TAX DAY
“Do not fear, beloved. Peace! Take courage and be strong.” When he spoke to
me, I grew strong and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
Read this verse again and imagine Christ saying this
to you the next time you receive communion. Perhaps it would be a good idea to
commit this verse to memory and repeat it to yourself at communion or on visits
to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. “Do not fear, beloved. Peace! Take courage and
be strong.”
Yes, we are beloved and if we are beloved we must share the love Christ gives us with
others; especially our families and spouses.
The
word of God constantly testifies to that sad dimension already present at the
beginning with Adam and Eve, when, through sin, the relationship of love and
purity between man and woman turns into domination: “Your desire shall be for
your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Gen 3:16) Jesus knows the anxieties
and tensions experienced by families and he weaves them into his parables.
Christ does not abandon us and His gospel is not a series of abstract ideas but
rather a source of comfort and companionship for every family that experiences
difficulties or suffering. For it shows us the goal of our journey, when God
“will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither
shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more” (Rev 21:4)
Tax Day marks the last day to file income taxes in
the United States. The history of US Income Tax dates back to the Civil
War and the Revenue Act of 1861. This tax was imposed to help pay the costs of
the war. After several repeals, new taxes, and subsequent repeals, the 16th
Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified and went into law in 1913. This
established the right of Congress to impose a Federal Income tax. The Income
Tax remains the primary way (and
borrowing from china) that the US Government finances itself to ensure that
all monies due for the prior year are paid, a Tax Day was created. All US
taxpayers are required to file taxes based on prior year’s earnings by this
date. Traditionally this date has been on April 15 of each year. If this day
falls on a weekend, the due date is extended. This date is also impacted by the
Emancipation Day Holiday in Washington DC.
Tax
Day (Taxes Due) Facts & Quotes
·
The
date of Tuesday April 17, 2018 represents the filing deadline to submit 2017
tax returns.
·
In
1913, the original US income tax rates were 1% for incomes over $3,000; 6% for
incomes over $500,000. (Now when will
they take it all and give us food stamps and credits at their whim.)
·
During
World War I, around 1918, the highest income tax rate was over 77%.
·
The
power of taxing people and their property is essential to the very existence of
government. - James Madison, U.S. President
·
A
tax loophole is something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it
is tax reform. - Russell B. Long, U.S. Senator
Tax
Day (Taxes Due) Top Events and Things to Do
·
Be
sure to mail your Tax Return before the midnight of the designated tax day.
·
File
for an extension before midnight, if needed.
·
Visit
Office Depot and shred your old documents for Free.
·
Take
advantage of Tax Day Freebies at local restaurants.
·
Watch
a movie that deals with taxes and the consequences of unpaid taxes. Our
picks: Stranger Than Fiction (2006), Catch Me If You Can (2012), The
Firm (1993), The Mating Game (1959)
Pelagianism is the belief that original sin did not taint human nature and that mortal will is still capable of choosing good or evil without special divine aid.
Gnosticism is a belief that the material world is created by an emanation of the highest God, trapping the Divine spark within the human body. This Divine spark could be liberated by gnosis.
Gnosticism is a heresy that gave way to another heresy, likewise present in our day. As time passed, many came to realize that it is not knowledge that betters us or makes us saints, but the kind of life we lead. But this subtly led back to the old error of the gnostics, which was simply transformed rather than eliminated. The same power that the gnostics attributed to the intellect, others now began to attribute to the human will, to personal effort. This was the case with the pelagians and semi-pelagians. Now it was not intelligence that took the place of mystery and grace, but our human will. It was forgotten that everything “depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy” and that “he first loved us”.
A will lacking humility
Those who yield to this pelagian or semi-pelagian mindset, even though they speak warmly of God’s grace, “ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style”. When some of them tell the weak that all things can be accomplished with God’s grace, deep down they tend to give the idea that all things are possible by the human will, as if it were something pure, perfect, all-powerful, to which grace is then added. They fail to realize that “not everyone can do everything” and that in this life human weaknesses are not healed completely and once for all by grace. In every case, as Saint Augustine taught, God commands you to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot, and indeed to pray to him humbly: “Grant what you command, and command what you will”. Ultimately, the lack of a heartfelt and prayerful acknowledgment of our limitations prevents grace from working more effectively within us, for no room is left for bringing about the potential good that is part of a sincere and genuine journey of growth. Grace, precisely because it builds on nature, does not make us superhuman all at once. That kind of thinking would show too much confidence in our own abilities. Underneath our orthodoxy, our attitudes might not correspond to our talk about the need for grace, and in specific situations we can end up putting little trust in it. Unless we can acknowledge our concrete and limited situation, we will not be able to see the real and possible steps that the Lord demands of us at every moment, once we are attracted and empowered by his gift. Grace acts in history; ordinarily it takes hold of us and transforms us progressively. If we reject this historical and progressive reality, we can actually refuse and block grace, even as we extol it by our words. When God speaks to Abraham, he tells him: “I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless”. In order to be blameless, as he would have us, we need to live humbly in his presence, cloaked in his glory; we need to walk in union with him, recognizing his constant love in our lives. We need to lose our fear before that presence which can only be for our good. God is the Father who gave us life and loves us greatly. Once we accept him, and stop trying to live our lives without him, the anguish of loneliness will disappear. In this way we will know the pleasing and perfect will of the Lord and allow him to mould us like a potter. So often we say that God dwells in us, but it is better to say that we dwell in him, that he enables us to dwell in his light and love. He is our temple; we ask to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our life. “For one day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere”. In him is our holiness.
Daily Devotions
·
Manhood of
the Master-Day 3 week 12
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
Comments
Post a Comment