Friday, September 9, 2016
Acts,
Chapter 10, Verse 36
36 You know the word [that] he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord
of all, 37
what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that
John preached, 38 how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those
oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
With the election cycle upon us let us
take these verses to heart. Why should I fear
evil in the future or the injustice of our nation on the faithful? Instead we
should look seriously at the candidates for their faith in God and their
virtues. Look and see which of the candidates have the virtues of our Lady:
humility, generosity, chastity, patience, temperance and love of fellow man.
It is not the economy in coin; but the
bankruptcy of our cultural heart that is killing this nation that sacrifices
the future of children for the future of the mother. No amount of future
happiness or gain in liberty is worth the life of an innocent. Know that life
is greater than liberty and liberty is greater than wealth.
Beloved: Teach and urge these things.
Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding
nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From
these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among
people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion
to be a means of gain. Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For
we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take
anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with
that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and
into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in
their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves
with many pains. But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue
righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well
for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made
the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. (Tm. 6:2-12)
If we truly wish to make our nation great again; we
ourselves must grow in holiness and then in turn our families will, which in
turn our communities will; and thus our nation will have a rebirth.
Hajj[1]
The Hajj starts
today. Hajj is a holy pilgrimage to Mecca that is obligatory for all Muslims
who can afford to go. The 3rd chapter of the Quran, Surah Ale-Imran
makes Hajj mandatory. During this pilgrimage, Muslims try to get closer
to God. The Hajj is performed in the last month of the Islamic calendar,
Dhul-Hijjah. All Muslims who can afford to go on the Hajj are required to
do so at least once in their life. Muslims believe that the Prophet Abraham
built the Ka'aba with his son Ismael. Kaaba is a sacred cube-shaped shrine at
the centre Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque, in Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Muslims
walk around the Ka'bah seven times as part of the Hajj. Muslims face to
pray in the direction of the Ka'bah no matter where they are in the world.
It was the first house built solely for the purpose of worshipping God.
To be completed, the Hajj requires a minimum of five days, during which
pilgrims travel across Arabia to complete various rituals, some of which are
optional, but considered highly beneficial.
Hajj Facts
·
According to Sahih Bukhari (one of the six main
hadith writings of Sunni Islam), the Prophet Muhammad once said that those who
finish the Hajj without committing any obscenity or transgression will have
their sins completely wiped away.
·
It is believed that to teach Muslims to remain
humble and unified, God mandated the Hajj. During it, everyone wears the
same clothes, prays together, and goes around the Ka'bah together.
·
According to the Saudi Arabian Embassy, the Hajj
is the largest gathering of human beings on the Earth.
Hajj Events and Things to Do
·
Visit the mountains of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah in
Mecca. Pilgrims walk between two hills, Safa and Marwa, seven times
during the Hajj because they believe that Hagar, the wife of Abraham, did the
same when looking for water for her thirsty baby Ismael. As soon as she
finished her seventh run, the Zamzam well sprung out from under baby Ismael's
foot. To this day, pilgrims on the Hajj drink the Zamzam's water, and
often take it home with them in large canisters.
·
Visit the tower at Jamrat-al-Aqabah (Saudi
Arabia). After sunset on the day of Arafah, as part of the Hajj, pilgrims
throw small pebbles at Jamrat-al-Aqabah. This is the place where it is
believed the Devil stood as he tried to tempt Abraham from carrying out orders
from God. This is act commemorates and symbolizes Abraham's rejecting of
the devil.
Today take the family out for a little KFC to commemorate Harland
Sanders born in 1890.
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