Why Catholics go to Confession

The Devil is afraid of you!

An American exorcist has said the film The Exorcist led people to believe wrongly that the devil could "come and zap them" when in fact the devil is afraid of the power of Jesus inside them.

Mgr John Esseff, retired exorcist of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, told an audience of 400 students at Bowling Green State University, Ohio that the power of Jesus within them was "enormous".

He said: "The devil is afraid of you - if you would just awaken to who you are."

In describing one of his exorcisms, he said: "As she came in, she saw me and she shrieked - and the language and the growls - and then she slithered across the floor and was going up the wall. Well, there was obviously a force here, a presence. And I just simply silenced her in the name of Jesus."

Mgr Esseff said that each baptised person was united to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. He read passages from the Gospels in which Jesus exorcised demons and then sent his disciples to do the same.

He said that Jesus ultimately defeated Satan through his death and Resurrection and then sent the power of the Holy Spirit to his Apostles at Pentecost.

"When God looks down, he sees Jesus in you," Mgr Esseff said. "You have that power as baptised, confirmed Christians. And so when he [Satan] sees you, he hates what you would discover about that power that is within you."

He suggested that each audience member had been tempted that day because temptation was the ordinary activity of the devil.

"Your soul is a battlefield because there is also someone who hates you," he said. "That one is the devil. The devil knows who you are and what you have. God passed him by. God did not choose to become one of the angels. God chose to be one like us."

But just as each person was tempted, Mgr Esseff said, another spirit also was at work.

"In your life today, this very day, has been the Holy Spirit," he said. "God is in you. God the Holy Spirit is operative in you. God the Holy Spirit wants to bring into your heart love. God wants to bring you peace."

Mgr Esseff also told students of the power of angels and encouraged them to renew their devotions to their guardian angels.

"His [the angel's] job is to protect you all through this world. And when you close your eyes, he wants to deliver you to God," Mgr Esseff said.

After the talk Megan Dowell-Howko, a first-year student, said she now had a better understanding of how she experienced temptation, and that she would remember she could say no to the devil.

She said: "I guess I'm taking away a renewed confidence that the devil only has as much power over me as I give to him," she said.

Before the event Mgr Esseff said he saw three indications of Satan's presence in the world: money, lies and war.

"I think one of the greatest things he has done is have people forget he exists. People deny he exists," he said.


Read the whole article HERE at the Catholic Herald.

What is the purpose of Prayer?

REASONS TO PRAY (from Prayer for Beginners by Peter Kreeft):




1. Praying keeps your soul alive: Prayer is real contact with God, and God is the life of the soul as the soul is the life of the body. If you do not pray, your soul will wither and die, just as, if you do not eat, your body will wither and die.

2. Because God commands it: Three reasons he commands us to pray correspond to our three deepest needs, the fundamental needs of the three powers of our soul: prayer gives truth to our mind, goodness to our will, and beauty to our heart. "The true, the good, and the beautiful" are the three things we need and love the most, because they are three attributes of God.

3. Prayer changes us: We pray, not to change God's mind, but to change our own; not to command God, but to let God command us. Prayer is our obedience to God even when it asks God for things, for God commanded us to ask.

4. We do not have an infinite amount of time: We are one day nearer Home today than we ever were before. I guarantee you that after you die, you will not say, "I spent too much time praying; I wish I had watched more TV instead." We must learn to pray because infinite and uncompromising Love will not leave us alone until we do. If we do not learn to practice his presence with our whole mind and will in this life, we will have to learn it in Purgatory, where it will be much more painful - or else we will never learn it, and that is Hell.

5. Learning to pray is dress rehearsal for eternal life: What you do when you rehearse a play is actually to practice it, to do it; and what we do when we pray is actually to practice what we will be doing in Heaven.

6. Prayer is delightful: Brother Lawrence says, in The Practice of the Presence of God, "There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it."

7. Prayer is the way to know God: One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books of theology in the world.

8. Prayer is the only way to spiritual progress: We must pray in order to grow, and we must grow because Infinite Love will not, cannot, settle for less than the greatest joy of which his beloved creature is capable.

9. Prayer is necessary because without it we cannot attain the meaning of life, the end and purpose of our existence: Becoming saints is the meaning of life. It is why we exist. It is why God created us. Prayer is our first step in becoming saints. The second step is charity, a life of love, the ecstasy of giving ourselves away over and over again forever, as each Persons of the Trinity do. But this is prayer, too, or an extension of prayer. This is practicing the presence of God in action.

From: Catholic Answers.

Why are many graces being lost at mass?

Fr. Bill Casey makes us think about these questions...

How well do you prepare before Mass?

Do you talk, joke or socialize before or during the Mass?

How do you act during Mass?

Do you forget about the 'Real Presence' during Mass?

Do you genuflect?

Do you make a thanksgiving after recieving Holy Communion when Mass is finished?

It is Time for a Real Sexual ‘Counter-Revolution’

I figure now’s a good time for a radical discussion about sex.
We’ll never change the way we view abortion until we change our attitudes about sex. It’s time for a sexual counter-revolution.

The sanctity of human life from the moment of conception throughout all of life up to and including a natural death is the only foundation our society will ever be able to stand upon if we hope to flourish as a truly free people.
It’s quite obvious our foundation is crumbling.

To repair it, we must go back to square one and correct our ideas about sex.

Unless we give sexual intercourse its due reverence, we’ll never give human life its due reverence.
The two can never be separated.

If we don’t regard all life as sacred – and thus the creative act of sex—then we will always find ways to rationalize and justify the murder of a child as a “right.”

I’m not naively suggesting that prior to 1973 people were all living chaste and faithful lives and that sex was held in the highest esteem by all, to be expressed within the bond of marriage.
I am saying that the decision to legalize the killing of our preborn children cemented a poisonous shift in our mentality, and that poison has corroded every aspect of our society, especially our treatment of sex.
We replaced responsibility with “rights” and it’s been a downhill race toward insatiable debauchery ever since.

One criticism I hear often from people is that I and other Pro-Life folks ignore the real cause of abortions: unexpected/unwanted pregnancies.
What needs to be addressed, they say, is the “tragedy of unexpected and unwanted pregnancies.”
Do you see what I mean?
Pregnancy is a “tragedy” – not a miracle of life.

There’s that poisonous shift in our thinking.

The creation of a new human being is a tragedy if we didn’t expect it or want it. The tragedy isn’t the new life; it’s our self-centered, warped perspective.

There is a solution to the problem of nearly all unwanted and unexpected pregnancies, but it’s the only one that nobody wants to talk about or consider seriously.
The answer is so obvious, it just begs to be shouted out, but no one wants to do it because it’s the action that requires the most of us.
As soon as I say it, I’ll be laughed at and called an idealistic nincompoop (or worse).
I don’t care.
It might not be politically correct, but it must be said!

We all know exactly how babies are made so if you are unwilling to lovingly accept a child into your life, then don’t have sex! Period.

Sex isn’t a right; it’s a profound gift that serves a profound purpose.

It isn’t just a healthy, human activity; it’s also the ultimate expression of love and selflessness.
It’s not a recreational pastime with no strings attached.
Sex comes with some huge responsibilities, and if we’re not willing to accept ALL those responsibilities, we have no business having sex.
It’s that simple.

The tragedy isn’t that women are unexpectedly pregnant; it’s that people are selfishly indulging in sex and then refusing to accept the natural outcome.

Women do not simply “find themselves” pregnant, as though they had nothing to do with it.
It isn’t magic that happens without their involvement.
(In no way am I speaking here to women who are victims of violent assault. No woman chooses to be raped.)

Our real freedom and power lies in that very first choice: to have sex or not.

Why are women only free and empowered if they have the “right” to kill their babies? Are we not capable of using our brains and connecting the dots?
“If I choose to do this, here’s what will probably happen.
It’s my life and my choice, so I’d better make the wise choice.”

It seems to me that a woman who’s truly interested in preserving her choices will be smart and not put herself in a vulnerable position in the first place.
I never said it was easy – only that it was simple.
Our choices need to be made while we still have our clothes on.

Next comes the argument that not having sex is completely unrealistic and impossible, so we must have better birth control.
Here again is the poisonous shift in our thinking.
Birth control simply further engraves on our hearts the idea that pregnancy is a tragedy and babies are a burden to be avoided.
When unexpected/unwanted pregnancy occurs, it isn’t because our birth control has failed, it’s because our sense of morality and responsibility has failed.

The creation of new life should always be expected because that’s what sex is for!
That’s why even married couples are called to abstain when they have serious reasons for not conceiving a child.

And let’s stop buying Planned Parenthood’s talking points that say many women have abortions because they think they have no other choice. Baloney.
There are other choices, but they won’t be as convenient as killing the baby.
It’s in Planned Parenthood’s best interest to portray women as pitiable, helpless, forgotten sufferers without any recourse besides abortion, but it’s a lie.
Women need to stop wearing the victim mask and take responsibility for their life’s choices, the most important of which is whether or not to have sex.
Where is a woman’s personal accountability in all of this? Where is a man’s?

It goes without saying that society must step up and care for the needs of pregnant women and their babies, encouraging all mothers to choose life.
(I believe the Church works very hard to do that.)
It also goes without saying that men and women need to think about the consequences of their actions and be willing to accept responsibility, and responsibility does not equal abortion.

Is everyone expected to be "perfect", in the sense of never making a mistake or exercise bad judgment? Of course not.
I’m simply saying that when it comes to sex, we all know what happens!
Our lapses in judgment can never, ever justify killing preborn babies.
Once a new person enters the equation, the only choice that remains is LIFE.

We need to return to the knowledge that sex is sacred because life is sacred.

It’s time for a radical revolution of responsibility; a revolution of reverence for sex and reverence for life.
It is time for a sexual counter-revolution which liberates men and women, honors marriage and reaffirms the beauty and dignity of human love in the Divine Plan.

By Jennifer Hartline
9/16/2009
Read the article at: Catholic Online

Perseverance in Prayer

Seven simple Rules:

1) Be constant - a daily routine is essential.











2) Try to improve the quality of your prayers.








3) Never doubt that God hears your prayers.











4) Avoid distractions but don't become depressed.











5) Listen as much as you speak.









6) Learn from others about prayer.








7) Don't forget - NEVER give up!

Worth a sacrifice - an important decision

This powerful and moving video thanks to Divine Ripples shows what God did for us all (using this example).

What a sacrifice!

Thank you God for saving us all.



What would your decision be?

Hell

Does Hell Exist?

CCC1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of unrepentant mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire."

Who goes to Hell?

Persons who die in unrepentant mortal sin.
Such souls are devoid of sanctifying grace and charity - the love of God.
God sends nobody to hell, they go there of their own accord, to that which they have 'loved'.

Why did God create Hell?

God did NOT create Hell.
Hell is the result of sin and free will.
Self love v's God's love.

Slow Fade

Lead singer/songwriter Mark Hall of the Casting Crowns comments on this song:

"When we're in the church and spending time with God, we know what we're supposed to do and how to live.
Everything is black and white.
But somewhere between the altar and the door, when we leave and go out into our lives, it all leaks out.
Everything gets gray again.
It's like we have these two lives, and the Christian life is the journey between the altar and door....trying to get the things you've got in your head, into your hands, into your feet, and into your life."



Mistakes, regrets, wrongs, sins don’t occur all at once or in a single day.
It is gradual.
It is based on small decisions we make day to day.
We find ourselves often having done something or at some place we didn’t expect to be, not because we woke up one morning choosing to do something, but rather little by little our daily choices and decisions led us there.

"Be careful little eyes what you see..."

Stepping out of your comfort zone

Do YOU step out of your comfort zone to make others aware of Jesus and talk about Him?



Video thanks to Divine Ripples.