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Gift Giving on Christmas

​The Three Wise Men

​Santa Claus

​Shopping for Gifts

​Faith is Different From Religion

​Why Do People Choose to Step Away?

How Can We Keep Christians and Catholics in Our Church?

“Life is a gift.” I often hear this phrase being said. But many of us who go through struggles in life think about the reasons why need to go through all this pain, all this sorrow. Sometimes we just think why do we need to suffer if in the end we will go to a better place? There are so many things that we want to know about life, about existence but what we long for is happiness and release; release from pain.

Life is a Gift

This phrase is not just a cliché it is true. We were not created by God just to be tested in this life and prepare for the next. I don’t think that God spent so much love, time and effort in creating us and this beautiful planet just for us to supper. Life should be celebrated. Every single day, even if as we strive to be His children, we should still live a life that is happy and full. We should enjoy His wonderful creations.

A good example is the fruit fly, the fruit fly only has about less than 24 hours to live, but it lives. I flies from flower to flower, fruit to fruit helping in the pollination process; helping in balancing life. You may think that 24 hours is an awfully short time to live, but to the fruit fly, it is a beautiful lifetime.

When we go to bed at night, we don’t even know if we will ever awake the next day, but we lay our heads in bed and hold on to faith that the next day will be a better one. Even if we are so down and even if we feel depressed at times, life is still beautiful. You may think that you are totally damaged and meaningless, but have you ever thought that your scars make you beautiful.

Life is Meant to be Lived

Many Christian wonder about the Heaven and the eternal life beyond. On the other hand many Christians, also forget how to live; they become too engrossed with the afterlife, that they forget the present life. But this should never be. God has commanded us to live and be fruitful; by being fruitful He did not just mean to reproduce, but also to be productive and happy. Many Christian shun people who are secular, but have we forgotten that Christ walked among the Gentiles, Samaritans and even sinners. He did not judge them but instead healed them and showed them love. We should be the same, we should show our brothers and sisters that we are not here to judge them, but to be their friends.

Little things in life can be meaningful in our Christian journey, the way we wake up, the way we drive our cars to work, the way we speak. All the things we do should be pleasing to God. We need to live every day with joy and happiness without forgetting our promise to God.

Is this World Sinful?

Many say that this world is full of sin. Yes that may be true but we should not see it that way. We should not be bitter about this life and this world. We should be more open minded to others. If we always condemn others, then this begets hatred, and hatred begets wars. Pope Francis has already said that it not necessary to just be Christian or Catholic to be saved, even others from different religions can be saved too, if they are good people and they have lived a clean life.

So what could we do in this sinful world? Be a true Christian but also be human. We are all humans; brothers and sisters no matter what our religion, race or gender is. We should respect one another and offer love to one another. There is already so much hate and pain in this world and I hope as Catholics, we do not add to that hate. We should aim first to change our heart and ourselves and them change will follow around us.

So What is the Sense of Living?

The sense of living is the Breath of Life that Christ has given each and every one of us. We need to breathe this Breath of Life to others. The sense of living is being strong and beautiful even if we sin and face hardships. We need to get up and pick ourselves when we fall down. We need to be always prepared for the LIFE TO COME.

Should we ever believe in psychics? That is the question. As Catholics and Christians we have always, always struggled with things that is beyond what the Church and dogma tells us. We fear what is unknown. We declare evil what is beyond our understanding. But to be a child of God, should we really be ignorant? To be children of God should we shun the gifts that God has given to his other children?

Who are Psychics?

Psychics are people who are often given additional talents beyond what is normally known to man according to most people. But what is normal and what is not? Well, anyway, psychics to define their talent are people who are gifted with the ability to see, sense, hear or perceive the future. They are people who can see beyond the fabric of time and space, which is normally invisible to most. Psychics are normally extra sensitive and have their gifts given to them from childhood.

There are three main types of psychics: clairvoyants, clairaudients and clairsentients and a fourth kind who uses tools to enhance his or her abilities. Clairvoyants are those who can see the future. They are either gifted with the ability to see clear aspects of the future or just glimpses of it. Joseph the dreamer who was the second hand of the Pharaoh was an example of a clairvoyant. Clairaudience is the ability to hear the future. Sometimes God or his Holy Spirit talks to us to forewarn us about things to come. A lot of us may have this gift without even realizing it. However, there are some who can actually tune into their clairaudience better than others. They can focus their energies on it and tune in and really hear possibilities that are to come. Lastly is clairsentience, which is the ability to know the future. It is much like the sixth sense or intuition. Clairsentience is a gift that gives you knowledge of what is to come.

There are also other kinds of psychics. Like those who look into the stars much like the Magi who sought out the baby Jesus. They use the stars and the planets in the heavens to find out energies and messages that God may send us. There are those who use their gifts to send out healing energies and those who help other find missing things.

How do Psychics Play a Role in Catholicism?

Many people say that psychics do not belong in the Church. Many say that psychics are evil and serve the devil. But this is not so. Psychics are normal people like you and me. Believe it or not they do play a big role in the present Catholic Church. Many miracles and visions that have been witnessed by saints who can be attributed as psychics too are now held dearly by the church. Saints who have had premonitions and visions of Christ and Mary are highly regarded. On the other hand, many women who were psychics and of science were killed in witch hunts. The Church always feared anything that can endanger its power, even if it is the truth.

Even in the Old Testament, visions from the prophets played a huge role in shaping the Church as we know it now. In the New Testament, Jesus healed people and awoke Lazarus from the dead. He has given his disciples these gifts too. How can we not see that these are the very same gifts that some psychic brothers and sisters have?

Should We Believe in Psychics?

All in all I think being a psychic should not be seen as something evil. Psychic abilities are great gifts that God has given some of our brothers and sisters to help one another to achieve happiness and fullness. Some may say that only God can know the future, and yes that is true. But he also gave His sons and daughters the ability to see visions and listen to His Voice. He us given us all different gifts. Gifts of speech, gifts to heal others, gifts to teach and gifts which are beyond this realm.

Psychics should be given a chance and not be condemned. Many psychic Catholics and Christians have to hide who they really are for the fear of being shunned. They want to also be accepted in the Church they love. They also want to live a happy and normal life. Most psychics just want to share their talents and help people. I hope we can give them a chance.

And to be honest. I do consult psychics too.

 

 

Praying is about communicating with God. It is a moment where you open your heart and talk to him. Prayer can be a song, a dance or a thought that you offer to God. But how should we really pray? How should we commune with God? How do we speak do to Him? Does he even ever hear our prayers?

In today’s busy world many people have forgotten to pray. Some do pray but they have forgotten the true form of prayer. They only pray when they are asking God for something. They only pray when they are down in the dumps and there is no one else to call but God. There is nothing wrong with praying at these bad times, but we need to remember that we need to pray in other moments of our lives too.

Steps in Praying

I know many churches in different denominations advocate to pray freely and smoothly as if talking to God. But remembering some basic steps in praying is important too. In this way we can convey our love and intentions to God well.

1. Praise God – A lot of people forget to tell God how important He is in their lives and how magnificent He is. Many would ask “but why do we need to still flatter God?”. But it is not about flattery, but rather an expression of how much you love God. You have to thank Him for all the blessings He has given you, but aside from that you should exalt Him. Much like when you meet a man or a woman that is very attractive and you give them praises, God deserves that too. He rejoices in those who know how to praise His Name.

2. Ask for forgiveness – This is a step which most people forget. They normally jump into asking God for blessings. But we must remember to ask forgiveness for our transgressions before we ask for any favors. It is much like a child asking his or her parents to go out, will the parents let the child go if he or she is still grounded? Probably not. On the other hand, God would never “ground” us and has given us freewill. He allows us to choose the path of forgiveness. It is important to ask for forgiveness so that we are clean when we ask for His blessings.

3. Pray for your family and friends – Before thinking about what you need to ask, you need to ask God to bless the people he has blessed you with. You need to allow His great blessings to shower upon them. Christianity is all about sharing Christ’s love to others. You also need to pray for those who have no one to pray for them. Those who are sick in hospitals, those who have no families, those who are in jail and even those in far flung countries.

4. Pray for the blessings you want in your life – Of course God is a generous God, he is willing to bless us abundantly. He can give us our hearts desires. If we pray to Him and ask him for something we need to be SPECIFIC. We need to be clear on what we really want because if not God might send you something that you are not asking for. On the other hand we need to remember that God knows what we truly need. He knows what is best for us and what would make us grow or not. So God may answer our prayers in three ways: “Yes. No. And Wait.” God tells us to be patient always.

5. Thank God – Thank God again for the blessings you have received and the blessings that he will bestow upon you. Thank Him for being your Great Friend. God is happy to hear you thanking Him

Pre-made Prayers

Many Christians nowadays question why Catholics pray pre-made prayers such as The Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary or Glory Be. I would like to like this prayers to romantic poems we normally swoon for when our partners recite for us. It is the same with God. This prayers are normally complete in all the stages of prayers. They are short and simple and easy to remember. They can be used as guides in creating our own prayers too.

What If You are Too Busy to Pray

You are never too busy to pray. You can always make time to pray. While driving your car you can pray. While making coffee, you can pray. God has a toll free speed dial number. You can call on Him any time. He would like to hear from you. The busier you are, the more you need to pray because it means there are many, many things in your heart that God can put to rest.

Praying is still very important even in this digital and fast paced world. Offering a short prayer to God can help heal our hearts and guide us into being better Christians and better people. As a Catholic, I pray The Lord’s Prayer but I still talk to God much like he is my Friend. A Friend who would never abandon me and would always listen to me no matter what the time or day it is.

Here's some good resources on how to pray, remember these are just suggestions but they do also reference advice from the bible:

http://www.gotquestions.org/how-to-pray.html - good advice and tells you where to look in the bible
http://www.prayeronline.org.au/how-to-pray - I like the creative ideas for prayer time.

 

 

 

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).

I do read the Bible and I try my best to do it every day. I also do pray; I PRAY A LOT. I pray everywhere I go. I go to mass too; every Sunday in fact. I have a very strong relationship with God. But many ask, is it really necessary to go to confession? What is the sacrament of confession all about? How does this help you in growing as a Catholic? I have always wondered about this until I have come to commune with God recently and He showed me what it really means to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.

I first had the Sacrament of Confession when I was nine. I was about to take my first communion in school and it puzzled me a lot. I felt very much embarrassed about what to tell the priest. I felt like being stripped naked and having to walk for people to see my nakedness. I did not know what to do. I asked the school catechist to teach me what to say. She said “don’t worry too much dear, Father Anton is not there to judge you. He is a servant of God, he will listen to you; just open your heart to him and tell him what you want forgiveness for”. She then gave me a piece of paper and told me to try to write down what I wanted to say because she said it would be much easier to confess if I had it written down. I was really scared and ashamed. For my sin was something uncommon of a nine year old girl. I touched myself early in my life, well at that time I did not know what it was called. At that point I was one of those young girls who were raised to sex as something dirty. Little did I know that it was but a normal biological thing to do? I wanted to sink in the floor and cry. I don’t want to tell that to our school priest! I was a good student who always had perfect grades and went to Sunday school and Mass fervently. I tried to still my thumping heart. I tried to write down what I felt. The shame, the grief, the sorrow all gripped my little heart. When it was finally my turn to go to the confession box, I trembled with fear.

I did not say what I wrote down. I was so scared. I just told Father Anton that I had some “disturbing thoughts” and that I stole some money from my mother’s purse. He told me to pray three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys as well as one Act of Contrition. I left the confession box with tears rolling down my eyes. I went to where they lit candles and lit my small paper on fire and prayed. I told God “Why is it so difficult to say what is in my heart? Why do I think and do things that is not acceptable to You? I want to tell him, the priest but I couldn’t”.

After that I went to confession regularly. I stopped touching myself for fear of being sinful. I lived a life a child which is considered good and clean. Years passed. I became a girl of sixteen and then I had a boyfriend. He took my virginity away. I knew having sex out of wedlock was sinful in the eyes of God. But I couldn’t let go of the high that I felt every single time my boyfriend and I made love. At that time I started to question my faith. I started to think that many things that were thought in Sunday school and the Mass were all just but lies to stop us from living our lives to the fullest. I started to search for answers. Until I was nineteen when I had a vision. A vision of God. A vision that changed my life. This was a dream where God told me to go tell His message to the world.

As I began picking up the pieces again, I started reading the Bible once more. I started praying more. And then came the point of taking the Holy Communion. I had to have the Sacrament of Confession before I can take the Holy Eucharist. I did not know what to do. The same fear gripped me again. But this time. I understood many things. I understood my body. I understood my faith. I knew things differently. I no longer condemn touching one's self for it is a way to release the biological need inside of me. And although most if not all Catholics see sex as sinful and dirty, I did not. I saw that God made things to be beautiful and it is but man who tagged things as sinful; man created dogma to control other men.

I went to confession and told the priest my thoughts and feelings. I did not hesitate. And yes he said that I should not have sex out of wedlock but now I understood why. Because during the old times people had no means to do birth control. And that children who are not inside a family normally suffer from heartache and sorrow. So preventing pregnancy by stopping intercourse had a more sensible reason other than sex being dirty. I had confession again. But this time not just to tell a priest that I was a sinner; it was to communicate with a man of God. A man who studied His Word. A man I could confide with. A bridge to the Lord. Because sometimes it is wonderful to hear a voice to connect you to the SILENT WORDS OF GOD.

I do believe that we need confession. I think it is very important for us to take part of the sacraments. I also believe that God has given us the gift of freewill and that we should use it wisely. Sometimes, religion, power, politics get all mixed up and sometimes they form dogma. But being a child of God is a personal journey.

It is Sunday morning and you hear your alarm buzzing. You struggle to get out of bed. Go to the bathroom. Try to brush your hair and teeth. You stare at yourself in the mirror and think to yourself “Do I really need to go to Church today?”. Then you decide to jump back to bed and tell yourself “Just another five minutes… Zzzz…” and then you wake up 20 minutes later. You now scramble to get dressed and just put your hair in a ponytail because it just won’t agree with you. You run out carrying your shoes as you go out of the door on your way to church.

Does this all sound familiar? Are you one of those people who feel as if going to Church is a waste of time? Precious time which you could use for say, hugging your pillows more or having great AM sex? Or having brunch with your friends? Or resting your hangover infested head because of partying a lot the night before? So many Americans no longer go to church any more. SO IS GOING TO CHURCH STILL IMPORTANT??? I say yes IT DEFINITELY IS! Let us now relate this to having a boyfriend or girlfriend or even children. So if you love someone you do spend time with them right? Exactly! If you love God, not just because He is God, but because you have this amazing relationship with Him, you would DEFINITELY want to spend time with Him.

Going to Church is the Way God talks to You

If you pray a lot, maybe at some point you may have asked yourself “Why is God not answering my prayers? Doesn’t He hear me?”. Yes He does hear you. He wants to speak to you. Yes there is the Scriptures but hearing the Word of God in Church spoken by a man of God can be very liberating. First you listen to someone who actually studied God’s Word as their vocation and job. They do not have much other distraction and their main duty is to deliver God’s word to you.

Going to church fires up your soul. The singing of the choir is like the song of angels in heaven that truly inspires your heart. Hearing the sermon or homily helps answers a lot of questions you may have about what you are going through right now. Praying together, now that, that is power praying.

Praying Together with the Church

You may argue that you do pray alone and that your relationship with God is but personal. Yes that is right and there is nothing wrong with that. But praying together with the Church gives your prayer more power. Think about it like internet connection, the more bandwidth you have the faster pages load.

Another thing is you can meet people who also have lives outside Church, but they set aside their time to commune with God. You can make friends with people who also have the same spiritual feelings as you do have. If you have more time, why not join church organizations. The world is changed by people who come together towards a common goal.

It is Written

God said to Moses for us to keep the Sabbath Day holy. This is not just because God wants you to take out one day from your life, He wants you to let go. He wants you not to spend every day worrying about life but spend some time with Him. He loves us very much that He understands what we really need more than we understand our needs. He knows that our soul needs some time to sit back and just listen to Him “talking” to us in His ever sweet Voice.

So Is Going To Church Still Practical?

I say it is! Imagine how much money we can save from therapy. We spend much time sharing inspirational quotes on FB or Twitter because we want to be inspired but how about listening to His Word? It can be much more inspirational. The wisdom taught in Church is still very much valuable in this day and age. It is practical advice that we can always use in our everyday lives.

Becoming a Christian and accepting Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is one of the best things that can ever happen to you. You are full of joy and excitement. You feel the rush of the Messiah going into every fibre of your soul. You feel like you are going to explode with joy. You are so full of blessings that you just want to share it into the world. But the world can be cruel and sinful at times. It has it’s temptations that pull you away from your relationship with Christ. So you try your best to be a good Christian despite what the world outside the church is; the question is how? How do you live a life pleasing to God in this modern times? How do you relate with your non believer friends and relatives with sounding too righteous or awful?

The World Has Forgotten its Values

Many people now a days no longer believe in religion or in the importance of having a good relationship with God. They go about life like there is no tomorrow. They believe in the saying “YOLO, You live only once” and because of that go about life as if there are no consequences to their actions. Now some of these people can be your friends or even relatives. Yes, you do love them dearly but you do not want to live in sin. You want to be a role model to others yet you do not want to seem to be a critical and disconnected type of person.

Living as a Christian in a world were values mean so little can sometimes be difficult. But we must remember the teachings of St. Paul, where he said to live a life of holiness no matter what the world around us says. We must follow the examples of Christ that even when ridiculed or hurt, he stood up for what he believed in. Become a beacon of light. Do not push your beliefs on other people, but use your actions as an instrument to spread the word of God to others.

There are Still Many Good Things in This World

Contrary to what most old fashioned people say that the world now is all evil, it is surely not. The world is filled with good and wonderful things and people that God has created. Music is one. Many conservative Christians condone secular music, however God created music and much of the modern music do convey love or good things. Mass media is not all violence. People from all walks of life can show you goodness or kindness, much like what Pope Francis has said that it does not matter what religion you come from, as long as you do good then you are a child of God.

Many traditional Christians were brought up to believe that much of the other religions are evil, but in truth they are not. We all believe in God, we just call him in different names. Politics has played a big role in shaping the church. If politics will be set aside as well as prejudice then we should not hate our Muslim, Buddhist or even Pagan brothers and sister. Many traditional believers think that psychics and astrologers are not of God, but how about the three Magi who followed the star of Bethlehem as their sign to Christ? Or Joseph the dreamer who was given by God the visions that saved Egypt during the time of famine. God has given people many gifts that we may not understand and just because we do not understand them, it does not mean we should condone them.

Spread the Word of God

Being a Christian, you must help show the world who God is. Instead of forcing people to believe in dogma, you should show kindness and love in every act. You must be like Christ who walked among the Gentiles and Samaritans and showed no hate for them just because they were different. You must speak like a child of God.

There are many ways to spread the Word of God. You can volunteer in soup kitchens to help feed the needy. You can donate to homeless people. One of the other things you can give is your time. Visit those who are forgotten and lonely; those who are in retirement homes or prison. Many of the people who live there are not visited by their family and therefore do not feel the love they deserve. You may also sing in church or speak in the pulpit as a reader or even a preacher. There are countless ways to share God’s Word.

What Should You Do?

Now that you know that you need to be a beacon of God’s Light, then you also should live a life of Christian. You must always read the Word of God. The Bible is a source of strength and wisdom. You must take in the Daily Bread to feed your soul. You should also attend church regularly. You must listen to God’s Word. Giving the right amount of tithes is also very important. Being a good steward of Christ means that you have to invest in His Church. You must not take away what is meant for God. Pray every day. When you are down and troubled, pray. When you are happy and full of joy, pray. Prayer is the best weapon against sadness, fear, sickness, anger and everything else in this world. Finally you must act and speak like a Christian. You must watch what comes out of your mouth. Every day you must pray and say that you will not hurt any of God’s creations; be it human or animal. Be careful with your words because the tongue is very powerful.

Living as a Christian in today’s society can be a bit difficult. Many people will dissuade or test you. You must remain firm to your promise to God. Being a Christian in the modern times does not mean living a boring life, it mean being able to be happy in the service of Christ.