Mother's Day

This past Sunday was a special day for all of the Mother's out their, It was Mother's Day! The Day where you are extra helpful, nice, and good to your mom. Mother's Day is a great time to express your thanks to your mom for all of the things she does for you and all the countless hours she has spent on you, not to mention painful child birth. Although Mother's Day is a great time to express your appreciation to your moms, you should strive to be extra helpful, nice, and thankful to your mom every day. Yes, sometimes moms can get on our nerves but at the end of the day they are looking out for you and your best interest, and they do it because they love you and they know what is best. Everything your mom does for you, she has your best interest in mind and I know it is hard to remember this sometimes, but I challenge you to the next time your mom gets on your nerves to remember that she has your best interest in mind. I also challenge you to let your mom know how much you love and appreciate her every once in a while, I know she will appreciate it!

Justin Martyr's Letter to the Emperor

Justin Martyr's ketter to the Emperor tells us a lot about the Early Church and the Catholic Faith. From the three chapters that were given to read, its main topic is the Eucharist and Mass. In the letter it explains the Eucharist, what happens during mass and the steps for the Eucharist. The way Justin Martyr explains the Eucharist is so clear, it sounds exactly how the Eucharist is run today. This letter was written around 150 AD. This is very important because it shows how little mass has changed in almost 2,000 years and also how even in the very Early Church there was a structure of doing things and conducting mass. Justin Martyr explains the mass and the steps to the Eucharist so well, that someone who has never been to mass could get a good sense of what would go on. He also talks about Mass being held on Sunday and how that day was chosen and why. He also talks about offerings in the Church and how they work and what they are for. Overall, the date of 150 AD, when this letter was written, stood out the most because it validates the structure of the Early Church and that there was a structure that is very similar to todays.

The Homeless and Less Fortunate

My Response to the video above:

Living in a big city like Houston, unfortunately we all see a large amount people like Ronald Davis. We all see less fortunate people on the street begging for money, food, clothes, anything to help them survive the day and possibly get them back on their feet. In our everyday lives, we sometimes forget to acknowledge these less fortunate then us, and even ignore them sometimes; waving them on as they pass by our car, or ignoring them on the sidewalk. I along with many people am guilty of this. Sometimes, we try to avoid a confrontation with a homeless person all together because it is so sad, but we lose the adequate amount of sympathy we should have for these less fortunate people and also the level of recognition they deserve as human beings created by God.

Mr. Davis is a prime example of how people less fortunate go through everyday struggles to survive. He also shows in the video how he has the same emotions and thoughts ad feelings that all of us humans have. This is important because society can sometimes treat homeless people as sub-humans and not as good as them because they are down on their luck. I think that the homeless should never be overlooked or shined on because we are "too busy", if anything we should raise the awareness for homeless people. Material things are important like food, clothes, and money; but the emotional encouragement we can give the homeless people is just as important to them. A word of encouragement  to a homeless person can go a long way. Without the soul being nourished, the material goods mean nothing.

All Are Welcome!

Today I would like to talk to you about the article I just read. After reading this article, the main thing that comes to mind is the Third Mark of the Church: Catholic. Catholic literally means universal which means that all are welcome to the Church. The term all is explained very well when the author begins to mention certain groups in society that most people would question. The author shows how all these people are welcomed into the Church, but there are rules. For example, a drug addict will be accepted into the Church with a warm welcome, but the Church will not condone his addiction. To fully become incorporated into the Church, the drug addict must seek help inside or outside the Church to help cure his addiction. I believe the main point the author was trying to get across is that the Church will always welcome all. The Church will always welcome all people into its Mystical Body but it will not condone some of the actions of the people that go against the laws and commandments sent from Christ.

Women's Role in the Church

Today I would like to talk about an article I read about a women who was recently ordained as a priest. Since the Catholic Church's conception, it has not allowed women to become priests. It is a similar problem in today's socially changing modern age like married priests and birth control or abortion. The Catholic Church did not come up with these rules for themselves but they are carrying out Jesus' rules through their authority in the Church. The Church simply carries out the rules that Christ built his Church on. The Church cannot allow women to be priests because Christ only chose men as his apostles. Some people argue that Christ only chose men as his apostles because it was the custom of his time and the socially accepted way to do things. This is a bit of a silly argument because there are plenty of instances of Jesus going against society's accepted customs in the bible. For example, Jesus talks to a Samaritan women in public while getting water in the same well and she was known to be sleeping around. This was an incredible taboo for society's accepted customs in Jesus' time. We will never understand why Jesus founded the Church on the rules he did but we cannot go against Jesus. The Church cannot change these rules because if the Church goes against Jesus and, for example; made it available for women to become priests, we would become separated from Jesus and the Church would lose its authority.

The Church's Salvation

Today, I figured I would talk to you about the Church's Salvation. The Church is the giver of Salvation and outside the Church there is no salvation. The Church is the universal family of God, and outside this family, there is no salvation. This teaching clarifies the essential meaning of salvation and the Church. Salvation means that you are a son or daughter of God, therefore; those who are saved are members of the Church. Non-Catholic Christians are considered separated brethren that are united in an imperfect manner to the Church by Baptism. The Catholic Church states that all who have been Baptized are accepted as Brothers in the Lord by the Catholic Church. Salvation is still granted to those people who do not have an opportunity to come to know God or to enter into the Church if they are people of good will and whose hearts have grace in them. It is still an urgent matter for the Church to evangelize all the people it can because salvation without the Church is uncertain and accompanied with many dangers. Knowing that salvation comes only through union with Christ in his Mystical Body, the Church does not stop proclaiming the Gospel. The Church understands that many people, through no fault of their own, will never know Christ and his Church. It is possible through Christ, that people who have not been baptized can still be given the grace to seek God. Even so, this does not relieve the Church of her duty to evangelize all people.

The Catholic Rites Explained

Today I would like to talk about the Catholic Rites of the Church, what they are, and explain why there are different rites. Since the beginning of the Church, when the followers of Christ spread throughout the Roman Empire, the Church has found ways and expressions of worship that are specific to different cultures. This has resulted in many different forms of worship, which make up the Church's liturgical tradition. Don't get confused, they are all still grounded in Christ and the Catholic origins and Sacraments, they just differ in the way they are carried out. The rites have their own distinct architectural, spiritual, artistic, and cultural heritage. There are many Catholic Rites in the Catholic Church, for example, the Alexandrian Rite or sometimes known as the Coptic Rite, comes from Egypt and includes the Ethiopian Rite. It's liturgical languages are Coptic, Arabic, and Ge'ez. Another Catholic Rite is the Antiochene Rite which is named for Antioch in ancient Syria  this rite was developed under the influence of the Church of Jerusalem. It's liturgical languages are Syriac and Arabic. The Armenian Rite traces it's origins back to the early Fathers of the Church. It's liturgical language is Armenian. Another rite, the Bizantine Rite came about in the ancient imperial see of Constantinople. It is the most widely used Catholic Rite in the Eastern liturgical form. The final Cathoic Rite I want to talk about today is the Chaldean Rite, also known as East Syrian. The Chaldean Rite is concentrated in the Middle East and India. It's liturgical languages are classic Syriac, Arabic, and Malayalam. I hope this helps you understand a little about the Catholic Rites and what they mean and bring to the Catholic Church.