Remembrance Project Day 4: Paying it forward

It is not bad to have a look at the way how Roman Catholic teachings can make the lives of its believers oh so difficult and complicated.

They learn that there are 7 sacraments that RC kids can celebrate as they progress through their lives: Baptism, Confession, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage OR Holy Orders, and finally, the Anointing of the Sick, altogether with the goal to have a clean conscience when they die.

In lots of those Catholic Churches they do not take much time to study the Holy Scriptures, but lots of time is given in preparation of the first and second communion and offering their members all sorts of teachings which find their roots in human philosophy and writings from so-called theologists.

Very early in life, those Catholics are frightened with a waystation between our mortal body coil (purgatory)and a so called heaven, many not wondering why they always pray in our Lord’s prayer that God His Kingdom would come on earth as in heaven. Who would then be allowed to live on earth when everybody would go to heaven?

No wonder, many Catholics have difficulty coping with life and death. The writer is made to believe by her priests, that the way you get passage to the pearly gates is by the prayers of the friends and family, chipping away at any stain remaining on their soul, them believing that soul would be a second ‘me’ in themselves, another being that shall leave their body when they die. The writer also thinks that’s what All Souls’ is all about. Perhaps it is that what the Catholic Church wants them to believe. But All Souls, like All Saints, Halloween and the Day of the dead (Dia de los Muertos) are all heathen festivals the God of the Bible does not want to know about.

All lovers of God have to know that when we die our life comes to an end, and then is it finished, too late to do or say anything. Everything we have to do has to happen in this life, in the now and then before we fall asleep in the sleep of the dead.

“4 For him that is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun. 7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8 Let thy garments be always white, and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which He hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labor which thou hast done under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.” (Ec 9:4-10 KJ21)

That the writer doesn’t understand how their prayers are a good restitution for harm done she believes that if you die without having a final confession, you end up in Purgatory, which would mean that God would give those people another punishment after they received their first punishment for their sins, namely death. It also makes their god a very cruel one, loving his children once more being tortured, and this time even by an eternal burning fire.

And why should they pray for the souls in Purgatory as a whole, when it would just be a place of transition and not a permanent state or residence?

The writer questions:

“They can’t repent for their misguided ways anymore, so what if they don’t have anyone to intercede on their behalf?”

This makes us to questions if they do not believe Jesus is the best mediator for them, and why he did not judge them alright for entering the Kingdom straight ahead, when they paid already with their death for their sins, and Jesus also had paid for their sins, at the wooden stake?

 

++

Find also to read

1. Are we taken up into heaven straight after we die?
2. Where do we go when we die?
3. Biblical Ambiguity on Death?
4. Realities concerning Human Life and Death
5. The Dead — Where Are They? 24 Stories, first death and heavens
6. What happens when we die?
7. Autumn, Life and death, grace, regeneration and sanctification
8. Halloween custom of the nations
9. Allhallowtide with Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
10. Dia de Los Muertos – Day of the dead
11. Is God behind all suffering here on earth
12. In Coronatime thinking about death
13. All Souls’ Day
14. Thought for today November 4th Going to graveyards and people going to dust
15. Today’s thought “Not stopping doing what is right” (November 5)

+++

Related

1. November – a time to remember and a time for confidence rather than presumption
2. Make the Most of November: 7 Tips
3. Happy and Blessed All Saints’ Day
4. Holy Souls
5. All souls suffrage
6. From Depths Of Hades, My Relatives Cried To Me
7. Thought for the Day – 2 November – “Purgatory”
8. What does the word “purgatory” mean?
9. Quotes on Purgatory
10. Uncle Steve Explains Purgatory
11. Novena for the Holy Souls: Day 9
12. Devotion to the Souls in Purgatory
13. Devotion for the Month of November – The Holy Souls in Purgatory
14. All Souls Vigil Service with Novena and Chaplet for the Dead – Free Options
15. Thought for the Day – 3 November – The Pain of Purgatory
16. Prayer for the Faithful Departed
17. Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory — Lumen Fidei Ministries
18. The shrine where you can send a card to the deceased
19. Two Purgatory Anecdotes by Saint John Vianney 
20. Why do we pray for the dead
21. Catholic prayer for the most forgotten soul in purgatory
22. Vatican again extends November indulgences
23. The truth concerning the holy souls in purgatory

Sweary Parent Chronicles

Photo by ozundunyasina on Pexels.com

I have to say, every year during Hallowtide, I have to look up the difference between All Saints and All Souls.

So what is the actual difference between All Saints and All Souls? All Saints celebrates those who we believe are in heaven. All Souls is for those who haven’t gotten there yet. I’m not sure why my brain steadfastly refuses to store that information. I have far more useless information that bumps on up against the brain pan, and is stuck there for life. I tend to lump all three – Hallowe’en, All Saints’ And All Souls’ days – into the conveniently packaged Hallowtide, but if I’m going to find something pithy for us to chew on, I kinda need to know.

So here’s the thing. There are 7 sacraments that RC kids can celebrate as they progress through their lives: Baptism, Confession, Communion…

View original post 698 more words

To My Fellow Americans, From One of You

It is getting time more Americans come to their senses that when there shall be more deaths there shall not be much left over to take care of recovering economy.
It’s high time that Americans start realising they had one of the worst presidents America ever had and who did so much damage not only to the country, but also to the people, that the recovery or the making of America Great Again will take years if not decades in case they do not switch gear soon enough.

Wine and Cheese (Doodles)

Hey! 

You!

You of the red, white, and blue. Of the free and the brave. Of the purple mountain’s majesty.

Yes, you.

I’m just like you, born of Lady Liberty, weaned on a mother’s milk of revolution and independence, all tied up with a Fourth of July bow. I can’t run away from who and what I am, even if I wanted to.

And I don’t. 

Right now I may reside outside the confines of the Nifty Fifty, but I’m still one of you. American parts. American made. I still care—deeply—about what happens in yon Motherland. I yearn to see the rollout of USA: Full Potential…and I still believe it’s there, buried under all the rhetoric and White noise.

So what I’m about to say, know I say with love: Holy shitballs, America, you have got to get your act together.

There are a LOT of you I don’t agree with…

View original post 728 more words

Life Goes On

Today’s guest-writer with his decease knows that  whether we’re going through the worst of times or the best of times, history and our own experiences show us that life does go on.

Though we can not say this to everybody at any time.

“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven —
A time to give birth and a time to die…
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

I thought about the above passage last week when our daughter gave birth to a beautiful seven pound girl on Wednesday, then a close friend died of cancer on Friday – “A time to give birth and a time to die.”

Twenty years later after our guest-writer Bill was diagnosed with ALS he still goes strong and inspires many people with what he writes on the net, reaching many in countries who would never come to. His writing are clearly inspired by God’s Spirit, Who is able to give incredible powers to those who are willing to give themselves in the hands of God.

*

To remember

life’s great highs + lows = day-to-day life > seem so trivial

we tell ourselves that we’ll never again settle for the trivial life

our emotional or spiritual highs & lows gradually find their old balance => return to a mundane normalcy

=> root cause of much of addiction + depression we see around us

answer? = “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

focus not on the personal and professional “highs” missed => make  conscious effort to focus on  good things in life

Life = hard == much easier if we surround ourselves with people that won’t only rejoice with us in the good times but will also support us in the difficult times.

+

Preceding: Why are you afraid?

 

++

Further reading

1. What Would You Say?
2. Time slowed
3. Courting Joy
4. Still Life
5. Survivor or Fighter?
6. 5 Things You Need to Know About Life (1 min read)
7. Opportunity Meets Impression! (2 min read)
8. The Road Ahead
9. Solace Can be Found
10. It starts again….
11. Silent Screams
12. Just
13. On the topic of crying
14. Fibromyalgia and remission
15. Suicidal thoughts
16. Behind the face,  the mask. 
17. Dignity
18. 005 Coping with depression
19. Losing Friends, Making Friends
20. Experimenting
21. Daily Shorts – Can I Run Away?
22. Perfect Love
23. Depression I
24. It feels weird 
25. The Steps of Falling Apart
26. Better Days: Creating Change
27. 02.47

Unshakable Hope

“Life Goes On”

Whether we’re going through the worst of times or the best of times, history and our own experiences show us that life does go on. This is true, but I don’t recommend saying “life goeson” to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven —
A time to give birth and a time to die…
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

I thought about the above passage last week when our daughter gave birth to a beautiful seven pound girl on Wednesday, then a close friend died of cancer on Friday – “A time to give birth and a time to die.”

Those who are grieving and those who are rejoicing have this…

View original post 549 more words

Material gain to honour God

Front cover of the first edition of Lenin’s Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, published in Moscow in 1909 under the pseudonym “Vl. Ilyin.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Around us we may find lots of material things which can attract and distract us. We have nature, something which can not be made by man but can only be adjusted or changed to man’s desires. We have all sorts man-made things which can be for use or just for being there, one moment to give pleasure, an other moment to be thrown away as useless.

The things from nature, the goods which make us able to create things they all come from somewhere. It is the earth that gives it to us.  But behind it is the Master Hand. What lots of people do not see or do not want to know is that behind everything made there is the Master Creator Who allows others to be and to create such things.

For many it is a very hard thing to believe that everything we can see around us and all things we can have is because God allows it to be there. It is there because of God allowing it but it also belongs to God.  We like to think that what we have is ours and no one elses.  Man wants to have everything for him or herself. Man wants to feed the “I” and wants to satisfy the “I”. Man thinks by taking all things for him/herself he can be and can satisfy the inner person and fulfil his “I am” ambition.

Strangely enough people want to gather as much as they can and safe it, though they will not be able to take it with them when they die. Their possessions will either go to someone else or be thrown away to be incinerated or to go in oblivion on the trash pile.

In this world there are so many who want to flaunt with what they can gather. They are so  proud, but in a way do know nothing, and dote on an argument and quarrel on the use of a word or on the way of life. With their earthly grabbing culture they are the cause of envy and controversy and blasphemy and evil premeditation.

Strife among men whose minds are corrupt and who are cut off from the truth and who think worshipping God is for worldly gain should alert us and make it that we keep away from such things. Those who love God should know that their gain is greater contentment, for it is the worship of God.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

1Ti 6:6-7 HNV  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  (7)  For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out.

Donkey cart in Conlig A change from all the materialism that seems to arise early in December – these children take to more traditional activities, in this case dressing up in Victorian fashion and parading along The Green in Conlig village. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Therefore, let us enjoy the beauty of nature and the God given things and let us be satisfied with food, raiment and shelter. For those who desire to be rich, fall into temptations, and snares, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which causes them to sink in degeneration and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all evil: and there are some men who have coveted it and have thereby erred from the faith, they have brought to themselves many sorrows.

1Ti 6:8-10 HNV  But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.  (9)  But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.  (10)  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

In case you love God and you want to go for Him, you should flee these things; and follow after righteousness, piety, faith, love, patience, and meekness.  We are told to fight the good fight of faith, and to let the right things reign in our mortal body, laying hold on eternal life to which we are called, having professed a true profession before many witnesses.

1Ti 6:11-12 HNV  But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  (12)  Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.

1Co 6:18 HNV  Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Rom 6:12 HNV  Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Nothing but the all mighty God, mighty Prince, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,  has immortality or deathlessness, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, and whom no man has seen, nor can see. To Him be honour and dominion for ever and ever. Even Christ Jesus, the son of God had to face death. He really died, was three days in hell and was than taken out of the dead by his heavenly Father, the Only One True God.

Even the son who has received authority from his heavenly Father to judge and to be a king shall have to hand over the Kingdom of God to his heavenly Father in due time, because everything belongs to God.

Like Jesus only did the Will of his heavenly Father, and not his own will, we should try to do also the Will of God. Like Jesus could not do anything without his Father, we should know also that nothing is possible without God as Sustainer of the world allowing it to happen.

As Christians we should know that we live in the world but should not be part of it. We may get many possessions but should take care those things do not take possession of us.
Everything what we gather in our life we should use for the good. Not only for the good of the self but also for helping others.

Let us remember that those things which may life easier for us should be used to to do God’s will and to honour Him by what we do with it. And let us go for the real treasures.

Mat 6:19-21 HNV  “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;   (20)  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;   (21)  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

*

Strife: heated, often violent conflict or disagreement; angry or violent struggle or quarrel; Contention or competition between rivals; trouble or discord of any kind; strenuous effort; open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)

+

Preceding articles:

Thought of the day: We want more, i want more, but why is that?

Mini-MAX-malism: A Bigger Approach to Less is More

Stop and Think

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Less… is still enough

Less for more

++

Additional reading:

1. What Are You Seeking?
2. Souls and Religions with Nirvana and light
3. Finding Beauty Amongst the Trash
4. True happiness, love and perfection
5. Not holding back and getting out of darkness
6. Purify my heart
7. Two states of existence before God
8. A good idea to halt all activity for one hour some day
9. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
10. Rest thy delight on Jehovah
11. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
12. Humbleness
13. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God
14. What happens when we die?
15. Is there an Immortal soul
16. Looking on what is going on and not being of it

+++

Further reading:

• What is the Root of All Evil?
• Love of money
• Money! money! Money! It has become our goal and our god!
• For The Love of Money Is The Root of All Evil
• Materialism
• Self-indulgence
• Your Business, Your Money, Your Faith
• Money & That Love of it
• Not That Rich
• The danger of riches: Mark 10-11
• the true riches
• How to Lose Your True Wealth
• Loving Money is Spiritual Suicide
• Our world is hell
• The modern prosperity teachings
• Possessions and the kingdom
• Serving two masters
• A Crown Of Splendor
• Watch Your Focus! 1 Timothy 6, March 23, 2014
• 1 Timothy 6:6-10
• Stay Focused
• I’d Rather Die Poor Than Live My Life Without You.
• Generosity
• Sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor
• February 18 – Contentment
• Woes and Watchout Warnings
• Materialism vs. Excellence
• Make Your Time Count
• Love not the world

Related articles

• I Am God. (justinianrogado.wordpress.com)
• Why Hell is Going On in the World (planet.infowars.com)
• John 3:1-17 God Loves us Sooo Much RSUMC 20150531 (mysundaysermons.com)
• We Serve The God Of Amazing Worth (brandinicolejm.wordpress.com)
• Material and RaisedButton. (chromiumcodereview.appspot.com)
• How To De-stress In The Material World (For Free!) (wakeup-world.com)
• Different kinds of wristbands (slideshare.net)
• Mexico politics (nation.com.pk)

A Mundane Existance

Most of the people in the industrial world are so taken up by their aim to gain as much money as possible and to get the highest position they can get, so that others can lookup to them, that they forget to enjoy life and to make something worthwhile living for.

.

They forget that of all the material treasures they collect on this earth in this life, they can not do take anything with them in their grave or can not do anything with it in their death. Once we die it shall all be finished, and we shall not be able to hear or see anything, and we shall not be able to do anything any more. Life will be gone out of us; No breath any more. Just a deteriorating body to become dust again. That is what shall left over of us, in the end, some ashes or dust and perhaps some memories in the heads of others.

.

So many people loose so much time trying to get somewhere instead of making the best out of their life and to make the best of the life of those around them.
Instead of making full use of what we do have in ourselves we try to compare with others, sometimes envying them instead of being happy with what we do have in ourselves.

Therefore, let us tackle ourselves with that what is given unto us, and be happy to use all are given elements and power, to make ourselves and those around us happy souls (happy beings).

.

+++

Please also do find to read:

1. What is life?
2. Dying or not
3. What happens when we die?
4. Leaving behind the lives we have touched.
5. Onsterfelijkheid – Immortaliteit + > Immortality, eternality – onsterfelijkheid, eeuwigheid
6. Grave, tomb, sepulchre – graf, begraafplaats, rustplaats, sepulcrum
7. Decomposition, decay – vergaan, afsterven, ontbinding
8. Biblical Ambiguity on Death?
9. Is there an Immortal soul
10. The Soul not a ghost
11. Human Nature: What does the Bible teach?
12. Father and motherhood
13. Poverty and conservative role patterns
14. Parenthood made more difficult
15. Blow to legitimacy of the capitalist system
16. Migrants to the West #7 Religions
17. Mundane
18. Brilliant Poet Fights the Undead – Featured Artist: Frank Ruger
19. The disease of poverty is a doctor’s business everywhere
20. When gender inequality is good economics
21. Recalibrating the poverty line
22. Motherhood In The Workplace: I Was Asked to Tone-Down the ‘Mommy Thing’
23. Optional Parenthood
24. The Juggle of Modern Motherhood
25. Motherhood= Amazing
26. European Parliament stands for human dignity
27. Don’t fool yourself
28. Cosmos creator and human destiny
29. Knowing where to go
30. Two states of existence before God
31. The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
32. The one who makes us well and gives life

Related articles

• Thoughts On Living Right (sassoon18.wordpress.com)
  To walk the common line / Of integrity, not swerve,  / Is to tarnish not the shine / Of what we must preserve.
• Dungeon Prompts – Season 2, Week 14: Entertain with the Mundane (theseekersdungeon.com)
  “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”

  ― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

• Thoughts On Living Right (sassoon18.wordpress.com)
  To treasure and to hold

  Life’s precious gifts; try

  To cheer the sick and old,

  The downcast, by and by,

  Is to light the torch of love

  And heartfelt amity,

  Rising beyond, above

  Life’s stark mundanity.

• Exploration of the Mundane (slangaga.wordpress.com)
  Life shouldn’t be compliant.
  Life shouldn’t be waiting for your next vacation,
  or forgetting what it feels like to laugh so hard you hurt.
  We are on a continuing adventure, forever exploring.
  Maybe there are times when all we can do is explore the objects surrounding us.
  Of course there will be times when the adventure has seemed to be replaced by routine,
  by the inevitable.
  But that shouldn’t keep us from exploring.
  Even the mind we own has such an unfathomable depth of information.
  Why should we take that for granted?
• Thinking About Mundane Things Sure is Mundane. (tessreynolds13.wordpress.com)
  uter. Typing is mundane.
• 5 ideas (zeldasocarina.wordpress.com)
  one mans trash is another’s treasure – ask people what item they treasure, present them in a trash can
• Time / Capsule (iamsagirl.wordpress.com)
  Dig me up;
  I hold a thousand secrets,
  a thousand questions unasked,
  a thousand memories that never will be.
• Early Medical Retirement for Disabled Federal Workers: Joy of the Mundane, Though We Knew It Not (federaldisabilityretirement.wordpress.com)
  we tend to consider joy in terms of momentary elation, an extended period of satisfaction, or a sense of quietude wrapped in layers of giggling quivers.  Conversely, the mundane evokes boredom, monotony, a time devoid of elevated emotional responses; a time of negation, where the chasm between desire and duty floats apart from one another like drifting icebergs in the cold North Atlantic seas.
• PAD challenge Day 5- Prompt: discovery (ardoucet.wordpress.com)
  It’s hard to discover something when you’re not looking
  When the eyes of your heart and soul and mind are shut up tight
  From the ravages of the modern madness of busyness
  Being deliberate, opening your senses to the physical
  Leaving behind the virtual world of technology
  The possibilities are endlessly in front of you
  Waiting to be uncovered in the mundane, the routine
  The ordinary of everyday
  In the largeness of a mountain