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Election 2024 - The Guts Are Spilled

The recent presidential election is over – Thank God. But let us look at some of the points involved. First, lets examine our national groundwork: 1. Our government is not a democracy—at least, not just a democracy, alone. Many people have that mistaken idea, promoted long and hard by recent political parties. But when Benjamin Franklin was asked about it he said “Its a republic—if you can keep it.” 2. So whats the difference between a democracy and a republic? A democracy is a government of and by the people, and the US government fits that description. BUT, a republic, by cintrast, is a government of limited powers, and our constitutional framework emphasizes that feature as well. In short we are BOTH – a combination. Which is where our strength lies. 3. Republics, unfortunately, tend to devolve into democracies – and democracy declines into despotism. Why? Because when the people throw off the constraints of limited government, they want always more new government “benefits,”...
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ALL SOULS DAY

ALL SOULS DAY SCOOP: Today is NOT about the general bulk of humanity who have died.  Rather, it is about those who have already died in the faith and works of Christ, aka, the, "faithful departed." Here's why... For those souls who wilfully reject Christ, God, and all His ways in their life, we can do nothing once they pass from this earth - their chance came and went. Both Christ and St. Paul made it clear that the majority of humanity will *not* be saved. There are very clear instructions on how to maintain ones salvation, yes, but the most will fall into condemnation by ignoring them, or by picking from among them which they will adopt. Their poor choices and actions during their life seal their eternal fate at death. No do-overs. Sorry. So today we honor those inspiring souls who knew that, and behaved accordingly in faith, charity, hope, trust in Him, acting in God's love and the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. ++++++++++++++++++++ Rev 14:13:  Blessed ar...
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Are YOU Saved? Maybe Not...

 This title, "Are you saved?" is really a pretty big question. You hear it often, nowadays, particularly among Christians in the latter, "New Age" and fundamentalist sects of Protestantism.  There is an essential assumption here that most everyone will be saved, as long as they go to church, "study" a Bible, and wave their hands around, exclaiming their belief in Jesus. After that, it is thought to be smooth sailing. Once Saved Always Saved, some will say. But is that the case? Is that what we were taught by Christ and His apostles? Is that what we should be thinking? In this article, which I've included it in its entirety, I add my own comments and address that situation .... and in fact, we learn that it may not be as simple as all that. Will all be saved? Avery Cardinal Dulles Wednesday, January 17, 2024      Quite apart from what theologians teach, and have taught since the beginning, popular Christian devotion has become falsely sweet. This is du...
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The Problem With Politics is US

  Well, here we are in yet another quadrennial, “silly season,” also known as a presidential election year . Every four years we go through this crazy season, with the idea that, somehow, politics and our beloved pet candidate (and his managing party) will save us from ourselves. More than that, even, is the fact that we likewise forget for several months that the problems we endure are caused by the very people we choose every silly season. Underscoring these blind spots in our mental state are several glaring fallacies under which we seemingly LOVE to labor.... 1. The fundamental fallacy we cling to is the flaw of all democratic systems: They always depend on the dominant culture, regardless of whether that culture is bad or good. Democratic systems are incapable of steering a culture away from its own errors; they just maintain the prevailing cultural drift through averaging....yielding average results at best. They are really quite gutless when it comes to effecting catal...
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Why They Reject The Church

It Is Time For A New Apologetics June 11, 2007      "Apologetics? What's that?"     Now, there's an unfamiliar term, "apologetics." People often wonder what it means,  so let me help with that.      In short, 'apologetics' is both a concept, and a process, whereby one defends the Catholic Faith. It can be applied to any defense of Christianity, but it has developed specifically from within the Church, and that is how I am using it.      It stems from a Greek word that means to DEFEND and promote - not to make apologies in our modern sense. So when I use the term here, it is to develop a defense FOR the Catholic Faith, not to make excuses for it.      Apologetics generally takes one of two forms: 1. It  offers convincing arguments to show the truth of various doctrinal propositions 2. It  offers persuasive demonstrations that the Catholic Christian faith is the best way to fulfill  legitimate human ...
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Got Regrets? Good - They Are Healing

“Whosoever has tears and compunction of heart let him now weep with me. … Who is there so stony of heart who will not from this time forward, weep at the thought of that hour?” - St. Ephraim The Syrian      The "hour" of which the great Doctor of the Church, St. Ephrem the Syrian , was speaking is the day of the final judgment..., when life as we know it shall cease. And, among other relationships that will come to an end at that hour is that of our children.      But there is a potential problem with that, embodied this way in his sermon: “children [shall] be separated from their parents...”      Separated? Why?      Because of choices made by either parent or child - or both - in this life.        His sermon, ominously entitled “On the Various Places of Torment and on the Judgment,” is sobering. But it is REALLY sobering if our children have fallen from their Faith..., and OUR OWN sins of omission ...
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Religion Is A Failure...Or Not

  "The history of religion shows it has ruined humanity and is a failure." Actually you have it backwards - the history of IRRELIGION has brought us to our miserable state. We shall consider briefly the main outlines of Christian civilization. - During the first 300 years, Christianity met, fought, and conquered the paganism of the Roman Empire. - Then it set to work to Christianize Europe. It was both supernatural and spiritual in those days. It taught the authority of a God beyond this world, and persuaded rulers and subjects alike to acknowledge His laws. There was but one Faith in Europe - the Catholic Faith. This was what Christ, Himself, instituted and set in motion. To be clear, Europe was not free from troubles. Men are always self-centered, and so the world will never be free of trouble. But those are the troubles of the world of men, not of God. But at least there was a recognized, international law; and the mechanism was there to further its observance. The Cath...
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