The 8 Beatitudes

List of the 8 Beatitudes:

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. 

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Additional Resources

The Beatitudes come directly from Jesus in Matthew 5:3-12. Jesus teaches the 8 Beatitudes as the beginning to the sermon on the mount.

The 8 Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven.

The Catechism states that, "the Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints." ~  CCC 1717

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

What It Is

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a prayer that is near and dear to my heart.  It transformed my life!  And today is the 77th anniversary of the prayer!

"This Chaplet was dictated to Saint Faustina by the Lord Jesus Himself in Vilnius on September 13-14, 1935, as a prayer of atonement and for the appeasement of God's wrath." ~ Introduction to the Diary of Saint Faustina

How to Pray It

The Chaplet can be prayed on rosary beads because it follows the same format as the rosary.  The following quote is taken from the book, "Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska".  These are the words of Jesus when He gave the prayer to Saint Faustina:

"...First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the [APOSTLE'S CREED].  Then on the OUR FATHER beads [on the rosary] you will say the following words: 'Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.' On the HAIL MARY beads [on the rosary] you will say the following words: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.' In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'" ~ Diary 474-476

(Just to be safe, I listed the prayer in another format at the bottom of this post.)


Why to Pray It

This is an especially powerful prayer.  The introduction to Saint Faustina's Diary goes on to say:

"By means of this prayer, the petitioners request 'mercy on us and on the whole world,' and by so doing, they perform a work of mercy.  If the faithful add to this the foundation of trust and fulfill the conditions regarding every good prayer (humility, perseverance, matters in conformity with God's will), they can expect the fulfillment of Christ's promises which are particularly related to the hour of death: the grace of conversion and a peaceful death.

Not only will the people who say the Chaplet receive these graces, but also the dying at whose side others will recite this prayer.  The Lord said: 'When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul' (Diary, 811).  The general promise says: 'It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet' (Diary, 1541) '...if what you ask is compatible with My will.' (Diary, 1731)"

It is good to pray this prayer any time / all the time.  However, this prayer is especially powerful at the three o'clock hour, the hour of our Lord's death on the cross.  In the diary it says the following:

"At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment for the whole world.  I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow.  In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of my Passion..." ~ Diary, 1320

Personal Experience

I can attest to the power of this prayer in my own personal experience.  This prayer has transformed my life.  Once my wife taught me this prayer, it was just too powerful and too easy (10 minutes) to not say at 3 pm every day.  (Normally we'll pray along with Relevant Radio when they say it at 3 pm.)  And the results have been staggering...my prayer life has improved, people have been healed, friends have been converted...heck I have a friend who made it rain during a drought (no joke).

So I pass this prayer along to you.  It is a gift straight from Jesus Himself.  Please try using it for a week at 3 pm...see if it doesn't change your life.

[Divine Mercy Image]

Keep Pursuing

Additional Material

Just in case it wasn't clear, this is how you pray the chaplet on rosary beads:

• The Opening 
• (pray each of these once to start the chaplet) 
• Start by making the sign of the cross 
• Say one Our Father 
• Say one Hail Mary 
• Say one Apostle's Creed
• The Five Decades 
• (pray this prayer once at the beginning of each decade) 
• Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, the Soul and Divinity, of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. 
• (pray this prayer ten times in each decade) 
• For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world 
• (repeat the above set of prayers five times for a total of 55 prayers) 
• The Closing 
• (repeat the below prayer three times) 
• Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world 

Lastly, here is a website with loads of materials and information on the Divine Mercy Chaplet:
www.thedivinemercy.org

The Apostle's Creed

The Apostle's Creed is a "professions of faith" since it summarizes the faith that Christians profess.

This is how you pray the Apostle's Creed:

I believe in God the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son,
our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell; the third day
He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sits at
the right hand of God the Father
almighty, from thence He shall come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting.
Amen.

It is listed in the Compendium of the CCC here alongside the Nicene Creed.

CCC 187 says "they are called 'creeds' on account of what is usually their first word in Latin: credo ('I believe'). They are also called 'symbols of faith'."

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The Hail Mary

The Hail Mary is a wonderful prayer asking for Mary's intercession upon our behalf.

It goes:

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen

Why We Pray the Hail Mary

When we pray this prayer, we ask for intercession of our Holy Mother on our behalf (we are asking her to pray for us).  She is our mother because as members of the Church we are the brothers and sisters of Christ.

Fun fact: It is not possible for you to love Mary more than her son, Jesus, loves her.


Where the Hail Mary Comes From

The Hail Mary prayer actually comes from sacred scripture: Luke 1:28, 1:42.  

• Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
• "And coming to her, he [the angel] said, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.'" ~ Luke 1:28
• Blessed art though amongst women and blessed in the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
• "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.'" ~ Luke 1:41-42
• Holy Mary, mother of God.
• "'And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?'" ~ Luke 1:43
• Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Additional Resources

The Catechism covers the reasons for and the source of the Hail Mary prayer in CCC 2673-2679.

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The Our Father

We are starting out the Prayers series with what is considered the fundamental Christian prayer: The Our Father.  It came directly from Jesus' mouth when a disciple asked him how we should pray.

This is the Our Father prayer:

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

This prayer as given to us by Jesus.  It is recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

One commonly asked question is whether or not to include the doxology at the end of the prayer.  The doxology is: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever".  The Catholic Church does not include the doxology in the Our Father and explains why in CCC 2760.

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Life Begins at Conception

This is a landing page for all posts concerning when life begins.  This series covers:

• Religion Affirms Life Begins at Conception
• Science Proves Life Begins at Conception
• Law Determines Life Begins at Conception

Keep Pursuing

Chastity

Chastity.

There's a word you don't hear every day.  In fact, it's heard so infrequently that society has lost its meaning.  This blog post aims to rectify that.


What is Chastity?

Most people mistakenly assume chastity means "virgin" or "prude".  This is incorrect because both of these terms imply avoiding all forms of sexual expression.  The opposite is shown in the Catechism's definition of chastity:

Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. ~ CCC 2337

Chastity actually calls for an embracing of sexuality as one of the many parts that make up a person.

The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift. ~ CCC 2337

Chastity goes beyond sexuality, to the whole person and their relationship with others.  In reality, chastity is about owning your sexuality, and not letting it own you. It is a backwards relationship when sexuality drives a person.

 ...either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. ~ CCC 2339

Sexuality unchecked by other parts of the person (like mind, body, and soul) will inevitably lead to what is harmful to the person. It is a real life example of the "tail wagging the dog".

Whereas, the virtue of chastity maintains the proper relationship between a person and their sexuality, leading them to avoid harmful acts and negative consequences, and leaving them to enjoy only what is good and beneficial.  In short, chastity is the virtue of sexual purity.

Who is Called to be Chaste?

The church does not discriminate.  All are called to sexual purity whether they be man or woman, young or old, clergy or laity.  The Catholic Church calls it "the vocation of chastity" and it applies to everyone equally.

All the baptized are called to chastity, the Christian has "put on Christ," the model for all chastity. All Christ's faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life. ~ CCC 2348

The CCC goes on to say that chastity applies to married people as well as single people.  That was surprising to me the first time I heard it.  But if chastity is sexual purity, then it is something everybody needs Here is what the CCC says about chastity for married people:

"People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or single." Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence:... ~ CCC 2349

The ramifications of this are pretty astounding.  It means that a man and woman having sex in a married relationship are still chaste.  This completely flies in the face of the popular definition of chastity meaning something akin to "prude virgin"!  It also speaks to how the church's teaching on sexuality all hang together and, when taken as a whole, make wonderful sense.

Since chastity is a virtue, you can develop it (just like a muscle).  Here is what the CCC says about that:

2338 The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed in him. This integrity ensures the unity of the person; it is opposed to any behavior that would impair it. It tolerates neither a double life nor duplicity in speech.¹²⁴2339 Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. the alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.¹²⁵ "Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end."¹²⁶2340 Whoever wants to remain faithful to his baptismal promises and resist temptations will want to adopt the means for doing so: self-knowledge, practice of an ascesis adapted to the situations that confront him, obedience to God's commandments, exercise of the moral virtues, and fidelity to prayer. "Indeed it is through chastity that we are gathered together and led back to the unity from which we were fragmented into multiplicity."¹²⁷2341 The virtue of chastity comes under the cardinal virtue of temperance, which seeks to permeate the passions and appetites of the senses with reason.
2342 Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life.¹²⁸ The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence.

But what about people who have failed?  People who have lost their chastity?
So this also means that all is not lost for those that have fallen into sexual sin.  It is not a "slip once and you failed for life".  Everyone screws up.  You can pick yourself back up and succeed in becoming a chaste person.  And what a gift that will be to one day be able to give to your spouse or the Lord.

2343 Chastity has laws of growth which progress through stages marked by imperfection and too often by sin. "Man . . . day by day builds himself up through his many free decisions; and so he knows, loves, and accomplishes moral good by stages of growth."¹²⁹2344 Chastity represents an eminently personal task; it also involves a cultural effort, for there is "an interdependence between personal betterment and the improvement of society."¹³⁰ Chastity presupposes respect for the rights of the person, in particular the right to receive information and an education that respect the moral and spiritual dimensions of human life.
2345 Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort.¹³¹ The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has regenerated to imitate the purity of Christ.¹³²The integrality of the gift of self
2346 Charity is the form of all the virtues. Under its influence, chastity appears as a school of the gift of the person. Self-mastery is ordered to the gift of self. Chastity leads him who practices it to become a witness to his neighbor of God's fidelity and loving kindness.
2347 The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship. It shows the disciple how to follow and imitate him who has chosen us as his friends,¹³³ who has given himself totally to us and allows us to participate in his divine estate. Chastity is a promise of immortality.
Chastity is expressed notably in friendship with one's neighbor. Whether it develops between persons of the same or opposite sex, friendship represents a great good for all. It leads to spiritual communion.

But what does a "successful integration of sexuality within the person look like"?

Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. ~ CCC 2337

Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. ~ CCC 2339

Sexuality is part of the human condition.  And it is to be used as part of a lifelong relationship between man and woman, marriage.  

The Seven Sacraments

The 7 Sacraments

1. Baptism
2. Confirmation
3. The Holy Eucharist
4. Penance
5. Anointing of the Sick
6. Holy Orders
7. Matrimony

Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist are known as the Sacraments of Christian Initiation.

Anointing of the Sick and Penance are known as the Sacraments of Healing.

Holy Orders and Matrimony are known as the Sacraments at the Service of Communion and Mission. 

New Series: Victory!

This is the first in a series on victory!  In the series I will tell stories of righteous deeds done, unsung heroes and good triumphing over evil.

Today's victory is about a friend of mine.  She is a young girl, a senior in high school and she recently discovered God.  She broke up with her boyfriend a month ago and he has come over to talk about getting back together.  It is in the midst of this discussion that the following dialogue occurs:

...
Him: If we get back together, would you be willing to go further into a physical relationship?
Her: You mean like...
Him: Like sex.
Her: No, not now.
Him: Would you be interested in the future?
Her: Like when we get married?
Him: ...I was thinking like the end of the summer.
Her: Oh, then no.

WHAT?!  Girls don't do that now days?  They have loose morals so they can be accepted!  Who saves herself for marriage?  Who does she think she is?!

I'll tell you who!  A woman of God!  And any red-blooded Christian man on the planet will testify to the fact that this is attractive!  A woman of faith, a woman of backbone, a woman who stands for something...that is what real men want!

VICTORY!!

New Series: Current Events

There is a ton of confusion and misdirection concerning the HHS Mandate.  Let's set the record straight.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT CONTRACEPTION.  THIS IS ABOUT VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Here is why:

• The Bill of Rights is a list of amendments to the Constitution of the United States.  
• The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights protects freedom of religion.  
• The official stance of the Catholic Church on artificial birth control, contraception, sterilization, and abortion has always been that they are wrong and go against conscience.
• The HHS Mandate requires all employer health plans to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of any moral or religious exemptions.  
• So the government is requiring that Catholic institutions (including churches, schools, hospitals, and charities) provide and pay for services that they view as sinful violations of conscience.
• And as a result, the government is violating the practice of worship and freedom of religion of the Catholic Church

Why does it matter to you?


The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights protects freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

If the government is allowed to violate this part of the First Amendment, think about what could be next?  Why not mandate all religious activity?  Why not eliminate freedom of speech?  Why not eliminate freedom of assembly?

You've seen footage from countries around the world where freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are are not guaranteed...

It needs to stop now.  If this mandate doesn't directly affect you, what about the next one?

There is a famous quote by Martin Niemoller about the Nazi rise to power that is eerily relevant:

"First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me."

What about the religious exemption I heard about?

Let me put this in perspective.  Jesus Christ himself would not qualify for their "religious exemption".

The exemption applies to "religious employers", which the government has defined employers who employ people of the same faith and serve people of the same faith.  Catholic hospitals would have to refuse service to non-Catholics to qualify.  Catholic schools would have to refuse to hire non-Catholics to qualify.

This is ludicrous!  The apostles would not have qualified for this exemption.  Neither would the Catholic Church at any point during its existence.  And neither do Catholic schools, hospitals, and charities.  


What about the accommodation I heard about?

Hear this now.  There was no accommodation.  The bill was signed into law as it was originally written.  No change was ever made.

What you are referring to is Obama's offer whereby the insurers, rather than the employers, would be forced to pay for the services to which religious employers have moral objections.  This was a half-hearted deception.  The employers would still be forced to provide these health plans and would still be forced to pay for them.

...And, as stated, this was never actually put in the bill.


Your Takeaway

The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of our government and all of the freedoms you enjoy as a citizen of this country.  The Bill of Rights is a list of amendments to the Constitution and, as such, is part of the Constitution.  Chipping away at the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is chipping away at your freedom.