The text below is taken from “The Writings of St Maximilian Maria Kolbe – Volume II: Various Writings” from section 1311. With a Marian accent St. Maximilian articulates the Franciscan school on the test of the Angels and the fall of Lucifer and his minions.
The Immaculata before Her Coming into the World
Niepokalanów, August 5–20, 1940 by St. Maximilian Kolbe
After creating the Angels, God willed that, in full consciousness and will, they should give proof that they would always and in everything desire to accomplish His Will. He showed them the mystery of the Incarnation, that is to say, that He would call into existence a human being, with body and soul, and that he would raise up such a creature to the dignity of Mother of God, so that she would become also their Queen and they would have to venerate her as well. Countless legions of angelic spirits joyfully greeted the one whom their Creator had decided to raise so sublimely and humbly paid homage to their Lady. Some of them, however, headed by Lucifer—forgetful of the fact that all they were and possessed they had received from God, while they alone were absolutely nothing—rebelled and refused to submit to God’s Will. For they considered themselves superior to a human being covered with flesh. Such an act of veneration seemed to them a debasement of their dignity. They allowed themselves to be carried away by pride and refused to do the Will of God.
Because of that, immediate, eternal punishment befell them: separation from God, Hell. Being pure spirits, they possessed penetrating intelligence, whereby their action was fully conscious and voluntary, and in their guilt the features of mortal sin, committed with absolute awareness, were most evident. That is why those angels immediately became demons, and forever.
Since then, the memory of the fact that this creature had become the affirmation of the good Angels and the assurance of their eternal happiness, while to the demons she was the cause of scandal and separation, filled the latter with hellish hatred toward her, a hatred like the hatred they harbored toward God, of whom she was supposed to be such a faithful image.
In the Garden of Eden, Satan saw a being like the one who was the object of his anger. He cannot reach God, he cannot reach her [Mary], but pours out his hatred onto her future mother, on the first mother of mankind [Eve]. He manages to persuade the woman to oppose the will of God and to seek perfection not in submission to God’s intentions, but in following one’s reason. He wins her over with pride. The human being, who knows with the help of the senses, is far from the clarity of knowledge that a purely spiritual being possesses. And it is for this very reason that man’s sin is much less severe. That is why God’s mercy promises [to our first parents] a Redeemer, while to Satan God predicts that the victory he has achieved over Eve, the mother of the foretold being, will not in any way alter the divine plan. Indeed, He predicts that “she will crush his head,” although he continuously “lies in wait” for “her heel,” as happens to this day”
“For covetousness is the root of all evils, and some in their eagerness to get rich have strayed from the Faith and have involved themselves in many troubles.” (1 Tm 6:10)
When I was studying theology as a seminarian in the late 90s with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate my professor in dogmatic theology, Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, made an unusual comment about the problems plaguing the Church. “It will be a wonderful day when the Church is broke,” he exclaimed. Why? Because, in his opinion, it was money that kept all of the dissenters in the Church. In other words, if there were no paychecks they would pack their bags and go elsewhere.
Well that day seems to have arrived for the Catholic Church in the USA. Since 1950 over $4 billion dollars have been paid out (legal fees, settlements, etc.) for sexually abusive priests and 14 Dioceses have filed bankruptcy since 2002. Because of the Mccarrick scandal and the PA grand jury discoveries many people, including myself, have come out publicly to share our own stories of abuse and harassment (I have posted mine here). Consequently, we can expect that there will be many more legal expenses and settlements in the wake of these enormous scandals.
Perhaps the most important element of creating a “poor Church” is the financial support of the lay faithful. The Cardinals and Bishops by brushing aside victims of priestly sexual abuse and defending and reassigning the predators (like Cardinals Law, Mahoney, Mccarrick and Wuerl), by disregarding the root problem of the majority of the scandals (namely, active homosexuals and homosexual activists in the clerical state – see this interview with Cardinal Burke and this article from an EWTN panel discussion), by working strenuously to protect their own reputation, by guarding their own positions and seeking to advance their ecclesiastical careers, by thwarting their good priests and advancing their bad priests, by neglecting the salvation of souls, etc. etc. have lost the trust of the faithful. “Not one more penny,” is the cry from the laity, “until you reform yourselves, the seminaries and the priests in your dioceses!” I can assure you that this will be extremely effective if done consistently over a period of time and coupled with prayer and penance. Actually, this may be the only way to oust the gay network from the Church. They will retaliate in diabolical ways – sometimes in subtle and covert ways, other times in blatant and obvious ones. The lavender mafia is strong and insidious. They will resist tooth and nail. But if the funds stop rolling in, if the lawsuits and investigations continue to pile up and to expose the guilty, and if the faithful continue their rightful demands for chaste and holy Bishops and priests, then things will begin to move in the right direction. The ranks of the Bishops will be purified and will begin to purify the seminaries and the ranks of the priests.
Many active homosexuals and homosexual activists teach in Seminaries, work in Chanceries, and run parishes across the country… If there is no paycheck then they have a choice, to serve God or mammon. The mammon-servers will leave. Take, for example, the priest in the Diocese of Syracuse who went public as being an active homosexual, Fr. Fred Daley. Not only has he been permitted to continue as a priest and pastor during these past 14 years (which means all of the perks: salary, insurance, food, lodging, etc.), he was even reassigned from his parish in Utica to a parish in Syracuse itself! When he first came out of the closet in 2004 I immediately wrote a personal letter marked “confidential” to the Bishop about how this was creating scandal and confusion among the laity and asked the Bishop if he was going to say or do something, and the response? Crickets. If priests (and Bishops, for that matter) were reduced to the poor stable of Bethlehem or the Holy House at Nazareth or the poverty of the Cross on Calvary, would they continue? Would they stay? If they did, it would have to be out of love for Christ, His Church, and the souls entrusted to them.
I’m not saying that money cannot be used for noble, holy endeavors, but I’m simply making the point that serving Christ and His Church – the Church that teaches that sodomy is morally wrong, that homosexuality is an intrinsic disorder – means leading a life of prayer and sacrifice. If the Church becomes truly penniless the clergy will be forced to serve God for the right reason – for the pure love of Him – and to seek that treasure which is in Heaven.
A poor and purified Church would also be genuinely concerned with the poor and vulnerable – like the victims of priestly sexual abuse and those who could be potentially abused in the future, like the seminarians who want and need solid formation, like the laity who want and need the unadulterated truth of the Catholic Faith and need chaste, dedicated priests to assist them along the way. Many of the Bishops, to date, have shown by their actions that they have been more concerned with the finances and reputation of their Dioceses (and themselves) than the eternal salvation of the souls entrusted to their care. This is frustrating and infuriating. There are many ways of giving in the Church without enabling the gay mafia; there is also the possibility of setting aside one’s offerings and retaining them until one is sure the funds will be used properly. Whatever method is used, the reason for it needs to be communicated to the priests and Bishops (like printing out a slip of paper saying “Dear Bishop, Not another penny until you get rid of the homosexual priests in the Diocese,” putting that into the parish offering envelope, and dropping it into the collection basket). They will get the message loud and clear.
The entire situation in which we find ourselves today reminds me of the sobering question of Our Lord: “Yet when the Son of Man comes, will He find, do you think, faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:8). And the explanation of St. Paul regarding the end times, “Let know one deceive you in any way, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first…” (2 Thes 2:3). Whether what we are currently experiencing is the great apostasy or not remains to be seen; but there is indeed a great apostasy and therefore a tremendous need for purification in the House of God – starting with my own sinful soul. “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” May her Immaculate Heart triumph in my heart, your heart and in all hearts that beat upon the face of the earth.
Dr. Mark Miravalle, one of my professors of Theology when I was an undergraduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, speaks of the moral test of the Angels. Why are there Holy Angels and fallen angels? What proved the good Angels to be “good” and the fallen angels to be “evil”? Why is there a spiritual war raging between Lucifer and St. Michael?
From beginning to end the Bible tells us that the battle has to do with the Woman and her Offspring (cf. Gen 3:15 and Apoc 12). The Evil One, “that great dragon…, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world… stood before the Woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her Son” (Apoc 12:7,4) – spiritual warfare is centered on the mystery of the Incarnation.
This is not a coincidence. According to the Franciscan school Satan (and a third of the angelic host with him) was condemned to Hell forever and lost his glorious light because he refused to serve Christ as King and Our Lady as Queen: non serviam! I even wonder if this is the reason that he goes after Eve, the first woman, instead of Adam in the garden of Eden… he either suspected her to be “the Woman” or despised her because she represented that Woman. Although I treat of this and draw upon the writings of Fr. Gabriel Amorth and the Ven. Mother Mary of Agreda here, here and here, nonetheless, the topic is always fresh and worthy of further meditation. I am posting a 10 minute presentation where Dr. Miravalle gives insights into Mary’s role as Queen of the Angels. After the introduction to the topic he speaks of the Franciscan thesis and how the Incarnation of Christ and the divine maternity of Mary were presented to the Angels, that it was revealed to them that they would have the joy and privilege of serving Christ as King and Mary as Queen if they accepted God’s marvelous plan. The Holy Angels are the ones who embraced the will of God and make up the nine choirs of Angels in Heaven. Here is Dr. Miravalle’s reflection:
On November 20th, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the “absolute primacy” of Christ in his address to the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Besides his reference to the absolute primacy of Christ (clearly a reference to the Franciscan and Benedictine tradition of Christ’s primacy quite apart from any consideration of sin – Pope Benedict has spoken very highly of the Benedictine Abbot Rupert of Deutz and specifically underscores his Christology), note how this entire paragraph regarding religious life stands on its own quite apart from any mention of Christ’s redemptive work:
Christo omnino nihil praeponere [prefer nothing to Christ] (cf. Rule of Benedict 72, 11; Augustine, Enarr. in Ps 29: 9; Cyprian, Ad Fort 4). These words which the Rule of St Benedict takes from the previous tradition, clearly express the precious treasure of monastic life lived still today in both the Christian West and East. It is a pressing invitation to mould monastic life to the point of making it an evangelical memorial of the Church and, when it is authentically lived, “a reference point for all the baptized” (cf. John Paul II, Orientale lumen, n. 9). By virtue of the absolute primacy reserved for Christ, monasteries are called to be places in which room is made for the celebration of God’s glory, where the mysterious but real divine presence in the world is adored and praised, where one seeks to live the new commandment of love and mutual service, thus preparing for the final “revelation of the sons of God” (Rm 8: 19). When monks live the Gospel radically, when they dedicate themselves to integral contemplative life in profound spousal union with Christ, on whom this Congregation’s Instruction Verbi Sponsa (13 May 1999) extensively reflected, monasticism can constitute for all the forms of religious life and consecrated life a remembrance of what is essential and has primacy in the life of every baptized person: to seek Christ and put nothing before his love.
Pope Benedict XVI underscores a point that is central to the doctrine of the absolute primacy of Christ, namely that the primary reason Christ came in the flesh, and the primary reason that the Angels and the elect exist, is for the glory of God – ad majorem gloriam Dei as St. Ignatius of Loyola puts it. The Incarnate Word gives the maximum glory to God in His Sacred Humanity; we are called to give glory to God per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, viz. through Him, with Him and in Him as we pray in the Sacred Liturgy. This is God’s plan, sin or no sin, and the Pope’s words ring true not only for monks and nuns, but for all the faithful: By virtue of the absolute primacy reserved for Christ, monasteries [and by way of extension families, parishes, our souls, etc.] are called to be places in which room is made for the celebration of God’s glory, where the mysterious but real divine presence in the world is adored and praised, where one seeks to live the new commandment of love and mutual service, thus preparing for the final “revelation of the sons of God” (Rm 8: 19).
He mentions adoration and praise of the divine presence. Sin or no sin, we were created to adore and praise God. Our Lord Himself tells the Samaritan woman, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such to worship Him. God is spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4: 23-24). Christ, then, who tells us that He is that truth (cf. Jn 14:6), is the Mediator, the High Priest, the one through whom we can adore the Living God. Christ exists for the glory of God; we also exist for the glory of God, but for us that glory is given to Christ and through Him to the entire Trinity. For this reason, as Pope Benedict XIV states, “a profound spousal union with Christ” reveals “what is essential and has primacy in the life of every baptized person: to seek Christ and put nothing before His love.”
According to Franciscan Christology these beautiful expressions would hold true even if Adam had not sinned – in other words, in a sinless world we would still be called to seek Christ and put nothing before His love and to give glory to God through, with and in Christ. Because of sin Christ comes in passible, mortal flesh and works out our Redemption on Calvary. The divine design is the same – man is called to glorify God and be one with Him through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – but because of sin Christ had to suffer, die and rise from the dead to conquer sin, Satan and eternal death forever [for more on this topic, including diagrams and a video click here].
According to the Franciscan school God willed one economy of grace which He offers to Angels and the elect through Christ (gratia Christi) and not two economies, one for Angels and Adam and Eve before sin (gratia Dei) and another “better” economy for Adam and Eve and their progeny after sin (gratia Christi), a sort of “plan A”, but because of sin God gives an even better “plan B”. Bl. John Duns Scotus points out that “there could never be but one Head in the Church from which there is derived the influx of graces upon the members.” (Ordinatio, III, d.13, q.4, n.8.). So Jesus is the Head (Col. 1:18); in Him dwells the fullness of Divinity corporally (2:9); from Him, as the Head, the whole body is supplied and built up (2:19). That is God’s eternal decree, sin or no sin.
“Truly, this vice [of homosexuality] is never to be compared with any other vice because it surpasses the enormity of all vices.… It defiles everything, stains everything, pollutes everything. And as for itself, it permits nothing pure, nothing clean, nothing other than filth.…” St. Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church
It has been a sad week for the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the United States, and the reports of scandals among the priests, even Bishops… even Cardinals – ex-Cardinal Mccarrick (now more accurately known as Uncle Ted) and Cardinal Wuerl’s negligences which will probably be exposed by the PA Grand Jury in the weeks to come, have reached the ears even of this hermit. The scandals are part of the ongoing spiritual and moral crisis both in our society and within the Church.
Personal encounters with scandal
I saw that some priests, like Fr. Desmond Rossi (see here), Fr. Roman Manchester (see here), former priest Peter Mitchell (see here), former seminarians John Monaco (see here), John DeFilippis (see here), and an anonymous H.R. (see here) have gone public with the gay culture they encountered as seminarians, and even Michael Voris has shared how he was harassed by a priest (Fr. Richard McBrien?) at Notre Dame (see here). I too experienced being groomed by a Jesuit priest during high school. Fortunately no crime or sin was committed, but the diabolical disorder and seductive methods of these homosexual priests is frightening and deserves to be exposed. As St. Maximus the Confessor once wrote, “He who puts on a show of friendship in order to do his neighbor some injury is a wolf hiding his wickedness under sheep’s clothing” (Ad Thalassium, 25). So let me describe exactly what happened to me…
Fr. Joseph Casey, SJ
It was 1984. I was 15 or 16 years old and a sophomore at Brebeuf Preparatory School in Indianapolis, IN, which was run by the Jesuits. I don’t remember the circumstances, but one day a priest, Fr. Joseph Casey, SJ, (who happened to be the President of the school) said hello to me and invited me to stop by his office sometime. He didn’t mingle with the students much because he was usually in his office, so the encounter was strange to begin with. I was a straight A student at the time and so, being asked by a priest and the President of the school to come by his office, I felt it was my duty to stop by. I did. I had no idea why he wanted to see me, but I expected it to be like my other encounters with the faculty – academic or business oriented. Well, he told me that he had seen me at the school dance and that I was a very good dancer. I had the bizarre feeling that this priest was stalking me.
I was on the swim team at that time. One afternoon we had a swim meet and as we were piling onto the bus there was Fr. Casey. Apparently he was coming to cheer us on. Really, no one came to our swim meets and certainly no one traveled on the bus with the team, so this was quite unusual. It never occurred to me during the swim meet that he was coming to watch me – like he had done at the school dance – only now with nothing but a Speedo swimsuit on. After the swim meet we all piled back onto the bus. Fr. Casey got on the bus and made it a point to sit next to me – I was basically trapped between him and the window. It was very dark and the windows were all steamy because it was so cold outside. I put my knees up against the back of the seat in front of me and tried to get some rest because I was exhausted. Fr. Casey never said anything or did anything, but I felt awkward and tense for the entire bus ride… Fortunately my tale ends here. Nothing happened. I never went to his office again and he never reappeared in my life. But when I look back, especially in light of all that has come to the fore in the last 20 years, it makes me tremble. I was so, so vulnerable at that time. Besides being a teenager, my parents had just divorced. It would have been devastating for me if anything had happened.
Brebeuf, as it turns out, has always been notorious for abuse. The Dean of Students in the 1970’s, Fr. James Grear, molested boys (see here); in my freshman year in 1984 I remember Michelle, a cheerleader, telling us that the computer teacher, James West, had taken her into his office and offered her an “A” if she would let him spank her; a credible accusation was made against Fr. Bernard Knoth, SJ, for sexually abusing a student in 1986 (see here) when Knoth was Principal of the school; Rick Doucette, a religion teacher (full blown heresy, by the way) and wrestling coach, would frequently take the wrestlers and other boys to hotels for overnights and even “chaperoned” a trip to Italy – he was released from Brebeuf and later caught red handed molesting a minor twice as soccer coach (see here). [N.B. during all 4 years that I was at Brebeuf (1983-87) the Principal, President and only male religion teacher were all homosexuals and all secretly preying on male students]
After my own conversion to Christ and His Church in 1988 (before I knew about his misbehavior), I met with Fr. Bernard Knoth, SJ, twice as I myself had started discerning the priesthood. In my first meeting with him he confided to me how, as a Jesuit seminarian, he had been raped by another seminarian. In my second meeting with him he told me that the Eucharist was not the Real Presence and that Confession was just a psychological phenomenon – in other words, he had lost his faith but continued to “function” as a Jesuit priest. My heart goes out to him and many others who, through being molested, lost their faith and went on to hurt others. Pray we must, for both victim and perpetrator.
As if this wasn’t enough, my spiritual director who helped me discern the Franciscans informed me in 1997 that his Bishop threatened to suspend him as a priest if he would not perform homosexual acts with him. My director refused and was indeed suspended as a priest. It turns out that the Bishop had also been going on a regular basis to the red light district and hiring men and woman prostitutes. They called him “the Bish” and knew that they would get wined and dined like kings or queens before the dirty work would begin. My director, after getting nowhere with Rome, went public (anonymously) with The Wanderer around that time of 1997-1998 and finally Bishop Daniel Ryan resigned in late 1999 (see here).
Protest by RCF in the late 1990s
I could go on (just with examples I have come to know about personally, let alone what’s hitting the news and what you can find in books like Goodbye, Good Men), but it would be pointless.
A particular problem: Sodomy
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
As noted, the problem is a spiritual and moral crisis in the world and in the Church. But most of the priest scandals in the Church are specifically related to the sin of sodomy (see Fr. Regis Scanlon’s article which calls a spade a spade and this interview with Cardinal Burke and this panel discussion from EWTN). While this sin is nothing new (think of Sodom and Gomorrah), we are living in a society that is telling us on all sides that homosexuality and gender-confusion is not a disorder, but just part of an enlightening evolutionary process and that everyone needs to be open minded to where that process is leading us.
The fact is that vast majority of pedophiles are sodomites whose disordered passions lead them to seep down into lower age brackets. In the world it is legal for a young man to look at internet pornography, but not child pornography. Well it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that as long as there is no restraint in looking at pornography there will continue to be a market for child pornography. Similarly, as long as homosexual priests are not disciplined (like Fr. Fred Daley who for 14 years now has been publicly professing himself to be a gay priest) there will continue to be those who prey on children (not to mention teenagers and seminarians). Enough is enough! If a priest does not accept the perennial teaching of the Scripture and the Church he should be shown the door; and if he does not live that teaching he should be disciplined; and “pink” seminaries should be shut down. Otherwise the accusations and lawsuits will continue to plague the Church and her credibility will continue to crumble.
The solution: Jesus Christ
One of the beauties of the doctrine of the absolute primacy of Christ is that He became flesh to glorify the Father in the most perfect way possible in a created universe. “And where sin abounded, grace did more abound” (Rm 5:20)… in other words, nothing will eclipse the perfect glory given to God in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christ invites us to be forgiven and freed from our sins and to glorify God through, with and in Him. But even if nobody were to accept His invitation, perfect glory would still be given to God in His Sacred Humanity. Sin never has the upper hand in God’s plans; sin never has the last word.
Christ does not need us; we need Him. Will we follow Him? Will we take up our Cross and be His disciples? Will we be pure of heart so that we can see God? The merciful invitation to repent and believe remains. And whether individuals (including clerics) respond to that invitation or not, He will nonetheless come in glory to judge the living and the dead. Then He will submit all to His Father for His eternal glory: “And when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be made subject to Him who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).
In an essay in First Things back in 1991 entitled Education and the Mind Redeemed, my Philosophy professor at Franciscan University, Dr. John Crosby (the first to introduce me to Bl. John Henry Newman), draws out the fact that “certain theological traditions” uphold an “incarnational humanism” because Jesus, by virtue of His absolute primacy in the divine plan, belongs to the very order of creation and not just to the order of redemption. Here is the paragraph where he speaks of this:
It is perhaps worth observing that there are certain theological traditions that have a particular reason to make their own the incarnational humanism taught by the Council. Even before the Blessed John Duns Scotus, the great medieval Franciscan theologian of the fourteenth century, but especially after him, the doctrine of what is called the “absolute primacy of Christ” has been dear to many theologians, including, I believe, certain Protestants, among them Karl Barth. They disagree with those who say that the incarnation of the Son in Jesus Christ belongs only to the order of redemption and not to the order of creation, and that, apart from the fall of man, there would have been no incarnation. They hold instead that Jesus Christ belongs to the order of creation no less than to the order of redemption, that God in His original plan of creation, and not just as a response to human sin, created the world for the God-man, and destined it to be subject to His kingship (as St. Paul seems to teach in Col. 1:15-18 and elsewhere). And it should be especially clear why everything human is ordered to Jesus Christ and can be fulfilled only in Him: for His kingship over creation is rooted not only in the economy of our salvation, but in the original plan of creation. And it should be especially clear why for Christians life in Christ should not compete with our love of His creation, but should rather support our commitment to “build up the earth” in and with and through Him.
A noteworthy quote of St. Lawrence of Brindisi (+1619), Doctor of the Church, was posted at AirMaria.com two years ago here. It gives marvelous insight into the Franciscan thesis which says that the Incarnation of Christ was willed for its own sake and not primarily as a remedy to Adam’s fall. St. Lawrence says,
God is love, and all His operations proceed from love. Once He wills to manifest that goodness by sharing His love outside Himself, then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation of His goodness and love and glory. So, Christ was intended before all other creatures and for His own sake. For Him all things were created and to Him all things must be subject, and God loves all creatures in and because of Christ. Christ is the first-born of every creature, and the whole of humanity as well as the created world finds its foundation and meaning in Him. Moreover, this would have been the case even if Adam had not sinned.
I have translated a few other quotes pertinent to the primacy of Christ from the Latin Mariale of the Saint which can be found at this link. I consider St. Lawrence of Brindisi a “heavyweight” when it comes to the Franciscan thesis because of his theological erudition and his deeply contemplative and penitential spirit as part of the Capuchin reform.
On the website “Community in Mission” Msgr. Charles Pope brought up the question which the Medieval theologians had used to determine the primary motive of the Incarnation: If Adam had not sinned, would Christ have come in the flesh? His answer was to cite St. Thomas Aquinas on the subject and then to add his own personal commentary. You can see the original post in its entirety here (and notice the stir it created in the combox!). Since I have already posted St. Thomas’ position with commentary elsewhere I will limit this post to Msgr. Pope’s personal commentary. He writes:
While theological speculation may have its place, it is most certain that the Incarnation was instituted by God first and foremost as a remedy for sin. And while the Incarnation offers more than is required to remedy sin (e.g., an increase in human dignity (since God joined our family), God’s visitation, the opening of a heavenly (not merely earthly) paradise), Scripture presents remedy for sin as God’s primary motive. In remedying our sin, God shows the greatness of His mercy, because He does not merely restore us but elevates us to a higher place than before. The least born in to the Kingdom of God is greater than the exemplar of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist. Had we not sinned and had God merely wanted to elevate us, He could have done so in other ways. Hence, St. Thomas’ position is best suited to the evidence.
First, let me address his conclusion: Hence, St. Thomas’ position is best suited to the evidence. What evidence? Not a single Scripture quote is proffered; with the exception of St. Thomas no Saint, Doctor of the Church, or magisterial document is cited to confirm this “evidence”; not even logic is offered – we are simply told that this position is “most certain”.
Now let’s look at this line by line…
While theological speculation may have its place, it is most certain that the Incarnation was instituted by God first and foremost as a remedy for sin.
“Speculation”: This seems to be the constant lament of Thomists who do not want to discuss the matter any further, namely, that it is all speculative and hypothetical (I tackle this head on here). In reality the Franciscan position is not hypothetical at all: Christ’s predestination was willed before the creation of the world and God willed to give us every spiritual blessing through Him the one Mediator between God and man (cf. Eph 1:3-5; Mt. 11:27; Jn. 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). To say that Christ would NOT have come… now that is the height of speculation. Where in the Scripture does it speak of an economy of grace without Christ? Even the Angels are under His headship as the God-Man (cf. Col 1:15:18; 2:10 – see Fr. Gabriel Amorth on this point).
“It is most certain that the Incarnation was instituted by God first and foremost as a remedy for sin”: This requires proof. Scripture, from Genesis to Apocalypse, was written after the fall and it is no surprise that God’s Word to us is dominated by our need for Redemption. So I think we all agree that it is absolutely certain that after the fall Christ came to save sinners (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15; Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 9:26). But it does not follow that the Incarnation was instituted “first and foremost as a remedy for sin.” St. Thomas argues that this is “more probable” whereas the contrary position is “probable”. Thomas never cites his position as certain.
For Bl. John Duns Scotus what is certain is this: “If man had not sinned, there would have been no need for our redemption. But that God predestined this soul [of Christ] to so great a glory does not seem to be only on account of that [redemption], since the redemption or the glory of the soul to be redeemed is not comparable to the glory of Christ’s soul. Neither is it likely that the highest good in creation is something that was merely occasioned only because of some lesser good; nor is it likely that He predestined Adam to such good before He predestined Christ; and yet this would follow [were the Incarnation occasioned by Adam’s sin]. In fact, if the predestination of Christ’s soul was for the sole purpose of redeeming others, something even more absurd would follow, namely, that in predestining Adam to glory, He would have foreseen him as having fallen into sin before He predestined Christ to glory. (from his Ordinatio).
And while the Incarnation offers more than is required to remedy sin (e.g., an increase in human dignity (since God joined our family), God’s visitation, the opening of a heavenly (not merely earthly) paradise), Scripture presents remedy for sin as God’s primary motive.
As noted above, the Scriptures were written after the fall of man and God’s Word to fallen man is frequently dominated by the revelation of our need for Redemption in Christ, without which we could not be saved. But nowhere does the Sacred Page say that Christ was sent primarily, let alone exclusively, to save man from sin. There are many passages that would indicate the opposite (and this website is chalked full of them!). To say that “Scripture presents remedy for sin as God’s primary motive” as if this were indisputable fact is misleading. St. Thomas does not say that remedy for sin is the “primary” reason and he notes that he feels that his position is “more in accordance” – not certain.
In remedying our sin, God shows the greatness of His mercy, because He does not merely restore us but elevates us to a higher place than before.
Those who hold the Franciscan thesis totally agree that in redeeming mankind God shows the greatness of His mercy; but to say that “He elevates us to a higher place than before” is pure speculation. From the Franciscan perspective we must say this: If we were always predestined to be God’s adopted children in Christ, as St. Paul affirms, then there is only one economy of grace – that which is offered to us by God through Christ Jesus. No other economy of grace has been revealed to us and Adam’s sin does not open the door to a higher elevation in Christ. An example of this is Pope St. John Paul II’s teaching on the Theology of the Body: “…before sin, man bore in his soul the fruit of eternal election in Christ, the eternal Son of the Father…” (see more on this here). How does this reconcile with the thomistic position?
Where in the Holy Bible does it tell us of two economies of divine grace – one for the good Angels and for Adam and Eve before the fall, and another economy for sinful man after the fall? St. Paul proposes only one economy of grace: “by justice unto life everlasting through Jesus Christ” (Rm 5:21 – one can read this commentary on justification through faith – sin or no sin). Even St. Bernard of Clairvaux saw that the good Angels were preserved from sin by the God-Man (see here). And Our Lady… is she elevated to a higher place than before the fall because of Adam’s sin? In a certain sense she is more indebted to God’s mercy than all of us sinners because of the singular grace of the Immaculate Conception where she was preserved free from all taint of original and actual sin (as opposed to being given a remedy or restoration from sin after having contracted it). Clearly Our Lady was elevated above us without being liberated from sin. Unlike the Thomists, the Franciscan school does not hold that Mary receives her singular graces because of the sin of Adam, but that these graces were given because of her eternal predestination in Christ to be His Mother (whether Adam had fallen or not). In other words, after the grace and glory given to the Humanity of Christ no one had a higher place in God’s designs than the Blessed Virgin Mary. Hence Thomists are basically saying that God’s greatest masterpieces in all creation, namely Jesus and Mary, were occasioned by sin and are indebted to Adam for transgressing against God because without his transgression, say the Thomists, Jesus and Mary would not have been predestined to the maximum grace and glory (Christ in His Humanity, Mary as His Mother). According to the logic of Bl. John Duns Scotus it would be “absurd” to say that Jesus, Mary or any Saint was predestined to glory because of another person’s fall.
The least born in to the Kingdom of God is greater than the exemplar of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist.
I’m not sure how this confirms the thomistic position. The people of the Old Covenant lacked the plenitude which came in the “fullness of time” (Gal 4:4) in Christ’s coming and after the establishment of the Sacraments and the Church – but this does not prove that the graces of the Old Covenant were not graces distributed in view of the merits of Christ. Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception is a grace given prior to the Incarnation in view of Christ’s merits and, according to the Franciscan school, all graces to Angels and men from the beginning are bestowed through Christ. To study this more in depth one can download Fr. Dominic Unger’s treatment of Franciscan Christology.
Had we not sinned and had God merely wanted to elevate us, He could have done so in other ways.
True, but He chose to do it this way – the most perfect way. St. Francis de Sales wrote on this very topic (Treatise on Divine Love, Book II, Ch.IV). According to this Doctor of the Church the primary reason for the Incarnation was that God “might communicate Himself” outside Himself (ad extra). From all eternity He saw that the most excellent way to do this was in “uniting Himself to some created nature, in such sort that the creature might be engrafted and implanted in the divinity, and become one single Person with it.” This is the primary reason God willed the Incarnation. Then through Christ and “for His sake” God willed to pour out His goodness on other creatures thus choosing to “create men and angels to accompany His Son, to participate in His grace and glory, to adore and praise Him forever.” What the Thomist is saying when denying the absolute predestination of Christ is that God chose to elevate us in the most perfect way because of Adam’s sin; if Adam had not sinned He would have done it in a less perfect way and would not have predestined the Sacred Humanity to grace and glory nor Mary to be the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God.
While theological speculation may have its place, it is most certain that the Incarnation was instituted by God first and foremost as a remedy for sin… Hence, St. Thomas’ position is best suited to the evidence.
In other words, just follow St. Thomas’ position – no need to speculate any further. Perhaps I’m wrong, but it seems to me that the fear of the Thomists is that bright minds will continue to study, reflect upon and discuss the primary motive of the Incarnation; whereas the fear of the Scotists (at least myself) is that bright minds will bury their heads in the sand and cease to study, reflect upon and discuss the primary motive of the Incarnation. In the end it is not about “winning” an argument, but about the truth of God’s revelation being fully known. I’m not alone in believing that we have the key to understanding the entire history of the universe because the “mystery which has been hidden for eternity in God” has now been revealed (Eph 3:9; cfr. Col 1:26; Rm 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 1:9; etc.).
Below is a presentation – as simple as it is profound – of the Franciscan position on the primacy of charity and the primacy of Christ by a young priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, Fr. Josemaria Barbin. Noteworthy is the parallel he draws out between the seven days of creation and Galatians 4 (Time, Space, Life). There is a humorous, spontaneous Q/A section at the end. I will point out that most reputable Scotists hold that if Christ came into a sinless world He would NOT have come in a glorified body, but like Adam in original innocence, viz. as a wayfarer capable of merit with an impassible, immortal body (see Fr. Peter Fehlner’s comments on this here). I should also note that Fr. Josemaria in his brief responses was not able to go into detail about the actual theology of the absolute primacy which is found in Ven. Mary of Agreda’s work The Mystical City of God, something which I have treated more in-depth on this website. Another point which is brought out in the Q/A is the test of the Angels; for more information on this one can read here, here and here. And without further ado, here is Father’s presentation…
True to form, Michael Voris and ChurchMilitant.com were not afraid to step into the fray of controversy… this time regarding the primacy of Christ. They simply present the fact that many Saints responded “yes” – Christ would have become man even if Adam had not fallen – and synthesize some of the logic of the Subtle Doctor, Bl. John Duns Scotus, on the nature of the absolute predestination of Christ’s Sacred Humanity to glory. The original post can be found HERE (with lots of heated discussion in the combox!). The following is the text posted on ChurchMilitant.com:
Some theologians say yes
Most Catholics think the Incarnation is something that happened because of the sin of Adam: God became man to save man from sin. They will often quote the Exsultet to support this position: “O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the death of Christ! O happy fault, which merited for us so glorious a Redeemer!”
This position, however, is not held by all the Saints. In fact, this is a point of theological dispute among the Scholastics. One such scholar, Blessed John Duns Scotus, a 13th-century Franciscan, argued that Christ would indeed have become incarnate, even if man had not fallen.
His argument can be summarized in the following syllogism:
If man had not fallen, Christ would not have become Man.
If Christ had not become Man, there would not be any bridge between God and creation. God is no longer the “perfect Man” uniting creation to Himself.
This means that what would have been the highest good of creation (i.e., Christ’s human nature) would no longer exist.
Therefore, what is in fact the highest good of creation, Our Blessed Lord’s human nature, is the result of an accident, an “occasion of a lesser good,” as Scotus says.
But the wise man does not leave the greatest good to chance; on the contrary, it is first in his intention.
But if a wise man intends the greatest good, then a fortiori God, Who is Wisdom Itself, intends the greatest good of creation.
Thus the hypostatic union could not be a result of an accident, and hence its cause cannot be the fall of man, which is clearly not necessary (or else God would directly intend evil, which is absurd). Therefore, God intended to assume human nature and become Man, regardless of whether man fell.
In short, Scotus is saying that God would not leave the greatest work of His creation to chance. For though the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity is not created, the human nature of Christ is created (albeit in some mysterious, unknowable way).
The point is this: God has predestined certain men to eternal glory (Heaven), and this includes Our Blessed Lord, who is truly Man. In fact, the predestination of Our Lord is prior to every other saint since He is “before all else that is” and “in all things He has primacy” (Colossians 1:17–18).
But the predestination of the saints to glory is not dependent on the Fall of man (it’s not as if man needed to fall in order for the saints to attain Heaven). Therefore, Scotus argues, if their glory is not dependent on the Fall, then much less is Christ’s glory dependent on the Fall. Therefore, Christ would have become Man had man not fallen.
What about the Exsultet, the happy fault of Adam?
The words of the Easter Vigil hymn do not say Adam’s sin was necessary to make God Man, but rather to merit us a Redeemer. If we take this for exactly what it says, then there need not be any contradiction. For had Adam not sinned, we certainly would not have needed a Redeemer. But because Adam did sin, we now have a most glorious Redeemer, Who triumphed over sin and death and crushed the skull of the serpent at the place of the skull.
[For more on the “happy fault” of the Exultet you can see my reflections and a short video on the subject here]


"People Who Care, United in Prayer."
Sugar Creek Baptist Church
Sunday School 9.45 AM | Sunday AM Worship 11.00 AM | Sunday PM Worship 6.00 PM | Wednesday Night Worship 7.00 PM
Bro. Philip Bazzell
From pre-k to 5th grade, our children's program ensures God-filled fun learning!
Bro. Scott DeShields
Bro. Scott Wyatt
Assist. Music Minister
In our youth program, students from middle school - to college age will experience God in a way tailored to their needs!
Fresh out of college to the young at heart, we have something just for you!
From the Pastor:
Thank you for visiting our site! We are truly blessed and encouraged and hope the information you find here is helpful. As pastor I would like to welcome you to Sugar Creek.
I want to invite you to come worship with us and get to know everyone at SCBC. It is our prayer that through this site you will be encouraged by what SCBC has to offer you and your family. God is doing great things through the work of our church. We have an outstanding children's ministry team as well as youth and college. We have something for everyone!


St. Paul Parish in Sharpsburg is celebrating! 2018 marks the 150th year since pioneers began the parish with a small wooden church at the intersection on what is today Meiring and Sharpsburg Roads. The four acres for the new church was part of the Peter and MaryAnn Wourms' farm. In 1868 Archbishop John Purcell gave permission to build the church, and the Precious Blood priests agreed to care for the parish...
St. Paul Parish in Sharpsburg 150th Anniversary
Saturday, June 23, 2018 - 12:00am to Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 11:00am
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BOSTON CONFERENCE (Short Version)
I. The Master’s book. II. Peter Lombard and the Sentences; 2c. Presentation of the site.III. The GRPL. IV. Our practice.
I. The Master’s book.
According to a medieval adage, the master is the one who opens the book. He opens it because he has understood it and knows how to convey to others what he has learned from it. There is no book without master : a master who can understand it and explain it to others.
For Christians of the Middle Ages this dynamic begins with Philip, the deacon of Jerusalem. We know the narrative of Philip’s meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch, senior official of Queen Candace, in the Acts of the Apostles (8, 29–31): “And the Spirit said to Philip: Go near, and get on his carriage. And Philip, running up to him, saw that he was reading Isaiah the prophet, and said to him, Is the sense of what you are reading clear to you? And he said: How is that possible when I have no guide? ”
Likewise, according to medieval Christians, commenting on Scripture and communicating the truth rightfully belonged to the Fathers. In fact, a similar situation obtained for all the books that one could read. From Hugh of Saint-Victor’s Didascalicon, for example, we know the desire of the twelfth century to connect all science or knowledge to an author, understood as founder of this science or this knowledge. This is even more so in the thirteenth century, which goes on to identify the person and function: Aristotle is the Philosopher, Averroes is the Commentator.
Finally, with the licentia docendi the function of master of theology appears, whose chair would soon be established at the university. However, according to the hierarchical constitution of the medieval guilds, the master remains a magister operis: someone who puts the discipline he teaches to work. The point here is not to claim a title and the privileges that accompany it, but, in accordance with the Dionysian hierarchies, to be able to transmit this same function to those who follow. The master opens the book: let’s listen to him.
II. Peter Lombard and the Sentences
But who is the master? Who can answer this question? The medievals themselves respond: Thomas of Aquinas, Bonaventure, Albert the Great, Alexander of Hales say so in their commentaries on the Sentences. The Master is Peter Lombard. That title does, indeed, go to Lombard, because throughout the Middle Ages teaching the Sentences, the Four Books of Sentences, made it possible to become master in turn.
Following the recommendation of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), the Sentences of Peter Lombard became the basic textbook of theology for the European universities from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, and even through the seventeenth century in Spain. That is indicative of their importance. The brightest minds of this period—Thomas of Aquinas, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, among many others—were led to study the text, since it was necessary to produce a commentary on the Sentences to obtain the title of master, and only then to occupy a chair of theology.
The Book I presents the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Book II concerns creation, grace and sin.
The Book III describes Christology and the Christian life.
The Book IV presents the theology of the sacraments and Last Things.
Note that Peter Lombard, who died in 1160, wrote his famous Sentences between 1155 and 1157, before preparing a second version in 1157 to 1158.
Presentation of the site: big screen
– index cards
III. The GRPL (The Research Group Peter Lombard)
So much is clear: no medievalist can ignore the Sentences and their commentaries. Whoever the author in question, he had to comment on the Sentences to obtain his master’s degree. Any academic study of a particular author should therefore take the Sentences commentary by that author into account, at least as an early work; and it should show the evolution of the author’s thought (or the absence of such evolution) in relation to the first work. Knowing the Sentences and the commentary tradition is therefore essential for the entire field of medieval studies.
It is from this perspective that our research group, affiliated with the Institute of Medieval Studies (IEM) at the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP), has given itself the name “Peter Lombard Research Group” (GRPL). This group is now ten years old. Between 2012 and 2015, we completed the French translation of the Sentences. And on 28 January 2016, we opened the site that I just presented.
This site is therefore only six months old. Our ultimate project is as follows: to connect all these texts through hyperlinks by following the logic of their own medieval intertextuality, that is to say, through the authors as they cite each other.
— Concretely, as user, you are reading a text ; you find a citation ; clicking on the text of the citation, you will find yourself on the original page from which this citation was pulled (through the hyperlink). In this way, you will find out how the author worked; and how authors repeat each other in order to contradict each other or to confirm their own thinking. This is how medieval intertextuality functions.
IV. Our practice.
Our research group wanted to answer a twofold question:
How to enable the beginner to take advantage of the work of the specialist?
How to put the computer tool at the service of the medieval text?
The first is an ethical question: we wish to pass on to as many people as possible what we have learned from the Middle Ages. The second is an epistemological question. The French philosopher Gaston Bachelard has taught us that the technical tool is not neutral, that the tool is not simply an extension of our senses, but is already a theory that defines our relationship to the world. We had to learn how to use this tool without betraying the medieval text.
Our group has provided a unique answer to this twofold question. This answer, I think, is what has made writing and reading our site so simple.
A comparison. Consider the master-builder, the magister operis of a cathedral. Look at the plans: you do not have a top view, as do today’s architects. Rather, the medieval master establishes his plans from inside the building, and develops them in the same way. He is therefore in the same situation as those who will later attend services celebrated in the cathedral. It is from this center that we must “understand” the cathedral. Similarly, the measures which the master-builder uses are related to the human body (the palm, the cubit, etc.). Therefore it is from a human body present in the interior of the (future) cathedral that it must be constructed. It is the same for the Sentences and their commentaries. Just as the person who attended a service in the cathedral found himself occupying the place of the master of works, so the reader should be able to take the place of the author when reading the Sentences or commentaries. And memory should be the human measure that the reader uses, just as the author himself did.
Here is therefore our answer. We must recapture the place of the author. We do this by retrieving the materials he used to compose his work. This principle applies particularly to those texts which consist mostly of the repetition of prior works, of selected extracts, of citations. This is why the “citation” is the place where the computer hypertext and medieval intertextuality are going to meet. Thus, our site deliberately designed the digital links that will connect all these works with each other in accordance with the intertextuality of the medieval texts themselves. Our site, based as it is on “citation,” demonstrates that these texts are actually built around the practice of citation—in their writing just as in their reading, in their writing yesterday, just as in their being read today.
Hence the answer to the first question. Any student, therefore, not only the specialist, is through the hyperlink able to discover medieval intertextuality. By doing the first (following the link), which everyone is able to do, the user will do the other: namely, discover the intertextuality that the specialist will have made available to him through this site. Such a site is therefore open to everyone.
Conclusion: To conclude, I invite each of you, according to the focus of your research or your favorite author, to join us in order to promote, through your expertise, your favorite author.


Christmas is a reflection of universal love, peace, and all human traits affected from the birth of a holy being. This is why it is not only a celebration for Christians, but also an opportunity for all human beings to look into their hearts and take another glimpse at the meaning of humanity.
We at Shiraz University are honored and proud to congratulate all human beings, especially our Christian friends, on the rejuvenation of this majestic festival. We dearly hope that this spiritual grace would help humanity overcome darkness and exercise the universal chain that connects the academic society as a means to reach this cause.
Head of International Affairs


Catholic faithful in Archdiocese of Palo welcomes new Pope
The Archdiocese of Palo like the 1.2 billion Catholic faithful around the world welcomed the election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio as the new Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church with jubilation and celebration.
The new Pope has chosen the name of Francis and will be known as Pope Francis.
Fr. Amadeo Alvero, spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Palo in Leyte said that all Masses scheduled yesterday within the Archdiocese was made in celebration of the new Pope.
The election of the new Pope came in the light of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI as Pope due to physical infirmity.
Fr. Alvero also said that Filipinos need not feel sad that Cardinal Luis Tagle was not elected as pope as the selection of Pope Francis was God’s will. God spoke through the cardinals that Pope Francis should be the new Shepherd of the Church. Cardinal Tagle still has a chance to become a future pope, Fr. Alvero said.
Leyte archbishop hails SC order halting RH law’s enforcement
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—The Archdiocese of Palo hailed the decision of the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Law for 120 days.
Archdiocese, no ‘hate list’ on pro-RH candidates
THE Archdiocese of Palo confirmed that it would not come up with a “hate list” as to whom the voters should not vote in the May 2013 elections, according to a church official.
Archdiocese of Palo holds FEMORM assembly
On January 26, 2013, some 250 leaders of Faith & Ecclesial Communities, Mandated Organizations and Renewal Movements (FEMORM) in the archdiocese of Palo, gathered for one day at the St. Joseph Seminary, Palo (Tacloban).
The aim of the conference were the following:
These were the activities during the day:
Msgr. Jimmy Villanueva, the vicar-general of the archdiocese, was the presider and homilist at the opening Mass. Fr. Amado Picardal, CSsR, was the guest speaker who talked about the BECs and the role of the FEMORM in BEC formation.
The conference was organized by Fr. Oscar Florencio.


Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
According to Fox & Friends, the Trump administration has been “three of the greatest years since maybe Jesus walked the Earth with his ministry”
Here’s what people are saying about his Christ-likeness:
“I think I am a great moral leader.” – Donald Trump
Voting for Trump is voting Christian values: “For a Christian, it’s who they are as a person, what they believe, and how they act (in other words, their fruit) that’s important.” – Ken Ham
“I found a very caring man. I found a man who had more integrity than most people that I had encountered. A compassionate man.” – Paula White-Cain
Trump is a soft-spoken, kind man. “He watches Christian television: Kenneth Copeland, Jim Bakker, Paula White-Cain and others.” – Kenneth Copeland
“I believe he has moral character and that he is a man of God.” – a New Jersey evangelical
“Donald Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the great commandment.” – Jerry Falwell, Jr.
Trump has “a heart of compassion and love”. – Sid Roth
‘In all likelihood never see a more godly, biblical president again in our lifetime.” – Michelle Bachmann
“President Trump and Vice President Pence are the most Christian acting political leaders of our lifetime. However, Biden and Harris are the most Satanic candidates in USA history.” – American Christian Voting Guide


Senior Pastor: Bill Pfaunmiller
Since the seventh grade I knew I was called to preach the Word of God and was given opportunity to prepare and deliver messages. After graduating from Bob Jones University in 1987, the Lord directed my wife and I to teach in a Christian school. During our second year of teaching we were called to serve in Puerto Rico as missionaries where we served for 21 years. Our transition to Mountain View was unexpected since we were trying to focus on Spanish ministry, but the Lord has made it clear that this is our assignment. We love the folks at Mtn View and desire to help them learn more of the Word of God and make disciples as a part of their goals in life.
Pastor Emeritus: Norman C Marks
"Preacher" Marks, as we call him, graduated from Bob Jones University in 1960. After graduation, he took the Mountain View Bible Church in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, which began as a Sunday School Mission, and under his leadership, attendance climbed from 14 members to over 400 on Sunday mornings. His ministry at Mountain View has produced a number of preachers, Christian educators, and staff members in several Christian ministries. He has written a number of articles for Christian publications, as well as gospel tracts and booklets, one of which has had a circulation of over 4,000,000. He has served on a number of boards and has been a speaker for numerous Bible Conferences and school Chapels. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from BJU in 1976. In February of 2013, he took the role of Emeritus and serves alongside Pastor Bill as he oversees the radio ministry, newspaper ministry, and teaches a Sunday School class.


Vatican, August 29, 2022 / 11:22 am (CNA).
The cardinals of the Catholic Church were summoned to Rome for an extraordinary consistory. This is the first of its kind in seven years – and only the second during the pontificate of Pope Francis.
The call was followed by 197 cardinals. But what are they discussing behind closed doors this Monday and Tuesday?
While it is difficult to obtain information. Vatican observers know that the meetings are devoted to discussing the new constitution of the Roman Curia, gospel predicate. The Cardinals break into language groups for the first round of debate. They then meet again and discuss their findings in plenary session, just as was done in recent synods.
We also know that the debate forms the third consistory in just a few days: the first, held on August 27, was devoted to the election of 20 new cardinals. The second, immediately after, approved the canonization of two blessed: Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, the Italian bishop and founder of the missionaries of St. Carla, and Artemis Zatti, an Italian immigrant to Argentina, a nurse and a Salesian brother.
While this context is significant – as is the historical background of the pope’s visit to L’Aquila on Sunday – messages from the Holy See were really sparse today, noted one Vatican, among others: “All the information we have from the #Vatican regarding today’s meeting between #Pope Francis and the Catholic cardinals of the world. One sentence: “Today in the Vatican, in the presence of the Holy Father Francis, there is a meeting of cardinals…”
One cardinal at least gave an idea of the atmosphere of today’s meeting. The first meeting with the Pope took place in a very fraternal atmosphere, Cardinal Enrico Feroci, pastor of the Church of Santa Maria del Divino Amore in Castel di Leva near Rome, told the Vatican News.
According to him, after the opening prayer, Francis opened the meeting by inviting all those present to contribute to these two days of reflection on gospel predicate.
Cardinal Feroci also said, according to the Vatican’s own account, that so far two reflections have been separated: one on communion, the evidence of mutual love between Christians, and one on the problems of today’s society, in order to open oneself to the message of the gospel. .
Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in a subsequent conversation with the Vatican News, reiterated the active participation of the cardinals in the meeting, which maintained an open and intense dialogue.
Tomorrow, this “open and intense” debate will take place in plenary before the conclusion of this emergency consistory: on the afternoon of August 30, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass with the entire College of Cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica.
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Conservatives have often wondered about Donald Trump’s commitment to America and Christian values. Trump loves America, there’s no question about that. He wants to make America great again. Trump has promised to protect America and Americans. But what about Christian values? How does he rate with the evangelicals?
Dr. James Dobson, founder of “Focus on the Family,” recently met with the GOP presumptive nominee at a New York City religious forum. Dr. Dobson has confirmed that Donald Trump does have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Dobson reminded us that Trump’s decision to become a born again Christian is relatively new, so we should pray for him. Dr. Dobson added that we should “cut him some slack” because he didn’t grow up like most Christians.
Conservative Tribune reports:
Christian values have been a primary concern for many conservatives when choosing the leaders of our country at the ballot box, and the upcoming presidential election will likely be no different.
Some critics of presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have expressed skepticism about the candidate’s faith and relationship with Christ, and some voters have been hesitant to go all in for Trump because of the uncertainty.
However, Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, recently met with Trump at a religious forum in New York City, and he revealed a major decision Trump has made that is sure to positively impact the candidate’s image among evangelicals.


This short video is really amazing. Just watch and see for yourself.
Best Friends: Hero Dog Saves Another Dog’s Life! A dog in Chile proves that God works in mysterious and powerful ways! This hero dog, who appeared out of nowhere and left the scene after the heroic act, came to the aid of a wounded dog in the middle of a busy highway. Risking its own life, this dog manages to drag the injured dog to the side of the road. It’s comforting to know that even our four-legged friends are looked after by our merciful Lord!
Read more at http://jesus-loves-you.org/hero-dog/#YKZuU7goqy47litv.99
Judge Not… judging people Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? – James 4:11-12 I was shocked, confused, bewildered As I entered Heaven’s door, Not by the beauty of it all, Nor the lights or its decor. But it was the folks in Heaven Who made me sputter and gasp– The thieves, the liars, the sinners, The alcoholics and the trash. There stood the kid from seventh grade Who swiped my lunch money twice. Next to him was my old neighbor Who never said anything nice. Bob, who I always thought Was rotting away in hell, Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, Looking incredibly well. I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal? I would love to hear Your take. How’d all these sinners get up here? God must’ve made a mistake. ‘And why is everyone so quiet, So somber – give me a clue.’ ‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘they’re all in shock. No one thought they’d be seeing you.’ JUDGE NOT!! Remember…Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Every saint has a PAST… Every sinner has a FUTURE!
Read more at http://jesus-loves-you.org/judge-not/#dwJUTIK4xsOdL6xz.99


CHURCHES - GOA
OF BOM JESUS
The Church of Bom Jesus is also of laterite; its exterior,
excepting the facade, was lime plastered, which was subsequently
removed. The roof was originally tiled. The church is cruciform
on plan. The flying buttresses on the northern side of the
church are recent additions. A single-storeyed structure
adjoining the church on its southern wing connects it with
the professed house...
One of the most ancient and celebrated religious buildings
of Goa, this magnificent 16th century monument to the Roman
Catholic rule in Goa under the Portuguese is the largest
church in Asia. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine
of Alexandria on whose feast day in 1510 Alfonso Albuquerque
defeated the Muslim army and took possession of the city
of Goa. Hence it is also known as St. Catherine's' Cathedral...
THE CHURCH OF
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY, GOA
BNot far to the west of the Basilica of the Bom Jesus is the
Holy Hill at the extremity of which is the Church of Our Lady
of the Rosary. Built of laterite and plastered with lime mortar,
it has a two-storeyed portico. The portico as well as the
façade of the church has rounded towers on either side
with the cross on top...
AND CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, GOA
To the west of the Se Cathedral is the former palace of the
Archbishop that connects the Se Cathedral to the Convent and
Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The structure is built of
laterite blocks and is lime-plastered. The church faces west
and has a nave with three chapels on either side, a choir,
two altars in the transept and a main altar. To the north
of the main altar is a belfry and a sacristy...
THE REIS MAGOS
IThe small hamlet of Reis Magos lies on banks of the Mandovi
river and is home to two famous landmarks of Goa - the Reis
Magos fort and the Reis Magos Church. It is also one of only
three places in Goa, where the unique Feast of the Three Wise
Men is held...
RUINS OF ST.
AUGUSTINE'S TOWER IN GOA
IBuilt in 1602, the only ruin of the Church of St. Augustine
on the Holy Hill at Old Goa near the Nunnery is a lofty 46-metre
high tower defying the torrential rains. The tower is one
of the four of St. Augustine Church that once stood there.
There were eight richly adorned chapels and four altars, and
a convent with numerous cells and artistic columns attached
to the church...
OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
Behind the gate of St. Paul's college is a Kuchcha road branching
off the main road, leading to the chapel of St. Francis Xavier.
It is built of laterite plastered with lime mortar, with tiled
roof supported by wooden rafters is a plain chapel with only
OUR LADY OF
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH
The church was one of the first to be built in Goa, certainly
being there by 1541. The early church was completely re-built
from its foundations in 1619 and this was even considered,
taking accountof the still negligible population of the area
and the size of the new church, is a striking commentary on
the religious climateof the time and the wealth available
to the churches...


Our Prayer Care program allows volunteers to join our Chaplain in praying for those who are in need. You can request prayer by using our E-prayer request form here. This form is for people who want to pray for others from their homes.
Here’s how the Prayer Care works:
First, people request prayer online by providing a first name and general prayer request. Someone might, for example, ask that we pray for Bob’s healing after surgery or Sally’s recovery from illness.
Second, we share prayer requests with our Prayer Care volunteers by e-mail. To protect people’s privacy, we only share first names or initials and a general prayer request with our volunteers. We require that Prayer Care team members maintain strict confidentiality and not share information about these prayers. All Prayer Care volunteers are members of an Episcopal Church.
Please use the application form below if you would like to join our Prayer Care team.


- François Hien
- Arthur Fourcade, François Hien / Compagnie L’Harmonie Communale
- Performed by
- Estelle Clément-Bealem, Arthur Fourcade, Marc Jeancourt, Ryan Larras, Pascal Césari
Theatre company L’Harmonie Communale loves to tell stories based on current affairs. After a 2020 production inspired by the Vincent Lambert case, this is the story of a priest who is worried about his homosexuality and who finds himself testifying against a bishop accused of having covered up the actions of a paedophile.
Father Guérin loses his parish after his relationship with another man is discovered. He becomes a confessor for men of the Church, and when he finds out about father Grésieux’s paedophilia in a confession, he informs the police. He could also report the bishop – who knew but had kept it secret – but he convinces father Guérin not to pursue the matter.
In return for his silence, father Guérin is allowed to return to pastoral work. However, a young man comes to see him – a former victim of father Grésiex, come to persuade him to testify. The conversation that follows will have a profound effect on both men.
“Despite the difficult themes it addresses, La Peur is a piece that leads us towards the light” – François Hien. Taking inspiration from the Barbarin affair and the testimony of victims of paedophile priests, as well as the story of a priest who was suspended from the church after coming out as a homosexual, this new play shines a light on the fear that leads to silence and secrecy. Fear of seeing our secrets revealed, fear of losing a loved one, fear of loneliness, fear of scandal… This performance from L’Harmonie Communale depicts a system cemented in lies; yet it is also a story of liberation. The liberation of a priest who overcomes his fears to accomplish something courageous: placing himself on the side of the truth in order to move on and open the way to healing.


Sisters of St. Mary
Sisters of St. Mary is a multifunctional campus encompassing over 50 acres located in the heart of Beaverton, Oregon. The site includes an elementary school, middle school, and Valley Catholic High School. It is also home to Sisters of St. Mary Oregon Ministries Corporation, which houses more than 100 people who serve the schools and local community.
Surrounding the convent you will find sprawling green fields, rose gardens, community flower gardens, and a host of native plantings. The site is lined with enormous Sequoia trees and also includes three major stormwater facilities and numerous sports fields.


If you didn’t already know… My name is Elizabeth Lin Johnson. You call me Liz or Lizzie whichever you prefer 🙂 I’m 23 years old and am happily married to my love, Steven Johnson. We got married on August 22nd, 2015 in the Los Angeles LDS Temple. I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I love everything about this wonderful gospel that I have in my life.
I love cooking, baking, trying new foods, working out, planning parties, doughnuts, traveling, game nights with friends, spending time with my husband, and just being optimistic and grateful for this life I have!
I created this “lifestyle” blog as my own online journal but also to share my personal feelings, adventures of married life, the different foods I cook, my progress with fitness and my body and everything else in between!
Welcome to my journey on this crazy thing we call life!!
Lizzie Lin Johnson


Grove Presbyterian Church
330 Bloom St | Danville, PA 17821 | (570) 275-0692
Worship Every Sunday at 10:15am
Preceded by church school
for all ages at 9:00am
All are welcome to join us for our worship gatherings and time of fellowship.
Please visit after December 15 to learn more about our church.
Come visit this Sunday!


Most of us have had that experience, at least once, where an individual does something wrong to us. The person may apologize, but it is up to us to forgive them. Forgiving is not always the easiest action to do. But if we don’t forgive them, then we let that person have power over us. The more that you refuse to forgive, the angrier that you get at him/her. That person is out living his/her life, while you are wasting your emotions on something that happened in the past. You might not be able to forget what that person did to you, but you have to forgive him/her. If you don’t forgive, then that part of your life will be consumed by hatred and anger. That is not what God intended.
It is stated in the Bible that we must, “Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us. Yes, if you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, then your Father in heaven will also forgive your wrongs. But if you don’t forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrongs you do” (Matthew 6:12, 14-15 ERV). God wants us to forgive ourselves and others for sin. If we do not forgive, then God will not forgive us and our sins.
In It’s My Testimony: A Devotional Journal for Women by Women, Margertree Holmes states that, “Forgiveness is an ongoing, never-ending act that is performed each time one remembers the offense” (p. 91). Even when your remember the painful memory, you must forgive again and again. It may be difficult, but God is with us in this process. If you want to read more about Ms. Holmes’ essay on forgiveness, then you can buy the book It’s My Testimony: A Devotional Journal for Women by Women at Amazon. Ten percent of the earnings will go to the Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas, Texas.


Some years ago Stephen Stills wrote a hit song with the lyric, “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”
At the time, this struck me as incredibly shallow and self-serving. Almost the antithesis of what I thought a “spiritual” approach should be. But over time, I’ve come to see a deep inner meaning to this idea.
It came about owing to my difficulty in understanding Baba’s exhortation to serve Him in others. Well, perhaps understanding isn’t the right word. I could understand this as a theoretical construct, in much the same way that I could understand Jesus saying that to give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, and care for the sick was to do so for Him. I just could never get any satisfaction out of attempting to do it. It seemed like a nice metaphor to make service more palatable but it didn’t make me feel Jesus’ presence in the downtrodden. Similarly, although I believe that Baba is the innermost core of everyone, I had trouble experiencing this. Too often, in trying to serve Him in others, I was much more aware of the others than I was of Him. I guess I was looking for a more immediate sense of not only serving Baba but feeling His love in return.
But I did feel something of Baba’s love around the mandali. The love they expressed towards those who came to visit them awakened many feelings in me, not all of them noble. It made me jealous to receive more, made me want to call attention to myself, to show off, to make the mandali adore me, but it also made me, at times, want to be able to reciprocate in some way.
The difficulty for me, being unused to and untutored in the nature of love, was that I didn’t know how to do this. I was used to expressing love through some physical gesture–a gift, a helping hand, a favor bestowed. But there was little the mandali seemed to need that I could provide. I would daydream about one of them coming, not just to the States, but more specifically, to my home, where I would be able to show them the hospitality I could not show them in India.
I knew, on some level, that the only thing I really could do to please the mandali was to love Baba more completely, but this seemed beyond my reach. And it was too amorphous; I wanted the immediate concrete experience of directly doing something for the mandali. (And possibly I wanted the mandali to know that I was doing something so they could appreciate it. If I tried to become a “better” Baba lover, how would I know if I were succeeding or, perhaps more to the point, how would they know?)
I could try to serve Baba in others but I’ve already explained my difficulty with that approach. But then, one day while thinking about one of the mandali, I had the opportunity to do a “good deed” for a stranger and it suddenly occurred to me to pretend that this person was the mandali member I had been thinking about. When I did this, I found to my surprise, that I received the pleasure I would have experienced had I actually been serving the mandali directly.
This unexpected occurrence was a minor revelation for me. It enabled me to see that Baba’s exhortation to serve Him in others is not a moral precept but a practical guideline to experience an interplay of love which, otherwise, might remain out of reach. The trick of it, at least for me, is not to serve others with the idea that this service will somehow reach Baba, or to try to serve Baba “in others,” but to accept another as a substitute for Baba–a kind of personal Eucharist. Or to put it in more easily grasped terms, “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”


Youth and Family Ministry
Since its very inception, Rejoice has had a heart for children's ministry. We continue to renew that focus as we Grow in God's Word & Go out to serve His people. From Sunday School to Confirmation, Cappuccino Bible Study to Faith Formation, there are many ways to get involved in the ministry of our Youth and Family team.
(AKA Faith5 Ministry)
Sunday mornings 9:35-10:25am
Christmas will be here before we know it! Save the dates!
Summer 2019 Mission Trips Opportunities
YouthWorks- Denver, CO
This year, we'll head a little farther west to the mountains in Denver, CO! Those who have completed grades 6-12 are welcome to join us. If you're an adult who'd like to come along, please let Sara know at firstname.lastname@example.org.
YouthWorks is a Minnesota-based organization that provides programs for mission service at locations throughout North America. Youth can expect to grow through new friendships, serving others in an urban community, and their faith throughout this week.
Children's Haven- Reynosa, Mexico
All ages are welcome to join this family-friendly mission trip!
Children's Haven International (CHI) provides a home and refuge to over 50 Mexican children from broken, abusive, or impoverished homes. Similar to a private foster system, CHI provides loving homes, structure, and education through the foundation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Rejoice Lutheran Church has sent teams 1-2 times per year for the last 15 years.
Faith, Family, and Fun at Rejoice!
Local Community Service Projects
For the past two summers, we've teamed up with local non-profits and businesses in the Clearwater area.
We've worked with Great River Faith in Action, helping homeowners who need help with projects around their homes, helped a few days at Camp Friendship,
the Clearwater Food Shelf, weed picking and whipping at Authority Fence, washing fire trucks at the Fire Hall, as well as picking more weeds and repairing and staining the play sets at Rejoice were a few ways we helped in the Clearwater community!
Thanks for your support and to all who helped make these projects a success!
Rejoice was blessed to have Spoke Folk join them for a second year this summer. The Spoke Folk group bikes from church to church, anywhere from 20-80 miles a day depending on the location of their next destination. After a long day of biking, they then put on a concert where they share their faith through music, a drama, and puppet show! A great night of fun and fellowship!
These kids ventured onto an uncharted island where they thrived and survived! They were anchored in the truth that Jesus carries us through life's storms.
When we're lonely... Jesus rescues!
When we worry... Jesus rescues!
When we struggle... Jesus rescues!
When we do wrong... Jesus rescues!
When we're powerless... Jesus rescues!
Summer 2018 Mission Trips
Lake Traverse, SD
During the week, we had the opportunity to paint houses,
visit care facilities and work with local youth at the Kids Club in Sisseton with two other churches. We cannot tell you how impressed we are with our youth in service -
it is truly a joy to watch.
In the evenings, we enjoyed group time together. On Monday, we learned about the Native American culture and experience. On Tuesday evening, we visited Ft. Sisseton State Park and on Wednesday visited Sica Hollow, a beautiful State Park significant in Dakota Indian lore. And we met community members for a cookout at a local park on Thursday night. It was a wonderful week filled with faith, fun, and friendships.
Children's Haven International
It was a week of hard work painting, manually chipping plaster off a building, electrical work and framing a roof on Casa 6... all during a summer heat wave!
We taught Vacation Bible School each afternoon and played with the kids every night. Leaving is never easy, but we are so thankful for the opportunity to serve and for the ministry at Children's Haven International.


Most of the people I know are searching for some truth – we see the same sunrises and sunsets, life and death, good and evil – and we want answers, and we want to find something they can build a life on. This search is common throughout human history – who are we? where did we come from? what is our purpose? what is our destiny?
Some friends and I have been walking down this trail for several weeks now and last Monday we pondered this question:
Why are humans so quick to jump on to and cling to the latest truth claims (truth fads)?
We came at this question from a Christian perspective, heavily influenced by St. Paul’s words from Romans 1:
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”
We also discussed this question with some humility because each one of us has been guilty of being influenced by the “truth of the day.” Here is what we concluded in answer to the question:
- We prefer our autonomy; we don’t like having anything in authority over us.
- And if there is no authority over us, we are free to pursue our desires with no boundaries.
A few days later I heard this story from a “This American Life” podcast.
To summarize, a college professor with a family decided there must be more than this, more than what he could touch and see; if there weren’t more, then the beautiful universe would be diminished. So, he abandoned his wife and children and job at the university to try to establish contact with extra-terrestrials. He firmly believes that there is intelligent life “out there.” After years of effort, frauds and near-misses he still believes that something is out there – something big, over-arching, transcendent – in his words, “what we might call God.”
He said that he believes ET could exist BUT believes that God could not because, again his words, “it sounds too fantastic.”


This weekend millions of people around the world will celebrate two of the most important religious holidays of the Abrahamic faiths: Passover and Easter. Learn more about history, faith, and experiences through these great reads.
To Tread on New Ground: Selected Hebrew Writings of Hava Shapiro
Edited by Carole B. Balin and Wendy I. Zierler
[Wayne State University Press]
Hava Shapiro is among the nearly forgotten Jewish women writers who sought acceptance in Jewish literary circles of the last century. Born in Slavuta (modern-day Ukraine) in 1878, she published works of fiction, memoir, literary criticism, and journalism, including a volume of short fiction and a scholarly monograph on the Czech leader Masaryk. Her handwritten diary—the first known diary to be kept by a woman in Hebrew—evokes not only the momentous events of her day but also the experiences of women like herself who failed to follow the dictates of Jewish tradition and aspired to roles beyond those of wife and mother…
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
By Kenneth E. Bailey
…Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus’ relationships with women, and especially Jesus’ parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context…
No Longer Silent
By Susan Dehn Matthews
The story of Jesus of Nazareth has been called “the greatest story ever told,” but what role do women play in that story? In No Longer Silent, author Susan Dehn Matthews attempts to highlight the women in the Gospels and provide the background behind those important women…
The First Easter Bunny
By Allison Schuetzler
The First Easter Bunny! A colorful array of watercolor illustrations with scripture references brings to life the unique story of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to his ascension into the heavens; all through the eyes of one small rabbit named Arnebeth. Included inside is a photograph of a real Israeli rock rabbit known as a hyrax just like Arnebeth!
By Rose Publishing
[Rose Publishing, Inc.]
…The Easter Story tells the most dramatic story in history. This eBook is drawn directly from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and tells the story of Jesus from the Last Supper and Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension — in 14 full-color pages…
Enter the Water Come to the Table
By John Mark Hicks
[Abilene Christian University Press]
…Rooting this sacramental journey in the Exodus of Israel, this book shows how Jesus inaugurates a new Exodus from old creation into new creation. Jesus’ own baptism and table fellowship with his disciples embody the kingdom of God as new creation realities. And in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection, baptism and the Lord’s supper not only promise a future but they mediate a transforming experience of new life now.


Ukraine was christened by St. Volodymyr in 988. While all Ukrainian Churches were severely persecuted in the former USSR, the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic churches were forcibly incorporated into the Russian Orthodox church by Soviet authorities and outlawed. Most believers are Orthodox Christian (77%), although now the Orthodox Church is divided into traditional branch, which is under authority of Moscow Patriarchal and Kyiv branch, which broke away and now independent. There is a large Eastern-rite or Uniate Catholic population of about five million (13.5%) in Western Ukraine. This church looks forward its revival since the lifting of old Stalin era ban on their church ten years ago. Protestant, Judaic and Moslem minorities are also freely practicing their religions. Mass emigration during Soviet time and World War II has reduced the numbers of Jews, concentrated in Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa. Many Crimean Tatars were forced to reallocate to Siberia during Stalin era. Both Jewish and Tatar religious communities are growing in part due to as many of former repatriates now return to Ukraine.


1John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
This verse is a refutation of a doctrine that was being taught by a man named Cerenthius. Cerenthius was teaching that Jesus was just a man and not God. He was teaching that at the time of his baptism, Christ, the divine, took over his body and stayed until just before the Garden of Gethsemane. At this time Christ flew out of the body of Jesus and the spirit returned to the body of Jesus. It was Jesus and not the Christ that cried tears of blood in the garden and it was Jesus and not the Christ that endured the cross. Of course the Bible nowhere makes this separation between divinity when referring to the Son of God as Jesus, as Christ, as Jesus Christ, or as Christ Jesus.
In this verse 1 John 5:6 we have the Holy Spirit teaching us that Jesus Christ, notice John puts the humanity and the divine together, came by water and blood. He then repeats himself to make this very important distinction from the false teaching of the day. He then says,
Not by water only,
which was the teaching of Cerenthius, “but by water and the blood.” The water here in this verse speaks of the baptism in water that was the ordination of Jesus and marked the beginning of His ministry. The blood here refers to the blood that was shed by Jesus on the cross on our behalf.
So John is telling us that Jesus Christ, fully human and fully God, came by water, which was his baptism. John is telling us that Jesus Christ, fully human and fully God, came not by water only, but by water and blood. Jesus didn’t become the Christ at his baptism and didn’t give up being divine at or before his crucifixion. If he did than we are still lost in our sins. It took the perfect, divine sacrifice to fulfill the demand of a holy God. The Bible says that He, Jesus the Christ, was slain before the foundation of the world.
Again, this book was written as a refutation of heresy that was being taught at the time. The book was written between 85 and 95 AD. While the Bible does not mention Cerenthius by name, but is spoken about by Irenaeus of Lyons in his book, “Against Heresies”. This work was written in the latter half of the second century, some 89 to 90 years after the death of the Apostle John. In the book, Irenaeus recounts a story told by Polycarp. Polycarp was a martyr and a follower of John. Polycarp told how John was going to the bath in Ephesus when he saw Cerenthius inside the bath and jumped out of the bath without bathing, for fear that the bath would fall down since Cerenthius, the enemy of the truth, was inside.
This verse from 1 John and this story from Polycarp, show how the apostle viewed doctrine which denied the deity of Christ. The Holy Spirit also thought that it is important enough to combat false doctrine by delivering this refutation to us through His servant John. “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” John obviously also believed and practiced what he said,
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds”. This is 2John 1:10 through 11.
The purity of the Gospel of Christ is a very important matter, in fact it is of utmost importance. Do we practice today the words of the apostles and the actions of the apostles toward those who add to and take away from the Gospel? Or have we, the church, become so complacent as to bid “Hello” to these enemies of the cross of Christ Jesus?


765 Highbury Road
Ph: 9803 6828
Fax: 9803 7447
Email Principal >>
Holy Saviour School Profile 2012
Holy Saviour Parish was established in 1974 and Holy Saviour School opened in 1977 with an enrolment of 67 children. Then numbers quickly increased and peaked in 1983 at 609. Enrolment then slowly declined to 220 in 1997. The current enrolment is 255 children.
Holy Saviour is an attractive brick school built on nine acres of extensively landscaped grounds in Vermont South. It forms part of the parish complex, which serves the community of Vermont South (Glen Waverley North).
The children come from families that mostly have an upper middle class background. The majority of parents are professional people who have a keen interest in the life and education of their children. They provide a variety of ‘out of school’ experiences for their children in academic, leisure and sporting activities.
Holy Saviour School is a place where staff, children and parents participate in the sacramental and liturgical life of the school and parish. As educators, we endeavour to cater for the needs of all children, assisting them in the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes and fostering in them a desire to become responsible adults. Children from the Parish are prepared for the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation with the support of parents, teachers and the wider community. The Parish Priest, Fr Tony Feeney, is involved in the life of the school through liturgies, class visits and formal and informal interaction with staff and students.
The Holy Saviour School Vision Statement and Teaching and Learning Statement were developed by the staff and parents and are reviewed regularly. At Holy Saviour teachers strive to make their classrooms vibrant and active learning environments in which stimulating teaching strategies are designed to maximize student interest and learning opportunities.
The partnership of parents and teachers is essential to the life and learning at Holy Saviour School. Parents play valuable roles assisting in the classrooms, participating in literacy programs, physical education, inter-school sport, excursions, library, working bees etc.
Parents have representatives on the Parish Education Board, which acts as a forum for discussing matters concerning the school and parish. The Parish Education Board meets seven to eight times a year and its members include the Parish Priest, Principal, Staff Representatives and elected Parent Representatives.
Holy Saviour School coordinates its own After School Care program with Camp Australia. The program runs from 3:30pm to 6:00pm each school day. Holy Saviour School shares a Before School Care Program with nearby Weeden Heights Primary School. The Before School Program runs from 7:30 to 8:45am each school day.