Are the doors of you heart locked? Are you without faith? Perhaps Christ will stand someday in your midst as he did Thomas.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much
trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
Doubt[1]
Preachers
have called Thomas the "Doubter." Few have touched upon his cynicism.
Over and over, Thomas heard the witness of the followers. But, Thomas wanted
more than proof positive. ("Inspect and touch," literally meant
"to see and thrust.") He stepped beyond skepticism into cynicism. A
week later, Jesus again appear with the greeting of "Shalom." Turning
to Thomas, Jesus answered the challenge of cynicism with the challenge of
faith. Thomas responded with two titles for Jesus: Lord and God. Thomas acknowledged
the rightful place of Jesus as Lord; he also saw God working through the Risen
Christ. Thomas finally received Christ's gift of Shalom. In contrast to Thomas,
Jesus blessed those who believed without seeing him raised from the dead. John
uses the word "believe" in two senses: to trust ("believe
in") and to hold onto the truth ("believe (something)
about..."). Blessed were those who placed their personal trust in Christ
(believe in); they do not need proof of his resurrection, for they know he is alive.
But, even blessed are those who hold onto the truths of faith
(believe...about), for, with an open heart, they will soon experience the risen
Christ. Belief in these two sense stood against the cynicism found in Thomas.
Catechism Themes: CCC 651-655
Without the
Resurrection, Christianity would be nothing more than a school that taught the
wisdom of a great teacher. With the Resurrection, however, Christianity became
a road to intimacy with God. The Resurrection justifies the life, works, and teachings
of Jesus. Through the lens of the Resurrection, we can see this life, these
works and teachings in the context of Scripture and realize "Jesus is
Lord." Faith in the Resurrection leads us to the conclusion Jesus is true
God and true man. Through the Resurrection, we receive the gift of a new
eternal life, free from evil. We become one with our Savior who died and rose
for us. And, as he rose, Christ assures us that we, too, will rise on the last
day.
How does the cynicism of the world affect you? How
does faith keep you from cynicism?
Vincent Price-RIP
Oct 25, 1993[2]
Growing up in the 50’s
and 60’s Vincent was a staple of the Halloween season. Trained on the London stage, Price started out as an actor for
mainstream films in the 1940s, and worked for prestigious directors like Joseph
L. Mankiewicz, Otto Preminger and Cecil B. DeMille. But he never really made
his mark in the film business until he segued into the horror genre. Despite
being immensely talented, at 6’4”, Vinnie was just too tall to make it as a
Hollywood leading man, where the ideal male height was around 6’, give or take
an inch or two on either side. (Price’s great friend and fellow horror icon,
Sir Christopher Lee, faced the same problem: at 6’5” he was even taller than
Vinnie.) In addition to the height issue, as the 50s marched on, Vinnie’s
classic, stage-trained acting style would eventually be considered
“old-fashioned,” and pushed aside in favor of the more “naturalistic” acting
styles of younger actors such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Paul Newman.
In classic horror, however, a
stage-trained acting style and perfect diction—which Price had in spades—were
considered assets, because so many plots featured evil aristocrats, sinister
industrialists, or cultivated mad scientists. He made so many horror films that
by the time he passed on in 1993 at the age of 82, Price had become
world-famous, beloved by millions.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER ONE THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN
PERSON
Article 7-THE VIRTUES
1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is
any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things."
A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the
person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. the
virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual
powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.
The goal of a virtuous life is to
become like God.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
sanctification of the Church Militant.
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 5 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
· Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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