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TRÁI TIM
MẸ: NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA |
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"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm
cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến" |
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October 27/2009 - Tuesday of 30th Week of Ordinary Time
LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION:
"What God's kingdom is like"
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S):
Scholars Aim to Disprove
Darwin
SAINT OF THE DAY
Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY
Book Six - Chapter VI
JESUS BROUGHT
BEFORE PILATE. THE SCOURGING AND
CROWNING WITH
THORNS.
DIVINE MERCY
Divine Mercy in My Soul
NOTEBOOK VI
TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION:
Live-in
Love: Till Inconvenience Do Us Apart
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DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION |
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Tuesday (10/27): "What God's kingdom is like"
Scripture: Luke 13:18-21
18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what
shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man
took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the
birds of the air made nests in its branches." 20 And again he said, "To
what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven which a
woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all
leavened."
Meditation: What can mustard seeds and leaven teach us about
the kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree
which attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black
mustard seed it produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It
starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who
are receptive to God's word. And it works unseen and causes a
transformation from within. Leaven is another powerful agent of change.
A lump of dough left to itself remains just what it is, a lump of dough.
But when the leaven is added to it a transformation takes place which
produces rich and wholesome bread when heated – the staple of life for
humans. The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who
receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to Jesus
Christ, our lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who
dwells in us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in
earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and
not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the transforming
power of the Holy Spirit?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and transform me into the
Christ-like holiness you desire. Increase my zeal for your kingdom and
instill in me a holy desire to live for your greater glory."
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who
dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of
joy; then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things
for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negev!
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!
6 He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come
home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
www.dailyscripture.net
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UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS |
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Scholars Aim to Disprove Darwin
As Theory Turns 150, Scientists Say It's Impossible
ROME, OCT. 26, 2009 ( Zenit.org).- As the theory of evolution turns 150 years old, one group of scholars is calling it a scientific impossibility.
After a year of conferences celebrating the 150th anniversary of Darwin's 1859 book, "On the Origin of Species," a Nov. 9 conference is planned to provide empirical proof to debunk evolution.
Rome's Pope Pius V University will host the daylong conference that will present a scientific refutation of evolution theory.
Peter Wilders and H. M. Owen, organizers of the event, told ZENIT that the conference is aimed to "stimulate debate among scientists" and that it is particularly geared to university students.
"Being young, they have less built-in resistance to new data that conflicts with establishment dogma," a statement from the organizers explained.
"Darwinian evolution has become the accepted paradigm of the scientific community," they noted. "New research data that challenges that paradigm is automatically rejected for philosophical rather than scientific reasons.
"Results of recent empirical research published by scientific academies refutes the basic principles of the geological time-scale. It reduces the age of rocks and therefore the fossils in them. The theory of evolution is undergirded by both the time-scale and the age of fossils.
"This evidence from sedimentology harmonizes with the latest findings in genetics, paleontology, physics, and other scientific disciplines. The implications of this research are fatal for Darwinism."
Not available
According to Russian sedimentologist Alexander Lalamov, "Everything contained in Darwin’s 'Origin of Species' depends upon rocks forming slowly over enormous periods of time. The November conference demonstrates with empirical data that such geological time is not available for evolution."
Recently returned from a geological conference in Kazan, sedimentologist Guy Berthault will present the findings of several sedimentological studies conducted and published in Russia. In one of these, the age of the rock formation surveyed was found to be 0.01% of the age attributed to it by the geological time-scale -- instead of an age of 10,000,000 years, the actual age was no more than 10,000 years.
"Contrary to conventional wisdom," Lalamov observed, "these rocks formed quickly, and the fossils they contain must be relatively young. This finding contradicts the evolutionary interpretation of the fossil record."
According to U.S. biophysicist Dean Kenyon, "Biological macroevolution collapses without the twin pillars of the geological time-scale and the fossil record as currently interpreted. Few scientists would contest this statement. This is why the upcoming conference concentrates on geology and paleontology. Recent research in these two disciplines adds powerful support to the already formidable case against teaching Darwinian macroevolution as if it were proven fact."
"The Scientific Impossibility of Evolution" conference is being held in direct response to Benedict XVI's request that both sides of the evolution controversy be heard.
Thomas Seiler, a participant in the conference, said: "In the light of astounding new scientific breakthroughs, particularly in geology, we hope the worldwide scientific community will acknowledge the overwhelming evidence against the theory of evolution."
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DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT |
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http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay
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GENERAL
MARIOLOGY |
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND
LIFE
OF THE
VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
BOOK SIX
The Marriage
at Cana; How Most Holy Mary Accompanied the Re-
deemer of the
World in His Preaching: the Humility shown by the
Heavenly Queen
in regard to the Miracles Wrought by Her
Divine Son;The
Transfiguration of the Lord;His Entrance
into
Jerusalem; His Passion and Death; His Triumph
over Lucifer
and his Demons by His Death on
the Cross; the
Most Sacred Resurrection
of the Savior
and His Wonderful As-
cension into
Heaven
CHAPTER VI.
JESUS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE. THE SCOURGING AND
CROWNING WITH THORNS.
The sun had already arisen while these things
happened and the most holy Mother, who saw it all from afar, now
resolved to leave her retreat and follow her divine Son to the house of
Pilate and to his death on the Cross. When the great Queen and Lady was
about to set forth from the Cenacle, saint John arrived in order to give
an account of all that was happening; for the beloved disciple at that
time did not know the visions, by which all the doings and sufferings of
her most holy Son were manifest to the blessed Mother. After the denial
of saint Peter, saint John had retired and had observed, more from afar
what was going on. Recognizing also the wickedness of his flight in the
garden, he confessed it to the Mother of God and asked her pardon as
soon as he came into her presence; and then he gave an account of all
that passed in his heart and of what he had done and what he had seen in
following his Master. Saint John thought it well to prepare the
afflicted Mother for her meeting with her most holy Son, in order that
She might not be overcome by the fearful spectacle of his present
condition. Therefore He sought to impress Her beforehand with some image
of his sufferings by saying: "O my Lady, in what a state of suffering is
our divine Master! The sight of Him cannot but break one's heart; for by
the buffets and the blows and by the spittle, his most beautiful
countenance is so disfigured and defiled, that Thou wilt scarcely
recognize Him with thy own eyes." The most prudent Lady listened to his
description, as if She knew nothing of the events; but She broke out in
bitterest tears of heart-rending sorrow. The holy women, who had came
forth with the Lady, also listened to saint John, and all of them were
filled with grief and terror at his words. The Queen of heaven asked the
Apostle to accompany Her and the devout women, and, exhorting them all,
She said: "Let us hasten our steps, in order that my eyes may see the
Son of the eternal Father, who took human form in my womb; and you shall
see, my dearest friends, to what the love of mankind has driven Him, my
Lord and God, and what it costs Him to redeem men from sin and death,
and to open for them the gates of heaven."
The Queen of heaven set forth through the streets of
Jerusalem accompanied by saint John and by some holy women. Of these not
all, but only the three Marys and other very pious women, followed Her
to the end. With Her were also the angels of her guard, whom She asked
to open a way for Her to her divine Son. The holy angels obeyed and
acted as her guard. On the streets She heard the people expressing their
various opinions and sentiments concerning the sorrowful events now
transpiring in reference to Jesus of Nazareth. The more kindly hearted
lamented over his fate, and they were fewest in number. Others spake
about the intention of his enemies to crucify Him; others related where
He now was and how He was conducted through the streets, bound as a
criminal; others spoke of the illtreatment He was undergoing; others
asked, what evil He had done, that He should be so misused; others again
in their astonishment and in their doubts, exclaimed: To this then have
his miracles brought Him! Without a doubt they were all impostures,
since He cannot defend or free himself!
Through the swarming and confused crowds the angels
conducted the Empress of heaven to a sharp turn of the street, where She
met her most holy Son. With the profoundest reverence She prostrated
Herself before his sovereign Person and adored it more fervently and
with a reverence more deep and more ardent than ever was given or ever
shall be given to it by all the creatures. She arose and then the Mother
and Son looked upon each other with ineffable tenderness, interiorly
conversing with each other in transports of an unspeakable sorrow. The
most prudent Lady stepped aside and then followed Christ our Lord,
continuing at a distance her interior communication with Him and with
the eternal Father. The words of her soul are not for the mortal and
corruptible tongue.
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DIVINE MERCY
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Divine Mercy In my soul
The Mercy of the Lord I will sing Forever.
Divine Mercy in my soul.
Sr. Faustina, Diary
NOTEBOOK V I
J.M.J.
Struggle with a
certain temptation. There was a person who kept accosting me with flattering
words, and since he knew when I went out to go to the chapel or to the
veranda, he would bar my way. Since he did not dare approach me by himself,
he found another person like himself, but neither of them dared approach. As
I was on my way to the May devotions, they were already standing there where
I had to pass. I hadn’t yet reached them when I heard inciting words,
directed at me. And the Lord permitted me to know the intentions of their
hearts, which were not good. I felt they would block my way after the
service, and then I would have to talk to them, for up to that time, I
hadn’t said a word.
When I left the chapel, they were there, armed and waiting for me to pass.
This time, I was overcome with fear. Then Jesus stood by me and said,
Do not fear, I am with you.
Then I felt an extraordinary strength in my
soul, which I cannot describe and, being a few steps from them, I said
boldly and loudly, “Praised be Jesus Christ.” And they, stepping aside,
responded, “for ever and ever. Amen.” As if struck by lightning, they bowed
their heads, not even daring to look at me. After I had passed, I could hear
some malicious comments. Ever since that time, when this person sees me, he
runs away in order not to meet me and I, thanks to the Lord, have been left
in peace…
After Holy Mass, I went out to the garden to make my meditation, since there
were not yet any patients in the garden at this time, and so I felt at ease.
As I was meditating on the blessings of God, my heart was burning with a
love so strong that it seemed my breast would burst. Suddenly Jesus stood
before me and said, what are you doing here so
early? I answered, “I am thinking of You, of
Your mercy and Your goodness toward us. And You, Jesus what are You doing
here?” I have come out to meet you, to lavish new
graces on you. I am looking for souls who would like to receive My grace.
During Vespers today, the Lord gave me to know
how very pleased He is with a pure and free heart. I felt that it is God’s
delight to look into such a heart… but such hearts are knightly hearts;
their life is a constant battle…
On my way to the veranda, I went into the chapel for a moment. My heart was
plunged in profound adoration, praising God’s incomprehensible goodness and
His mercy. Then I heard these words in my soul: I
am and will be for you such as you praise Me for being. You shall experience
My goodness, already in this life and then, to the full, in the life to
come.
O Christ, I am most delighted when I see that
You are loved, and that Your praise and glory resound, especially the praise
of Your mercy. O Christ, to the last moment of my life, I will not stop
glorifying Your goodness and mercy. With every drop of my blood, with every
beat of my heart, I glorify Your mercy. I long to be entirely transformed
into a hymn of Your Glory. When I find myself on my deathbed, may the last
beat of my heart be a loving hymn in praise of Your unfathomable mercy.
Today the Lord said to me, you shall make a
three-day retreat before the coming of the Holy Spirit. I Myself will direct
you. You shall not follow any of the rules required for retreats or use any
books for meditation. Your task is to listen attentively to My words. For
spiritual reading you shall read one chapter from the Gospel of St. John.
[Here occurs a space of a half page in the original Notebook]
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CATHOLIC TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY |
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Live-in Love: Till Inconvenience Do Us Apart
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| by Mitch Finley
(Our Sunday Visitor)
arty and Heather are recent college graduates
who grew up in Catholic families. They do not
attend Mass every Sunday, but they still
consider themselves to be Catholics. Heather and
Marty care for each other a great deal, and they
speak of love. In fact, they care so much for
each other that they decided to share an
apartment. They have been sexually active for
six months, and they figure living together will
help them save money while getting to know each
other better. If things work out, later they
plan to discuss marriage. For now, they view
living together as a trial to see if they are
"compatible."
Marty and Heather's arrangement is not
unusual nowadays. There is no longer a social
taboo against unmarried couples living together,
especially if they say they are thinking of
marriage. The sociologists, with their
inclination to avoid even a hint of moral
judgment about anything, call it "cohabitation."
Earlier generations, not so reluctant to judge,
called it "shacking up," or "living in sin."
On the face of it, cohabitation sounds like a
sensible idea. Why not work out the details of
"setting up housekeeping" and testing sexual
compatibility before making the leap into
marriage? Isn't it better for a couple to find
out if they get along before making a permanent
commitment? Doesn't it make sense that living
together is an excellent form of marriage
preparation? What difference does "a piece of
paper" (the marriage license) make, anyway?
Isn't it just a formality?
As it turns out, cohabitation is a dangerous
idea. Now that the so-called sexual revolution
is more than 20 years old, researchers have had
a chance to study the phenomenon of
cohabitation, and the news is not good. It turns
out that the "old-fashioned" customs of sexual
abstinence and living apart before marriage are
based on considerable common sense.
Two recent books summarize the scientific
research that supports the old-fashioned way:
"Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their
Lives," by Laura Schlessinger (Villard Books, an
imprint of Random House, 1994), and "Marriage
Savers," by Michael J. McManus (Zondervan,
1993).
Truth Be Told
The truth of the matter, according to this
research, is that cohabitation is bad for the
individuals involved, bad for relationships
based on love and bad for the future of
marriages.
McManus presents some important statistics:
-Yale University sociologist Neil Bennett and
his colleagues found in 1988 that cohabitating
couples were 80 percent more likely to separate
or divorce than were couples who had not lived
together before marriage.
- In 1983, a study by the National Council on
Family Relations, which focused on more than 300
newlywed couples, discovered that those who
"lived together" before marriage were less happy
after they married.
Women complained, in particular, about the
quality of communication after the wedding.
- The 1989. National Survey of Families and
Households reported, "Unions begun by
cohabitation are almost twice as likely to
dissolve within 10 years compared to all first
marriages: 57 percent to 30 percent."
McManus adds that even if a couple does not
cohabitate, but are sexually active prior to
marriage, that is still a red flag for the
future of the marriage.
The survey McManus cited focused on women,
but the implications are clear for both men and
women: "Joan Kahn and Kathryn London studied
2,746 women in the National Survey of Family
Growth and measured the odds. 'Among white women
first married between 1965 and 1985, virgin
brides were less likely to have dissolved their
marriages through separation or divorce than
women who had not been virgins at marriage,'
they reported in November 1991."
How much less likely? The percentages are
mind-boggling. Couples who were sexually active
prior to marriage have a divorce rate 53 percent
to 71 percent higher than couples who were not
sexually active.
According to McManus: "Marriage is one shoe
you cannot try on before you wear it!"
Schlessinger, a marriage and family
therapist, agrees that statistical studies prove
cohabitation is a bad idea.
A U.S. survey of 13,000 adults revealed that
couples who cohabitated prior to marriage were
one-third more likely to separate or divorce
within 10 years. A Canadian national survey of
5,300 respondents reported that those who lived
together before marriage were 54 percent more
likely to divorce within 15 years.
But young couples often believe they will be
the exception to the statistical rule. Granted,
there is no guarantee that if a given couple
lives together before marriage they will end up
in divorce court.
"There are those successful transitions,"
Schlessinger acknowledged. "But it is not the
rule. So why are you willing to play Russian
roulette with your life? Why? Desperation. Fear
of not having somebody--of not having a life if
a man [or woman] doesn't want you."
Instead, why not wait and grow in maturity,
independence and security-of-self, Schlessinger
and others now advise. This can be difficult to
do, especially if you are young, emotionally
needy and wanting to escape an unhappy past.
It's tough, but the potential payoff, in the
long run, is huge.
Maturity Levels
Schlessinger believes cohabitation can retard
a person's maturity. A young person's primary
task in life is to become a mature person.
Who are you? What do you believe? What do you
want to live for? These are essential questions
young people need to answer before making a
lifelong commitment.
Personal maturity doesn't benefit from living
with someone. "Only you can make you happy,"
Schlessinger said. When a young person blindly
leaps for another person, that individual is
likely to repeat whatever it is they were trying
to get away from.
Denial is often a major factor in the choice
to cohabitate, according to Schlessinger. Young
people are likely to deny their own needs as
well as what the other person is really like.
Indeed, Schlessinger said, "living-in can equal
giving in." Maturity and healthy self-esteem are
based on the will to overcome circumstances, not
on giving in to being overcome by another.
Marriage requires a solid foundation. Having
sex before marriage, and living with someone
with no commitment and no shared life plan,
Schlessinger said, are "the behaviors of
basically immature,
let-me-feel-good-right-now-because-I-want-it-therefore-it-is
kind of people." A marriage is far less likely
to succeed between two people who never learned
to delay gratification, which is what
cohabitation is about.
Good decisions require objectivity. When a
relationship turns into having sex and living
together before marriage, it makes it far more
difficult to have the objectivity needed to make
good decisions. Premarital sex and cohabitation
deprive couples of the distance from each other
they need to make a wise choice to marry or not
to marry. Sexual feelings can easily be mistaken
for love.
"Dating--not living-in--is supposed to be
about learning and discerning," Schlessinger
said. "Dating is supposed to be a kind of lease
with option--so don't get sexual and cohabitate
right away and change the meaning of dating to a
lease-with-premature-obligations situation."
Men and women tend to live together for
different reasons. For men, cohabitation is a
convenience, Schlessinger said. Women, on the
other hand, often kid themselves with the
thought that living together will give them a
chance to get a close-up look at a potential
mate.
Not true, according to Schlessinger. "Women
move in to be protected, taken care of, to be
wanted," she said. "And when you are in that
mind-set, you can't for a moment wonder
(especially not loud) if you even want the
guy-you're too busy making sure he wants you."
What can be done? Tactics vary among those
who work with engaged couples who are living
together. Some ignore it. Others give the
couples copies of articles like this one and
leave the choice to them.
Some members of the clergy, however, refuse
to knowingly witness the marriage of any
cohabitating couple. They tell cohabitating
couples they must separate if they want to be
married in the Church. Is this a hard-hearted
tactic likely to drive couples further away from
the Church? Or is it "tough love"?
Some couples respond: "We can't afford to
separate. Besides, it's only two months until
our wedding." A parish council willing to put
its money where its mouth is may reply that if
it's a financial burden to separate the parish
will help.
However, in such cases few couples ask for
this help, explained McManus. And the result for
couples who agree to separate? "Weeks after
separating they say, 'The quality of our
relationship has never been better. Our love
continues to grow and amaze us.'" |
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