ICEMANforChrist

Matthew, Chapter, Verse 9 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith .” If we accept the call we will be empowered according to our faith and prepared for our work from on high with wisdom and understanding and fear of the Lord. In fact the Church has traditionally enumerated seven gifts of the spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord enamors the soul with an intense respect for the Church and the commandments of God. This reverence frees the soul and lightens a person’s worldly fears and concerns. This is what happens to the happy soul that accepts the “ Yoke ” of Christ. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30) It is essential that we pass through worldly fear to grow to Godly fear; getting to the point w...

Isaiah, Chapter 26, Verse 3 With firm purpose you maintain peace ; in peace , because of our trust in you.” Can a warrior be at peace and can a weak-willed person be at war? How can a man that is not at peace with himself ever find happiness or blessedness? Ancient and Modern Concepts of Happiness [1] My topic today is Jesus' concept of happiness. And we must begin with the dullest and most necessary preliminary: defining our term. Nearly everyone, from Aristotle to Freud, agrees that we all seek happiness, and that we seek it as an end, not as a means. No one seeks happiness for any other reason. We argue about other things, but not about happiness. We may say, "What good are riches if they don't make you happy?" But we don't say, "What good is happiness if it doesn't make you rich?" This is clear, to both ancients like Aristotle and moderns like Freud. But there is a very significant difference between the typically ancient and th...

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle Romans, Chapter 10, Verse 17 Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. Catechism of the Catholic Church 142 By his Revelation , "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company." The adequate response to this invitation is faith. 143 By faith , man completely submits his intellect and his will to God. With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, "the obedience of faith". 144 To obey (from the Latin ob-audire , to "hear or listen to") in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. Abraham is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture. The Virgin Mary is its mos...

Isaiah, Chapter 11, Verse 2-4 2 The spirit of the L ORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the L ORD , 3 and his delight shall be the fear of the L ORD . Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, 4 But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. AN EXCERPT FROM  BEAUTIFUL MERCY By Matt Fradd Several years ago, as I stood in line for the sacrament of confession about to confess for the umpteenth time a sin I couldn’t seem to quit, I began to fear that God’s mercy was running out. I didn’t doubt that God would pardon a person who turned to him after a life of the most heinous sins imaginable. What I did doubt was that he would continue to forgive me. How many times have I said, “I will neve...

Palm 122, Verse 7-8 7 May peace be within your ramparts, prosperity within your towers.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and friends I say,  “Peace be with you.” The definition of a rampart is a defensive or protective barrier, especially a protective wall around a castle or city made of stone with a broad top that serves as a walkway. So what is it that protects you and gives you power to see clearly any threat? Hopefully it is your faith. Yet even if earthly concerns have brought you down from your ramparts, Advent is a time to climb back onto your tower of strength: the church; the faith. Advent [1] It may seem strange that in a calendar with only one annual cycle of readings, two of the Sundays share virtually the same Gospel; and it may seem stranger still that these two Sundays occur consecutively. The Gospel for the Last Sunday of Pentecost, taken from St. Matthew, contains Christ's twofold description of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the world. That sam...

Psalm 122, Verse 6 For the peace of Jerusalem pray: “May those who love you prosper! This Christmas when you make out your gift list try to give a gift to those you love that truly helps them to prosper! Let us pray for the conversion of Jerusalem and the fullness of Christ to all mankind. Let us reflect on the catechism of the Holy Catholic Church which states: GOD COMES TO MEET MAN ü   50  Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. ü   51  "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thu...