Matthew, Chapter 28, Verse 4-5
4 The
guards were shaken with fear of him
and became like dead men. 5 Then the
angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
Have you ever been so afraid that you lost consciousness? I must admit I have not;
however once when praying intently I distinctly heard the singing of angelic
voices that scared me so bad I hid and prayed it stop, which it did. Yet it is
not impossible for this to happen.
Extreme
pain, fear,
or stress may bring
on fainting. This type of fainting is caused
by overstimulation of the vagus nerve, a nerve
connected to the brain
that helps control
breathing and circulation.
In addition, a person who stands still
or erect for too
long may faint.
This type of fainting
occurs because blood
pools in the leg
veins, reducing the
amount that is available
for the heart
to pump to the brain.
This type of fainting
is quite common in older people or those
taking drugs to treat
high blood pressure.[1]
Jesus raised several people from the dead, but in
each case differed from His own resurrection. Those people would eventually die
again. But Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again. He defeated mankind’s
greatest enemy: death. All other problems are problems because they kill us.
Once Jesus defeated death, His followers could operate in total security. No
struggle is too big for God. No question is unanswerable. No problem is too
difficult. The resurrection of Christ trumpeted good news from the graveyard!
Jesus in spite of the evil influence of Satan on men practiced the Law of
Victory, decisively defeating even death itself.
The Law of Victory: Leaders find a way for the team
to win. ~ John C. Maxwell
Leaders make things happen. They are unwilling to accept
failure as their reality and choose to do all humanly possible (and sometimes
even more) to achieve victory. Not just for themselves, but for their teams.
Leaders live and breathe success. Leaders are resilient. They don’t feed off of
the past, but choose to move forward toward the next victory. Leaders are
achievers. Leaders are winners. Leaders understand that they don’t need to win
every battle to be victorious. They are patient and understand that
victory sometimes takes time and often even sacrifices.[3]
Have courage He has risen and He has sent His
Mother Mary to help us in the end times. Do not be perplexed and remember Our
Lady said, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!”[4]
Traditional Corpus Christi[5]
At
that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: My flesh is meat indeed and
My blood is drink indeed he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood,
abideth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by
the Father so he that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me. This is the
bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are
dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.
Why did Jesus say, this is the bread that
came down from heaven? He wished thereby to teach the Jews that the bread
which He would give them, like the manna, came down from heaven, and was,
indeed, the only true bread from heaven. The manna was but a type, and could
only prolong the life of the body. The type was now to be fulfilled; the bread
that He was about to give them would impart to them eternal life, and this
bread would be His flesh, Himself, Who truly came from heaven, to redeem
mankind, and to bring them to life everlasting. Jesus calls His flesh bread,
partly on account of its likeness to the manna, partly on account of its effect;
for as bread nourishes the body, and sustains the earthly life, so the body of
Christ, in the Holy Sacrament, nourishes the soul, and imparts to it,
continually, a new, divine, and everlasting life.
What is the Holy Sacrament of the Altar? It is that sacrament in
which, after the words of its institution have been spoken by the priest, Jesus
Christ is present, whole and entire, in His Godhead and in His manhood, under the
appearance of bread and wine.
When and how did Jesus institute this sacrament? At the Last Supper;
In the night, before He was betrayed, He took bread, and, giving thanks, broke
it, and gave it to His disciples saying, Take and eat, for this is My body
which will be given for you. In the same manner, He took the chalice and said,
Take and drink, for this chalice is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as
often as you drink from it in commemoration of Me.
What did Jesus affect by these words? He changed bread and wine
into His most precious body and blood.
Has He given to others the power to do the same? Yes; He gave this
power to His apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests, in these
words: Do this in commemoration of Me.
What takes place at the words of consecration? Bread and wine are
changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and only the outward
appearances of bread and wine remain.
How is Jesus present in the Most Holy Sacrament? He is present,
truly, really, and substantially, in His divinity and humanity, in flesh and
blood, in body and soul, under the appearances of bread and wine.
Why do we believe this? 1. Because the words of Jesus do not
reasonably admit of any other meaning: since by them we see (a) that Jesus gave
His disciples a certain nourishment which they were to eat ; (b) that this
nourishment was bread and wine to all appearances, but Jesus called the bread
His body, which was afterwards to be sacrificed for us, and the wine His blood,
which was to be shed for us: this food consequently was not bread and wine,
but, under the appearance of bread and wine, was indeed His body and blood;
since what He gave for our redemption was not bread and wine, but His true body
and His true blood; (c) that as the body and blood of Jesus were inseparable
from His soul and divinity, He gave Himself up for our nourishment, whole and undivided,
as He hung, bled, and died upon the cross; (d) that He commanded what He had
done to be continued until He should come again (1 Cor. xi. 26), that is, until
the end of the world; and that He, (e) on account of this being His testament, and
the New Law, was not at liberty to speak figuratively, but plainly and
distinctly. 2. Because the apostles preached this very doctrine. 3. Because the
Catholic Church, the pillar and foundation of truth, has thus constantly
taught, from the apostles times down to the present day, as the oldest Councils
and the Holy Fathers unanimously testify.
Why is communion given only in one kind? 1. The Church gives Holy
Communion only under one kind, to guard against abuses; as, for example, the
spilling of the wine; 2. In opposition to those who hold that communion can only
be received under both kinds, to hold fast the true doctrine, which is that
Christ, whole and undivided, the entire sacrament, is received under one kind.
The truth of this doctrine is plain from this, that where the living body of
Christ is, there is the whole Christ; that Christ promises eternal life to him
who eats this bread alone (John vi. 59); and finally, that there is no divine law
which commands the receiving of this sacrament under both kinds.
Art Linkletter died on this day in 2010.
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