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Traditions/Practices

The Language of Love

The language of love differs from the language of theology. They are both given as a single twine of string, split, so as to wrap a package, meeting again as one string in a knot that ties the gift of mankind together. What distills theology into philosophy and ideology is the lack of charity; the lack not only to speak but to express through all senses the language of love. This expression of altruism is the dogmatic core of all belief. Without this, the fountain of compassion, we are nihilistic, primordials with no aversion to hedonism, but only stirring self-loving hegemony.

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Personal Prayers of the Heart

Prayers from the heart:



Blessing for your Rifle

Lord bless my rifle and the one who uses it. May both carry out your will and no other. May both have the courage to do what is right and just by Your standards, not the standards of men. Lord bless my rifle to keep me safe. Lord bless me to keep my rifle prudent. Amen.

Prayer for Help

Before the cross I kneel and pray

That God might save me on this day

I keep my eyes to the ground

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Fasting

Fasting. It’s not as common today in the Christian practice as it had been. Some may say that it isn’t up with the times anymore. Others would say it’s because of spiritual laxity. I opt for the latter. Some would say it goes against Biblical teaching as they quote 1 Timothy 4:3. In response to the issues of fasting, I think we best consider that Christ not only mentioned fasting is a tool, but how to use this tool in Matthew 6:16-18, which indicates that we ought to use it since we were instructed in conduct.

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Anointing of the Sick

SEVEN SACRAMENTS - Anointing of the Sick
Image by Fergal OP via Flickr

Anointing of the sick is a sacrament. Administered to many by the anointing of oil, it is a long held tradition found in the Bible. We see in Mark 6:12-13 that many who were ailing and impaired were cured by the anointing of oil. But much more was given than temporal treatment.

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Holy Orders

Holy Orders is the vocation into the life of ministry. It is a calling for many but not all. All are called to be witnesses of the faith, but not all are called to be pastors, priests, teachers, and nuns. We know this is so because the Holy Spirit appoints us overseers (Acts 20:28) and those overseers are ordained by the laying on of hands for those already appointed (Acts 6:6, 13:3). To further understand laying of hands, please read articles Confirmation and Apostolic Succession.

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Confession

A fair amount of people ask if I pray to Jesus. I thought this very random but obliged them with an answer anyway. Yes I do. Then they proceeded to ask if I believe Jesus died for my sins. I replied, “absolutely”. Then comes the thing that mystifies them; “How can priests possibly forgive your sin? Why confession?” My brothers and sisters who ask me this don’t understand the sacrament of confession and how beautifully sound it is for man to be involved in reconciliation with God. Allow me to open up scripture and share with you the truth that God has offered us in the Bible.

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Why Priests Are Called Father

“Call no priest father”; this is what I hear day in and day out. And if it isn’t that, then it is “why do you call them father? Don’t you know what the Bible says?” Sure. I understand that the Bible says the priesthood is spiritual fatherhood. Abraham was called the father of all nations in the Old Testament and is recognized as such according to Romans 4:16-17, “For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.” St. Paul names Abraham “our father in the sight of God”. Why? As St. Paul recognizes, “he [Abraham] is the father of many nations.” Didn’t anyone tell St. Paul about the verse “Call no man father” (Matthew 23:9) or did he understand it to mean that we have but one God who is the origin of all? Also, Jesus calls Abraham “father” in John 8:56!

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Infant Baptism

It is interesting to see that baptism is the new circumcision (Colossians 2:11-12). With this in mind, remember that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Now, back to baptisms and circumcisions. Since we know that baptism proceeded from circumcision, let’s see what circumcision was. Circumcision was instated by God and to be used when the child was eight days old (Genesis 17:12). If baptism is the new circumcision, than baptism is to be administered at the earliest of eight days old.

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Tradition vs. Sola Scriptura

Sola scriptura is a short-lived idea which means “Scripture only”. Before we get into scripture, which is rich with verses that encourage divinely appointed tradition, Let’s review take a quick digression into a philosophical view of tradition, then we will look into the theologically view support in Holy Writ.

Philosophical Perspective

First, we must understand, what is man? Well we know man is made of two parts. Man is material (physical flesh) and man is spirit (soul, emotion, life). God created man to be in unison, that his spirit and body be as one. Sin has corrupted this adhesion, yet God still promotes it by the promise of giving our spirit another new body. There must be something sacred about having a material being.

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What is a Sacrament

In #1131 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church it is read that the Sacraments are “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.” In the Catholic Church there are seven sacraments. They are the broken into three categories. There are the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, which are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Then there are the Sacraments of Healing, which are Penance and Anointing of the Sick. Lastly there are the Sacraments at the Service of Communion, which are Matrimony and Holy Orders. A Sacrament is an outward sign for something that is happening spiritually. They are action or practices that are performed to indicate something that is happening that cannot be seen. To exemplify this we will briefly describe what is going on during a few of these Sacraments.

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