How could this be? The mystery of assumption.

        "My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." As I heard this words by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth this morning at mass, I couldn't help but feel a great joy in my heart. Having gotten up early and gone to mass with my family to celebrate the assumption of Mary into Heaven today was obviously rewarded throughtout the mass, but these words especially moved me. I know this may sound foreign to many and even many good Christians, but for us Catholics, this tradition and belief that the mother of Jesus was assumed into heaven bodily shortly after her death is something that has been celebrated for centuries going back to the early Church. Tradition has it that "Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven."  This truth has been contemplated by faithful Christians and saints through out the centuries and guided by the Holy Spirit have all come to the same conclusion; that it was fitting for the mother of God to follow her Son into His heavenly throne body and spirit.
   While the incarnation of Christ moves my mind to an awe filled state whenever I contemplate the fact that God became man, His ascension into Heaven doesn't seem at all strange to me and it is not one that I struggle believing for it was fitting that the Son of God go back to His home. However, when I meditate upon the assumption of Mary, I am awefilled. The assumption of Mary is one of the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary that brings me great awe but also great hope. Jesus' ressurection and ascension breathes assurance of our final destiny with him in heaven, but Mary's assumption breathes great hope of the fulfilment of this promise. God can surely ressurect and ascend into heaven, no problem! but Mary is a creature and her assumption speaks of the great generosity of God to his children. I guess I think that if He can do it for Mary, there is hope for us. Not that we are as holy as she was, but that we are all creatures and rest our hope in God. This is why those words by her makes my heart so merry and like Mary "my soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior."  Yes indeed we have reasons to rejoice with Mary.  Just like the angels rejoiced and were filled with awe when they saw the Woman who had been chosen to become the mother of God come to heaven, so will they rejoice when we are brought into Heaven following the fulfilment of Our Lord that "if we love him and keep his commandments, where he is, there shall we also be."  I pray that this mystery of the great generosity of God brings all the joy and graces to you that it brings me. 
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
Mary our Mother, pray for us. 

END TIME PROPHECY, RAPTURE AND ESCAPISM MENTALITY

In the past couple of days, I have been thinking about the recent events of the predictions of the end of the world to the date. I have also been wondering what would be the reason why anyone would assign himself the task of trying to calculate the end of the world. Learning that this person; "Harlod Camping" is a proclaimed Christian almost took me by suprise but really did not shock me. The method of prediction being a mathematical equation was absurd, but although I can't judge his conscience, I can only speculate the motivation of such actions. Abandoning the task of trying to figure out why someone who reads the bible everyday would ignore a verse that Jesus said that "but of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father," (Mark 13:32) I will try to suggest and lay down a few observations from previously being inside circles of Christians who were really into the end time theory of "the rapture."  My first real introduction into this thinking came about as I watched the movie "left behind." Being young and gullible, I might have for one second started to believe what I was watching, but my skeptical mind and by God's grace sound reason started to play the part and I soon dismissed this jargon as a mix of delusion and misguided interpretation.  I didn't stop there in my observation. The Catholic Church being displayed as an evil institution and the Pope as the antichrist only concluded my fear that this was another erroneous private interpretation of the Scriptures. Fast forward a few years to May 2011, and the recent predictions of end time only confirms this for me. When people pick up the Bible and rely totally on their own private interpretations, there arises a great deal of chances for deception. The unfortunate thing is that many people fall prey to these teachings.
        The more I see such things, the more I see the importance of being inside the flock which is the Church and specifically the Catholic Church which is the only church that can rightfully claim the authority it teaches with being from Christ who founded it. To not listen to the voice of truth is to become prey to many false teachers. Indeed how true the words of Christ that "in the last days, there will be many false teachers."  Now, our task doesn't stop at exposing this but it goes further to acting out in charity to our brothers and sisters who have been misled in this way and help them begin to listen to the sound of the true Shepperd. Indeed prayer and love may conquer the evil of divisions among Christians and one day come to the unity that Christ prayed for "that they may be one as We are one."  The only thing we should be worried about doing is to "keep watch" since nobody know the day or the hour that he may return, but like many saints have stated, when He returns, "may He find me at my post."
Oh Lord, have mercy upon your poor children.

Does anybody care about the truth?
   I remember like it was yesterday  praying unceasingly to God that he may not allow me to be deceived. I also remember the joy that I felt when that prayer was answered to me in a very special way. I was at a point where so many voices were speaking to me and I simply couldn't discern which one to listen to. In the midst of this darkness, the Lord made known to me that he was the answer, and ever since He has shown me the path. Ever since I can trust what He speaks through His Church and those he left in His place. Its a challenge to accept the truth sometimes because it makes demands of us but the freedom that accompanies it is worth it.  Now the more I try to share it, the more I learn that few people want to embrace it. But do people care about the truth?
   Today I was pondering about this and I have come to the conclusion that many people don't want to know the truth. Many would rather remain in the company of lies than even take a glimpse of the truth. Its almost true to all that if asked, we would proclaim that we are lovers of truth, but once it's presented to us, we reject it immediately without giving it a chance and even close our ears so that we may not hear it, or like Jesus put it "listening they do not hear." As St. Thomas Aquinas put it, "the first reaction to truth is anger."  Oh how true this is. I can relate to this in a most personal way for I know that most often, when I hear some truth, it challenges me to change and this at first will cause us to be angry. Now the reason for this is that truth always challenges us to change for the better, and we all know that this is not a walk in the park. It is this same thing that caused Our Lord to be crucified. He spoke the truth to his contemporaries, and rather than change their ways, they wanted to get rid of him. He came to set them free and give them light, but many "preferred darkness than light." Its through His crucifixion that we have been set free but, even 2000 yrs later, many still prefer darkness other than the light, lies over truth and bondage over freedom. Jesus told his disciples that "My people die for the lack of knowledge."  Now more than ever we need knowledge and truth. St. Paul says that "the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15 ) so we need to remain in this pillar, or we will fall prey to the devil who is like "the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour".   Let us pray that we may not be deceived, and Our Lord is good to grant this who is our true Shepherd who loves his flock.

What's this?

     Six years ago, I thought I knew everything there was to know. Now I am 24yrs and I've come with terms with how very little I know. I have to confess that at 17, I thought I knew everything. I won't even start going through all the different fields like science, math, astronomy, theology and philosophy or the other numerous fields out there, each with its own experts. But that's not why I decided to start a blog. My reason is simply; TRUTH The more I wanted to know, the more I became concerned with that simple word. I, like many young people had ambitions beyond description. I simply wanted to be the best. The problem I ran into is that what one person would describe as best, another wouldn't. My best may not be your best. So a problem for me was what then should I aspire to be the best in? I was open and had many great people in my life who spoke towards that same thing. 
    After a restlessness that couldn't be overcome with anything, I found myself on a Wednesday evening in a Catholic Church. I was met by a lady in the hall who seemed very peaceful and I proceeded to ask her what was going on inside. After she asked me whether I was a Catholic, she explained that they were having adoration, and although I had been raised a Catholic, I wasn't sure what that was. When I entered however, I remembered having seen something like that in my growing up, where inside a most beautiful golden monstrance, they had Jesus exposed in the sacrament. Without much understanding, I knelt in imitation of the other people there and started praying. For the first time in a long time, I felt not only the greatest peace, but I also felt a certain surety that I had entered into the presence of God. Ever since that day, I couldn't stop going back Wednesday after Wednesday. I felt a certain pull towards what I had come across that evening. Now a few years later, I understand more what had started that Wednesday evening. I had met Jesus that evening but in a very special way. But what did that mean?