Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew

Feast day: September 21

Patron Bankers

St. Matthew, one of the twelve Apostles, is the author of the first Gospel. This has been the constant tradition of the Church and is confirmed by the Gospel itself. He was the son of Alpheus and was called to be an Apostle while sitting in the tax collectors place at Capernaum. Before his conversion he was a publican, i.e., a tax collector by profession. He is to be identified with the "Levi" of Mark and Luke.

His apostolic activity was at first restricted to the communities of Palestine. Nothing definite is known about his later life. There is a tradition that points to Ethiopia as his field of labor; other traditions mention of Parthia and Persia. It is uncertain whether he died a natural death or received the crown of martyrdom.

St. Matthew's Gospel was written to fill a sorely-felt want for his fellow countrymen, both believers and unbelievers. For the former, it served as a token of his regard and as an encouragement in the trial to come, especially the danger of falling back to Judaism; for the latter, it was designed to convince them that the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus, our Lord, in Whom all the promises of the Messianic Kingdom embracing all people had been fulfilled in a spiritual rather than in a carnal way: "My Kingdom is not of this world." His Gospel, then, answered the question put by the disciples of St. John the Baptist, "Are You He Who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

Writing for his countrymen of Palestine, St. Matthew composed his Gospel in his native Aramaic, the "Hebrew tongue" mentioned in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Soon afterward, about the time of the persecution of Herod Agrippa I in 42 AD, he took his departure for other lands. Another tradition places the composition of his Gospel either between the time of this departure and the Council of Jerusalem, i.e., between 42 AD and 50 AD or even later. Definitely, however, the Gospel, depicting the Holy City with its altar and temple as still existing, and without any reference to the fulfillment of our Lord's prophecy, shows that it was written before the destruction of the city by the Romans in 70 AD, and this internal evidence confirms the early traditions.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and take some time to read St. Matthew’s Gospel. 

Testing

Testing

“Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” ~ 1John  4:1

  There are times when we may feel that we are being tested. That God is giving us a test to see what we will do. Will we turn from Him or stay with Him? Will we give up our faith? Will we hold on or let go? During this time we may feel that He is against us and as calvin says “Somebody’s out to get me”. God does not tempt us, but someone else does. I have avoid speaking of the devil or Satan because he does not need “more press”, but he is also a reality of this world.  He is the “biggest” false prophet there is out there today. 

      We do face trials as we follow God and it is not a pass or fail as a test but a gaining of strength, faith, grace, and understanding. Each trial we face may test us but it us who puts that feeling of passing or failing into action. During the trials we face we will hear those false prophets and the true prophets. We have to test and listen very closely to what each is saying. Then we need to discern what we are hearing. God will not lead us astray but satan will. Satan will give those quick and easy answers. It is like that saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. Satan uses those times of weakness to “attack” and try to lead us away. 

     We need to be on our “A” game when it comes to false prophets. They speak a good game and speak with a golden tongue. They will promise you everything and give nothing but take all from you. You will feel like someone really is out to get you and it is not from God. You can tell if it is from God. “ Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God” 1John 4: 2 In the same respect you can tell if it is from Satan, “ and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God” 1John 4:3 

      It is easy to not believe or want to believe that there is a force in the world that seeks the ruins of souls. It would make it easier if it was not the case. Satan will tempt us with our weaknesses. He will use money, power, sex, and prestige to turn our focus from God to them. It is in the sin where satan tries to grab a foothold into our lives. The more we sin the more we have turned from God and the happier satan becomes. When we ignore satan in the world he wins. I am not saying that when we ignore his traps and snares that he wins but we say he does not exist is when he wins. It would be great if it was like the old westerns where the good guys wore white and the bad guys wore black. We would be able to make clearer choices if that was the case with false prophets. 

       The false prophets and false spirits will use every trick there is and will use any person to get us to follow. There is no rules they follow. God does have a set of rules He follows for us. He will never tempt us to do wrong, nor take our free will from us to make the choice. God will always face us, His back is never turned from us. 

        We are going to be tempted and tested in this life. This life will be this way not because of God but because of satan. Satan will use whatever he can to pull us and turn us from God. We make that choice to turn or not. We choose to be tempted or not. Now I must say not every temptation is from satan but can be our own desires and wants. We ultimately are the ones who chooses who to listen to. We do need to take responsibility and not blame satan for our own sins. Yes, he may have tempted us at times but it is us who let it happen. 

      To be a follower of Jesus opens us up to temptation of satan. We still need to forge ahead and hold our heads high in this life. When we are tempted be strong in the Lord, pray without ceasing, ask for strength and take it head on. Remember all the times when you got past the trials, the tests and the temptations. The three “T’s” of the life, trials, tests and temptations. Do not get caught up in these that you do not enjoy the good times. We do not have to live a life of constantly looking over our shoulder for satan but just beware he is out there. Keep looking forward and fix your sights on God. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remember God is stronger then any temptation. 

Darkness

Darkness

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth” ~Ephesians 5: 8-9

 I never realized how dark it really can be in the world until all the power around me was out and the moon was covered by clouds. During hurricane Sandy the power went out and when I was outside I could not believe how dark it really was. Without any light source it takes some time to focus on what is around you. It is hard to find your way.  You are not sure of your surroundings.  

    This made me think of how dark our lives and souls are without God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in us. As christians we have that light placed in our souls when we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then again that light is increased when we receive holy communion and then again when we make confirmation. It is after this we make that choice to foster that light in us or not. 

     When we decide not to foster that light and ignore it, it gets dimmer and dimmer but does not ever fully go out of us. It almost becomes that first star we see at night. We kind of see it and when we turn away and look back it takes a bit to find it again. But when we do find it, we can again decide to start to focus on that light and have it grow brighter and brighter.

      The problem with the dim light is that we can get used to it and our eyes gets accustomed to it. We start to become one with the darkness and are able to function in it. We forget what it is to see things as they are. What they truly are? The good, the bad the indifferent. Things get blurred in the darkness. It is like that saying if you put a frog in boiling water it will jump out but if you slowly warm it up, the frog does not realize it and stays in the pot of water and dies. It is the same, I feel, for us. We can get so used to it that our Faith can end up slowly dying in the darkness. 

      Our faith can start to die when we are in that darkness but because of the sacraments we go through and mostly from that initial sacrament of baptism we have that small light. It is almost being on “God Support ”. God support is like life support for our souls. He does not give up hope for our souls. He keeps our souls alive so we can Live. He continues giving us the breath of life in our souls so that we may find that light again and be in the light. 

       We are all called to be and live as children of light. To be beacons for those who are  lost and in need. As we use that light in us to shine God’s goodness in the world we grow in faith and light. As the light grows so does our faith. It goes hand and hand. When we also are around those who walk in the light it makes it easier for us to see in the world. The light grows brighter and brighter with each soul as we gather. It is like when you light candles in your home, each gives more and more light. 

        Our souls are marked when we are baptized and we become children of the light as it says in Ephesians. The light may dim at times but never goes out. We must foster the light and keep it burning as we travel in this life, so we may stand before God. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and keep the light on so you can find your way home. 

Accountable

Accountable

"Iron is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another."  ~Proverbs 27:17

 When we speak of our faith or ask others about theirs we need to remember not everyone is open about their beliefs and how they practice those beliefs. This does not mean we just keep it to ourselves and not put ourselves out there. We are to be a community and to go out and share the Good News with the world. It is in these actions that we find others out there who will help us in our own walk of faith. We need to remember that Jesus did not come down to force the message but be the message and show the love and concern for each other. 

   It is in our sharing and spreading the news that we sharpen our tools of faith and use them to carve out Jesus in the world. We may be the only christian that person may come into contact with that day or even a reminder of what they already know. We are not called to battle or condemn those around us in this life.  There is a thin line between holding someone accountable and judging them. 

     We are all accountable to the messages of Jesus but remember not everyone has heard these messages. When we speak to others remember first to share the message and if need be hold them to that message in a loving way. Never preach damnation but that of forgiveness of sins. Preach the love of the Trinity and what the trinity offers us. We can still hold people accountable but do it in a loving and caring way. Also remember your relationship to that person. How you deliver that message can make that person turn further away or bring them closer. For me I know, two people can say the same thing to me and one will have  an impact because of who they are in my life vs the other who is not the same as the other in my life. 

     Religion / Faith is a touchy subject because it can be seen as you are judging them and are acting “holier then thou”. That will turn people off to the message you are giving.  For some the tuff love approach will work and others may be just a soft tone.  We gather as a community because we can express ourselves with fellow believers and honor our God.  It is not time to cast the stones and watch people fall from grace. 

      Here in the cartoon Linus was trying to start a conversation, open that door, about prayer and Lucy goes right into debate mode. On both ends we need to watch how we act. When a person approaches us, we should give the benefit of doubt that it is not coming from a bad place or to start something but to start a dialogue of faith. 

       As it says in Proverbs, we are to sharpen each other, not tear them down. We need to build up the Kingdom of God and not set others outside of the kingdom. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and be strength for others and build them up. 

Foundation

Foundation

“The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.” ~ Matthew 7:25

   I thought the idea of foundations and what we build our faith on is fitting in wake of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.  When the storm hit, homes were destroyed, lives were destroyed and the landscape of many areas have been changed. It is the same with our faith. It can be washed away if we do not have it set on solid ground with a solid foundation. 

     In the cartoon Lucy is worried but when Linus offers God’s promise, she is comforted in God’s word. Linus says that it is because it is “ Sound Theology”.  That is what we all need in our lives, “sound theology”. It is not just to believe to just believe, You have to know why you believe. I am not saying that you have unyielding proof but know in your heart and mind why you believe it.  Our beliefs  can not be a “just cause I do” answer. 

      If we can not answer the simple question of “ Why do I believe?” to ourselves how are we to answer other questions from other people. Also when problems or “the storms” come, we need to remember why we believe so we do not waver or bend our beliefs to just get by.  It can be “ I believe because in Luke’s Gospel Jesus says......” or “ When God led Moses, He said......”.  The Bible has those promises we can rely on to help foster our beliefs and strengthen our faith. 

      When we build our beliefs and faith on scripture we will be stronger. Our foundation is built with the Word of God. What is stronger then that? It is the same with the teachings of the church. When we allow those teachings into our hearts and minds, we reinforce that structure of Faith and our Beliefs. 

       Sometimes all we need is a verse of God’s Word to calm the seas and we are able to be calm and allow ourselves to trust in God. It is time for everyone to stand strong in and for our faith. We are able to stand when we are on solid ground. It is a lot easier to stand on solid ground then that of sand. Even to walk by faith, it is easier on solid ground, solid teachings, then that of sand and misguided teachings. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remember to build your faith on the word of God. 

      

Vocation

Vocation

“I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,” ~ Ephesians 4:1

 The word “Vocation” has always meant Priesthood to me, and I guess to any man growing up in the Catholic Church that is the first thought. It is more then being a priest. Yes, it is part of it but there are other areas of vocation in the church.  You can have a vocation to be single, married, consecrated, religious or a priest.  We are all called by God to know, love and serve Him.  It is in our vocations that we do this. 

     I first must say that yes, there was a time that I thought or discerned being a priest. It was years ago and of course I decided at the time that was not what my vocation was to be. As of late I wonder about that decision. I am not saying that I now think my vocation is heading in that direction but just wonder why did I feel it then and who’s voice I listened to, mine or God’s at the time. 

    There is a calling for all of us. God is asking us to do things all the time. It doesn’t mean a vocation but a call to “Action”.  Hearing the call and vocation does go hand and hand at times. Then other times it is just a call to follow Him.  I did feel that “call to action” when it came to starting this blog and not being able to do it these past two weeks made me realize that it strengthens that connection to God in my life. 

    When I get that call, it starts as a spark in my heart and soul and it grows more and more as I answer that call. It is great when I know what He is asking but I must say that I have so many sparks going and I am not sure what they are for yet. Sometimes I think some are for ideas for the blog and then I quickly write the idea down or usually text it to myself to look at later. Then other times I have that feeling, that spark, and I am not sure where it is going or if it will ever turn into that flame. 

    There is this fire in my heart and soul that I want to serve God and bring the word of Jesus to the world but I question if it is what I am to do or is it that I still need to be sitting in the pew for a while longer.  Before I left the church my passion was to bring people into the church. Get those catholics back who left and make it a welcoming experience for them. I still feel that but my seat in the pew is barely warm. 

      I think it is that time in the Church where we really have to be on fire for not only God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit but for the Church as a whole. WE are the church and WE need to be that warmth that people need in a cold world. People will gather around a fire when they are cold. So, why not be on fire for our God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and our Faith.  When people see and feel that fire, they may just come over and try and get warm and want to keep that fire burning in themselves as well. 

     There is nothing wrong with coming to church each week and sitting in the pew, you are still being a witness to your faith. You are giving that chance of a spark in someone else. I guess I think back to the blog of Hit Hard, Hit Fast or Slow and Steady and still see that I am not that Slow and Steady person. I do not think I ever will be that. 

      It is that call to each of us to know, love, and serve God, but the actions after is what is different for each of us. I look back to the different ministries I have been involved in before the return and I wouldn’t change any of them. I grew from each one of them and learned so much from them. I do feel that pull or spark for ministry life again. 

       I talked about a program I went to that was about God’s dreams for us vs God’s will, I am at the point where I am trying to see if God’s dreams for me is the same dream I have for myself. I know no matter what He will be there for me and with me and whatever I do is not from my own doing but Him guiding me and working in me.  I want to be sure that it is not my own pride or  ego that is driving my dream and that I am doing it to glorify Him. 

        Think about what you are being called to do and work towards that call. It is not just a one time event but an on going part of being a follower of the Trinity. I hope that sparks start to fire up and we all are able to be on fire for our Faith.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and answer the call, God is waiting to talk to you. 

Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony of Padua

  Stating with this blog and every Saturday, I will post a new  Saint and some information about them. Some will be known and others I hope will become known. I feel that we need to learn from others and about where our faith has come from to be better Christians in this life. If you have any suggestions on Saints please comment so I can blog about them.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and allow the knowledge of the Saints help us on our journey. 

Feastday: June 13

1195 - 1231

Saint Anthony was canonized (declared a saint) less than one year after his death.

There is perhaps no more loved and admired saint in the Catholic Church than Saint Anthony of Padua, a Doctor of the Church. Though his work was in Italy, he was born in Portugal. He first joined the Augustinian Order and then left it and joined the Franciscan Order in 1221, when he was 26 years old. The reason he became a Franciscan was because of the death of the five Franciscan protomartyrs -- St. Bernard, St. Peter, St. Otho, St. Accursius, and St. Adjutus -- who shed their blood for the Catholic Faith in the year 1220, in Morocco, in North Africa, and whose headless and mutilated bodies had been brought to St. Anthony’s monastery on their way back for burial. St. Anthony became a Franciscan in the hope of shedding his own blood and becoming a martyr. He lived only ten years after joining the Franciscan Order.

So simple and resounding was his teaching of the Catholic Faith, so that the most unlettered and innocent might understand it, that he was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946. Saint Anthony was only 36 years old when he died. He is called the “hammer of the Heretics” His great protection against their lies and deceits in the matter of Christian doctrine was to utter, simply and innocently, the Holy Name of Mary. When St. Anthony of Padua found he was preaching the true Gospel of the Catholic Church to heretics who would not listen to him, he then went out and preached it to the fishes. This was not, as liberals and naturalists are trying to say, for the instruction of the fishes, but rather for the glory of God, the delight of the angels, and the easing of his own heart. St. Anthony wanted to profess the Catholic Faith with his mind and his heart, at every moment.

He is typically depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus, to whom He miraculously appeared, and is commonly referred to today as the "finder of lost articles." Upon exhumation, some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it.