Don't Be Lukewarm: A Passionate Plea For Unity Of Universal Church

Today Father Mike Schmitz in his daily podcast The Catholic Catechism In a Year Day 115 made a Passionate Plea for Church Unity echoing the letter to Laodicea's where the community is reprimanded for being lukewarm (Rev 3:15–16: To Laodicea.* “To the angel of the church in Laodicea,* write this:
“‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this:

“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.* I wish you were either cold or hot.

So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire* so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see."

"Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers". CCC 817

You may recall Lee Strobel 's Case for Christ: When his wife announces that she’s become a believer in Christ, former Chicago Tribune legal affairs reporter and avowed atheist, Lee Strobel embarks on a quest to investigate the truth of Jesus. Using his skills as a law-school graduate and long-time journalist, Strobel interviews—and occasionally interrogates—an array of scholars specializing in Christianity and the New Testament. He discovers that the evidence for Jesus Christ—His existence, His divinity, His resurrection—is overwhelming. By the end of his journey, Strobel realizes his atheism simply doesn’t hold up against the evidence, and he takes the natural next step: he becomes a believer. The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel

Similarly, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, prolific journalist and author, was well known for his apologetics, biographies, detective fiction, literary, social, and political commentary, and modern history. In the book Catholic Church and Conversion, Chesterton's brilliance as a writer and thinker again shine through as he explains his understanding of Catholicism and the Catholic Church and how its appeal to reason and truth eventually won him over. For Chesterton, two essentials lay at the heart of conversion, and without these, a man misses the point of it all. He describes these in his own words: "One is that he believes it to be solid objective truth, which is true whether he likes it or not; and the other is that he seeks liberation from his sins." That is why Chesterton became a Catholic, and what he describes in his unique and colorful way in this book.

Meanwhile, Julie from SetApartWalk.com, uses the Jack Nickolson's movie You Can't Handle the Truth argument "how to find the restrooms is not in the operating manual" to conclude that Catholicism is not Biblical Christianity. According to hervwebsite, Julie.is a homemaker, mother of five, and pastor’s wife. She loves family, homeschooling, and most of all Jesus and is passionate about encouraging Christian women to grow in their faith, live godly lives, and discern truth from all the lies and noise of the world.

Julie is not alone. Christianity.com uses a similar argument as Julie: although more forgiving "Catholicism has many unbiblical practices and teachings, such as purgatory, sacraments, and the rosary, yet this does not mean a person is not a Christian." In fact, the Jesus Revolution protagonists like Pastor Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie & others have expressed similar views.

Charles Ward "Chuck" Smith  founded the Calvary Chapel movement. Beginning with the 25-person Costa Mesa congregation in 1965, Smith's influence now extends to "more than 1,000 churches nationwide and hundreds more overseas", Chuck has been called "one of the most influential figures in modern American Christianity."The founding of Calvary Chapel is depicted in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, with Smith being portrayed by Kelsey Grammer.

The argument used against the Catholic Church  is similar to a Time Magazine piece, by Katha Pollitt,  author “Reclaiming Abortion Rights,” where she argues abortion is not found in the Bible, So it must be OK.. Pollit's argument is not unlike Justin Ling’s piece on Wired titled “Elon Musk’s Twitter Files Are a Feast For Conspiracy. Even though Andrew Lowenthal says that “The #TwitterFiles show how “anti-disinformation” academics and NGOs undermined free speech and expression,” and Musk says the NYTimes’ ‘propaganda isn’t even interesting’ and their Twitter feed is the ‘equivalent of diarrhea,’

Today, Father Mike Schmitz in his daily podcast The Catholic Catechism In a Year Day 115,   made a Case for Church Unity. Not to place blame or aspersions, but as Pastor Chuck Smith might say, "Focus on the Majors". After all, "Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time." Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me." The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit. CCC 820


if every man lived a thousand years, ever
y man would either end up as a nihilistic atheist or a member of the Catholic creed.- – G.K. Chesterton


" In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin:

Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers. CCC 817


"However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers. . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church." CCC 818


"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity." CCC 819

So, how do we achieve unity?

"Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call:

- a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such renewal is the driving-force of the movement toward unity;

- conversion of heart as the faithful "try to live holier lives according to the Gospel"; for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to Christ's gift which causes divisions;

- prayer in common, because "change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name 'spiritual ecumenism;"�

- fraternal knowledge of each other;

- ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests;

- dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities;

- collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind. "Human service" is the idiomatic phrase CCC 821

Concern for achieving unity "involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike." But we must realize "that this holy objective - the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ - transcends human powers and gifts." That is why we place all our hope "in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit." CCC 822

“The difficulty of explaining ‘why I am a Catholic’ is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.” – G.K. Chesterton


if every man lived a thousand years, every man would either end up as a nihilistic atheist or a member of the Catholic creed.- – G.K. Chesterton

  

Accrding to All roads lead to Rome and Why G.K. Chesterton became Catholic: 
‘ordinary anti-Catholic propaganda’ is not an obstacle. That is not what keeps the potential convert out of the Church. The convert is rarely frightened of the Protestant picture of Catholicism but is frightened of the Catholic picture of Catholicism., ill-judged words from Catholics do more harm to any potential conversion than any anti-Catholic vitriol from non-Catholics. – G.K. Chesterton

Then there's  Dale Ahlquist who  concludes, rather disconcertingly, that what kept one of the most famous converts of the 20th century out of the Church for years were other Catholics - Dale Ahlquist, president and co-founder of the American Chesterton Socie. Not to mention the Converts who followed Chesterton

Whether we are simple minded like Jesus' Apostles, or Jesus Freaks like Pastor Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie or John Michael Talbot. Pastor's wife like Julie from Christianity.com or Lee Strobel, Father Mike offers a compelling argument for putting aside differences and pray for reunification, after all Jesus says His Church is one Body.  The Church is His Kindom opn Earth and it is His. Militant Church 

After the FBI announced that patriotic symbology may be an indicator of domestic terrorism, the FBI has found a new gateway to declare Christians as criminals, according to a federal whistleblower

According to the Palestinian Wasp, the FBI  has now determined that Catholic Symbology also indicates domestic terrorism

The symbology includes

[  ] Sheepfold
[  ] Good Shepherd
[  ] Prince of Shepherds
[  ] Cultivated Farmland
[  ] Nuclear Family & Traditional Marriage
[  ] Over Tree, Branches & Roots
[  ] Choice vineyard
[  ] The Building of God, Temple of God
[  ] The Stone the builders rejected
[  ] The House of God
[  ] The Holy Temple
[  ] A bride adorned for her husband
[  ] The Church as Jerusalem
[  ] The New Jerusalem



Beware that if you use any of these symbols, the DOJ/ FBI may treat you as a domestic terrorist.


"In Scripture, we find a host of interrelated images and figures through which Revelation speaks of the inexhaustible mystery of the Church. The images taken from the Old Testament are variations on a profound theme: the People of God. In the New Testament, all these images find a new center because Christ has become the head of this people, which henceforth is his Body. Around this center are grouped images taken "from the life of the shepherd or from cultivation of the land, from the art of building or from family life and marriage." CCC 753

"The Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep. CCC 754

 "The Church is a cultivated field, the tillage of God. On that land the ancient olive tree grows whose holy roots were the prophets and in which the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has been brought about and will be brought about again. That land, like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the heavenly cultivator. Yet the true vine is Christ who gives life and fruitfulness to the branches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain in Christ, without whom we can do nothing. CCC 755

"Often, too, the Church is called the building of God. The Lord compared himself to the stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into the corner-stone. On this foundation the Church is built by the apostles and from it the Church receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe it: the house of God in which his family dwells; the household of God in the Spirit; the dwelling-place of God among men; and, especially, the holy temple. This temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is praised by the Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. It is this holy city that is seen by John as it comes down out of heaven from God when the world is made anew, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. CCC 756


"The Church, further, which is called 'that Jerusalem which is above' and 'our mother', is described as the spotless spouse of the spotless lamb. It is she whom Christ 'loved and for whom he delivered himself up that he might sanctify her.' It is she whom he unites to himself by an unbreakable alliance, and whom he constantly 'nourishes and cherishes.'" 757

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Catholic Symbology Indicates Domestic Terrorism: FBI

 April 16, 2023

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After the FBI announced that patriotic symbology may be an indicator of domestic terrorism, the FBI has found a new gateway to declare Christians as criminals, according to a federal whistleblower

The FBI has determined that Catholic Symbolog indicates domestic terrorism

The symbology includes

[  ] Sheepfold
[  ] Good Shepherd
[  ] Prince of Shepherds
[  ] Cultivated Farmland
[  ] Nuclear Family & Traditional Marriage
[  ] Over Tree, Branches & Roots
[  ] Choice vineyard
[  ] The Building of God, Temple of God
[  ] The Stone the builders rejected
[  ] The House of God
[  ] The Holy Temple
[  ] A bride adorned for her husband
[  ] The Church as Jerusalem
[  ] The New Jerusalem



Beware that if you use any of these symbols, the DOJ/ FBI may treat you as a domestic terrorist.


“In Scripture, we find a host of interrelated images and figures through which Revelation speaks of the inexhaustible mystery of the Church. The images taken from the Old Testament are variations on a profound theme: the People of God. In the New Testament, all these images find a new center because Christ has become the head of this people, which henceforth is his Body. Around this center are grouped images taken “from the life of the shepherd or from cultivation of the land, from the art of building or from family life and marriage.” CCC 753

“The Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep. CCC 754

“The Church is a cultivated field, the tillage of God. On that land the ancient olive tree grows whose holy roots were the prophets and in which the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has been brought about and will be brought about again. That land, like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the heavenly cultivator. Yet the true vine is Christ who gives life and fruitfulness to the branches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain in Christ, without whom we can do nothing. CCC 755

“Often, too, the Church is called the building of God. The Lord compared himself to the stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into the corner-stone. On this foundation the Church is built by the apostles and from it the Church receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe it: the house of God in which his family dwells; the household of God in the Spirit; the dwelling-place of God among men; and, especially, the holy temple. This temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is praised by the Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. It is this holy city that is seen by John as it comes down out of heaven from God when the world is made anew, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. CCC 756


“The Church, further, which is called ‘that Jerusalem which is above’ and ‘our mother’, is described as the spotless spouse of the spotless lamb. It is she whom Christ ‘loved and for whom he delivered himself up that he might sanctify her.’ It is she whom he unites to himself by an unbreakable alliance, and whom he constantly ‘nourishes and cherishes.'” CCC 757

Since  SCOTUS (1963)
decided that teaching children about wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety,  fear of the Lord., charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity was too radical – We have mental health crisis
[  ] Infanticide turned into #BlackGenocide
[  ] African American nuclear family has joined the Sea Turtles in the extinct list
[  ]  80% of AA kids are raised in fatherless homes
[  ] We have a fatherlesssness crisis
[  ] A Girlhood Crisis
[  ] A Trans Crisis

Now the White House, DOJ, FBI & MSM are in lock step to promote the #ChristoFascist, #AmericaIsRacist narrative, while the #DepartmentOfDefense & the Air Force have joined the DOJ, FBI & Intel Agencies in providing #DNC with Opposition Research

At taxpayer’s expense.

Why I argue that the Real Insurrection is on-goingk

RELATED

Multiple FBI field offices’ collaborated over anti-Catholic memo

Including


FBI officials in the bureau’s Portland field office as well as intelligence from the agency’s Los Angeles office. 

Director Wray lied to Congress: "Wray’s earlier testimony before Congress contained “inconsistencies


https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255053/house-judiciary-committee-multiple-fbi-field-offices-involved-with-anti-catholic-memo

 

DRAFT

https://www.conservativedailynews.com/wp-admin/edit.php?post_status=pending&post_type=post

Miracles

Luck

Impossible cause

Impossible bug

https://exceptionnotfound.net/how-do-you-fix-an-impossible-bug/

Prayer

2 Corinthians 12:8

e.

New Living Translation
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

The Parable of the Unjust Judge (also known as the Parable of the Importunate Widow or the Parable of the Persistent Woman, is one of the parables of Jesus which appears in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 18:1–8). In it, a judge who lacks compassion is repeatedly approached by a woman seeking justice. Initially rejecting her demands, he eventually honors her request so he will not be worn out by her persistence.

Miracles

https://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2021/12/miracles.html

So Called Experts Agree: Abortion Not Mentioned In The Bible, So It's OK

In a #TimeMagazine piece, #KathaPollitt, author of "Reclaiming Abortion Rights," not unlike Justin Ling's piece on Wired titled "Elon Musk's Twitter Files Are a Feast For Conspiracy Theorists,"



Even though Andrew Lowenthal says that “The #TwitterFiles show how “anti-disinformation” academics and NGOs undermined free speech and expression,” and Musk says the NYTimes’ ‘propaganda isn’t even interesting’ and their Twitter feed is the ‘equivalent of diarrhea,'

Or CNN reported today that it's experts have determined #diversity marketing campaigns like #BudLight can be lucrative, even though Anheuser-Busch lost $6billion in six day


Or New York Times' Experts discovering that prayer can be hazardous to your health.


Not to mention Pfizer's Dr Becci Corkill's paper saying that because of the Doubling of the Knowledge Curve, there's nothing to worry about the COVID Vaccine.

And who can forget the Climate Change Scientists using flawed data and models? A just released Big Data study reveals flaws in a common analytical method within population genetics. The flawed method has been used in hundreds of thousands of studies, influencing findings in medical genetics and even commercial ancestry tests. The findings were recently published in the Journal Scientific Reports


After we found out that climate models are clouded by scientific biases

Anyway, Pollit argues for abortion because, according to Pollit"It shouldn’t matter what the Bible says about abortion. The United States is not a theocracy. Still, given the certitude of abortion opponents that abortion violates God’s Word, it might come as a surprise that neither the Old Testament nor the New mentions abortion—not one word."

But of course, the biggest visionary the world has ever known, King Solomon said, there's nothing new under the sun:

All things are wearisome,

too wearisome for words.

The eye is not satisfied by seeing

nor has the ear enough of hearing.

What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun (Ecclesiastes Chapter 1)

For thousands of years, the illuminati have been trying to outsmart God. In Corinthians 1 Chapter 1, Saint Paul writes: " For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”l


Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?

For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith." - 1 Corinth 1


Then, there's a simple nun in Blessed Anne Catherine Emmeruch - " Under the appearance of a simple nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich (Coesfeld, 1774 – Dullmen, 1824) hides one of the great catholic mistycs of the last centuries. Since her earliest childhood, she was a soul of exceptional kindness, devotion and purity. Her life and her legacy will enlighten for centuries Christianity and all mankind. French writer Léon Bloy said: “If the book “Life of Anne Catherine Emmerich”, written by Father Schmoeger, was read by twenty people in each diocese, God would change the face of the world





Pollit's and the pro-infanticide lobby continue to use tired arguments similar to the one used about the Separation of Church and State or the 2A.

Reminds us of the old adage: True freedom is not to do what we want, when we want, or do what we are allowed to do or told to do. But what we ought to do.

Scriptures do address abortion, and it's et in stone: Though shall not kill - Exodus Chapter 20

Then there's the New Commandment described in Matthew

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment,o and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna." Matt Chapter 5

Consider John the Baptist, respected by the established political and religious authorities - the same people who wanted to kill Jesus,
and also respected by Jesus' followers alike:

"John is "Elijah [who] must come." The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him the forerunner of the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of "[making] ready a people prepared for the Lord."" CCC 718


"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." John was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to his people." CCC 717

Within days of Conception and still in the womb, John was filled with the Holy Spirit by Christ himself.


"John the Baptist is "more than a prophet." In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the "voice" of the Consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John "came to bear witness to the light." In John's sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. . . . Behold, the Lamb of God."" CCC 719

Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of "the divine likeness," prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John's baptism was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth. CCC 720


What is very clear is that if the Hebrew Planned Parenthood had been around, both Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary would have been targeted for abortion. After all, Elizabeth was too old to care for Paul, and Jesus birth is considered a conspiracy theory by "modern scholarly consensus -< not unlike the aforementioned ones,> in that it rests on very slender historical foundations "

My own additions < >

To Hell And Back with the Cancel Culture

Jesus was crucified on a Friday, went to Hell.  and we call that Friday Good, why?  What is so good about it? Because Jesus’ abhorrent torture , enabled by the animosity against him by the religious authorities, aka as the Cancel Culture, of the time was meant to cancel the fullfilment of Judaism, the Temple and the new commandment, 

 But "Christ unites us with his Passover: all his members must strive to resemble him, "until Christ be formed" in them. "For this reason we . . . are taken up into the mysteries of his life, . . . associated with his sufferings as the body with its head, suffering with him, that with him we may be glorified" CCC 793

No different from the animosity the current establishment shows the Church today - Just this week, after a leaked document showed the FBI considered Catholics to likely be domestic terrorists, its reported the FBI recently sought to develop sources inside Christian churches and Catholic dioceses as part of an effort to paint Christians as potential domestic terrorists, according to internal documents released by House Judiciary Committee today.

Pentecost: Public Domain 

While Christ’s Crucifixion is anything but Good, God meant it otherwise: God’s plan from the beginning of time to the fall of Adam and Eve now complete. He redeemed the world and the world will be able to finally get close to God. Now, that's good.

According to Acts. "On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

“You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it....God raised this Jesus;

of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.” - Acts 2:14

So the DHS Disinformation Board of the time got to work, just like the legacy media,   government bureaucracy, & Big Tech

Currently  aligned behind a  #ChristoFascist, #AmericaIsRacist, #StopDisinformation narratives.

While "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,

fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

The biggest visionary the world has ever known, King Solomon knew something like this would happen when he wrote Ecclesiastes Chapter 1

"All things are wearisome,

too wearisome for words.

The eye is not satisfied by seeing

nor has the ear enough of hearing.d

What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!





792 Christ "is the head of the body, the Church." He is the principle of creation and redemption. Raised to the Father's glory, "in everything he [is] preeminent," especially in the Church, through whom he extends his reign over all things.

"Christ and his Church thus together make up the "whole Christ" (Christus totus). The Church is one with Christ. The saints are acutely aware of this unity:

Let us rejoice then and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ himself. Do you understand and grasp, brethren, God's grace toward us? Marvel and rejoice: we have become Christ. For if he is the head, we are the members; he and we together are the whole man. . . . The fullness of Christ then is the head and the members. But what does "head and members" mean? Christ and the Church.

Our redeemer has shown himself to be one person with the holy Church whom he has taken to himself.

Head and members form as it were one and the same mystical person.

A reply of St. Joan of Arc to her judges sums up the faith of the holy doctors and the good sense of the believer: "About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they're just one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter." CCC 795

Holy Saturday: Gone to Hell, Back In a Few

Holy Saturday commemorates the final day of Christ’s death and triumphant descent into hell. It is a day of deep reflection and mourning, commemorating the day that Jesus Christ lay in the tomb after his crucifixion

Holy Saturday also called Easter Vigil, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Sabado de Gloria, and Black Saturday or Easter Eve, and called "Joyous Saturday", "the Saturday of Light", and "Mega Sabbatun" is a Christian religious observance that ends the Lenten season, falling on the day before Easter Sunday. The observance commemorates the final day of Christ's death, which is traditionally associated with his triumphant descent into hell. It is a day of deep reflection and mourning, commemorating the day that Jesus Christ lay in the tomb after his crucifixion and hoping for his resurrection- after all, no resurrection, no Christianity. For the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith and hope, and through Baptism and Confirmation we are inserted into the Paschal Mystery of Christ, dying, buried, and raised with him, and with him we shall also reign.






The early church celebrated the end of Lent with large baptismal ceremonies, but for many centuries no services were held on Holy Saturday in the Western churches, recalling the suspended state of Christ’s followers in the period between his Crucifixion and Resurrection. Beginning in 1955, the Roman Catholic and some other churches restored the evening Easter Vigil. The Eastern Orthodox churches had never abandoned the ceremony. The vigil celebration may include lighting fires and candles to symbolize Christ’s passing from death to life and tolling bells to signify the joyous end of Lent. Many churches also celebrate the baptism of catechumens (unbaptized converts) and the confirmation or chrismation and first communion of both catechumens and candidates (converts who were previously baptized in a different Christian faith tradition) during the Easter Vigil.



A vigil is a commemoration of a notable feast, held on the evening preceding the feast. The term comes from the Latin word vigilia, which means "wakefulness," and which came to be used when the faithful stayed awake to pray in anticipation of the feast.



Luke describes what happened after Christ's death: "It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon

because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.b

The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent* beyond doubt.”

When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts;c

but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events.d

The Burial of Jesus

Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council,

had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God.f

He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.

It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment."


At the tomb, the guards that had been stationed there kept watch over the place to make sure that the disciples did not steal Jesus' body.



Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, “hell” - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.

Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into “Abraham's bosom”:

“It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Saviour in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.”

Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him CCC 633.

The gospel was preached even to the dead.” The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment.

This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption. CCC 634


To celebrate the Easter Vigil, The Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW) documented, in excruciating detail the rites and symbology the Church is to use for such momentous event in the document Paschales Solemnitatis:

The Committee on Divine Worship, a standing committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has the responsibility for all matters relating to the Liturgy


According to CDW the Church is to celebrate Easter Vigil meditating on Jesus" passion and death, and on his descent into hell, and awaiting his resurrection with prayer and fasting.

The image of Christ crucified or lying in the tomb, or the descent into hell,an image of the sorrowful Virgin Mary can be placed in thechurch for the veneration of the faithful.

It is highly recommended that on this day the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer be celebrated with the participation of the people. Where this cannot be done, there should be some celebration of the Word of God, or some act of devotion suited to the mystery celebrated this day.

The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil takes place at night. It should not begin before nightfall; it should end before daybreak on Sunday.

The order for the Easter Vigil is arranged so that

• after the service of light and the Easter Proclamation (which is the first part of the Vigil),

• Holy Church meditates on the wonderful works which the Lord God wrought for his people from the earliest times (the second part or Liturgy of the Word),

• to the moment when, together with those new members reborn in Baptism (third part),

• she is called to the table prepared by the Lord for his Church—the commemoration of his death and resurrection—until he comes (fourth part).

In so far as possible, a suitable place should be prepared outside the church for the blessing of the new fire, whose flames should be such that they genuinely dispel the darkness and light up the night.

The paschal candle should be prepared, which for effective symbolism must be made of wax, never be artificial, be renewed each year, be only one in number, and be of sufficiently large size so that it may evoke the truth that Christ is the light of the world. It is blessed with the signs and words prescribed in the Missal or by the Conference of Bishops.

The procession, by which the people enter the church, should be led by the light of the paschal candle alone. Just as the children of Israel were guided at night by a pillar of fire, so similarly, Christians follow the risen Christ. There is no reason why to each response "Thanks be to God" there should not be added some acclamation in honor of Christ.

The light from the paschal candle should be gradually passed to the candles which it is fitting that all present should hold in their hands, the electric lighting being switched off.

At the Vigil, the deacon makes the Easter Proclamation which tells, by means of a great poetic text, the whole Easter mystery placed in the context of the economy of salvation.

In case of necessity, where there is no deacon, and the celebrating priest is unable to sing it, a cantor may do so.

The Bishops' Conferences may adapt this proclamation by inserting into it acclamations from the people.

The readings from Sacred Scripture constitute the second part of the Vigil. They give an account of the outstanding deeds of the history of salvation, which the faithful are helped to meditate calmly upon by the singing of the responsorial psalm, by a silent pause and by the celebrant's prayer.

The restored Order for the Vigil has seven readings from the Old Testament chosen from the Law and the Prophets, which are in use everywhere according to the most ancient tradition of East and West, and two readings from the New Testament, namely from the Apostle and from the Gospel.

Thus the Church, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets" explains Christ's Paschal Mystery.

Consequently wherever this is possible, all the readings should be read so that the character of the Easter Vigil, which demands that it be somewhat prolonged, be respected at all costs.

Where, however, pastoral conditions require that the number of readings be reduced, there should be at least three readings from the Old Testament, taken from the Law and the Prophets; the reading from Exodus chapter 14 with its canticle must never be omitted.

After the readings from the Old Testament, the hymn "Gloria in excelsis" is sung, the bells are rung in accordance with local custom, the collect is recited, and the celebration moves on to the readings from the New Testament. An exhortation from the Apostle on Baptism as an insertion into

Christ's Paschal Mystery is read. Then all stand and the priest intones the "Alleluia" three times, each time raising the pitch. The people repeat it after him.

If it is necessary, the psalmist or cantor may sing the "Alleluia," which the people then take up as an acclamation to be interspersed between the verses of Psalm 117, so often cited by the Apostles in their Easter preaching.

Finally, the resurrection of the Lord is proclaimed from the Gospel as the high point of the whole Liturgy of the Word.

After the Gospel a homily is to be given, no matter how brief

The third part of the Vigil is the baptismal liturgy. Christ's passover and ours is now celebrated.

This is given full expression in those churches which have a baptismal font, and more so when the Christian initiation of adults is held, or at least the Baptism of infants.

Even if there are no candidates for Baptism, the blessing of baptismal water should still take place in parish churches. If this blessing does not take place at the baptismal font, but in the sanctuary, baptismal water should be carried afterwards to the baptistry there to be kept throughout the whole of paschal time.

Where there are neither candidates for Baptism nor any need to bless the font, Baptism should be commemorated by the blessing of water destined for sprinkling upon the people.

Next follows the renewal of baptismal promises, introduced by some words on the part of the celebrating priest.

The faithful reply to the questions put to them, standing and holding lighted candles in their hands. They are then sprinkled with water: in this way the gestures and words remind them of the Baptism they have received.

The celebrating priest sprinkles the people by passing through the main part of the church while all sing the antiphon "Vidi aquam" or another suitable song of a baptismal character.

By the grace of God" Jesus tasted death "for every one". In his plan of salvation, God ordained that his Son should not only "die for our sins" but should also "taste death", experience the condition of death, the separation of his soul from his body, between the time he expired on the cross and the time he was raised from the dead. The state of the dead Christ is the mystery of the tomb and the descent into hell. It is the mystery of Holy Saturday, when Christ, lying in the tomb, reveals God's great sabbath rest after the fulfillment of man's salvation, which brings peace to the whole world CCC 624

Good Friday, Bad Friday

Jesus was crucified on a Friday and we call that Friday Good?  Really?

The Crucifixion," painted by Andrea Mantegna in 1457-1459 A.D. for the altarpiece at the Basilica of San Zeno in Verona, Italy, now hangs in the Louvre

The Bad
According to Roman belief, death was not a punishment, but a release. The torture was punishment, and death was only allowed after a certain amount of pain and terror had been felt. I say I don't fear death - I fear dying.

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking seemed to agree with the Ancient Romans. Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over decades, paralysed him, said: 
I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die, I have so much I want to do first." As for life after death, Hawking
believed the brain is like a computer that will simply shut off. "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,"


In 10 Horrifying Tortures Used on Ancient Rome, Elizabeth Yetter writes that :One of the most disgusting tortures performed involved smearing a Christian in honey and milk. The victim was then nailed into a barrel and force-fed parasite-ridden food. The parasites feasted on the insides the of victim, whose body began to rot inside the barrel. After about two weeks of this torture, the victim would finally die and become a martyr for the Christian religion."

And the most horrific torture, Yetter writes. was Crucifixion. "If the accused was not supposed to die by continuous flogging, the next course of action involved nailing, his hands to the cross beam. He was then hoisted onto a planted post, and his feet were nailed to the post. He might be left there to die a slow death, or his thighs might be broken to help speed his end."


The Good

While Christ's Crucifixion is anything but Good, considering the horrific torture he was subjected to, he did it obediently, no sign of rancor or bitterness, no sign of revenge against his enemies, those who tortured him, Stephen Hawking nor any of the anti-Christ NY Times, USA Today, or WaPo writers. For all including all those who have gone before us including Adam and  Eve,

God's plan from the beginning of time to the fall of Adam and Eve is now complete:  He has redeemed the world and the world will be able to finally get close to God

 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous." By his obedience unto death, Jesus accomplished the substitution of the suffering Servant, who "makes himself an offering for sin", when "he bore the sin of many", and who "shall make many to be accounted righteous", for "he shall bear their iniquities". Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father. CCC 615


Jesus Seven Last Words

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

"Today you will be with me in paradise."
"Woman, behold your son!....Behold, your mother."

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

"I thirst."

"It is finished."

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."


His death on the cross " is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world", and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the "blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins". CCC 613

This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience.CCC 614

Arguably, Jesus' abhorrent torture was enabled by the animosity against him by the religious authorities of the time and is no different from the animosity the current establishment shows the Church today.

But just like Joseph, after being hated by his brothers, left for dead, and sold into slavery, Joseph was able to forgive his brothers, recognizing that God’s sovereign goodness overrides all. Joseph told his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

For :There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord." —Romans 8:39