ICEMANforChrist

Isaiah, Chapter 44, verse 8 Do not fear or be troubled. Did I not announce it to you long ago? I declared it, and you are my witnesses. Is there any God but me? There is no other Rock, I know of none! Our God knows we are fearful and troubled and that we seek refuge in other god’s sex, drugs and rock and roll. Yet, still he is patient and tells us plainly there is no other. He is that is. There is no other rock (refuge) from the terrors that bind us then Him. While cleaning out my files the other day I came across this note. I don’t know the source but thought I would share it. A Note From Heaven Dear Beloved One, I see your loneliness and fears, your guilt and frustrations. I see your endless search for love and fulfillment. All this must be, in order for you to come the the end of your own understanding—then you can hear My voice. Listen carefully amid the noise of the world and you will hear… I love you, I shed My blood for you to make you clean. Give yo...

Isaiah, Chapter 44, verse 2 Thus says the LORD who made you, your help, who formed you from the womb: Do not fear , Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. Jeshurun means “upright”. Have you fallen? Be resolute! Get up! Have your dreams been crushed? Have your expectations been dulled? Have the five fears overtaken your mind? Has the fear of isolation, demons, darkness, suffering and death kept you from holding fast to our Lord? Rejoice for today is your salvation! Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Repent, says the Lord; the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.(Mt. 4:17) I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word; with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption. (Ps. 130:5,7) Leap...

Isaiah, Chapter 43, verse 5 Fear not, for I am with you; from the east I will bring back your offspring, from the west I will gather you. This chapter of Isaiah is about the redemption and restoration of Israel which appears to have been fulfilled in the creation of the State of Israel. Yet in a deeper sense it includes us Catholic and Christians. As we celebrate this day let us also contemplate the deep love and sacrifice our God made to get us here and remember He is with us. First Scrutiny This is the somewhat obscure name given to the three brief ceremonies for those who are preparing for baptism at the Easter vigil. These ceremonies are celebrated on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent. At the scrutiny, these people are presented to the Church community, which prays for them, so that they may defeat sin and Satan, successfully endure temptation, and be strengthened in Christ. Lent originated as a time of prayer and fasting for those who were preparing for b...

Isaiah, Chapter 43, verse 1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, Jacob, and formed you, Israel: Do not fear , for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. God, as the Ultimate Leader, consistently practices the Law of Sacrifice. Leaders will do the illogical and surrender valuable possessions in order to fulfill and capture their dream. Fortunately for us, we are God’s dream. Only through the prophet Isaiah does God say directly to His people, “I love you.” [1] The Law of Sacrifice – A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up [2] If you desire to become the best leader you can be, then you need to be willing to make sacrifices in order to lead well. If that is your desire, then here are some things you need to know about the Law of Sacrifice. 1) There Is No Success without Sacrifice – Every person who has achieved any success in life has made sacrifices to do so.  Effective leaders sacrifice much that is good in order to dedicate themselves to what i...

Isaiah, Chapter 41, verse 22-23 22 Let them draw near and foretell to us what it is that shall happen! What are the things of long ago? Tell us, that we may reflect on them and know their outcome; Or declare to us the things to come, 23 tell what is to be in the future, that we may know that you are gods! Do something, good or evil, that will put us in awe and in fear . This verse is Isaiah’s indictment of Babylonian gods that is patterned on a legal trial, in which they are challenged to prove power over events of history and so justify their status as gods. Christ at his coming did show his power as God by his healings and miracles but still the Jews did not believe because their mind was trapped by wrong thinking. If we are to follow Christ we must know His thinking. Today let us reflect on Christ’s mind given in the gospel. “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the ...

Isaiah, Chapter 41, verse 13-14 13 For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, do not fear , I will help you. 14 Do not fear , you worm Jacob, you maggot Israel; I will help you—oracle of the L ORD ; the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer. Sunset at sea - Pierre-Auguste Renoir I picture Christ, the Holy One of Israel, saying this to Peter at the Sea of Galilee as He pulls Peter up after he had walked on the water and feared the waves and began to drown “I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand”. We must not waiver when we feel covered over by the waters of fear for He will help us.  When in fear if we cry out for his help He will grab us by the hand and bring us back in to the boat; which is His church. Let us not be children of fear but children of faith. In fact the opposite of Faith is fear . Napoleon Hill author of the bestselling book THINK AND GROW RICH stated in his unpublished manuscript entitled “Outwitt...

Isaiah, Chapter 41, Verse 10 Do not fear : I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Those that fear the Lord have a great love for Him. “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15) Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all. (Col....

Isaiah, Chapter 41, verse 5 The coastlands see, and fear ; the ends of the earth tremble: they approach, they come on. Even the coastlands will be able to recognize Christ says the prophet Isaiah. Yet, Christ was rejected by the Jews. Our loving God knew Israel would become full of hubris and haughtiness and forget the commandments that He enjoined them and they needed a savior. Let us NOT be like the Angels of God who fell from heaven by an act of pride and rebellion by refusing to honor Mary the Mother of God. Let us be like unto Gabriel who on announcing the conception of Christ said to Mary: "Hail" "Full of Grace" "The Lord is with you" [1] Let us this day emulate Christ’s mother and ours: Mary and never weary of union with Christ through the most Holy Eucharist. This day try to spend some time in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Here is an original children’s story I have written a long time ago. Enjoy THE TREE OF HAPPINESS ...

Isaiah, Chapter 40, verse 9: 9 Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of good news! Cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news!  Cry out, do not fear !  Say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! One of my favorite representations of the Lords delight with us is a statue of Joseph and the baby Jesus.  Jesus and Joseph are playing.  Joseph is slightly bent with the baby Jesus giggling crawling over the back of Joseph and peeking over his shoulder looking at his face in peek a boo fashion and delight is all over both of their faces.  How can we fear when we have a God who loves us so!  In times of tribulation when we feel courage being drained from our souls let us remember the courage of blessed Saint Joseph reflecting on his courage, strength and of course gentleness with our Lord Jesus.  In times of trouble let us call on the aid of St. Joseph reflecting on this portion of the litany of Saint Joseph [1] .  ...

Isaiah, chapter 35, verse 3-4 3 Strengthen hands that are feeble, make firm knees that are weak, 4 Say to the fearful of heart: Be strong, do not fear ! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Isaiah in this chapter is proclaiming the deliverance of Israel specifically but upon examining the wording in this verse it is referring to the day of our death. On that day our hands will be feeble but our hearts must remain strong. Will you be vindicated and what recompense will be due you.  Honestly few will be due recompense but our Lords love is such that he wishes to save us at this final hour with the sacrament which was formerly called the “Last Rites”. 1524 In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular significance and im...