View allAll Photos Tagged Discernment
Some moments from this weekends Annual Vocation Discernment Retreat which welcomed almost 50 men looking to discern the Lord's loving call for them in their lives. Photos by George Martell - Archdiocese of Boston, BCDS.
Zhong Xin is a preacher at a house church in Mainland China. He has believed in the Lord for many years, and has been suffering capture and persecution of the CCP. He hates the CCP deeply and has already seen clearly that the CCP is a satanic regime treating God as its enemy. In recent years, he has seen that the Chinese Communist government and the religious world have persisted in wildly condemning, capturing, and persecuting the Church of the Eastern Lightning. But the Eastern Lightning not only survives, but also continues to thrive and grow. He thinks it is unbelievable and starts to reflect: Is the Eastern Lightning the appearance and work of the Lord? Zhong Xin also finds that what the CCP and the religious world speak to condemn the Eastern Lightning are all rumors and lies. In order to find out the truth, he leads brothers and sisters to investigate the Eastern Lightning. After the fellowship of the preachers fromthe Church of Almighty God, most of them firmly believe that the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth and the voice of God. Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus. However, the Church of Almighty God is suppressed and condemned by the Chinese Communist government and is wildly opposed and condemned by the religious pastors and elders. Faced with this situation, some are confused: Since the work of Almighty God is the true way, why does it suffer the furious resistance and condemnation of those in power and the religious world? Through reading Almighty God's words and listening to the fellowship of the preachers from the Church of Almighty God, these brothers and sisters understand the source of mankind's resistance of God, and see clearly that why the road to the heavenly kingdom is so perilous. They have discernment in the truth-hating and God-opposing essence of the satanic CCP regime and the religious leaders. In the end, Zhong Xin and others free themselves from the control and bondage of Satan's influence without hesitation. They accept Almighty God's work in the last days and truly return before God's throne.
Bishop Olmsted ordains three men to the priesthood
By Ambria Hammel | June 5, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
For the the third straight year, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained three men to the priesthood.
The bishop conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders on transitional deacons Matt Henry, Chad King and John Parks at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
"Seeing the love of the people for their priests [during the procession] gives us such a witness of their love and support," Fr. King said after the ordination.
Fr. Henry said the laying on of hands by the bishop was a special moment.
"My only part was just to say yes to that," he said, referring to the prayer of ordination.
Fr. Parks also noted the laying on of hands.
"I just felt that I was being reconfigured in my person," he said. Fr. Parks also mentioned receiving the Eucharist during the orination.
"I was just struck once again that God becomes the Eucharist for us," he said, underscoring God's humility.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said all three priests know well the challenges that the Church faces today, including the shortcomings of its members, “but without losing heart, they are ready and eager to be faithful priests of the Lord Jesus” and convincingly share the faith.
“The three men I have the honor to ordain this year are quite different in personality but united by a deep love for the Lord Jesus, and an eagerness to hand on the good news of Christ in convincing ways,” Bishop Olmsted said in an interview prior to the June 5 ordination.
"From this day forward the people of God will call you 'father,' because you will love people in His name," the bishop told the new priests. He encouraged them to listen to confessions with compassion and called them to defend the unborn and the immigrant.
All three priests cited their involvement in youth ministry in the Phoenix Diocese as part of their discernment process.
Each newly ordained will celebrate their first Mass at their home parish June 6. The Mass times are staggered so the new priests can support each other from the pew.
Phoenix’s three new priests fit right in with the 440 men awaiting priestly ordination nationwide.
Of the 339 diocesan and religious ordinands who responded to the survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, 72 percent are Caucasian. Half to three-quarters served in some parish ministry before entering the seminary.
More than half are between the ages of 25 and 34, roughly the same as last year. The median age of this year’s ordinands nationally is 33 with Fr. Henry, who turns 26 shortly, being the youngest nationally.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Some moments from this weekends Annual Vocation Discernment Retreat which welcomed almost 50 men looking to discern the Lord's loving call for them in their lives. Photos by George Martell - Archdiocese of Boston, BCDS.
Bishop Olmsted ordains three men to the priesthood
By Ambria Hammel | June 5, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
For the the third straight year, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained three men to the priesthood.
The bishop conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders on transitional deacons Matt Henry, Chad King and John Parks at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
"Seeing the love of the people for their priests [during the procession] gives us such a witness of their love and support," Fr. King said after the ordination.
Fr. Henry said the laying on of hands by the bishop was a special moment.
"My only part was just to say yes to that," he said, referring to the prayer of ordination.
Fr. Parks also noted the laying on of hands.
"I just felt that I was being reconfigured in my person," he said. Fr. Parks also mentioned receiving the Eucharist during the orination.
"I was just struck once again that God becomes the Eucharist for us," he said, underscoring God's humility.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said all three priests know well the challenges that the Church faces today, including the shortcomings of its members, “but without losing heart, they are ready and eager to be faithful priests of the Lord Jesus” and convincingly share the faith.
“The three men I have the honor to ordain this year are quite different in personality but united by a deep love for the Lord Jesus, and an eagerness to hand on the good news of Christ in convincing ways,” Bishop Olmsted said in an interview prior to the June 5 ordination.
"From this day forward the people of God will call you 'father,' because you will love people in His name," the bishop told the new priests. He encouraged them to listen to confessions with compassion and called them to defend the unborn and the immigrant.
All three priests cited their involvement in youth ministry in the Phoenix Diocese as part of their discernment process.
Each newly ordained will celebrate their first Mass at their home parish June 6. The Mass times are staggered so the new priests can support each other from the pew.
Phoenix’s three new priests fit right in with the 440 men awaiting priestly ordination nationwide.
Of the 339 diocesan and religious ordinands who responded to the survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, 72 percent are Caucasian. Half to three-quarters served in some parish ministry before entering the seminary.
More than half are between the ages of 25 and 34, roughly the same as last year. The median age of this year’s ordinands nationally is 33 with Fr. Henry, who turns 26 shortly, being the youngest nationally.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Some days, I think -everyone's- an artist.
Some days, I think the term is tossed about with little discernment.
Check out this lovely artist's shop. Brandi Strickland.
www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5275393
Having some pieces of hers makes me feel connected to something bigger.
For an alternate, larger view, click here View On Black
Consider the following ideas as though I, me, my and mine were substituted for the word self.
· Self-awareness ·Self-concept · Self-consciousness · Self-identity · Self-image · Self-perception · Self-realization · Self-esteem · Self-knowledge
The only pronoun that actually may work on all of them is ‘my’.
· my-awareness · my-concept · my-consciousness · my-identity · my-image · my-perception · my-realization · my-esteem · my-knowledge
The revised concepts are now possessive abstractions (they belong to ‘me’) and not independent, or relative to the self since the abstractions are now concrete (in possessive terms).
The subject is the same, the object is different. Or, is it the context that is different?
How can that be? We are taught they are the same. Self, I, me, my, mine = the same reference.
What do you know about your self - really?
That question is the basis for many studies in Phenomenology, philosophy and hermeneutics. The theories and search for meaning and measures of ‘self’ abound. Are we corporate abstractions that have a relative value associated with ‘I am’? As soon as we say ‘I am’ we have created a limitation in which we relate to the world from.
An example:
I am 5 foot 9 inches tall. That makes my reference to others as either larger or smaller than me. An obvious association to knowing my own height. It goes into the background of relative social discernment. It is there. I can not grow more, nor can I stand so that I am not 5’ 9” without discomfort. I relate to the world from the height of 5’ 9”. I view others from that ‘I am’ limitation. It is a physical limitation. We work within our physical limitations.
But what about the self? When I claim that ‘I am-’ generous, that would relative to the situation I am in, and not something physical or concrete (such as height). The same relativity holds true for many other ‘self’ actions such as patience, courage, courtesy, attentive, equanimity, etc.
They are only true when they are acted on and not a concrete truth at all times.
I practice equanimity ~ maintaining an evenness of temperament and spirit. But, if I said ‘I am’ an equanimous person, that would be a lie. Simply because I am not equanimous at all times. I possess the skills and self control for equanimity, and can observe when I am not. [It is the nots that make it different from ‘I am 5’ 9” tall’]. The requirement is that I act with a distinction and preference for equanimity, not that 'I am' equanimous.
It is a form of Self-consciousness. A positive self-consciousness. In existentialist terms it is “being in the world”; both aware of and cognizant of self limitations and the distinctions one can select for taking action in the world.
Self = Actions of an independent being responding to the world they live in by choice.
-------------------------
All rights reserved by August Norman. No portion of this image or text (except those quoted in resources) can be used without permission.
Read the PREFACE, Lies Within set
Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 12:1-30 (NIV)
Diego Velázquez (1599-1660, Spanish) - Portrait of Mariana of Austria, 1652-53, oil on canvas, 231x131 cm, Prado, Madrid, Spain.
Portrait of Mariana of Austria is a 1652–1653 oil-on-canvas painting by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age, existing in a number of versions. Its subject, Doña Mariana (known as Maria Anna), was the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III and Maria Anna of Spain. She was nineteen years old when the painting was completed. Although described as vivacious and fun-loving in life, she is given an unhappy expression in Velázquez's portrait. The portrait is painted in shades of black and red, and her face is heavily made up. Her right hand rests on the back of a chair, and she holds a lace handkerchief in her left hand. Her bodice is decorated with jewellery, including a gold necklace, bracelets and a large gold brooch. A clock rests on scarlet drapery behind her, signifying her status and discernment.
Mariana had been betrothed to her first cousin, Prince Baltasar Carlos. He died in 1646 aged sixteen, and in 1649 she married her uncle, Baltasar Carlos's father, Philip IV, who sought her hand so as to preserve the hegemony of the Habsburg dynasty. She became queen consort on their marriage, and after her husband's death in September 1665, regent during the minority of her son, Charles II, until he came of age in 1675. Owing to Charles' inhibiting physical weaknesses, she dominated the political life in Spain until her death in 1696.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Mariana_of_Austria
Diego Velazquez was born in Seville, Spain, in 1599. His artistic talent became evident when he was apprenticed to the artist Francisco Pacheco. He was very young, eighteen years old, when he married Pacheco's daughter and started to develop his own style which displayed a startling realism. Most of his early sketches orn paintings were naturalistic still life compositions. In 1622, he moved to Madrid and became the official painter at the court of King Philip IV. These were fertile years when he produced his finest paintings. At the royal court, he happily dedicated himself to portraiture, his speciality, as well as group portraits and religious paintings. He made two trips to Italy to study the High Renaissance artists.
He died in 1660 of a fever and was buried in the church of San Juan. Unfortunately, the church was destroyed by Napoleon's troops in 1811, and the location of the grave is lost.
Velazquez produced a total of 244 paintings, many of which can be admired in museums and galleries in Europe and USA. The El Prado Museum in Madrid has the lion's share of Velazquez paintings while many are on display in diverse London galleries.
His earliest works are group compositions such as "The Water-seller of Seville" of 1618 and "Adoration of the Magi", 1619. In Madrid, he painted many formal portraits in his role of court painter, including portraits of King Philip IV in 1628. A trip to Italy in 1629 inspired two large paintings: "Joseph's Tunic" and "The Forge of Vulcan", both painted in 1630. Many other portraits followed, including more of the king. In 1634-1635 he produced a series of beautiful, dynamic, prancing equestrian paintings. His famous self-portrait dates from 1640, the same year as the Michelangelo-inspired "Mars Resting". A second trip to Italy inspired more portraits in 1650, including the compelling painting of Pope Innocent X. In his later royal court years, 1650-1660, he painted several pictures of royal ladies: Mariana of Austria, the queen of Spain, and of the Infanta Margarita, as well as "Las Meninas" and the equally famous "The Spinners".
Baroque art flourished roughly between 1600 and 1750 and Velazquez was one of the main exponents of this highly dramatic artistic style. Indeed, a sense of drama and an emotional response in the viewer were the main aims of Baroque art. Other notable painters of around this time included Da Vinci and Michelangelo from the Renaissance, plus Caravaggio, who was closer to the time of Velazquez.
Discernment retreat participants pray with the Carmelite Fathers of Middletown, N.Y. Read article at www.digitalvocationguide.org/vision/2013#pg20
at the entrance to the forbidden city, a dragon guards the way in.. (let the reader use discernment)
As in a pile of rubbish
cast by the side of a highway
a lotus might grow
clean-smelling
pleasing the heart,
so in the midst of the rubbish-like,
people run-of-the-mill & blind,
there dazzles with discernment
the disciple of the Rightly
Self Awakened One.
-Dhammapada, 4, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Priest looks back on 10 years of promoting vocations
By Andrew Junker | June 4, 2009 | The Catholic Sun
Ten years is a long time to be a director of vocations. Most hold that title for no more than five years, said Fr. Don Kline, soon-to-be pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish.
As he transitions to parish life, Fr. Kline said his decade-long service to fostering and promoting vocations was a fulfilling, if necessarily itinerant, time.
“They say it’s a tough job, because you don’t really have a place to hang your hat in a sense,” he said. “You’re moving all over and no place is home really.”
At one point, diocesan seminarians were spread across five different seminaries, each of which required at least one or two visits per year. But mostly, Fr. Kline stayed close to his diocese and worked with men discerning their calling.
His own journey to ordination helped him relate to the seminarians under his guidance.
“I had a couple of detours along the way, once to pursue the possibility of marriage, once to pursue the possibility of the monastery,” he said. “It opened my eyes to see more clearly what our seminarians are going through right now, and it made me more compassionate or sympathetic to their own discernment.”
It also made him wiser, he said, and helped him foster a sense of accountability with the seminarians. He talked regularly to their spiritual directors and formators at the seminary to keep abreast of their progress. He said that when everything works as it’s supposed to, the transition from un-ordained layman to priest should be a gentle progression, not a shock.
Carter Pearl, president of the Phoenix Serra Club — an organization that promotes and supports vocations — saw the care Fr. Kline gave to each seminarian.
“He can tell you precisely the status of each man considering the priesthood,” Pearl said. He said Fr. Kline, along with Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, are not as concerned with numbers as they are with discerning the call to the priesthood.
Fr. Kline never sacrificed the often-stringent application process for expediency’s sake or to fill the thinning ranks of priests in the diocese.
“There are certain qualities I look for in a guy, and I’ve been able to hone those skills over the years,” he said. “Is he a man of prayer? Is he willing to lay down his life in sacrifice?”
He looked for “guys who are wiling to proclaim the truth, the Good News, the message of Jesus Christ unabashedly,” he said. “Bottom line, I look to see if they’re malleable. Are they formable, and is there transparency?”
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2132 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2009 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Bishop Olmsted ordains three men to the priesthood
By Ambria Hammel | June 5, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
For the the third straight year, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained three men to the priesthood.
The bishop conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders on transitional deacons Matt Henry, Chad King and John Parks at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
"Seeing the love of the people for their priests [during the procession] gives us such a witness of their love and support," Fr. King said after the ordination.
Fr. Henry said the laying on of hands by the bishop was a special moment.
"My only part was just to say yes to that," he said, referring to the prayer of ordination.
Fr. Parks also noted the laying on of hands.
"I just felt that I was being reconfigured in my person," he said. Fr. Parks also mentioned receiving the Eucharist during the orination.
"I was just struck once again that God becomes the Eucharist for us," he said, underscoring God's humility.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said all three priests know well the challenges that the Church faces today, including the shortcomings of its members, “but without losing heart, they are ready and eager to be faithful priests of the Lord Jesus” and convincingly share the faith.
“The three men I have the honor to ordain this year are quite different in personality but united by a deep love for the Lord Jesus, and an eagerness to hand on the good news of Christ in convincing ways,” Bishop Olmsted said in an interview prior to the June 5 ordination.
"From this day forward the people of God will call you 'father,' because you will love people in His name," the bishop told the new priests. He encouraged them to listen to confessions with compassion and called them to defend the unborn and the immigrant.
All three priests cited their involvement in youth ministry in the Phoenix Diocese as part of their discernment process.
Each newly ordained will celebrate their first Mass at their home parish June 6. The Mass times are staggered so the new priests can support each other from the pew.
Phoenix’s three new priests fit right in with the 440 men awaiting priestly ordination nationwide.
Of the 339 diocesan and religious ordinands who responded to the survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, 72 percent are Caucasian. Half to three-quarters served in some parish ministry before entering the seminary.
More than half are between the ages of 25 and 34, roughly the same as last year. The median age of this year’s ordinands nationally is 33 with Fr. Henry, who turns 26 shortly, being the youngest nationally.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
sagacious - having or showing keen discernment and sound judgment - November 21, 2009
Word of the Day - mydictionary.myresources.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/11...
"Sagacious look, round sweet face and lily white skin as white as snow: This wonderful being bewitched the most important hollywood filmakers when she was only ten, thanks to her fantastic enfant prodige talent." - Behind the Photo - www.giffoniff.it/en/pageview2.php?i=363
- also visit mywotd.com or mydictionary.tv or mydictionary.com or Subscribe Now!! mydictionary.myresources.com/lists/?p=subscribe
Hohhot is home to more than 10 major universities and more than 100 other small technical and vocational colleges. By God’s grace, there are student groups and outreach ministries on each of the major university campuses. However, as Hohhot has become more of a destination to the outside world, various false religions, cults and ill-intentioned foreigners have come to teach English, while spreading their own religions on the campuses throughout the city. Please pray for university Christians to have wisdom and discernment as they engage with the increasing population of false teachers on their campuses. Pray for university student seekers to be satisfied in Truth alone! Pray for Christians who are a part of faculty and administration at these universities to use their influence in the lives of students well. Pray also for those students who God is calling out to join full time ministry.
from camino, ca...between south lake tahoe and placerville, closer to placerville.....this is the best apple juice, sold at their farm store or in the produce section of regional markets, not easy to find, but they have had it pretty consistently at raleys lately!
It tastes, in my opinion, even better than the martinelli's unfiltered pressed juice, and unlike the simply apple juice is made from 100 percent USA grown apples....the only juice companies that are using 100% US grown apples are martinelli's, Barsotti and one version of Tree Top called "3 apple blend" or special blend.....you have to read those labels carefully, so much of the not from concentrate stuff is canadian, and most of the shelf stable juices are chinese origined reconstituted apple juice, and they have that lovely discernment of being packagedin facilities processing formula and dairy products recently found to contain melamine..........we really cannot seem to read enough labels
www.flickr.com/photos/the_aethan_diaries/3631198070/
it seems some food travels around the globe, when apples are grown usually in every state on the western coast of the US!
This is both a beverage great to drink and an ingredient in many of my homemade recipes, I use this in my jams instead of water, in BBQ sauce, in some pork recipes like ribs and to soak cedar planks in when we grilled fish the past couple years.......it is kind of like the thickness of orange juice with all the pulp and I love it over ice but in winter it also makes a nice hot cider drink....I have used it in making pancakes and some baked quick breads, I am never disappointed, but when I cannot find it, I usually opt for the martinelli's but since the martinelli's is shelf stable and more cooked it is much thinner in consistency and does not have that bite out of an apple first taste on your tongue.
sad news from the sonoma county apple growers, with shrinking orchards and chinese apple juice flooding the market
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091009/ARTICLES/910099875...
Some moments from this weekends Annual Vocation Discernment Retreat which welcomed almost 50 men looking to discern the Lord's loving call for them in their lives. Photos by George Martell - Archdiocese of Boston, BCDS.
www.cagnz.org/why-does-God-allow-suffering.html
Why Does God Allow Suffering? Know God’s Will for Your Life
By Li Tong
Many Christians feel confused: God is love and He is almighty, so why does He allow us to suffer? Could it be that He has abandoned us? This question always used to puzzle me, but lately, through prayer and seeking, I’ve gained a bit of enlightenment and light. This has resolved my misunderstandings of God, and I’ve come to understand that suffering is not God casting us aside, but instead is very carefully arranged by God in order to purify and save us. These trials and refinement are God’s greatest grace for us!...
We can see from God’s words and the scripture that there is God’s will in His allowing us to suffer, and it is entirely to purify and save us; it is a precious treasure bestowed upon us by God. Before trials and refinement come to us, we all think of ourselves as people who uphold God’s way, and some of us even feel that by forsaking, expending, laboring, and working for God, by suffering and paying a price, we are completely considerate of God’s will, that we are the people who love Him most, and that we are the most devoted to Him. We believe that no matter who else might become negative and weak or betray God, we could never do such a thing. But the reality is that when we are faced with difficulties like losing a job, or financial straits, we complain against God, lose our faith, and even become unwilling to expend for Him anymore. When misfortune strikes our families or some calamity occurs, we may still complain about God because something impinges on our personal interests. We argue our case and put up a fight, and in serious cases, betray God and forsake our faith. God has stated on many occasions that He requires us to follow His way, and has demanded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). However, we always calculate to further our fleshly interests, and treasure them over our love for God. When God acts in accordance with our notions, we thank and praise Him, but when He doesn’t, we develop misunderstandings and complaints about God, or even betray Him. This shows us how deeply Satan has corrupted us. We always pursue blessings in our faith, which is essentially attempting to transact with God—to do this truly is selfish, despicable, and entirely lacking in reason! At this point, we can gain some true understanding of the satanic dispositions of rebelling against and opposing God within us, as well as some discernment over the mistaken motives and notions in our faith. We can see that what we live out is a far cry from what God requires of us, and that we are entirely unworthy of receiving God’s blessings and approval. Likewise, through such trials and refinement, we can experience God’s holiness and righteousness, and feel how many adulterations there are in our faith in Him. If we continue to believe in Him with the intention to seek blessings, we will only cause God to be disgusted with us and loathe us. Once exposed through trials, we are able to see that our corruption is too great and our shortcomings too many, and thus we can begin to come before God in prayer, read His words, and then reflect on and know the places within us that don’t accord with God’s will. We can seek out how to satisfy God and stand witness for Him, and unconsciously, we develop a much closer relationship with God. After such experience, we not only gain understanding of ourselves and some understanding of God’s disposition, we also become more stable and mature. Our impulsive, arrogant, selfish, and deceitful dispositions are ground down, and only then can we truly understand that while trials and refinement cause us some fleshly suffering, the fruit it bears in us is salvation and purification, which are very beneficial and edifying for our lives...
There’s also the story of Job in the Bible. Job underwent the trials of his possessions being stripped away, his children destroyed, and he himself developed boils all over his body, yet in spite of his suffering, he never sinned with his words; he did not complain about God, but accepted everything from God within his heart. He was also able to seek God’s will, and ultimately said, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21) and “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). He relied on his faith, fear, and submission to God to say these things, and thereby stood witness for God. The reason Job was able to stand witness through such great trials was that he believed that God rules all things, and that his belongings and children had all been given to him by God, so it was God’s right to take them away. As a created being, he ought to accept and submit. Job’s ability to stand in the position of a created being and unconditionally obey the Creator was standing witness for God. God later appeared to Job in a storm, and Job saw the sight of God’s back and heard God speak to him with His own mouth; he gained genuine understanding of God. Job reaped a bounty he never would have gained in a comfortable environment, and this was the greatest blessing bestowed upon Job through trials and refinement. Just as Job told his friends after his trials, “When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
Image Source: Daily Devotionals
Source from: Our Daily Devotionals
Terms of Use: www.cagnz.org/disclaimer
Vincentia Amankwah SSL, Anna Adomaa SSL, Naomi Nkrumah SSL, Mary Ataa Takyiwaa SSL, and Mercy Boateng SSL
Some moments from this weekends Annual Vocation Discernment Retreat which welcomed almost 50 men looking to discern the Lord's loving call for them in their lives. Photos by George Martell - Archdiocese of Boston, BCDS.
Some moments from this weekends Annual Vocation Discernment Retreat which welcomed almost 50 men looking to discern the Lord's loving call for them in their lives. Photos by George Martell - Archdiocese of Boston, BCDS.
Some moments from this weekends Annual Vocation Discernment Retreat which welcomed almost 50 men looking to discern the Lord's loving call for them in their lives. Photos by George Martell - Archdiocese of Boston, BCDS.
Bishop Olmsted ordains three men to the priesthood
By Ambria Hammel | June 5, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
For the the third straight year, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained three men to the priesthood.
The bishop conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders on transitional deacons Matt Henry, Chad King and John Parks at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
"Seeing the love of the people for their priests [during the procession] gives us such a witness of their love and support," Fr. King said after the ordination.
Fr. Henry said the laying on of hands by the bishop was a special moment.
"My only part was just to say yes to that," he said, referring to the prayer of ordination.
Fr. Parks also noted the laying on of hands.
"I just felt that I was being reconfigured in my person," he said. Fr. Parks also mentioned receiving the Eucharist during the orination.
"I was just struck once again that God becomes the Eucharist for us," he said, underscoring God's humility.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said all three priests know well the challenges that the Church faces today, including the shortcomings of its members, “but without losing heart, they are ready and eager to be faithful priests of the Lord Jesus” and convincingly share the faith.
“The three men I have the honor to ordain this year are quite different in personality but united by a deep love for the Lord Jesus, and an eagerness to hand on the good news of Christ in convincing ways,” Bishop Olmsted said in an interview prior to the June 5 ordination.
"From this day forward the people of God will call you 'father,' because you will love people in His name," the bishop told the new priests. He encouraged them to listen to confessions with compassion and called them to defend the unborn and the immigrant.
All three priests cited their involvement in youth ministry in the Phoenix Diocese as part of their discernment process.
Each newly ordained will celebrate their first Mass at their home parish June 6. The Mass times are staggered so the new priests can support each other from the pew.
Phoenix’s three new priests fit right in with the 440 men awaiting priestly ordination nationwide.
Of the 339 diocesan and religious ordinands who responded to the survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, 72 percent are Caucasian. Half to three-quarters served in some parish ministry before entering the seminary.
More than half are between the ages of 25 and 34, roughly the same as last year. The median age of this year’s ordinands nationally is 33 with Fr. Henry, who turns 26 shortly, being the youngest nationally.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Bishop Olmsted ordains three men to the priesthood
By Ambria Hammel | June 5, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
For the the third straight year, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained three men to the priesthood.
The bishop conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders on transitional deacons Matt Henry, Chad King and John Parks at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
"Seeing the love of the people for their priests [during the procession] gives us such a witness of their love and support," Fr. King said after the ordination.
Fr. Henry said the laying on of hands by the bishop was a special moment.
"My only part was just to say yes to that," he said, referring to the prayer of ordination.
Fr. Parks also noted the laying on of hands.
"I just felt that I was being reconfigured in my person," he said. Fr. Parks also mentioned receiving the Eucharist during the orination.
"I was just struck once again that God becomes the Eucharist for us," he said, underscoring God's humility.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said all three priests know well the challenges that the Church faces today, including the shortcomings of its members, “but without losing heart, they are ready and eager to be faithful priests of the Lord Jesus” and convincingly share the faith.
“The three men I have the honor to ordain this year are quite different in personality but united by a deep love for the Lord Jesus, and an eagerness to hand on the good news of Christ in convincing ways,” Bishop Olmsted said in an interview prior to the June 5 ordination.
"From this day forward the people of God will call you 'father,' because you will love people in His name," the bishop told the new priests. He encouraged them to listen to confessions with compassion and called them to defend the unborn and the immigrant.
All three priests cited their involvement in youth ministry in the Phoenix Diocese as part of their discernment process.
Each newly ordained will celebrate their first Mass at their home parish June 6. The Mass times are staggered so the new priests can support each other from the pew.
Phoenix’s three new priests fit right in with the 440 men awaiting priestly ordination nationwide.
Of the 339 diocesan and religious ordinands who responded to the survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, 72 percent are Caucasian. Half to three-quarters served in some parish ministry before entering the seminary.
More than half are between the ages of 25 and 34, roughly the same as last year. The median age of this year’s ordinands nationally is 33 with Fr. Henry, who turns 26 shortly, being the youngest nationally.
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo's title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.