what a miracle, what strength is given with it to man! It is like a mould cast of the world and man and human nature, everything is there, and a law for everything for all the ages. And what mysteries are solved and revealed!”(from ‘Father Zoissima’ in Brothers Karamozov).
Pick it up and read it again for the first time. Read each story as if you’ve never read it before and I pray you will begin to appreciate the treasure you hold in your hands.
Thursday
Saturday
Friday
a smorgasbord of advice from a father..
I feel compelled to share this with you...
My Dear Child,
Man must work to exist..
We are all called to earn our keep and sometimes we choose to shrink from these responsibilities but are required to catch up at a later date.. As we mature we realize there is no escaping this if we desire to live an image of a fulfilled life. It’s a sort of ‘pay now or pay later’ scenario.
And remember that a procrastinator eventually will run out of runway…
Instead of living life with a ‘life is short’ mentality...Live as if we ‘only get this one life’ and when we are called to account for it, there are no do-overs... And though this life is short …
The next one's forever…
If someone lives without God in their heart, they live for themselves. That means a truly satisfying life is not possible because we were made by and for God. A pointless rollercoaster ride and seemingly short life awaits those who live by themselves anticipating short bursts of satisfaction.
I can’t expect you to have the same conviction of faith as I have because of two reasons: firstly your age / secondly you didn’t have as good a teacher as I did. I can only stand on the shore trying to look like a beacon for your waywardness; because I will be held accountable for you. Faith is a gift of ‘grace’ and to those it is given also falls a burden of responsibility. If in your heart you proceed doing something you know to be wrong, you will be asked to pay account. (Luke.6 24-25 "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. "Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. "Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.)
If you turn your back on this gift, remember you cannot hide from God.
So how do you know what is right? Ask the conscience of your heart that shapes the benchmark of your faith.
As part of my duty and commitment as your Father, I must be accountable for you and to you. Therefore I need to stress these things when I feel that your soul is challenged and you need guidance. When you were young we put up gates so you were kept from falling down stairs; now I feel the obligation to point out further places that can cause you to fall.
Sin is very attractive in today’s world. It can be dressed up with acceptable or fun things so we don't really notice them as they gnaw away and plant the seeds of our demise. Remember that SIN is magnetic to our human nature.
Don't be a cafeteria Catholic; picking out what suits you.
From Our Catechism:
o Lust is a disordered desire for enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself and isolated from its procreated united purpose.
o Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sex acts from the intimacy of partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends because it perverts the conjugal act (the intimate giving of spouses to each other). It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants and immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world.
As you sow, you shall reap…!
If we eat junk food; our body processes it and our health reaps its rewards.
What we ingest; we process and convey these results...
Eat too much and you’ll feel full; Starve, and you’ll crave food.
Drink too much alcohol, and become inebriated...
So our mouth, as the orifice to our body becomes the gatekeeper...
It is also this way with our eyes, our ears, our intellect...
If we ingest the secular’s version of life; we grow to that end.
The news media, the games, the movies, the music, the books we partake and intake all contribute to our composition.
When we exercise we supposedly increase our lifespan; when we pour over pornography our judgment is murky.
If we drink too much water we will drown!
Now we can eat most of the right things mixed with some of the wrong things and what is the resultant? Our immune system is gradually weakened and we can accept more of this watered down version.
Once we accept a lower standard, the bar remains lower and we can find it too difficult to rise up again...
Our body with all our senses; our intellect with all our potential are affected by what we allow in. We need to alert the ‘gatekeeper’ of our body and soul to be on guard.
If we live ‘good’ we exude ‘good’.
We cannot look to the news media to feed us our religion. We cannot ask a celebrity to give us advice (actually we can but don’t expect to be their priority). If our romance waits for us in the form of a romance novel, then we need to look elsewhere. If our excitement lies only in waiting for a new movie we need to fill the voids. We are created with some parts missing and we search to fill this emptiness...
Don’t ask a mechanic to give us medical advice... look into our heart, then out of this world and find our missing part that will make us whole and will calm our restlessness.
with love.. Dad
My Dear Child,
Man must work to exist..
We are all called to earn our keep and sometimes we choose to shrink from these responsibilities but are required to catch up at a later date.. As we mature we realize there is no escaping this if we desire to live an image of a fulfilled life. It’s a sort of ‘pay now or pay later’ scenario.
And remember that a procrastinator eventually will run out of runway…
Instead of living life with a ‘life is short’ mentality...Live as if we ‘only get this one life’ and when we are called to account for it, there are no do-overs... And though this life is short …
The next one's forever…
If someone lives without God in their heart, they live for themselves. That means a truly satisfying life is not possible because we were made by and for God. A pointless rollercoaster ride and seemingly short life awaits those who live by themselves anticipating short bursts of satisfaction.
I can’t expect you to have the same conviction of faith as I have because of two reasons: firstly your age / secondly you didn’t have as good a teacher as I did. I can only stand on the shore trying to look like a beacon for your waywardness; because I will be held accountable for you. Faith is a gift of ‘grace’ and to those it is given also falls a burden of responsibility. If in your heart you proceed doing something you know to be wrong, you will be asked to pay account. (Luke.6 24-25 "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. "Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. "Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.)
If you turn your back on this gift, remember you cannot hide from God.
So how do you know what is right? Ask the conscience of your heart that shapes the benchmark of your faith.
As part of my duty and commitment as your Father, I must be accountable for you and to you. Therefore I need to stress these things when I feel that your soul is challenged and you need guidance. When you were young we put up gates so you were kept from falling down stairs; now I feel the obligation to point out further places that can cause you to fall.
Sin is very attractive in today’s world. It can be dressed up with acceptable or fun things so we don't really notice them as they gnaw away and plant the seeds of our demise. Remember that SIN is magnetic to our human nature.
Don't be a cafeteria Catholic; picking out what suits you.
From Our Catechism:
o Lust is a disordered desire for enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself and isolated from its procreated united purpose.
o Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sex acts from the intimacy of partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends because it perverts the conjugal act (the intimate giving of spouses to each other). It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants and immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world.
As you sow, you shall reap…!
If we eat junk food; our body processes it and our health reaps its rewards.
What we ingest; we process and convey these results...
Eat too much and you’ll feel full; Starve, and you’ll crave food.
Drink too much alcohol, and become inebriated...
So our mouth, as the orifice to our body becomes the gatekeeper...
It is also this way with our eyes, our ears, our intellect...
If we ingest the secular’s version of life; we grow to that end.
The news media, the games, the movies, the music, the books we partake and intake all contribute to our composition.
When we exercise we supposedly increase our lifespan; when we pour over pornography our judgment is murky.
If we drink too much water we will drown!
Now we can eat most of the right things mixed with some of the wrong things and what is the resultant? Our immune system is gradually weakened and we can accept more of this watered down version.
Once we accept a lower standard, the bar remains lower and we can find it too difficult to rise up again...
Our body with all our senses; our intellect with all our potential are affected by what we allow in. We need to alert the ‘gatekeeper’ of our body and soul to be on guard.
If we live ‘good’ we exude ‘good’.
We cannot look to the news media to feed us our religion. We cannot ask a celebrity to give us advice (actually we can but don’t expect to be their priority). If our romance waits for us in the form of a romance novel, then we need to look elsewhere. If our excitement lies only in waiting for a new movie we need to fill the voids. We are created with some parts missing and we search to fill this emptiness...
Don’t ask a mechanic to give us medical advice... look into our heart, then out of this world and find our missing part that will make us whole and will calm our restlessness.
with love.. Dad
Tuesday
follow your leader
Many follow their dreams and will surrender themselves and do whatever it takes to accomplish this task. People feel a twitch that is usually driven by some sort of zeal towards self-satisfaction. Society seems intent on this mode of dream-chasing, and life-improving, and life-extending.
We can watch people on TV get their teeth, face, breasts, wardrobe, and face made-over. We can see others get a completely made-over house (but not home). Commercials show us how to get rid of wrinkles, weight, acne, and debt. We watch infomercials that promise easy money, free gifts, or an appliance that does virtually anything we desire.
These things, if understood in a prudent fashion can be good things, but they are being promoted as an elevated ingredient of modern life. They can make the spectators feel less valuable, or less desired if they don't enlist in this essential cornucopia.
The limitation is that our appetite will never cease, and we would forever be chasing that next rainbow. However the problem is, this is all a temporary fix. We are all traveling to the same ending no matter how many faces we put on. That is, unless we believe our Lord's promise: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." (John10:28)
We can remind ourselves not to over-indulge with these words from 'Blessed Henry Suso', "Worldly people often purchase hell at a very dear price by sacrificing themselves to please this world."
We can watch people on TV get their teeth, face, breasts, wardrobe, and face made-over. We can see others get a completely made-over house (but not home). Commercials show us how to get rid of wrinkles, weight, acne, and debt. We watch infomercials that promise easy money, free gifts, or an appliance that does virtually anything we desire.
These things, if understood in a prudent fashion can be good things, but they are being promoted as an elevated ingredient of modern life. They can make the spectators feel less valuable, or less desired if they don't enlist in this essential cornucopia.
The limitation is that our appetite will never cease, and we would forever be chasing that next rainbow. However the problem is, this is all a temporary fix. We are all traveling to the same ending no matter how many faces we put on. That is, unless we believe our Lord's promise: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." (John10:28)
We can remind ourselves not to over-indulge with these words from 'Blessed Henry Suso', "Worldly people often purchase hell at a very dear price by sacrificing themselves to please this world."
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