There Is Only One

Ephesians 4:4-6English Standard Version (ESV)

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

These truths are probably the hardest for non-Christians to accept. There is only one truth. 

These truths are probably the hardest for Christians to accept. The is only one Christianity. 

The sooner we accept this reality the stronger we will be as individual Christians and as Christians belonging to the great Body of Christ. 

If there are multitudes of bodies, not just one, then the Apostle Paul was mistaken when he wrote the above words. There is only one - only one Church. 

Gospel and Same Sex Marriage - 1

Okay, I want to tackle a big issue of the day - or one of the big issues. This topic is kind of like taking hold of a stick in a hen house. No matter where you touch it, you will get something nasty on you. Very few topics have the ability to make everyone mad no matter what one says.

That’s a saying in Spanish, and if you look up “palo de gallinero” you will get a better understanding of the meaning of the phrase.

1. There are real people of the same sex who really have signed marriage licenses. Those documents seem to be legal. That is a reality that, well, is based on something or other. For those who are so married, their love and commitment is real. Many of these people are friends and loved ones. So, in that way, I am happy for them. If they are happy, then I am happy. I am not God, and my first human reaction is that I hope they live long and have a happy life together. I have never been invited to a same sex ceremony, so I can’t tell you if I would go or not. You know, I just might.

John Kasich, strong practicing Catholic who is socially conservative attended a gay wedding. I’ll leave it there for now.

So, there are individuals who have made this lifelong commitment and signed papers to prove it.

More to come.

I’ll just say that I love everybody and I want everyone to know Jesus, our Hope, our Life, our Love, the Source of all that is Good. He is that for all who believe, not just a few.

I will also say that God really does hate sin. Sin cuts us off from all that is hope, life, love, and goodness. God would not be a good God if He did not hate sin.

God loves the sinner and wants to bring him or her into a relationship with His Son and His body, the Church.

The door through which one must enter has two words over it. Repentance and faith. Repentance towards sin and faith towards God. You turn your back on the one and your face towards the other.

Here are some Scriptures to contemplate.

Contemplate is a more personal, more intense word than meditate. It involves wonder. We gaze at Christ in wonder and amazement at who He is and what He has done. We gaze in love into the face of our Father. We are amazed at the work of the Holy Spirit, teaching us and pouring out His love into our hearts.

We praise Him who alone is worthy. He really is all we need.

Here is John 3:16-21. These words took hold of me when I was a little girl, and filled me with hope and longing. We are most familiar with v. 16, but read the context carefully. As the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. Come to the light. Come to Christ. Your Father is waiting to receive you. You have a Mother as well, the Church.

As Christ was conceived in the body of Mary, so Christ can be conceived in you by the same Holy Spirit. Like her, you can say yes to God.

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Politics and the Christian - 2

I’m trying to figure out where the Old Life guys are coming from, especially Dr. Hart - Brother Hart. I can see their point in a way if they are saying that some of the popular ways of talking about transforming culture are not able to deliver on their promises. The Gospel is not a kind of magical pixie dust that we spread around.  The Gospel makes demands on our lives. We are called to die to self and live for God.

Often the subject of suffering is left out of some Gospel presentations we hear today. If we just adopt the proper, Christian worldview, then everything will fall into place.

It’s like the joke about playing a country  song backwards. If you do, you get your house back, your wife back, your dog back, your truck back.

Everything will go well for you from that point on if you receive Christ. In fact, all the bad things that have happened to you in life will be reversed.

If that is the kind of transformational theology that the guys are speaking against, then I kind of get where they are coming from.

Yet I think they are going too far. No, the effects of Christianity on our culture are not so dramatic. Well, I think that anyone who knows Christ can testify to the fact that their lives have seen dramatic changes.  The more people believe in Jesus, the more change we see around us.

However, this world as it is will never be completely transformed. So, maybe that is what the guys are objecting to. This world will not be transformed into what it is supposed to be until Jesus returns. Meanwhile we occupy this world until He comes.

We are strangers and pilgrims, but we are also salt and light. It is complicated. I think that they have withdrawn from engaging the culture too much.  Sure, maybe the transformational promises being made are over the top. However, the almost total withdrawal from politics seems to be going way too far in the other direction.

What I find very sad in our country at this point in time is the fact that the Democrat Party has turned so godless on important issues. Their continued, unquestioning support for Planned Parenthood, for example, is inexcusable.

There are other issues as well, but nothing is more important than protecting the unborn. Why?  There are a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that those children are our future. More important than that is the fact that all human beings are made in the image of God.  Anyway, I easily veer off into pro life arguments that I wish the Democrats still believed in. Both parties should be pro life.

Never Claim Your Own Rights

There is a teaching in Christianity that we are never supposed to claim our own rights. We are to remain clam and trust God’s justice. We are to leave all judgment to Him. 

Jesus’ words about turning the other cheek are the strongest support for this teaching. We are not supposed to retaliate when someone mistreats us or makes unreasonable demands of us. 

Matthew 5:38-40  English Standard Version (ESV)
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 
39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Those are strong words and seem to settle the issue. Don’t ever defend yourself in the face of an injustice. Let people say whatever they wish about you and never talk back to them. Let people take whatever they want from you, and offer them more than what they ask. If you are sued, then do not resist. 

St. Augustine pointed out that not even Jesus followed this teaching as some would have us understand it. That is, we should always remain silent and never defend ourselves. So that cannot be the meaning of Jesus’ words. We are not to take them exactly literally to mean that we can never stand up to an abuser. Notice, too, that Jesus did not use all the power He had to defend Himself. He could have destroyed those who struck Him, but He refrained from doing so. 

He did appeal to the law, and pointed out that they were breaking it. He didn’t say, “Hit me again on the other side."

After Jesus was arrested and brought to the house of the high priest, when He was struck by a Jewish officer while being interrogated, Jesus did not turn his other cheek. Instead, he said, "If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" (John 18:23).
- Fr. Stephen F. Torraco
See EWTN Turn the Other Cheek

We need to talk about sin

How should Christians preach the Gospel to those who are trapped in sin?

Remember that we are all sinners. Some sins have greater potential to kill the soul than other sins, but all sin leads to death if not confessed and forsaken.  Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church  to see this idea developed in greater detail.  It is a brilliant explanation of the subject of sin and salvation in Christ.

We know from Scripture and from our own conscience that we are sinners. Many do not know how to be cleansed of their sin, so we must tell people how. Many people do not accept that their sin is an offense against God. We need to find loving ways to tell them that God is just and that sin is real. Sin separates us from the love of God and from a relationship with Him. It also tends to separate us from other human beings.

Most people are willing to admit that they are not perfect and that there are areas of their lives they wish they could change. Not everyone knows that is because of the effects of sin in their lives. Sin has become a scary word for many because it is often used as a way to communicate rejection rather than love. We talk about sin so we can explain why Jesus came to give His life on the cross. It is for us sinners so we can be forgiven, cleansed, and freed from the power of sin in our lives.

If we as Christians remember that we are sinners and that everyone is in need of salvation, then that keeps us humble and able to share from the heart.  I like the beggar analogy I heard many years ago. Sharing Christ is like a beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

That is not a perfect analogy, but it is one that should keep us humble in dealing with the subject of sin. None of us like to be accused of doing things that are wrong, so we need to be careful how we approach the subject. However, it is not one that should be avoided, since it is true that the wages sin pays is death. It would be unkind and unloving to not explain lovingly what sin is and what it does to a person’s soul.

Sometimes if we tell someone that sin is anything we think, say, or do that breaks God’s moral law, especially as seen in the 10 Commandments, then they may think we are saying that they are bad people. They may feel like we have no right to point a finger at them, and they are correct. No one has the right to point at someone else and accuse them of sin, yet we must teach this truth. Without understanding what sin is, a person cannot understand what salvation is. Christ’s death on the cross makes no sense if people are not sinners - all people. So, we can allow a person to read the Commandments and other passages where sin is explained and ask the Holy Spirit to do His convicting work in their hearts.

The thing is that even very good people sin. Ignoring God is a kind of sin. Thinking that our goodness comes from ourselves and not because we are made in God’s image comes from the sin of pride and self centeredness. It could even be self righteousness.

So, we want people to understand that we are all sinners in one way or another. Besides, our goodness is only a relative goodness. We know that all people have some good qualities and some very bad qualities at the same time. We are all capable of doing things that are horrible, unloving, hateful, and mean. We are all capable of withholding good from others even when we would be able to do good.

We are also capable of doing very good things. Those good things are not good enough, though, and fall short of the righteousness that God requires. Therefore we need Christ to make us righteous, to infuse us with  a righteousness that will convert our souls. It is all of grace. It is all grace. It is all the work of His Holy Spirit in our lives. It is all by grace through faith. Every good and perfect gift comes down from above, as St. James tells us in his epistle.

When we say that someone is a good person, or that we try to be good, we know that even the best person has many imperfections.  We are all sinners in need of a Savior. We have one in Jesus. That goes for all sinners, not just a few. We can trust Him fully, and we must believe in Him in order to embark on this way of salvation.

James 1:17
English Standard Version
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.


Romans 3:23English Standard Version (ESV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23English Standard Version (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

II. THE DEFINITION OF SIN

1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law."¹²¹

1850 Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight."¹²² Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods,"¹²³ knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God."¹²⁴ In this proud self- exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.¹²⁵

1851 It is precisely in the Passion, when the mercy of Christ is about to vanquish it, that sin most clearly manifests its violence and its many forms: unbelief, murderous hatred, shunning and mockery by the leaders and the people, Pilate's cowardice and the cruelty of the soldiers, Judas' betrayal - so bitter to Jesus, Peter's denial and the disciples' flight. However, at the very hour of darkness, the hour of the prince of this world,¹²⁶ the sacrifice of Christ secretly becomes the source from which the forgiveness of our sins will pour forth inexhaustibly.

A Gospel Response to the Obergefell v. Hodges SCOTUS Decision

1. The Little Mermaid
   Posted September 16, 2015 at 9:23 am | Permalink
   Zrim
   Posted September 16, 2015 at 8:31 am | Permalink
   Ariel, sorry, it was a technical mistake (been having a few of those of late, ahem). I’ll try that last sentence again.

   If your reasoning was applied all the way through then, being innocent but executed by human authorities, Jesus would never have died. Or at least you should be complaining about it since it was the greatest miscarriage of justice in human history. Injustice actually saved us. This isn’t to be flippant about justice, but it is to suggest there is an eternal perspective that could help to adjust an over-developed sense of provisional justice.>>>>

   Thanks, Zrim. Yes, I see your point. There are things worse than suffering an injustice. Besides, God’s plan of salvation is not hindered by human injustice. As we see in Christ’s death on the cross, God used the worst injustice in the history of the world to bring about our salvation. Catholics believe that, too, you know.  

   If we as Christians are willing to preach the Gospel and clearly explain why same sex relationships are sinful – even though God is both willing and able to save the sinner our of love and because He gave His Son to be the Savior of the world – then this could result in the salvation of many. However, if we allow this decision to silence us because we are being called bigots, then how will people hear and believe? 

   If we are not willing to sacrifice ourselves and expose ourselves to ridicule for the sake of Christ, then the injustice is just that. 

   Besides, we are not being asked to lay down our lives, at least yet. It may very well come to that, but it will probably be much more subtle, more insidious. 

   Like, we may be asked to lay down our jobs, or our reputations, and other things we value. We will be called names in an attempt to silence us and bully us into submission to our new masters. We are already being called bigots. The tragedy is that we very well may be asked to lay down our children, to sacrifice them to the dictates of the state’s definition of marriage and human sexuality. 

   Are you ready for that? Have you really counted the cost? 

   I just don’t think you know what you are asking for. Real persecution is no fun at all. 

   …and I hope I am exaggerating the effects of this horrible, illegal decision that our Supreme Court made in their infinite wisdom. Do I respect them? In a theological way, yes. I am not going to pretend that what they did was legal, though, when it is not. They count on all of us playing their antinomian game in order for this to succeed.

The Beauty of the Catholic Church - part 1

Sermons set in stone - you can argue with words but you cannot argue with beauty.

- Peter Kreeft


Beauty is what won me. The Catholic churches all around the world give testimony to GLORY!  Like Dr. Kreeft, I fell in love with the Great Whore of Babylon. Well, it sounds better the way he says it. See, in Protestantism we were taught that the Catholic Church is the Great Whore of Babylon that is talked about in the book of Revelation.

It’s not just about the beauty of  Catholic church buildings as well as  the beauty of Catholic art and music. It is the beauty of the liturgy, the beauty of the great minds that God has given to the Church - the whole Church that even Protestants borrow from and often add to - the beauty of Catholic theology, orthodoxy, and philosophy.

Yes, she has some very ugly marks as well. She is not completely pure and holy, but Jesus is preparing His Bride, the Church, His Bride, His Body, for future glory. She will be perfectly holy, dressed in white robes when He comes.

How will that be?  He is building His Church and sanctifying her.

Protestants who believe in Jesus are not excluded, either. That is part of the beauty - her catholicity.