A good tree bears good fruit

This past Monday evening, my son Philip and I were at the Saint Marie church hall with over 100 other parishioners.

Our mission was to assemble food baskets from an abundance of donated food-stuffs, to give the less fortunate the makings of a complete Thanksgiving dinner.

As I surveyed the mounds of canned-goods, stuffing, vegetables, fruit, coffee, and hand made greeting cards, our Religious Ed Director, Terry, began with an opening prayer. And in that prayer, she mentioned the phrase corporal works of mercy.

It was then that I received the locution and inspiration for this blog entry.

Luke 12:48 states: "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required."

That evening, our group of volunteers assembled enough complete baskets to feed 130 families in need (about 520 souls). There were even left-overs, yes, left-overs, which were donated to the local food pantry. The miracle of the loaves and fishes crossed my mind more than once that night.

Take some time to read the Book of James (New Testament). It's not very long, and he clearly outlines the relationship between faith and good works. Remember, our creator God has charged us all with the task of building The Kingdom here on Earth, to lovingly perform acts of charity and kindness, not begrudgingly, but with the joyful spirit of a giving heart.

Sadly, our overly-sensate society has been preaching the mantra "It's all about me." Shamefully, many of us have chosen to focus inwardly, ignoring the call to loving service of those in need. We respond with half-hearted excuses of not having enough time, or of not knowing what needs to be done, or to rationalizing that "Somebody else will take care of it."

Jesus said : "Whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me."

This Christmas, shed the insanity of the shopping malls, and spend some time giving the gift of you. It's not that hard...honest! My father is fond of saying, "It doesn't have to be a major production." Do something!

Visit a sick friend, bring food to the local food bank, pray for someone, work for a few hours in a soup kitchen, send a letter to one of our troops over-seas, volunteer for one of the many ministries at your Church or Synagogue, and the Blessings that you give, will be returned to you 1000 fold. (Plus you get a really neat warm feeling inside knowing that you bore good fruit from your tree.)

Bottom line: If you're not serving somebody, than you better be serving someone who is.

Via con Dios,

Marty

Drifting deeper into Darkness

Brothers & Sisters,

Just as dark, ominous, clouds form in our November skies, so too are they forming in the halls and chambers of our newly elected Government.

Clearly, the selection of Barack Obama to be our next President is a deeply disturbing event, especially to those of us who are Christian.

I find it hard to fathom that a man who so openly supports the slaughter of innocent human life through abortions, who wants to overturn the ban on partial birth abortions, who supports gay "marriages" , who has little to no practical experience, who will raise taxes on small to medium sized business ,which in this painful recession will throw us into a Depression (eg. What Herbert Hoover did in the 20's), and who associates himself with notoriously shady characters, can be chosen to lead our Republic.

To be honest, he doesn't even respect our Flag! (more on that later)

I am forced then to conclude that the majority of people who voted for this man either did not do enough research or were collectively mesmerized by this charismatic Celebrity Senator touting his nebulous, well financed, but ultimately empty, message of "Change", or both.

On an equally appalling note, exit polls conducted by Gallup and Reuters showed that just about 43% of our Catholic brethren voted for Obama, and that just over 50% who share that faith do not consider abortion to be problematic or evil.

My Brothers and Sisters, this is precisely what I mean when I speak of the Culture of Death. A culture so deluded and distracted by false gods, and watered down moral values, that we have turned a blind eye on just how far we have fallen!

America has become the Rome of AD 400: Fat, Dumb, and Happy, filled to satiety with all manner of lustfullness and deceit . We have only ourselves to blame, yet we will try to assign blame elsewhere, shunning responsibilty that by it's very nature is defined as accepting the consequences of our behavior.

So now what? The selection of Mr. Obama has been allowed by God for a reason, and as Christians we must be confident in the wisdom of the Lord. This is not the time for us to crawl with limp resignation into our "hidey-holes". Now more than ever we must re-dedicate ourselves to fight for what is right and truthful under the Law.

I will close with Psalm 42: 2-3 "God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in our distress. Therefore, we fear not, thought the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea."

Be well. Be strong.

Marty

"No man can serve two masters...

...for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Money, material wealth) Mathew 6: 24

There is a famous saying, and one that is often mis-quoted "Money is the root of all evil".
In actuality the correct version is "The love of money is the root of all evil..." 1 Timothy 6:10

Money itself is a neutral object. It is neither good, nor bad. It is simply a medium of exchange. Period.

So , what happens when we as a people turn from worshiping the One True God, who provides for us all in perfect measure, to worshipping the almighty dollar?
GREED, brothers and sisters, one of The Seven Deadly Sins.
Described as the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

Can we really then be surprised when we live in possibly the most pampered, consumerist society since the Roman Empire, that the bottom has dropped out of the stock market? That our paper "god" has collapsed, and that the value of our material investments has gone the way of dust in the wind?
Dear ones, it has happened before, and it will happen again.

Now, please don't take me to mean that having money is a bad thing. It can be an answer in time of need. It helps to sustain us here on earth.
It's all about stewardship of what we have been given, and what we do with what we have.

We always need to remember to do the best we can, with what we have, where we are.
Place your trust in things that are lasting...

I leave you with Philippians 4:12-14 "I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me".

Peace,

Marty

Ignorance of The Law is no excuse

"Honestly officer, I didn't know the speed limit was 30 MPH"

"Honestly St. Peter, I didn't know all those things I did and said were sinful"

Ladies and Gents, lets get right down to brass tacks, and make straight a path in the wilderness, as it were.

There are thousands upon thousands of collective reference works on The Christian Moral Life. If you are involved in deeper study of these principles, all power to you.

The goal of this Blog however, is to take more of a 50 foot view, and to impart practical wisdom, that is accessible to all. Wherever you are on your Faith journey, I hope this helps.

It may come as a surprise to some that in nearly every courthouse in our great country, the 10 Commandments are posted somewhere visible to all. (Much to the chagrin of the ACLU).

And if you dig a little deeper, just take a look at the facade of the Supreme Court building, and there, in all his glory, is a bas relief of Moses himself holding the tablets of the 10 Commandments.

Why? Because these Commandments, far from being an impediment to our lives, are the basis and foundation of all Moral Law.

These are the building blocks on which Order comes from Chaos. They are they keystone to our understanding of fundamental Truth, later to be fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

Scripture tells us that not only were these Commandments carved in stone, but also written on our very hearts. Kind of like a spiritual/moral compass. In this way, if we get off course, we regain our way by prayer and meditating on what The Law teaches us.

We should all know by now that murder, stealing, lying, cheating, being adulterous, disrespectful, disobedient, profane, and worshiping false gods is wrong. But this alone is not enough, for even the pagan knows as much. There are two very special directives that bind all the others together. Consider what Jesus has to say in Matthew 22: 36-40:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Bold added for emphasis)

Think on this statement for a while, and ask the Lord to show you what it means for your journey. I'll be back later. In the mean time, have a Blessed week.

Marty

Next up: Consequences

Choose your Battles - Or be overwhelmed

So, what are we to do then? We broken members of the fallen human condition?

Clearly, as my sister JoAnne is so fond of saying, we must "Think globally, act locally." Thanks Jo!

Each of us is called according to our gifts, and naturally, by the promptings of The Holy Spirit.

But, are we listening? Are we tuned in to the Divine message being broadcast to us all?

I'll be the first to admit, sometimes my radio is unplugged, or even if I'm tuned in, I'm not really listening.

Burying our heads in the sand is not a solution (and we all know if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem)

Brothers and Sisters, we are at a moral crossroads. Sides are being taken, and the line has been drawn.

St. Paul addresses the Romans in this way: "Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, and pleasing and perfect". (Rom 12:2)

Part of the reason we have fallen to where we are in this current age is because it is so easy to conform and to "Go with the flow". (More on this later).

The meaning of the word Tolerance has been mutated over time.
It used to mean something like this:
I hold belief A. You hold belief B.
While I do not espouse your belief, I recognize (tolerate) your right to have such beliefs.

Now it means something like this:
I hold belief A. (Ex. Abortion is perfectly OK) Do not make any comments about it for fear of offending someone (political correctness). Accept that the act itself is commonplace and there -fore OK. Neatly sanitize the language surrounding it (Don't you dare call it the murder of an innocent unborn child. Say "The products of conception were removed". Pressure the Judiciary Branch to pass a law making abortion legal, and finally, have the US Taxpayer subsidize the whole program. And Voila! You and I must tolerate the practice of subsidized murder.

Hello! McFly! Anyone home?
We have now, by "tolerance", circumvented the basis of all natural and Moral Law.
And this concept of the new tolerance is what is contributing to our downfall.

Coming up: Moral Relativism.

Be well.

Marty

Enough with the Palin bashing already!

From my perspective, and from all that I've read, Sarah Palin is a well -respected Governor (who beat the incumbent Republican Governor of Alaska; no easy task), who also happens to be quite morally sound, is not afraid to challenge corruption, is family centered, and who speaks with righteousness and authority, and is strong in Domestic Policy.
So, why is the Liberal Media so quick to not only try to discredit her, but to openly and viciously smear her, and her family?
Answer: The Dems drive the media, and are scared to death.
And of course, the time proven behavior comes out. We mock what we do not understand.
You see, the Dems are also trying to distract you from a thoroughly hollow and highly INEXPERIENCED Barack Obama. A media darling with "much in the showroom window, but nothing in the stockroom."
He has spent all of his freshman term campaigning, has missed nearly all ,if not all ,of his roll call votes, has never even been a Mayor, never mind a Governor (who by the way is also commander of the state National Guard), and has never even balanced a state budget! Yep, the Dems are afraid. Very afraid.
I hear the Obama camp has a new campaign slogan: "Don't confuse me with the facts."

Until next time,

Marty

The decay of Society - How did we get here?

• Take a good look at today's American culture. Don't just scratch the surface, really LOOK at what has been happening.

45 Million lives destroyed by abortion since Roe V Wade, not to mention the enormous psychological trauma suffered by the post-abortive mother.

Unprecedented rates of divorce as many couples enter lightly into marriage, or are ignorant of the sacredness of marriage and the work and commitment it entails.

The increase in the visibility of homosexual "unions" , which is attempting to shift focus from the truth that authentic marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

Not to mention tragic rises in teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (the CDC just released figures that 1 in 4 people living in NYC have genital herpes), drug abuse, spousal abuse, single parent families, and on and on and on.

Make no mistake about it brothers and sisters, this did not happen overnight, any more than the Grand Canyon formed in a week.

Like the canyon, our morals and values have been eroding steadily for at least the past 5 decades. We give ground and make compromises a little bit at a time, rationalising all the while that "It's OK just this once" or "Its just a little white lie."

Until we realize that our collective societal soul has become pitch black.

British statesman Edmund Burke said it simply and accurately: "Evil flourishes when good men do nothing."

Take heart dear ones! Each of us all are equipped, or have the potential to be equipped, with The Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-18). All is not lost, and much hope remains for our future good. More later.

Peace,

Marty

Back to the basics

A wise preacher once said "You don't have to believe in food, but sooner or later, you'll need to eat."
What are we hungry for today? And, importantly, what are we filling ourselves with?
We live in an imperfect world, and we are all more or less broken vessels.
Rejoice! The Lord works best through those such as these.
My goal now is to build this site on a firm foundation. We all know what happened to the guy who built his house on shifting sands, right?
I will try as best as possible to use firm Biblical Truth and solid moral, theological and philosophical teachings.
My hope is convey my observations soundly, and to leave the soap box in the laundromat.
*As this is an interactive Blog, Please, feel free to post your comments. That's what it's all about.*

Peace,

Marty

In the Begining...

Well...here it is.

My first ever attempt at Blogging.

At the urging of my dear friend and fellow parishioner Kurt, I am moving into the foray of the Blog. Kurt said, with great sincerity, "Marty, Blogging was MADE for you."
I looked at him sceptically, and with raised eyebrow said: "Kurt, the Internet is clogged enough already. Who the heck CARES what I have to say?"
He urged me on: "Don't worry about it..you'll be a natural".

And so, here I am.

My goal is to tackle some of the big issues of cultural decline and moral decay that threaten our society, in a forthright and accessible fashion. Hey, I'm just a pencil in the hand of God.

I also want to have FUN, and celebrate all of the good things that our Lord has given us.

I'm no Saint, but hopefully and prayerfully we can all learn something together.

Thanks Kurt...

Robur et Decum (Strength and Honor)

Marty