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Ba'al was the worship of nature, which attempted to manipulate the cycles and seasons of harvest through sexual indulgence. Israel the northern kingdom under king Ahab was deep into the worship of Ba'al. When one worshiped Ba'al one denied God as the Creator. Nature was seen as an independant force which could be manipulated by humanity for its own prosperity and self gratification. Elijah was prophet at this time of severe draught. Rain had not fallen for 3 years. Despite the worship of Ba'al, the green god of nature, rain did not fall. Then I Kings 18:1. "And it came...

<p>I am asking for prayer for my marriage. My husband (Rick) has committed adultery. I know God hates divorce and this appears to be the direction he is taking. Lots of issues involved...I won't go into here..but he needs to come to repentance and to allow God to heal his heart...and mine too. The pain is almost too much to bear at this point. Our marriage needs divine healing and that is what I am asking you to pray for. God is not through with us as a couple yet...we have much work to do. Satan has tried to put a monkey wrench in the mix...but God is greater. Thanks for praying...</p>

My thoughts tend to wander in church. The lector might open with a biblical passage describing the Israelites assailing Jericho. I’ll picture myself inside the city, as a trader bartering in the ancient streets. This, in turn, will cause me to wonder how people got along in those days without air conditioning. So it was that, waiting for Mass to begin one recent Saturday evening, I was unruffled by the sweet, dark strains of “Night and Day.” “It’s just me,” I thought. “Just my wayward imagination.” It was with a jolt that I realized, “No, it’s not just me.” Someone...

Statistics released Nov. 24 by the FBI show hate crimes against religious groups increased by 9% from 2007 to 2008.USA Today reported that in 2008, there 1,519 incidents against people based on their religion, the statistics show.The figures reveal that while anti-Jewish attacks made up the highest percentage of the attacks (17%), there was an increase in hate crimes against Catholics — 75, up from 61 in 2007.Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said the increase may be due to the Church becoming more vocal on life issues such as abortion and homosexual unions.As...

If you are a Christian and do not yet know what the Manhattan Declaration is…WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Myriads of religious leaders from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant persuasions have signed this thing, including men I highly respect, like Dr. Al Mohler. For the record, I am against the Declaration. I believe it undermines the only thing that holds the power to change hearts and minds on serious issues like abortion, marriage and religious liberty…the gospel. The Declaration throws around terms like ‘gospel’, ‘church’ and ‘Christian’, without ever defining what those terms mean. The result is that these words can...

A decision at the highest level of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America about homosexuality has sent discontented ripples into Polk County, and a local church is holding discussions with a potential splinter group. At Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Winter Haven on Sunday, a representative of Lutheran Coalition for Renewal, or CORE, met with about 80 parishioners to answer questions, said the Rev. Alan Ford, pastor of Abiding Savior. The Rev. Rebecca Heber of Lake Mary told those present the Evangelical Lutheran Church is moving away from its historic standards of scriptural authority by loosening restrictions on gays in...

The Church and Capitalism 1480. Why does the Catholic Church defend the capitalist and attack the worker? She does not do these things. The Catholic Church defends law and order, and human rights. She is ever ready to denounce injustice, whether of the government, or of any private individual. If a wealthy Catholic did not pay just wages, and were seriously defrauding his employees, the Catholic Church would be the first to condemn such conduct, and warn him that, if he continued in such conduct, he would risk eternal damnation. On the other hand, if an employee accepted good wages,...

Note the date of this post. Should not have America wakened up long ago regarding Muslim versus Christian in Barack Hussein Obama?

Pope Benedict presides the First Advent Vespers at the Vatican Vatican City, Nov 29, 2009 / 11:26 am (CNA).- On Saturday night, Pope Benedict XVI officiated a celebration in St. Peter's Basilica of first vespers before the first Sunday of the Advent season.  His message in the homily was one of 'silence and hope' during the season of Advent.The Holy Father ushered the Church into the new liturgical year, telling those in attendance at yesterday evening's celebration of first vespers that "Advent invites us to pause in silence to understand a Presence."In his homily, Pope Benedict, gave a short...

My friend and her husband lost their only child yesterday. 23 years old, he was hit on a street in Va. Beach by a drunk driver (second arrest). A VT grad, he was a great young man with a promising future. Please keep his parents, Dana and Jay, in your prayers.

The false religion is all around us. Those churches that have turned against the Word of God, Christ as God, and the proclamation of personal salvation through His forgiving mercy, aid in damning America. Those churches clustered into denominations add to the demonic force.

Amidst all the holiday shopping craziness, most Americans at this time of year want to see holiday signs that wish them a "Merry Christmas." A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 72% of adults prefer "Merry Christmas," while 22% like "Happy Holidays" instead. Older Americans favor "Merry Christmas" more than younger adults. [...]

Although provoked by the indulgences peddled by Johannes Tetzel, the very first proposition which Luther offered for public debate in his Ninety Five Theses put the axe to the root of the tree of medieval theology: "When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'Repent,' he meant that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance." From Erasmus' Greek New Testament, Luther had come to realize that the Vulgate's rendering of Matthew 4:17 by penitentiam agite ("do penance") completely misinterpreted Jesus' meaning. The gospel called not for an act of penance but for a radical change of mind-set...

WARNING: this post contains a graphic description of an abortion that may not be appropriate for some individuals. Please read with care. I think it's important in the debate about abortion to have an honest dialogue about all parties who are involved. I think this blog, written by a female abortionist, goes far in revealing the sort of extreme cognative dissonance that is necessary for someone to perform abortions. And yet, even in this situation, it's impossible for her to avoid her own humanity - and the humanity of the young human person she is destroying: When I was...

Please pray for the resoration of my marriage. It has me deeply depressed over the los of my wife. Thank You

In his new film "2012", director Roland Emmerich reinforces a double standard by depicting the destruction of numerous Christian landmarks while sparing Islamic ones. The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican all meet untimely fates in Emmerich's latest end-of-the-world extravangza. However, The Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure that is the focus of prayers and the site of the most important pilgrimage in Islam, was spared. And this double standard was not, it turns out, an oversight or mistake. A deliberate act In an interview with Sci-Fi...

November 29, 2009                                         First Sunday of Advent     Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jer 33:14-16 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah.In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot ; he shall do what is right and just in the land.In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The LORD our justice.” Responsorial PsalmPs 25:4-5, 8-9, 10,...

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Traditional Sunday Propers ~ Dominica Prima Adventus ~ First Sunday of Advent † Statio ad S. Mariam Majorem ~ Station at Saint Mary Major 29 November 2009 Anno Dómini † Feast of Bishop Saint Saturninus, Martyr † The death of Bishop Saint Saturninus, being dragged through the city tied to a bull. Missa Dicit Ad te levávi ánimam meam: Deus meus, in te confído, non erubéscam: neque irrídeant me inimíci mei ( "To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not...

The Three D's One of the casualties of the Modernist revolution has been Catholic education in this country and throughout the world. As we know this is a part of the strategy the Modernists have used to further their agenda of creating a church within the Church. One of the aspects of the ignorance of most Roman Catholics today is their inability to distinguish between 3 essential elements of the Faith. These 3 elements are discipline, doctrine and dogma. They are related to each other but separate in terms of importance and effect within the structure of the Church....

The first of five U.S. cities will be hit by a new atheist holiday ad campaign this Thanksgiving weekend. Washington, D.C., residents can expect to see ads proclaiming, "No God?...No Problem!" inside buses and rail cars. Washington, D.C., residents can expect to see ads proclaiming, “No God?...No Problem!” inside buses, rail cars and on the side or tail of buses by week’s end. The campaign, sponsored by the American Humanist Association, will then target the transit systems of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. According to AHA, the holiday ad campaign is the first by a humanist group...

A Sikh advocate in Pakistan was reportedly thrashed and threatened with dire consequences recently if he did not convert to Islam, forcing his family to run for safety to a gurdwara in Hassanabdal near Rawalpindi. While the victim, Anup Singh, was yet to regain consciousness, the incident has left the Sikh community in Pakistan rattled and insecure. Talking to TOI from Islamabad, Anup’s brother, Ravinder Singh, recalled horror of November 21. ‘‘A group of at least eight men kidnapped my brother from his office and took him to Mohammad Amin’s residence, where he was stripped and photographed with Amin’s wife.’’...

continued from Part I Themes in Jewish/Christian Divergence on Prayer Before we continue, let us check my assumptions: first, and as I stated before, I am assuming that post-Biblical, post-second Temple Judaism developed independently from, and in many instances in opposition to, Christianity: it is then to be expected that many commonalities as well as many differences came to the fore after 2,000 years of separate development. Second, I only had a chance to peruse a very small number of Jewish primers on prayer and they all seem to me to emphasize liturgical prayer, whether in a synagogue or in...

Three Pastors: Life, Death, and Religion in Muslim Iran In November 1993, not far from ancient Babylon, where Daniel was thrown into the lions' den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pitched into Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace, the Rev. Mehdi Dibaj huddled in a Mazandaran Province prison cell praying about how he could defend himself from capital charges. A compactly built 60-year-old man, his short, salt-and-pepper hair bristled above dark, deep-set eyes and bunchy cheeks. His cell contained a cot, a hole-in-the-floor toilet, a line of small snapshots of his four children, and, under the high window that afforded light, a...

Need continued prayers for my wife's healing, and for God to place forgiveness in her heart for me.

Reminders of last summer’s tornado are still evident at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. A red scaffolding setup stands next to one of the limestone walls of the historic, 82-year-old church at 333 S. 12th St. At the peak of the roof, still more scaffolding — complete with a Les Jones Roofing banner — surrounds the tornado-damaged steeple. A 176-foot crane towers over the house of worship, which stood in the path of the Aug. 19 twister as it swept through south Minneapolis. The tornado inflicted $300,000 worth of damage to the church, but repairs are going well and...

William Dembski, who was recently elected as the new Vice President of the EPS, released his latest book earlier this month from Broadman & Holman Academic, titled, The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World (2009). We interviewed Dembski about his book and its implications for Christian work on the "problem of evil." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What’s the main point that you are trying to communicate in this book? What is the “end of Christianity” that you speak of in your title? My book attempts to resolve how the Fall of Adam could be responsible for all evil...

The Supremacy of Jesus Christ "He will glorify Me . . ." —John 16:14 The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them. There is nothing about them that needs the death of Jesus Christ. All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer, and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous. It did not cost the sufferings of God, nor is it stained with "the blood of the Lamb" ( Revelation 12:11 ). It is not marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit as being genuine, and...

Spurgeon's Morning & Evening - November 29 -------------------------------- Morning Devotional "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people ... Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." - Leviticus 19:16, 17 Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person concerning whom the tale is told. Whether the report be true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden to spread it. The reputations of the Lord's people should be very precious in our sight, and we should count it...

Open Ears, Open Heart November 26th, 2009 by Tucker Cordani How do we prepare ourselves to receive the Word of God when we come to Church on Sunday?  Do we show the same reverence for the Holy Scriptures as we do for the Body of our Lord?  Do we come to be fulfilled, body, soul, and divinity, or are we just looking to fulfill our Sunday obligation?After we die, God is going to examine our conscience.  Sharp knife in hand, he will conduct a spiritual post-mortem.  Under the knife, our innermost secrets and thoughts of the heart will be exposed. ...

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8-12)

Advent: Awaiting God's Justice Pope Benedict XVI Advent watchfulness means living in God's presence and according to his criteria in order to prepare a worthy dwelling-place for the promised SaviourOn Wednesday, 19 December 2007, at the General Audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Auditorium, the Holy Father reflected on the Season of Advent and the justice we await. The following is a translation of his Catechesis, which was given in Italian.Dear Brothers and Sisters, In these days, as we come gradually closer to the great Feast of Christmas, the liturgy impels us to intensify our preparation, placing at our...

The Jesse TreeRev. Johann G. Roten, SM Sometimes called the root of Jesse or radix Jesse in Latin, the Jesse tree is a visual representation of Jesus' genealogy which dates back to the father of David who was Jesse.  The biblical references used habitually to establish Christ's descent from David are the following: Isaiah 6,14; 11,1; 53,2 Num 24,17 Mat 1,1-16 Lk 3,23-38 Rev 22,16 In sacred art Mary is also depicted as part of Christ's family tree named after Jesse. The Fathers of the Church and Latin hymns refer to the tree of Jesse not only when speaking about...

Featured Term (selected at random):DOGMA Doctrine taught by the Church to be believed by all the faithful as part of divine revelation. All dogmas, therefore, are formally revealed truths and promulgated as such by the Church. they are revealed either in Scripture or tradition, either explicitly (as the Incarnation) or implicitly (as the Assumption). Moreover, their acceptance by the faithful must be proposed as necessary for salvation. they may be taught by the Church in a solemn manner, as with the definition of the Immaculate Conception, or in an ordinary way, as with the constant teaching on the malice of...

November 28, 2009                                 Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week                                 in Ordinary Time Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dn 7:15-27 I, Daniel, found my spirit anguished within its covering of flesh,and I was terrified by the visions of my mind.I approached one of those presentand asked him what all this meant in truth;in answer, he made known to me the meaning of the things:“These four great beasts stand for four kingdomswhich shall arise on the earth.But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingship,to...

The Riches of the Destitute ". . . being justified freely by His grace . . ." —Romans 3:24 The gospel of the grace of God awakens an intense longing in human souls and an equally intense resentment, because the truth that it reveals is not palatable or easy to swallow. There is a certain pride in people that causes them to give and give, but to come and accept a gift is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom; I will dedicate my life to service— I will do anything. But do not humiliate me to...

The End Of The World As We Know It By Carl E. OlsonThe End Of The World As We Know It What the Catholic Church teaches about the last days T.S. Eliot, at the conclusion of his 1925 poem “The Hollow Men” wrote, “This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper.” That’s a far cry from the cosmic crisis depicted in recent apocalyptic books and films, including the heavily touted and recently released “2012” (see sidebar below), which is crammed full of bangs, computer-generated explosions, earthquakes and floods.Curiosity about the end of the...

MY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS ABOUT TO MEET AS ONE , FOR I AM BRINGING TOGETHER MY KINGDOM , NOT A CHILD OUT OF PLACE , NOT A SOUL THAT I KNOW , AS PART OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE LEFT OUT OF MY FOLD , I AM CALLING MY LEADERS THAT HAVE OVERCOME , TO BRING TOGETHER MY KINGDOM , THE JOSHUAS , THE REUBENS , MANNASEHS AND DANS , THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES SURROUNDING " I AM " , THE SEVEN SPIRITS " THE EYES ON THE STONE " , I AM CALLING ALL MY KINGDOM HOME , FOR WHAT...

She had to be intubated last night. please keep praying.

Check out this video . . .

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. ~Psalm 100:1-5

Chastity talk resonates with Baltimore teens Sacred Heart, Glyndon, parishioners Allison Boyd and Katie Lutz share a moment inside the Sprint Center. (CR Staff/Matt Palmer) Matt Palmer mpalmer@CatholicReview.org KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Adults talking sexuality with a bunch of teens is typically a recipe for awkwardness. So, when a husband and wife team, Jason and Crystalina Evert, stood in front of 21,000 teenagers Nov. 20 and preached the values of chastity, the last thing anyone expected was for it to go over like gangbusters. But, that's exactly what happened. At the end of the Everts' nearly 40-minute presentation at the...

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 11/30 and 12/3Kohen--Genesis 32:4-6Levi--vs. 7-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-13 Strday 12/5--Shabbat Parashat VaYishlachMORNING Kohen--Genesis 32:4-13Levi--32:14-30Shelishi--32:31-33:5Revi`i--33:6-20Chamishi--34:1-35:11Shishi--35:12-36:19Shevi`i--36:20-43Maftir--36:40-43Haftarah--The Book of Obadiah EVENING Kohen--Genesis 37:1-3Levi--vs. 4-7Yisra'el--vs. 8-11

November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the Patrick Kennedy Communion flap and the recent action of the Bishops of Spain having opened up the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, it is worthwhile to review the position of the Vatican on the matter. Since the controversy came to a head in 2004, the stance from the Vatican on the matter has been clear and consistent. For the Pope and top Curial Cardinals in charge of the matter there is no question about the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who obstinately support abortion. In fact, the issue...

Requesting Prayers for my Aunt Dot (Mrs. Dorothy Murray) who died early today at the age of 83 years. May she rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon her. Lamh Foistenach Abu!

The “Nothing Butters” are rampant in the world of atheism. Philosopher Daniel Dennett presupposes that “the mind is somehow nothing but a physical phenomenon.” Dawkins assures us that the universe is “nothing but blind pitiless indifference.” Crick tops it off with we’re “nothing but a pack of neurons.” If we are all “nothing butters,” why is it wrong for white “nothing butters” to own and sell black "nothing butters"?

Comparing today's Thanksgiving Proclamation by President Obama with last year's by President Bush presents us a study in contrasts. Specifically, one heart that turns in gratitude to God and one that doesn't... A friend observes this may be the first time in the history of presidential Thanksgiving proclamations the President does not call men to give thanks to God. If anyone has the gumption to check it out, please let us know. First, President Barack Hussein Obama; second, President George W. Bush.

November 27, 2009                                     Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week                                 in Ordinary Time   Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dn 7:2-14 In a vision I, Daniel, saw during the night,the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,from which emerged four immense beasts,each different from the others.The first was like a lion, but with eagle’s wings.While I watched, the wings were plucked;it was raised from the ground to stand on two feetlike a man, and given a human mind. The second was like a bear;...

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the Patrick Kennedy Communion flap and the recent action of the Bishops of Spain having opened up the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, it is worthwhile to review the position of the Vatican on the matter.Since the controversy came to a head in 2004, the stance from the Vatican on the matter has been clear and consistent.  For the Pope and top Curial Cardinals in charge of the matter there is no question about the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who obstinately support abortion. In fact, the issue was closed...