Thursday, March 31, 2016

Bernie in the Bronx: St. Mary's Park Mott Haven

Presidential Democratic Bernie Sanders was in my hometown, the "Boogie Down Bronx" as it is colloquially referred to by locals. He held a rally at St. Mary's park in the South Bronx, the Mott Haven section.  This is a park I know very well and is where I hung out with friends, and have evangelized at, giving out Rosaries and other materials. The Mott Haven section is the poorest area in the entire United States. Decades ago, it was a neighborhood with Germans, Italians, Irish and Jews. Trolleys and the "EL" train travel about. Today, the area is mostly Puerto Rican, African American with a few Mexicans, Dominicans, Cubans and non-Hispanic Whites.

It is an area that has been forgotten by the rest of America. With high rates of asthma, poverty and other issues, the South Bronx is an enigma in the 21st century. The area has methadone clinics all over, but has been having a developmental boom lately with many new resturants and businesses opening up shop. A hotel was even opened in a historical building that was left in ruins for decades.  Kudos to Bernie Sanders for choosing the area to have a rally. I think that will help him get votes.  Though I do not agree with him on many issues, I have more respect for him for visiting the South Bronx and choosing it for his rally.

He spoke on many issues and made many promises like most politicians typically do. Sanders promised to work for the middle class and go after Wall Street in order to get them to pay for things he has in mind. He criticized Clint for her vote for the war in Iraq as well as her support for Kissinger. Also in attendance were actor Rosario Dawson who was raised nearby on 138 ST and Reggaeton Puerto Rican singer Rene Perez who goes by the moniker 'Residente' of 'Calle 13.' He spoke of the injustices againt the Puerto Rican people by America and Clinton's support of Latin American dicators.  Dawson spoke in support of Sanders and gave hi opinion on why he is a better choice. She tried to extend a peace branch to Trump supports as well which was interesting.

The rally had an estimated crowd of over 20,000 which was surprising. Lines to get in the park stretched for 7 blocks.  Many of the spectators were put in overflow sections. The majority of those present were young minorities, Puerto Ricans etc.  It was a diverse crowd of all colors, genders and sexual orientations. Surprisingly, CNN,MSNBC and other networks which are liberal did not cover the rally. However, the Bronx's News 12 aired it in its entirety. Here are some photos from Twitter and elsewhere:































A photo posted by hi (@crazysexycool86) on










Sources:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/03/31/new-york-primary-bernie-bronx/82424178/

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2016/03/31/bernie-sanders-holds-rally-in-the-bronx/

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160331/mott-haven/bernie-sanders-take-stage-bronx-ahead-of-new-york-primary

http://bronx.news12.com/news/bernie-sanders-supporters-feel-the-bern-at-campaign-rally-at-st-mary-s-park-in-mott-haven-1.11639535












Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Children's Version of my book 'Atheism Is Stupid" Coming Soon!






UPDATE 4/14/16 - Proof copy of the book.




 Many have messaged me asking me to make a simpler version of 'Atheism Is Stupid' for children. Those who messaged me voiced their concerns of kids getting brainwashed in school and losing their faith because of it.   After thinking about it, I decided to make a children's book.  It will be much simpler so kids can understand it and will be educational.  I will update this post with news & pics. Pray for me!


UPDATE 4/5/16

Here is the table of contents in the works:




UPDATE 4/14/16: Final Table of Contents:



Monday, March 28, 2016

Remembering Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation

On April 20th a woman would be born who would do much good for the Catholic Church in regards to media and the promotion of the faith. Born Rita Antoinette Rizzo in 1923, she would join the Franciscan order as a Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration in 1944 and would take the name Mary Angelica of the Annunciation.  She was born to John Rizzo and Mae Gianfrancesco Rizzo. John Rizzo was abusive while Mae Gianfrancesco was a docile wife, which was expected of women in the 20's. Neither were religious.  Despite this, Mae would join the parish of St. Anthony and would assist with Italian festivals.  However, the murder of the parish's pastor, Father Joseph Riccardi due to his interference with the mob and drug activity, both Rita and her mother Mae would be affected. In 1930, Mae fights for custody of Rita and wins. She divorces John.  However, Rita's father would not pay child support and would leave his family to suffer.   Rita's mother would later open a dry cleaning business and would often conflict with Rita. While attending Catholic school, Rita would face the harsh and cruel behavior from religious nuns of the time. This would force Rita to go to public school.  However, their priest, would convince them to return.  The return would be short. Both Rita and Mae would face cruelty once again which force them to abandon the Church for quite some time. Rita would eventually take control of the dry cleaning business after her mom would threaten suicide and was clearly not mentally stable.  Rita had to become the adult.  Later on, Rita would experience what she described as a miracle. While running to catch a bus, a car was about to hit her.  Rita felt hands lift her up.  However, the bus driver claims that he saw no one lift her and said that he never saw someone jump so high.

Rita was not a great student. She would even comment on Mother Angelic live that she "worked hard for her f's."  In fact, she failed 11th grade and had to go to summer school where she would learn the skills that would help her later in life. She only had a high school diploma. In 1944, on August 15, Rita would enter the convent in Cleveland, Ohio taking the name Angelica of the Annunciation. In the 60's, she would move to Irondale, Alabama and found a community of sisters there.  Mother Angelica would tape programs for television networks in the 1970's.  However, when one of the networks refused to air a controversial program, Mother decided to stop producing her a program and founded her own network.

On August 15, 1981 EWTN or the Eternal Word Television Network was founded in a garage with the budget of only $200.  Many thought that this network would not last, but it did and grew in such a way that defies the normal growth of a television network.  By the late 80's, the network was broadcasting for 24 hours. In the 90's, the network would go global and would have WEWN, its short-wave radio version.

As the internet became more accessible to the general public, EWTN went online with www.ewtn.com.  It began to broadcast on there as well and provided more resources for those interested in the Catholic faith.  Many people have joined or returned to the Catholic Church because of EWTN. EWTN provided a channel where people can learn on the Catholic faith, call in to have questions answered and have a sense of connection with the global Church since secular media hardly covers Papal events.

EWTN and Mother Angelica did face some controversies due to fallen human nature in the Church.  Some bishops, in particular Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles took to heart Mother Angelica's blunt attitude.  They saw her as trying to overthrow the bishops.  Cardinal Mahony tried to get Mother Angelica off the air, but failed to do so. Mother Angelica would then hand over authority and possession of the network to lay people after an attempt was made to take over the network because as a religious, Angelica falls under the authority of the Church.

Some have accused EWTN of being pre-Vatican II orientated and teaching errors; however, Pope Benedict XVI awarded the network and Mother Angelica the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award. Others claim Mother is rude, arrogant, uncharitable and condescending.  Mother Angelica has battled health issues since her days as a novice.  She had a back brace for a while until she was cured when a visionary visited EWTN.  Mother would then suffer a stroke which would take away her voice. She eventually retired from the network and was recovering the best she could.  In late 2015, a feeding tube was placed indicating that her health had further declined.  On Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016  Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation would be called home to her Lord whom she served so well.  She passed on at around 5:00 PM EST.


My Remembrance:

As a former atheist, I only heard of religious things from the perspective of academia in college. I never went to Catholic school or participated in any religious institution. These things were just not part of my upbringing. It was EWTN which really gave me a direct link to Catholicism.  I had no priest, nun or Catholic lay person to go to for information. EWTN introduced to me many things about Catholicism, including things from the time before Vatican II. Like a sponge, I absorbed all the knowledge from EWTN. I did follow up research and learned even more. Watching Mother Angelica live was a joy. She was down to earth, direct, and hilarious. She had that grandmother feel to her which I liked. In fact, she looks a lot like my own grandmother from my mom's side who is with God now!  I remember I wrote her and EWTN a letter and they sent me a monstrance pendant and assured me of their prayers.  I cherish it daily.

After being received into the Church, Mother Angelica's zeal for evangelization inspired me greatly. In my latter years of school, I would teach my peers about Catholicism and gave them Rosaries. I just felt compelled to promote the faith. I would even do street evangelization and would join the Legion of Mary. We would go door to door evangelizing. This eventually led me to starting this site, the podcast, becoming active on social media and writing my book 'Atheism Is Stupid.' Mother Angelica's trust on God's providence was inspirational to me.  Even today, I trust God will let this 'Sacerdotus' work continue. It never ceases to amaze me how many message me and help me financially in order to pay for domain names and other things related to my online evangelization.  God truly does provide!  Watching her hold the Bible on television increased my love for God's Word.  I never get tired of reading the Bible and studying it. Mother saw this collection of books as the living Word and I see that as well.

Mother Angelica will be missed greatly. I cried at the chapel while praying for her.  I was sad to learn of her death, but also happy.  I am happy because she now has rest in the Lord and will be praying for us here left on Earth still in the struggle.  If bishops, priests etc had her courage, faith, passion and zeal for the faith, we would not see the evils we see in today's world. God used Mother to promote the faith. It is not a coincidence that EWTN was founded on the same day she entered the convent, August 15 which is the solemnity of the Assumption.  Moreover, it is not a coincidence that she passed away on Easter Sunday, the day of the Resurrection.  Jesus said in John 11:25 that those who believe in Him though they die, will live forever.

Thank you Mother Angelica for EWTN and most importantly, YOU. God used you along with many others to bring me to the Catholic faith and leave stupidities atheism behind.  You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7 ).  May you rest in peace and please pray for us.



Eternal rest grant to Mary Angelica of the Annunciation and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she through the mercy of God rest in peace.  

Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, pray for us!      








Source:

http://ewtn.com/motherangelica/life.asp#

ewtn.com





Sunday, March 27, 2016

Mother Angelica Passes Away



Mother Mary Angelica, foundress of EWTN has passed away.  May she rest in God's peace. 





http://ewtn.com/motherangelica/




Twitter reactions, 'Mother Angelica' trending



Jesus has Risen! He Was No Liar!

Today is Resurrection Sunday or Easter Sunday!  It is the most important day in the liturgical calendar.  A small baby boy was born unto us on Christmas. He grew, got baptized by John; performed miracles and taught. However, what confirmed all of this was today: the resurrection. During Jesus' time, many men claimed to be the messiah, the chosen one of Israel. Some even performed 'miracles' which were nothing more than parlor tricks. Magicians like David Blaine would have had a great following in those days because the people were ignorant and could easily be tricked into believing 'tricks' Jesus of course was suspected of being such a fraud or magician. This was why He was heavily scrutinized, especially by the Pharisees and scribes who wanted to keep their monopoly on Judaism.

Well, Jesus proved them all wrong.  He said He would rise and He did (Matthew 17:23).  Jesus is the resurrection (John 11:25). Even after He died on the cross on Good Friday, the disciples wondered what would happen next. The shepherd was struck and the flock scattered (Matthew 26:31). Things seemed hopeless, but Jesus came back. Notice He appeared to a woman first.  Women are an important part of the body of Christ. In Jesus' day, women did not have much value. Their word was not as strong as that of a man's.  It sounds awful I know, but that was just how people thought back then. We cannot hold that against them because that was their culture. Nevertheless, the fact that Jesus appeared to a woman (Mary Magdalene) and she was the one who told Peter and the rest shows how important women are in God's plan (Mark 16:9). Women have worth.  Their word has value and strength.  They are equals to men. March is the month of Women's history and this fact of Jesus appearing to a woman should be focused on in Christians squares.

The resurrection proved the disciples and others that Jesus was, in fact, the messiah, the chosen one of Israel. Catholicism would not have succeeded if Jesus did not resurrect. Christianity would have just faded just like other cults at the time led by false messiahs. The resurrection validated the new covenant and its beliefs. Think about it. If I today had a group of friends, said that I was the chosen one, spoke eloquently but did not back up my talk with honesty, truth and authority, then there is no way my group of friends would develop into a worldwide major religion. It would just die out the instant I became boring to my friends or died and turned to dust.  With Jesus it was different.  Yes, He died like everyone else, but He rose again.  He showed that He was telling the truth.  He was no liar. 

God died for each one of us because we have value. We are made in His image and likeness.  He rose again showing He is in control of all things, including death (Romans 14:9). The resurrection is our hope. Death is not the end of it.  Death does not have the final say, Jesus does.  To the world, death seems eternal; but to us, death is just a nap (Wisdom 3:1-9). Jesus rose and His resurrection was a testament to everything He said. This was why people converted.  This was why Catholicism spread around the Roman Empire and elsewhere faster than a virus. Atheists claim Jesus was a myth, but logically speaking, no myth can have so much weight so as to convert so many in such a short time. People convert because something happens; because truth takes hold.  They convert because they see the evidence and it speaks to them.  The resurrection was this evidence, this reason, this 'happening.'Let us hope in Christ and await the final resurrection of the dead as we meet our Lord.  Jesus has risen from the dead and He said!  Alleluia!     

   

Friday, March 25, 2016

Good Friday: God is Dead

Friedrich Nietzsche, the famous philosopher wrote: “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?" We are all taught that God is immortal and cannot die. However, God did die.  He died today on Good Friday in Jerusalem.

 Jesus Christ, Son of God and Second Person of the Blessed Trinity died on the Cross. Since He is God, we can say that God truly died. We have killed Him on the Cross.  While not physically there, Jesus died for all of us so that the many can be saved. This means that while Christ died for all of us, only some of us will be saved. Our sins nailed Christ to the Cross and caused His death.

We must reflect on this today and every day. When we wear a crucifix or pray a Rosary, we must look at the Cross and reflect on how our sins offend God. They offend God not because He is sensitive or weak, but because we do not know what we are doing. He created us for much more greater things that we can imagine. There are sayings out there that state that wasted potential or wasted talent is the worst thing a person can do. We waste our "talent" when we sin. We mock God like those at the Crucifixion. These people represent us and those who reject God, namely atheists. At Golgotha, the people mocked Jesus saying that He saved others but could not save Himself. They made fun of His claim to royalty and being the Son of God.  Despite this, Christ asked the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do. This is because God is merciful.

Good Friday should remind us of this. God is merciful so there is no reason to give up on our spiritual lives. We must continue to strive to be holy so that we can die with Christ and be resurrected by Him. God died. He showed that He is the Lord of both life and death. God does the impossible, the illogical in order to make our salvation possible and our faith in Him logical. 

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Holy Thursday: The Humanity of God

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 'You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.'" John 13:12-16


Reflection:
Today is Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday.  On this day over 2,000 years ago, the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist were instituted.  Jesus being a Jew celebrated the Passover Seder meal to commemorate the events surrounding the Hebrews while under captivity in Egypt.  However, He added to the ceremony by washing the feet of the disciples. He does this to clean the disciples before they can be one with Him.  In those times, people wore sandals or walked barefoot.  In the dusty environment, their feet would get dirty.  It was customary at those times to wash one's feet prior to entering a home.  Some Asian cultures today have the custom of removing their footwear prior to entering the home.

The cleaning of the feet by Jesus is a symbol that Christ washes us from the external contaminants that touch our lives on a daily basis.  Like the dust from the Earth that adhered to the feet of the disciples, so too the dirt of sin, immoral environments attach themselves to us today.  The world today is filled with so much filth and corruption that eventually we will imitate it.  This is called Mirroring in psychology.  We often imitate the behavior around us, sometimes unconsciously.  With the promotion of moral relativism and the idea that things are socially constructed, our society is imploding.  They are removing the foundations that have kept society upright allowing us to progress as human beings.

It is no surprise that on the news we see shootings at schools, military bases, and on streets almost every other week.  It is no surprise that we hear of children being killed by their own parents or sexually abused by teachers and others in positions of authority.  Our society is losing its moral fabric and is imploding.  The poison of moral relativism is indoctrinated into our youth in colleges.  It is here where they learn the lies of social construction and the exaggerated views of human liberty which posits to trump the conscience as an invention of guilt promoting religions.  These views are presented as "Humanism."  The late Christopher Hitchens often claimed to be a champion of Humanism, yet never did a thing to serve others.  He wrote defamatory books and articles against Blessed Mother Teresa who cared for the poor and sick.  His works were found to be fabricated due to his lack of sources.  Unfortunately, some atheists believe his fabrications out of ignorance and fail to understand what real humanism is about.     

Holy Thursday reminds us what true humanism is about- service to others.  Christ washed the feet of His disciples and commanded them to do the same to others. The priesthood is about service to others.  Our Holy Father Pope Francis is making this message loud and clear by the way he is living his Papacy.  The priesthood is not a point on the ladder of success.  It is not a place for careerists looking to rise the ranks and obtain power.  It is not a place for men with mental problems to enters in order to "control" their issues.  The priesthood is about ministering to others.  It is about getting hands dirty by caring for others and not being ashamed to have the odor of their flock on them, as Pope Francis said in the World Youth Day in Brazil.

This call is not only for the ordained but for those in the priesthood obtained in Baptism (CCC 783-786).  Each one of us must serve one another not only among the flock but outside of it as well.  Christian charity is not exclusive towards other Christians only.  It must be conferred on those outside of the Church as well who refuse to enter her or may have been ostracized from her for whatever reason.  These are atheists, women, non-Christians, non-Catholics, those of the LGBT community and others.  It bothers me when I read blogs from priests or hear priests complain that the Pope washed the feet of women or non-Catholics.  They missed the point of the washing of the feet.  Jesus never specified who had to be washed.  He simply gave the disciples an example.  This legalistic approach to Catholicism is what scares people away from Christ.

Christ gave us an example indeed.  With a humble gesture of welcoming others, we can bring home those outside of the Church.  The Washing of Feet should remind us of this.  Just like the washing of the feet was necessary for the disciples to be part of Christ, so too does serving others make us one with Christ.  This is why Saint Teresa of Calcutta and other saints always stated that we serve Christ in others.  We see the humanity of God if that makes sense.  Christ is true God and true man. He teaches us, gives us an example of how to be a true human. To be a true human is to love God and love neighbor as ourselves.  We cannot be selfish.  This is why Christ washes the feet of the disciples.  He gives us an example.  We must serve other always and being loving.  He gives us Himself in the Holy Eucharist in order to strengthen us and give us the graces to allow us to serve others.  Let us mediate on this tonight during Holy Thursday Mass.

                  

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Spy Wednesday: Selling Out Christ

Spy Wednesday is the day when Judas Iscariot gathered with the Sanhedrin and plotted to betray Jesus for 30 silver coins.  Judas is the Disciple we never want to imitate.  He betrayed Jesus for material things - money. In today's world, we sometimes get caught up in consumerism.  We want want and want.  Companies market to us all kinds of things and in a sense brainwashing us to think that we need them.  We sometimes forget God.  We do not pray or go to Mass because we are busy using our gadgets, cell phones and what not.

This is the unfortunate reality in today's world. Everyone does not seem to have time for anything, especially prayer. We see the fruit of this in children who have no discipline, adults who grow up selfish, violence and the destruction of the family. We put other things before God and the Catholic faith. Today, religion is seen as a "thing" we do on the weekend. It is something only for Sunday. We go to Mass, complete our "obligation" and run out and repeat the same daily rituals of the week.  No conversion takes place. Everything becomes mechanical. Many times, we see Catholics leave Mass early just to take on another appointment.

As many of you know, the first Mass was at the Last Supper. Judas left the supper early. He was the first one to leave Mass early.  Why did he leave?  He left to collect his money and set up the betrayal he was conceiving.  Judas took the bread, the Body of Christ and left (John 13:30). While there may be valid reasons we can leave Mass, we must always try to avoid doing so. We must not be a spy for Satan. We must not be a fake Catholic like Judas who followed Jesus as an opportunist.  We must not sell out Christ for the things of this world.   

Let us meditate on where we stand before God.  Are we like Judas seeking silver coins?



 

Friday, March 18, 2016

Please Donate! Help Evangelize!



Please donate to help me run this online ministry which reaches out to people via blogs, radio podcast, Google Hangouts, social networks and mail (shipping Rosaries and other materials). Funds are needed for the following:

1. Help keep the blog domain URL names which are expensive and help bring in web traffic. see godaddy.com. UPDATE DEC 21, 2015 - I was able to renew my main domain name for 2 years www.sacerdotus.com. However, I now have a few more:

www.sacerdotus.co
www.sacerdotus.info
www.sacerdotus.org
www.sacerdotus.net

See the tweet where I announce this here:





2. To help purchase podcasting equipment for the radio podcast show and expand the time slot for it by updating the subscription. I use the free one which offers 30 minutes.  The 'small' or 'medium' subscription would be more useful so that I can speak longer, take in calls and have better audio.  For subscription costs see and the screen captures below: https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?aid=CRMTS






3. I mail religious articles (Rosaries, Crucifixes, Pamphlets, Medals, Scapulars etc) to people who request them. This costs money to purchase and mail. Shipping is expensive, so funds are needed to help cover this cost as well. See usps.com for cost information regarding shipping.

4. I want to publish some books to help maintain this work via sales. In order to publish, I need funds for printing, access to research papers to cite from (journals et al) etc.

5. In the future, I may expand the work on Livestream and other streaming and video services which also cost money. I also need funds to get expensive computer programs and webcam to make this possible.

Here is the equipment I will need to expand podcast, hangouts and Livestream, technologically speaking.  The costs may vary. They were the prices at the time I added them to gofundme.







6. I want to incorporate or create a non-profit evangelization organization and will need funds for the legal costs and papers.



All monies will go towards the ministry of 'Sacerdotus' in order to expand it, keep it stable and running for at least 3 to 4 more years until another fundraising campaign will be needed.

Please consider becoming a regular (weekly/monthly) benefactor and donate to this ministry so that I can continue it and expand it.


You can donate at:










If you donate any of these amounts below on gofundme's reward option, you will receive the gift(s) listed:





Sunday, March 13, 2016

5th Sunday of Lent: Do Not Cast Stones

Today's readings are about mercy and doing things in a new way.

The first reading recalls the events of the Exodus when the stubborn and arrogant pharaoh of Egypt went after the freed Hebrew slaves. He thought he could outsmart and defeat God, but was mistaken. His army perished in the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:4, Psalm 136:15).  The reading uses the imagery of this event to remind us that God makes paths for us even when we feel trapped.  For the Hebrews, standing near the water while the Egyptian army approached from the other end trapped them must have been terrifying.  How many times do we feel stuck with something in life?  In these and all cases, we must have faith in God.  God will part the waters that block us in life and open a path for us to go to Him (Proverbs 3:6).  God is always doing something new, as we are told. This links to the Gospel of today. As Pope Francis said, "God is not afraid of new things." God is good and does great things for us as we read in today's Psalm.

Once again, in the responsorial Psalm we recall the events of how God rescued His people. God freed His people and this freedom brought laughter and joy.  The people rejoiced and shared the great things God has done for them. We too, today, should share the things that God has done for us (1 Peter 3:15). Each one of us have our stories.  God always restores good things to us when we feel we have hit rock bottom, so to speak. Life is a struggle as we all know. We go forth weeping with the seed to sow but come back rejoicing after the work was completed in God's name.  Which brings us to the second reading where we are reminded that we have to loss everything for the sake of God.

We all know the Catholic mantra of "giving it up for Lent."  Unfortunately, many of us give up chocolate and other silly things thinking that is a real sacrifice.  What we really need to give up is our sinful ways, bad habits, disgusting personalities that bring discord and so forth.  St. Paul who wrote this letter while under captivity (Philippians 1:7,13) understood the value of detaching oneself from the things of this world. We must accept the loss of all things for the sake of Christ, in order to gain Christ and be found in Him as St. Paul did. The things of this world do not satiate.  This is why we see people who need to get the latest phone, sneakers, electronics etc. We see people use the gift of work just to please their desires instead of using their salary for their necessities (Isaiah 55:2). In the end, money is wasted on fashions, parties and other things that do not give joy.  Only Christ gives joy. This is a joy that never ends.  A joy that make it bearable for saints to suffer all kinds of trials and even torture and death (1 Corinthians 13:7). It is a joy that shows us that this world is not worth it. Our true home is with God (Philippians 3:20).  We must forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead and this is life with Christ Jesus which should be our ultimate and only goal in life.  To live in eternity with the ancient of days (Daniel 7:22); the one who is, was and always will be; the creator of all things seen and unseen, this is an awesome reward.  As a graduate of the sciences and philosophy, I cannot even fathom the idea of being beside the maker of all things.  I have so many questions.  That in itself is exciting to me to be able to be before the source of knowledge and wisdom, love and joy.

Finally in the Gospel, we read of how God does things in a new way. Jesus was at the Mount of Olives.  While there, people came to Him.  Among them were the scribes and Pharisees who brought a women to Jesus. This woman is unnamed but was caught in adultery. They tell Jesus that Moses' law calls for the woman and to be stoned or killed (Deuteronomy 22:22, Leviticus 20:10). The people complain to Jesus and did this in order to test Him. Since Jesus was preaching about love and mercy, they wanted to corner Him by using Scripture against Him.  However, Jesus wrote something on the ground which we are not told exactly what it was.  He then stands up and says, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."  Then he wrote on the ground again.  This 'writing' on the ground symbolizes that Jesus is writing down a new law, if you will (Matthew 5:17).  He is bringing a new interpretation to the old law.  By saying that the one who has no sin should throw the stone, He is showing that only God has the right to judge and execute, not man because man is a sinner.  The people could not condemn her any longer that is why Jesus asked her, "Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?"  She replied, "No one, sir."  Jesus answers, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."

Here we see the mercy of God. The woman sinned, but she was forgiven.  However, Jesus tells her to go and NOT sin anymore. His forgiveness was not license for her to continue sinning. Some today use this Gospel reading to attack Christians for speaking out against abortion and so-called same-sex marriage.  They tell us not to judge and that we are sinners and should not cast the stone, so to speak. While they are partially correct, they leave out the part where Jesus says not to sin anymore.  Yes Jesus forgives, but He does not endorse sinful lifestyles. Once forgiven, we must make a change.  During this Lent and year of Mercy, we must make use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation; hear Jesus tell us to go sin no more and do as He says.  Let us share God's mercy to all, avoid judgments and meet people where they are at. May Jesus be praised!




Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031316-fifth-sunday-lent.cfm  

Friday, March 11, 2016

Neil Degrasse Tyson Science Gaffe



Neil DeGrasse Tyson often presents himself as the 'champion' for science. He was chosen to host 'Cosmos' a few years ago and has his podcast now on television. Moreover, he often attacks religious people by insinuating that they do not know science.  Well it seems that the tables are turned.  He tweeted this:




Immediately, many came to correct him by reminding him that sex is not all that pleasant as some may present it.  Many animals have painful sexual encounters.  Things are not all love and romance in the animal kingdom.

  • The antechinus for example have so much sexual relations that they bleed inside and go blind.
  • Male cats have barbed penises that do not make a female cat's sexual experience very pleasant.
  • The male praying mantis is eaten by the female one after mating. That is not pleasant or painless.
  • The male duck's penis is also shaped differently than the female duck's vagina which makes penetration very uncomfortable.


Let us not for get humans!  Recently, Trump and Rubio have been arguing and making comments about male size. Well, men come in all shapes and sizes.. and I am not referring to their entire bodies.  The woman's uterus is about 7 inches long. Males, on the other hand, can have penises as long as 9 or 10 inches. The largest on record was 13.  This is only lenght!  Some males are as thick as a banana while others can be thicker than a soda can. While the vagina is an amazing organ and can stretch to release a baby, it is not always ready to accomodate any penis. Sex with a male who has over 8 inches or is thick can be extremely painful for the female if the male gets carried away. Let me not get into other ways people have sexual encounters, in particular, anal.  That is another disaster since the anus was not meant to have a penis inside it!

So Neil deGrasse Tyson needs to brush up on his science!



Source:

http://www.wired.com/2016/03/hey-neil-degrasse-tyson-animals-not-great-sex/?mbid=social_fb

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/03/11/neil-degrasse-tyson-is-super-wrong-about-how-sex-works/?tid=sm_fb

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Post Super Tuesday II CNN #GOPDebate



Another CNN Republican debate just took place with the remaining four candidates.  The debate also took place on the eve of the announcement that former presidential candidate Ben Carson would endorse Trump on Friday.

The debate tonight was much different than previous ones.  It was the first one where there was no bickering or arguing; no vulgar innuendos regarding penis size and so forth.  There was civility and actual points made. Each candidate did extremely well including Donald Trump who came across as with 'little energy' and expounded more on his ideas.

Trump was questioned on the violence in his rallies and his comment that Muslims hate Americans.  He answered the questions by stating that he does not intend his rallies to become violent and says that police are present.  In regards to Muslims, he said that "alot" of Muslims hate American. Regarding Cuba, Rubio gave an excellent response. He also avoided attacking Trump like he did in previous debates.  Cruz also make strong arguments and avoided attacking Trump.  Some pundits say this may be the last debate if the next primaries force the candidates with less delegates to drop out.





Source:

http://www.aol.com/article/2016/03/10/cnns-jake-tapper-to-donald-trump-do-you-think-all-1-6-billion/21326033/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2&pLid=987882355

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/politics/republican-debate-takeaways/


https://www.yahoo.com/politics/civility-makes-a-surprise-appearance-at-gop-debate-040000789.html

http://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/cnn-republican-debate-presidential-election-2016/

Physics Standard Model Wrong?



New LHC results confirm what many physicists have suspected: the Standard Model is wrong. The model came together in the late 1960s and its data came from the technology of the time. Its purpose is to categorized weak and strong forces as well as subatomic particles.  This model gives us an idea of how we believe the universe works and keeps itself in existence. However, as colliders were developed with more capacity, physicists have had a hard time reconciling what they have observed currently with what is on the papers now.

Results from the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland show what appears to be other particles and forces working apart from those in the Standard Model.  If confirmed, this means there are many more particles and forces at work in our universe which we have yet to discover and will take time to understand. As is, the Standard Model does not take into account how gravity fits in the plane of things which leaves physicists scratching their heads on how to reconcile everything.

The collider found many discrepancies with the B Meson particle. Be Mesons are subatomic particles mainly composed of what are called bottom antiquarks and can be a charm quark which are either heavy or light, B^0, B^+ or B^s. The symbols represent the charge, anti-particle of the B Meson and the variations of it. For decades it was believed that B Mesons decay at certain angles and at certain frequencies. This is what the Standard Model predicts.  However, results from the LHC show that this is not the case at all.  It is still unknown why there are discrepancies.  However, it is interesting to note that the collider is operating with more power so perhaps this change of energy may be causing the discrepancies.  More studies need to be conducted in order to rule out any variables.








Source:

http://www.sciencealert.com/the-latest-lhc-findings-hint-at-strange-physics-beyond-the-standard-model

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3483728/Is-FIFTH-fundamental-force-Large-Hadron-Collider-results-hint-bizarre-new-particle-doesn-t-fit-laws-physics.html  

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

#DemDebate On Univision



After a big win in Michigan, Bernie Sanders took on Hillary Clinton again in a debate on Univision; a network which has been at war with Donald Trump.  One of the moderators was Jorge Ramos who was kicked out of a press conference last year after skipping his turn during Q/A after Trump spoke.

The debate began with a rendition of the national anthem by a Hispanic youth (Sebastien de la Cruz) dressed in Mexican mariachi attire. It seems like this was a message to Trump who has been very vocal about illegal immigrants, especially those who come from Mexico undocumented.  

This debate seemed too focused on immigration and even began with questions on Donald Trump in regards to whether he was racist or not.  Both candidates did not outright say he was, but gave examples of his statements and behaviors. The candidates also attacked each other on immigration with Clinton charging that Sanders supported 'Minutemen vigilantes' who were hunting down immigrants. Sanders countered that Clinton was not well informed and did not listen to his speeches.  



Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-debate-in-miami-clinton-sanders-face-off-after-michigan-surprise/2016/03/09/92b73322-e601-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/us/politics/democratic-debate.html?_r=0

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/09/politics/democratic-debate-fact-check/index.html

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Transgendered People Can Use Any Bathroom In NYC

Mayor of New York City, De Blasio has signed a bill allowing transgendered people to use any bathroom they wish.  If a male who identifies as female wants to use the women's bathroom, now he can and vice versa.  This act is another push for strange progressive ideas on the part of De Blasio on the Big Apple.  De Blasio made it clear that he would do anything to promote the LGBT agenda.

This new act has been criticized by many people including parents who are concerned what might happen when children enter restrooms and a person claiming to be of the opposite sex enters.  It is a recipe for disaster.  Those concerned need to write to their council men to get this thrown out. Threats must be made against their political careers.  New York City is being run by an administration which has no concern for social welfare.

De Blasio focuses too much time on these things rather than addressing the spike of slashings around the city. Over 500 cases have been reported showing an increase of attacks against citizens.  Despite this, De Blasio continues in denial claiming that the city is safer than ever before.




Source:

http://nypost.com/2016/03/08/de-blasio-signs-law-allowing-transgenders-to-use-bathroom-of-choice/

Monday, March 7, 2016

Post Super Saturday CNN #DemDebate


Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced off once again on CNN for a post Super Saturday debate. The debate took place in Flint, Michigan where the area is facing a big scandal due to water pollution.  Both candidate called on the governor of the state to resign. They then got into heated exchanges over jobs, trade agreements and Wall Street.  At one point, Bernie Sanders yelled at Clinton to stop interrupting that the is speaking. Sanders tried to make a pitch to minority voters by mentioning his years as a student at the University of Chicago.

Clinton spoke of her time working for Marian Wright Edelman where she investigated Alabama schools for discrimination based on race. Both candidate voiced this differences on fracking with Clinton in support of it and Sanders against it.  With Clinton taking in a large amount of delegates, Sanders is now on the defensive and is trying all he can to get votes in order to be viable in this election.           












Source:

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/bernie-sanders-feisty-debate-excuse-me-im-023738092.html

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/a-lead-pipe-cinch-clinton-sanders-make-a-promise-024157239.html

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/06/politics/democratic-debate-recap/

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/06/469444743/the-7th-democratic-debate-in-100-words-and-3-videos

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/us/politics/what-you-have-missed.html

Sunday, March 6, 2016

4th Sunday of Lent: God's Mercy

Today's readings are on how God cares for us, feeds us and is merciful.

In the first reading we are told of how God fed his people with the manna from heaven; this bread of heaven and bread of the angels (Psalm 78:25).  God does not abandon His people (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:15). He gave them to eat even when they did not deserve it. They complained of the harsh conditions of living in the desert and were very stubborn (Numbers 20:13). Despite this, God was there for them and met their needs. This reading should remind us to "taste and see the goodness of the Lord" as we shall read in today's responsorial Psalm.

We must bless and thank the Lord always.  It is because of God that we exist (Acts 17:28). Our being, our self exists because He wills it (Psalm 139:13).  God gives us what we need, not what we want. In response, we should thank Him not simply with words, but with actions by repeating and sharing His love with others.  We must look to God.  It is in God that we find joy; a joy that never ends (Nehemiah 8:10).  God provides always. We must trust in Him and be that new creation as the second reading tells us.

We are a new creation in Jesus Christ.  The things of old have passed away so we should not be repeating our sinful lifestyles of the past (Matthew 9:17). We must be a new people. Like the Hebrews in the first reading, we passed the Red Sea of Baptism, are now in the desert of Lent (1 Corinthians 10:2).  Though we may go through hardships, we must not look back at the 'Egypt" of our lives which had us imprisoned in slavery (Zephaniah 1:6, Hebrews 3:7-19). Rather, we must look to the promised land which is heaven itself with God, the angels, our Lady and the saints (John 14:23). The reading tells us of the ministry of reconciliation.  In this year of Mercy, I cannot stress enough the need to go to confession and get the grace of absolution.   We must make use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation which comes from God and was given to the priests and bishops of our Catholic Church (James 5:16).  We must reconcile with God.  Christ became 'sin' without sinning just to make us right with God.  God is always merciful and waits for us as we read in the Gospel with the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

In the Gospel, we see the Pharisees and scribes complain about Jesus because He was eating with sinners. Their arrogance and sanctimonious attitude was not representative of the Jewish faith.  Similarly, we see some so-called 'traditionalist' Catholics who behave in similar ways.  They attack the Pope today for reaching out to the pariahs of society. To them, it is not 'dignified' for a Roman Pontiff to do these things. When the rite of the washing of feet was updated, many of them had a fit. It is just ridiculous, in my opinion. Jesus I am sure felt the same and it why He resorted to a parable to explain to them their evil and selfishness.  He tells them of a man who had two sons, a young and an older one. The father gave them their share and the younger one immediately leaves and spends it on parties and friends.  When the money runs out, those friends who he thought were loyal abandoned him.  The young man ended up working for a local citizen and saw that the swine had better food that he did.  He reflected on how his life hit rock bottom and returned to see his father with the idea in mind that he would no longer be his son but just a hired worker. However, when his father saw him.  His father ran to embrace him and kissed him.  He immediately asks his servants to dress his son with the finest robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Moreover, he orders the fattest calf be slaughtered so they could have a feast.  The older brother sees all this and gets upset saying that the younger brother was an ingrate and selfish; he deserved nothing of what the father was doing.  However, the father replied that this son was dead and is now alive; been lost and now found so he must celebrate.  The father reminds the older son that all he has is his as well and that he should not be sad but should celebrate that his brother returned.

This parable is one that has so much wisdom in it that it could only come from God. The young man represents the sinners Jesus hung out with while the older brother represented the Pharisees and scribes.  God is merciful.  Notice how the father when he sees the son does not even ask, "where have you been!?"  He does not even care.  All he was concerned about was embracing the son and bringing him back to the life he had before he wandered off.  This is how God is. God just cares for humanity to come back (Leviticus 26:12).  That is all that matters.  In this year of Mercy, we should meditate on this Gospel and remind ourselves how endless is God's mercy. There is no sin that God will not forgive unless it is the sin against the Holy Spirit which is the sin of not wanting forgiveness and mercy (Mark 3:29).  Moreover, we must not be like the older brother who felt the father was being unfair. We must see that when someone returns, it is good news.  Human beings make mistakes.  God will not hold that against them.  What matters is that the human repents and comes back (Matthew 18:12-14, Luke 15:7).  Like the father in the parable, God will not even ask where you have been.  He will bring you home and celebrate.  Let us pray for God's Divine Mercy, trust in God, be the new creation that baptism has made us and realize that God loves us so much.


Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030616-fourth-sunday-lent.cfm 



Saturday, March 5, 2016

Atheist Author Michael Sherlock Afraid to Debate Sacerdotus

Many so called atheists out there love to make themselves appear as experts in many fields. They arrogantly parade themselves online believing to hold the answers that refute God and religion.  These believe they can stump any theist.

However, many of these have encountered me and ran off afraid to engage me in a debate. From 'Rosa Rubicondior' whose real name is Esther Harrison
see:

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2014/10/case-study-rosa-rubicondior-revealed.html

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2013/02/why-is-rubicondior-afraid-to-debate-me.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mw5C0LlkcY


to Dan Arel see:

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2014/11/dan-arel-invitation.html

to David Viviano see:

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2014/10/atheist-hangouts-david-viviano-scared.html

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2014/10/david-gamma-and-goliath.html

http://www.sacerdotus.com/2014/10/gamma-atheist-decays.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYiNqUghtU


and others; these self-proclaimed 'experts' in atheism and 'leaders' of atheism have challenged me and ran off out of cowardice after experiencing what I am capable of.

Well we can add another charlatan to that list. His name is Michael Sherlock who portrays himself as an atheist author.

This time, he invited me to debate him. I usually invite atheists.

Here are the tweets he sent me:










I accepted the invitation and asked him to email me to set it up:





He even claimed that I would back out:





I told him that I do not back out and was waiting for him to contact me since he said he had free time during a semester:












I asked him to email me to set the debate up, he never did:






I pressed him on it asking if he got cold feet:








His reply showing his stalling:








I replied:





I press him to follow through with the debate again since February was approaching:







He replies again stalling making excuses:






Once again I press him to follow through with the debate:





He replies again stalling and making excuses:






I press him again to be professional and follow through:






Once again he stalls, makes excuses and resorts to ad hominem:





It is March 5th 2016 and no response from Michael Sherlock to set up the debate.  He wanted to debate me in February 2016!  Once again, another alleged atheist wanted to debate me and then runs away like a coward.  I asked him when, what time, asked him to email me to set it up and he stalls and makes excuses.  Finally, he attacks me saying I am rude just for following up on a debate he invited me to!  Go figure that one out!  

Michael Sherlock is clearly a coward and lacks the intellectual confidence to debate me.  He and other Atheists know that they cannot defeat me in a debate.  I know their arguments better than they do as a former atheist; how to refute them and have degrees in the sciences and philosophy.  


We have another one to add to the list who is afraid to debate me. You do not need 'Sherlock' to know that this guy is scared of me.  :-)








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