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July 2 2020 Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1Am 7:10-17 Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos has conspired against you here within Israel; the country cannot endure all his words. For this is what Amos says: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land.”To Amos, Amaziah said: “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” Amos answered...

Making access to sacraments more difficultThe U.S. Navy is prohibiting service members from leaving base to go to church. In an information dispatch last week, "indoor religious services" are on a list of off-base places and gatherings that Navy members are prohibited from attending — alongside "parades," "night clubs" and "casinos." But the dispatch goes even further, and says service members, their families, military contractors and others should avoid using "drive-in spiritual services." For Catholics, this would include things like a parking lot Mass or a drive-thru confession line — measures seen around the country in response to the coronavirus...

Remember. July 1 is the feast of Saint Junipero Serra, patron saint of Hispanics Americans and the State of California. Congratulations for all American Hispanics and Californians! Saint junipero Serra founded many California missions which became seeds of great California Cities like San Francisco and San Diego. Attacks on Saint Junipero Serra statues are attacks on California and all US Hispanics!

“Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you.”Satchel Paige GOD INFORMS ABRAHAM GENESIS 18(NIV, emphases added) 1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. By JAMES TISSOT”Abraham and the Three Angels” (To view twenty images of the angels, please see this series' prior post #12, Abraham's Three Visitors #1.) 16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to...

"Coming to Him as to a living stone . . . you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. . . . You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. . . . You are the people of God. . . . You have received mercy" (1 Pet. 2:4-10). You have enormous privileges in Christ. A university student once confessed to a pastor, "I've come to the conclusion that I don't believe in God." "I see," the pastor replied. "Please tell me...

July 1 2020 Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Am 5:14-15, 21-24 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim! Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the LORD, I take no pleasure in your solemnities; Your cereal offerings I will not accept, nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings....

GOD APPEARS TO ABRAHAM GENESIS 18 (NIV, emphases added) 1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby…… by JAMES TISSOT”Abraham and the Three Angels” by GUSTAV DORÉ “Three Angels Appear to Abraham and Inform Him of God’s Intentions” “Abraham’s Celestial Visitors” “Abraham’s Three Visitors” Icon for a large iconostasis, a screen separating the altar sanctuary from the nave in Orthodox churches at Monreale Cathedral? by REMBRANDT VAN RIJN”Abraham Serving the...

The next election is now about four months away, and some commentators are saying things are going to get nasty. Words that come to mind as I read this are devilish, ugly, anarchy, orchestrated chaos, insurrection, planned wickedness, incitement of trouble, weaponized Antifa terrorists, Black Lives Matter, and others. Liberal Democrats (Pelosi, Schumer), Planned Parenthood, gays, etc., are desperate to retake the White House and prevent the loss of another seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Powerful globalists (Soros, Kissinger, Clinton, etc.) are passionate about world government, and they want to continue the surrender of America to meet the UN...

"In the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (James 2:25-26). True faith willingly makes whatever sacrifices God requires. It's understandable that James would use Abraham as an illustration of living faith—especially to his predominately Jewish readers. Rahab, however, is a different story. She was a Gentile, a prostitute, a liar, and lived in the pagan city of Jericho. How could such a person illustrate true faith? Rahab...

June 30 2020 Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12 Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the LORD pronounces over you, over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:You alone have I favored, more than all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your crimes.Do two walk together unless they have agreed? Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from its den unless it has seized something? Is a bird...

Are we heading for the Bible’s great end-time conflict? We appear to be approaching yet more choppy waters in Israel’s turbulent history. The Jewish state’s proposed ‘annexation’ of the Jordan Valley, along with parts of Judea and Samaria – otherwise known as the West Bank despite being the heart of ancient Israel – is causing hackles to rise once again among the nations. This includes Britain who insist on sticking to their longstanding Foreign Office mantra of pushing for a ‘two-state solution’ – even though there is no evidence whatsoever that it will work, or indeed that it is justifiable....

JAG 5000 Writes: The takeaway point of this article is that all human suffering for the Christian will eventually become such a small fraction of our Total Experience that it will be almost non-existent. ____________ Announcment: I will tell you up-front this is going to be a tedious read. You will see why if you keep going. However if you are a Christian, it will make you happy. Especially if you are suffering. Or if someone you LOVE is a Christian who is suffering. Come on. You can do it. Don't quit reading till the end. _________ Let us assume...

Teleios evaluated measures that could affect wellbeing of children specifically using the top 50 countries from the Human Freedom Index compared to the 50 top countries persecuting Christianity from the Open Doors World Watch List. Children in free countries, which are historically Christian, demonstrate better wellbeing and associated with numerous legal, security, health and educational measures potentially associated with enhanced wellbeing for children. Christianity is beneficial for our children and society as a whole! Read more at https://teleiosresearch.com/effect-christian-persecution-childrens-wellbeing/

SARAI GIVES HAGAR TO ABRAM GENESIS 16:1-4 (NIV, emphasis added) Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. Here is the Bing page “SARAI, HAGAR...

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,' and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone" (James 2:21-24). You are a friend of God if you love Him and obey His Word. Can you imagine life without friends—those...

June 29 2020 Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Reading 1 Acts 12:1-11 In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. –It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.– He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter thus was being...

GENESIS 14:11-16, 18-20 (NIV--emphasis added) The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods...

"Someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?" (James 2:18-20). Even demonic faith is better than dead faith! In recent years there has been an alarming rise in the number of professing Christians who believe that there's no necessary relationship between what they believe and what they do. They say...

June 28 2020 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine. So she said to her husband, “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”...

[Yes indeedy, boys and girls, I published #9 out-of-sequence just now, so you get 2 for the price of 1 today!] GENESIS 11:1-9 (NIV) Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we...