Friday, July 28, 2017

Charlie Gard Goes Home to God

The day most of us dreaded has finally come. The baby boy at the center of a parents vs socialized medicine battle has been called home to the Lord. Terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard lost his battle today from his mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. According to a family spokeswoman, the child passed away after machines extending his vital signs were removed.

 Let us pray for his parents and loved ones who must be devastated. Losing a child is not easy. It is not something we overcome overnight or even in a lifetime. The sense of loss remains.

Many of us have many questions. Why would God allow this baby to suffer? Why did He not cure the child? These questions are normal and should be pondered. We may never find an answer to them. All we know is that God works in mysterious ways and that all men, women and children are destined to die one day. How we will die is not specified, only that we will die. Only God can reveal to us the reason behind these horrific deaths. All we can do is trust God and ask Him to comfort Charlie's parents.

 Eternal rest grant to Charlie Gard Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Charlie Gard through the mercy of God rest in peace.

 Charlie is in heaven. He was baptized and was too young to engage in actual sin. His life will not be forgotten. He will be the cause for change in the United Kingdom and other nations who dictate when a human life deserves to live or not. Rest in peace lil guy.












Source: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/07/28/beautiful-little-boy-charlie-gard-dies/



Thursday, July 27, 2017

Atheism Declining in Russia



Atheism is on the decline worldwide. This is nothing new.  However, it has fallen dramatically in Russia.  According to a recent poll by the Levada research center, atheism has declined by 50% in the once Communist nation which was ruled by atheism.  Theists total about 86% of Russia's population. 44% of those polled represented themselves as "quite religious," while 33% stated they were "not too religious."  Only 9% were described as "very religious."  Russian Orthodoxy has the dominant control of religious beliefs in the nation with Catholicism coming in second.  However, 92% view the Catholic Church favorably despite being Russian Orthodox.

This is good news indeed. Atheism is not as strong as some atheists would want us to believe. The ideology seems strong due to its activity on the internet.  However, in the real world, atheism has no such power nor influence. We have seen this with the constant failures of the so-called "Reason Rally" in the United States.  Elsewhere, atheism lurks in the shadows of the left.

Atheism is answerable.  I have dedicated much of my ministry combating its errors and have written my first volume of "Atheism Is Stupid" which is geared towards refuting atheism at its core using science, philosophy and other fields of academia.  You can purchase it at several book stores, see: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2015/12/my-book-atheism-is-stupid-on-sale.html.   Atheists feel like they have refuted God and religion.  In reality, they have only unmasked their ignorance and misconceptions.  Russia was once the powerful Soviet Union ruled by atheism, now, it is slowly becoming more democratic and atheism is dying in this nation.  We must continue to refute atheism and push back against its errors.  It looks like Our Lady of Fatima is stopping Russia from spreading her errors indeed!






Source:

https://www.levada.ru/2017/07/18/religioznost/

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/07/27/report-atheism-in-russia-falls-by-50-percent-in-three-years/

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2017/july/atheism-drops-dramatically-in-russia



Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Trump Bans Transgender from Military



After former President Obama ushered in more acceptance of the LGBTQ community, the current president, Donald Trump has turned things around. In a series of tweets on Twitter, President Trump stated that Transgendered individuals will no longer be allowed in the military. He cites costs as the main reason.










As expected, there is an outcry over this decision to ban Trangender people. Many are pinpointing that the Pentagon spends more on Viagra than on Transgender people and are using the word discrimination to describe the president's decision.











The decision comes as a surprise after Trump had tweeted in the past that he supports the LGBT people and would support transgender individuals.





Source:

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/07/26/discrimination-plain-simple-senators-react-trump-ban-transgender-military/23049496/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/26/the-military-spends-five-times-as-much-on-viagra-as-it-would-on-transgender-troops-medical-care/?utm_term=.70a27cebc3e1

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/26/trump-transgender-military-ban-behind-the-scenes-240990

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/07/trump_s_transgender_ban_will_weaken_the_military.html




Study on Football Brain Trauma

Baseball is known as America's pastime. However, there is another game that has out shined baseball. This game is football. Every year, Americans look forward to the Superbowl where opposing league teams battle on the field for the Lombardi trophy.

The game is extremely popular with kids and even on college campuses.  However, a danger lurks in the game which has been ignored for decades. This danger involves the unseen injuries players receive due to the blunt force physical contact that is part of the game. The constant collisions have led to many players experiencing concussions. However, the damage is far worse.

A study done on over 200 brains from dead football players with 111 originating from professional NFL players has demonstrated extreme cerebral damage.  Close to 90% of the brains showed chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.  This condition is caused by the constant bombardment the heads on the field. CTE causes cognitive problems such as, problems with memory and learning as well as emotional illness. The study was conducted by Boston University's CTE Center.

While the study is not perfect - researchers claim limitations - it can be helpful in the advancement of better ways to protect players of the game.  Images of brains from players with CTE show significant decrease in brain matter. This would explain the symptoms experienced by the players when they were alive.




Source:

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2645104

https://www.livescience.com/59936-football-players-brains-cte.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social#?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2016twitterdlvrit



Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Michael Voris' 'Church Militant' Site Hacked

Shortly after a video claiming that the gays are taking over the Church was posted (https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-told-you-so1), the site Church Militant was hacked and taken offline.

Church Militant is a site run by Michael Voris. Voris has been a controversial figure in the Church. His videos and content have an ultra conservative and pre-Vatican II nostalgic slant and are always critical of bishops and Pope Francis. Voris has been banned from speaking in many dioceses and the World Youth Day due to his controversial messages, heretical statements and promotion of Catholic Triumphalism. He has been compared by some as the Catholic Alex Jones of InfoWars.  Voris' take on Catholicism is often out of touch, judgmental and pharisaic.  In one video, Voris endorses the idea of a Catholic monarchy ruling the United States of America.

In a broadcast on Periscope and Facebook, Voris did not offer much details as to who hacked his site, but claimed that the payment system and user passwords were not compromised; clearly, concerned about scaring away those who donate to him.  Some of his followers, who are often engaged in conspiracy theories, believe that Voris was hacked for investigating the "Gay Mafia."  Voris himself does not know why his site was attacked and stated that his technicians will be investigating the source while at the same time installing safeguards so that such an attack does not happen again.   






I will update this post as I learn more.


Thursday, July 6, 2017

Dubia Cardinal Joachim Meisner Dead at 83



Cardinal Joachim Meisner, former Archbishop of Cologne and "Dubia" cardinal has passed away at the age of 83.  He died in his sleep while on vacation at Bad FΓΌssing.  The cardinal was born on December 25th in Breslau which was formerly Germany but is now Wroclaw, Poland.  He had a very close relationship with St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and was considered the leader of the conservative German prelates.  May he rest in peace.












Source:

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-joachim-meisner-dies-at-83

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/07/05/cardinal-meisner-one-dubia-cardinals-dies-83/

http://www.newsday.com/news/world/german-cardinal-joachim-meisner-dies-1.13784005

https://www.domradio.de/themen/erzbistum-koeln/2017-07-05/kardinal-meisner-mit-83-jahren-verstorben

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia Shot & Killed

It has happened again. An NYPD officer was ambushed while sitting in a mobile command center truck on Creston Avenue and 183rd Street. I know the area well. A cousin of mine used to live nearby and a friend from St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish also lives on the block. The area is known for heavy crime, shootings and drug activity. This was why the command center truck was parked there monitoring things. Police Officer Miosotis Familia, 48 and of Dominican descent was sitting with her partner doing her job on the Fourth of July during late night hours. At around 12:30 a.m., she was ambushed and shot in the head via the window of the truck's door. The attack was not preventable.

It just came out of nowhere and unprovoked. The attacker was Alexander Bonds, 34 and on parole. Witnesses say that he walked out of a bodega and shot the officer for no apparent reason. A motive is still being investigated and most likely has to do with hatred for law enforcement. Her police partner can be heard on radio records panicking as she shouted for help. The ordeal must have been overwhelming. Almost immediately, nearby officers tracked Bonds. He pulled out the weapon he used to assasinate Familia, but the officers shot and killed him. One innocent bystander was struck by a bullet. It is not sure if the bullets was from Bonds' weapon or the NYPD responding officers. The bystander was shot in the stomach and was taken to the hospital. A silver revolver was found at the scene after Bonds was shot dead.  According to Infowars, Bonds was a Clinton supporter and hated cops.



Officer Familia was rushed to St. Barnabad Hospital, a hospital I also know well. I used to visit patients there and helped the late Monsignor McGarry who was the chaplain. My mother also worked there. It is the main trauma center in the Bronx. However, the talents of the medical staff was not enough to help Officer Familia. She succumbed to her head shot would and was later transported to Bellevue Hospital which is the place I was born. The news is heartbreaking. Familia leaves behind three children. Two twins and and older daughter. The NYPD is once again in morning. It seems that this is starting to become a pattern. In the past few years, officers have been gunned down in NYC. See these old posts:

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2015/01/nypd-officers-shot-in-bronx.html

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2015/05/nypd-officer-brian-moore-shot-passes.html

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2015/10/nypd-officer-shot-in-head-killed.html?m=1

The Black Lives matter propaganda seems to be the main culprit from inspiring hate against police officers nationwide. I have friends from high school who are officers and worry about them constantly. Moreover, my nephew participated in the NYPD explorers program and got to know officers personally. News of officers being shot and killed is heartbreaking. I cannot imagine how Familia's children and family must feel right now. Imagine celebrating the Fourth of July with your mother and then hours later learning that she is dead. It is just sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and the NYPd family. This will be a hard time for everyone. The judicial system must do better and not let criminals out so fast. They tend to repeat their crimes.

I am not sure if a Gofundme page has been set up to help Familia's family. If I find out anything, I will update this page.  In the mean time, I recommend contacting the PBA to inquire about donations:


Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association
125 Broad Street, 11th Fl.
New York, NY 10004-2400
Phone:  (212) 298-9100

Benefits Office:
Phone: (212) 349-7560

https://www.nycpba.org/contact.html



Here is reaction on Twitter to the shooting:



















\





Source:

http://pix11.com/2017/07/05/nypd-officer-shot-in-unprovoked-direct-attack-in-the-bronx-dies-police/

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jul/5/miosotis-familia-new-york-city-cop-fatally-shot-wh/

http://www.amny.com/news/miosotis-familia-s-family-devastated-by-nypd-officer-s-death-brother-in-law-says-1.13783180

https://www.infowars.com/anti-cop-hillary-supporter-assassinates-mother-of-three-in-unprovoked-attack/



Sunday, July 2, 2017

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time: God is More Important

This week's readings have had a common theme regarding discipleship. We are all disciples of the Lord.  During Ordinary Time, we are taught directly from Christ in the readings.  There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time. While the other seasons of the Liturgy are focused on the events of salvific history, Ordinary Time focuses on Jesus' teachings. Today's readings remind us of the importance God has in our lives and how we must welcome those who preach the Lord to us and make them feel at home.

The first reading tells us of Elisha, the prophet. A woman of influence was having trouble conceiving. This woman would dine with Elisha for quite some time. One day, she invited Elisha to stay over.  The woman prepared a room for Elisha and furnished it.  She wanted Elisha to feel at home.  Elisha appreciated the gesture and asked his servant Gehazi if there was something he could do for the woman.  His servant told Elisha that the woman and her husband had no son.  Elisha asked for the woman and told her that in the next year, she would have a baby son. Here we see how God rewards those who help others.  God will repay whatever we spend on others. I know this from personal experience. I am sure that you reading this have had your share of moments when you literally saw how God rewarded you for a good act.  This is why it is important to help others whether they are a friend, part of the family or stranger.  I understand that we live in a world with lots of crazy people who do harm.

However, we must be helpful always without forgetting to be smart about it. God does not want us to put ourselves in harms way in order to help others. We must let God present the moment. My uncle who is a permanent deacon learned this the hard way. While setting up equipment at his former parish. He was approached by a local woman who was known by the neighborhood as a homeless person.  She would often stand at the now defunct supermarket Met Foods in Little Italy in the Bronx and open the door for people hoping to get a quarter. Well, this time, she came to the parish asking for help. My uncle got her some food for her.  Instead of being grateful, she slammed the food on the sidewalk and began cursing at my uncle. These are things that happen. This is why I say that we must be careful when helping others. We must analyze the situation first.  God will present the opportunity for grace to us. We should not go look for it. As the saying goes, "don't try to be a hero."  God will set everything up and will reward us based on how we responded. This is why I constantly ask fellow Catholics and others to help me run this ministry. I trust and hope that those who visit my site or read my content will be generous and will donate.  God truly rewards when we give.  This is why today's responsorial Psalm says that we will sing the goodness of the Lord.

God's goodness will be visible in our lives if we trust Him and do good things.  Being a Catholic is not just going to Mass, praying, receiving the Sacraments and what not.  We must do good works (Matthew 25:35-40).  This does not mean that we must go out there like St. Francis or St. Teresa of Calcutta. What this means is that we must look for when God presents an opportunity for us to help another person in any way that is of course moral. There will be those who will criticize us. On social media, I see how some people who call themselves Christian cry foul when others help refugees or those who seek help.  Our job is not the judge the character of others or if they are deceiving us.  What God expects is for us to help in His name.  As the second reading tells us, we were baptized into Christ. We died and were buried with Him.  We are now part of Christ's Body, the Catholic Church.  We must be dead to sin; dead to the world and alive in Christ.  The world will hate us for this.  Let it.  Spoiler Alert: Christ wins in the end. Those of us who remained faithful will win as well (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Lastly, in the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we must love Him above everyone else, including parents. I know this is hard. Our parents brought us into the world, raised us and introduced us to what it means to be a human being in society. To love anyone more then they is absurd.   Our parents are so important that we even have two days in the year to honor them (Mother's/Father's day). However, Christ is above them. Christ is God; the second person of the Blessed Trinity.  While our parents are important, they would not exist had it not been for God.  We would not exist had it been for God.  God is the source of all that exists.  He is the creator. No one can be above the creator.  No one can be more important.  We who chose Christ must take up our crosses and love God above all things.  Last month, many celebrated the so-called "Pride" month which honors the LGBTQ agenda.  It shocks me the amount of Catholics who disregard the Church's teachings on homosexuality because they have a relative or friend who is LGBTQ. These Catholics even support so-called same-sex marriage.  We cannot love this world and God at the same time.  Jesus tells us today that we cannot love anyone more than He.  We cannot call ourselves Catholics and avoid carrying the cross.

The pop singer Ariana Grande made headlines a few years ago for abandoning the Catholic faith (see: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2800399/my-brother-told-god-didn-t-love-ariana-grande-reveals-turned-kabbalah-homosexual-brother-shunned-catholic-church.html).  She claims that since her brother is gay and the Church teaches that the gay lifestyle is wrong, that she cannot be Catholic anymore.  The idea goes against the Gospel today. She loves her brother more than Christ.  We can pretty much assume that she is destined for hell if she does not repent. Those of us who claim to be catholic but love others more that God are disobeying Christ.  If our friends or relatives are gay or are participating in something that is counter-God, we must rebuke them and invite them to center themselves back to reality with Christ.  Moreover, Jesus says that those who find their lives will lose it.  This means that those who believe they have succeeded in life and did it without acknowledging God, will lose that life.  All things come from God, including wealth. Those who lose their lives for God's sake will find it.  This means that those of us who deny this world and what it offers will earn the true life in heaven with Christ.

As stated before, we must welcome disciples of the Lord. This means one another.  If we receive them, we receive Christ.  We must be welcoming of our clergy, religious and fellow lay people.  We will be rewarded for this.  I try hard to be a disciple of the Lord by evangelizing here and offline. I hope my fellow Catholics will welcome me and help me in regards to running this evangelization effort.  In light of this, I ask you to please be generous and help me.  If I come into your computer, devices and home via my content as a postmodern prophet of the Lord, please do not forget the cold cup of water, so to speak, and help me run this ministry by donating or becoming a regular patron. God will reward you for this. You are helping spread His Word.

Please donate at:

www.gofundme.com/sacerdotus
http://www.sacerdotus.com/p/donate-to-ministry.html

You can also elect to advertise your own site or business for cheaper than other advertising agencies. See: http://www.sacerdotus.com/p/advertise.html

Let us continue to help one another as Christ expects us to do and let us remember to put God above everyone else (John 13:35, Mark 12:30-31). No one is more important that God.  May Jesus Christ be praised!

 


Readings:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070217.cfm




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