The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive

All of Creation was made to give glory to God. This means that in doing what God created us to do, we can fully give glory to him. Now the question arises, what did God create us all to do? Some believe that fulfilling our lives and being happy is all we need to do, however this is not the case. In everything we do, we must do it in God's name. We must live life so that we may worship him.
We may do this by living a life like Christ did. Christ did everything for the glory of God as the Son of God.

Martyrs in Christianity: The Bravest of Christians

The Martyrs throughout the Church's history have been some of the bravest Christians to ever become members of Christianity. They were willing to give their life to hold up the faith and teachings that they believed and give glory to God in doing so. Just think about if you were faith with death to uphold your belief or to live by denying your faith. This decision is one of the hardest ones to make.

Even some of these martyrs are chosen to be beatified and canonized as saints. These select few of martyrs were steadfast in their defense of the Church's belief and teachings that they would give their life to preserve, and also had lived a life modeled after Christ up to their death.

The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive

How can we all achieve man fully alive? This has been too many times the topic of debate in my theology class. There have been many points to suggest how a man can be fully alive including doing what one loves to do and fulfilling the role that they believe to be given. While some of these arguments seem to be convincing enough, none are the true way to achieve man fully alive.

Through reasoning and some guidance from my theology teacher, I have learned that being man fully alive is to be filled with the glory of God. Only through the glory of God and living a life most closely to life that Christ lived. Christ lived a life most true to God and for one to be man fully alive they must model themselves after Christ.

Mother Teresa: A Soon to be Saint

Mother Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in the Ottoman Empire. She grew up Roman Catholic and started  Missionaries of Charity when che became older. This organizations purpose is to care for the people who may no longer care for themselves. These people are ex-prostitutes, STD patients, the mentally ill... etc. This program achieved great success under her and she later received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the Organization. She died in September of 1997 at age 87.

While she accomplished great things, helped the poorest of poor people, and lived a life very close to that of Christ, she is not yet a Saint. There have been many steps to canonize her as a Saint like Pope John Paul II overriding the 5 year waiting period to beatify her, but she has not yet been canonized. Although she is not yet a Saint, there is a very good chance she will become one in the future. 

Canonization

The process of canonization has to be one of the most esteemed honors one can receive from the Catholic church. While the person who is canonized can not be with the people he or she loves to enjoy the honors, that person has to feel very honored in Heaven. Canonization is the process of someone who is dead becoming a Saint.

Now what does saint even mean? The literal definition described by the Christian Church is one "in Christ" and in whom Christ dwells. This is the perfect way to tell what the saint is all  about. A saint is someone who is willing to die for their faith like the first martyr, St. Stephen. A saint is someone who has constantly helped the ones that are less fortunate or in dier need of help like St. Vincent DePaul. These examples are just a few of the many saints who modeled their lives after Christ.

Confirmation

Confirmation is a major Sacrament that involves the confirming of a person as a member of the Church and as a new member of the Mystical Body of Christ. It is one of the seven major Sacraments instituted by Christ. It serves as the initiation into the Catholic church and becoming a member of the community of the faithful where one can worship with a congregation of other people with the same beliefs.

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit are certain things bestowed upon by the Holy Spirit that we can perform only with the help of the Holy Spirit. This belief, in fact, aids the belief of the Christian person that the Holy Spirit does dwell within them because only through the Holy Spirit can we perform these acts or fruits. This fruit of the Holy Spirit are generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity, charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. 

Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

These seven gifts are received at Baptism from the Holy Spirit to strengthen our personal sanctification. These gifts are even strengthened at Confirmation to make them fully accesible by the person who has received these gifts these seven gifts are wisdom understanding, fear of the Lord, counsel knowledge fortitude, and piety.

Baptism from the Holy Spirit

Another form of Baptism recognized by the Catholic church is the Baptism from the Holy Spirit. This Baptism is characterized by the receiving ,of a member of the faithful, of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. these gifts are separate from the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are separate because these gifts benefit others while the other bestowments are for personal sanctification.

Baptism of Fire

We recognize the Sacrament Baptism as one of the major Sacraments and the only one required by the Catholic church's teachings for admittance in to Heaven. One particular type of Baptism is Baptism of fire. This type of Baptism deals with the martyrdom of people who gave their lives for their belief of God. This is a recognized type of Baptism by the Catholic church and is only granted to the martyrs throughout history.

The Church's Stance on Gay Marriage: From the view of a gay male

Gay Marriage, or even being gay in general, really seems to be a big issue in our country today. The following is my understanding of the Church's beliefs about homosexuality. Yes the sacrament of marriage was established by the Church to be between a man and a woman, and that is the Church's belief and it definitely has the right to hold that stance. These beliefs are based off both verses in the Bible and the natural law of Creation. From the beginning, woman was created from man to be a complimentary partner to him. The understanding of God's intention for humankind is to procreate, which can only be done in a complete, loving, manner through marriage under the Church. Gay people in monogamous relationships with the same gender, share a deep love for each other, however are unable to procreate in the same manner. Because the church believes man was created to be in union with man, gay couples are unable to be married in the church, and any homosexual activity is seen as being sinful. The love we share is no less than that of homosexual couples, but since we can not procreate, we can not fulfill our love completely in the eyes of the Church.

Homeless Man Video

This video in particular really spoke to me. It really gave me a good perspective of the life of a homeless man. Just thinking about going from growing up in the suburbs to living as a homeless man in the streets. He explained his daily routine that he goes through every day and I truly feel sorry for him and all he has been through

There was also a recurring theme through the video. He certainly did not like being called the word"bum." There were certain instances where he described people calling him a bum and that really got to him and made him break down in tears. I think this gets go him because he knows he can do better than this and he is trying so desperately to get back on his feet.

All Are Welcome!

The article All Are Welcome really has a special message on how the Church should be perceived. First, the Church has said that anyone is welcome to join the Church, and this in fact is the case. The Church, to its very core, has always been open to anyone joining it and learning the teachings of Christ. It was in fact Christ that founded the Church on this primary basis.

Though anyone could join the Church, there is one condition that the faithful must keep. The faithful must always love and respect all members of the Church, but must always uphold the truth that Church keeps. This means that although a member of the Church has committed a sin, other members must continue to love and respect that person, but also recognize that the sin was a bad thing to do. It is important not judge the person, but the sin.

The Healing Water of Lourdes

Lourdes, France is home to one of the most miraculous miracles to ever take place. In 1858, a fourteen-year old girl named Bernadette claimed to have seen a lady in a cave outside of town. Later, the lady told her to dig and drink from the spring within that cave. The stream seemed to have cleansing power healing people from many illnesses. This has attracted many Catholics to Lourdes over the years to witness the miracle before them.

The Ordained Woman Priest

There has been an interesting story developing in Louisville, Kentucky, where a woman, Rosemarie Smead, has been ordained a priest outside of the Roman Catholic Church. This has caused major controversy in the Catholic Church as there has been a long standing ban on women being ordained as priests in the Catholic Church. While she was ordained outside the Roman Catholic Church, she still has considered herself to be a Catholic. The former pope, Benedict XVI, took a firm place to oppose ordaining women and keeping the old laws. He even took to stripping male priests of their Holy Orders if they did ordain women. While this has already caused a lot of commotion, there will most likely be new developments in this story so keep an eye on it.

The Miracle of Lanciano

The Miracle of Lanciano stands out as one of the more significant Eucharistic miracles throughout history. It took place around 700 in Lanciano, where some people of the congregation were doubtful of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Upon saying the Words of Consecration, the bred turned into real human flesh and the wine into blood. This gave the people of the Church faith in the Eucharist and Christ's presence in the Sacrament.

The Transfiguration: What must have been going through the Apostles heads

The Transfiguration stands as a pivotal moment in theological history when Jesus shows his true form and stands as the moment when human nature meets God. The whole time this is being viewed by the Apostles Peter James and John. This must have been quite the sight for these three as they saw Jesus in his divine form.

Pontius Pilate and the Biggest Decision in History

When Christians think of Pontius Pilate, they think of the man who decided to condemn Jesus to de with no mercy or thought at all. This in fact is not the case because Pontius was forced in a way by many Jewish leaders. When Jesus was brought to Pilate, he did not truly believe this man was guilty of any crimes, and tried many ways to persuade the Jewish officials to not kill him. The thing that has ultimately made Pilate a bad person in history is that he gave up. While this was utterly the wrong thing to do, you ask yourself what would you do?

The Fall of Man: A different perspective

The Fall of man has been something that has affected the life of each and every one of us on Earth. This post is not to document what happened on that day, but how it has changed the course of events in history. When Adam and Eve decided to reject God, it set off a chain of events throughout history that has been filled with sin, lie, and death. God did take steps to redeem man, and these steps ultimately culminated in Jesus coming and dying on the Cross for man's sin.

The Apostle's Creed

The entire belief in the communion of saints is affirmed in the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed is simply a statement of belief that the faithful say to affirm their belief in God the Father. This cred is separate from the Nicene creed in that it is seen in the Catholic Church as a more important creed than in other churches.

The Church as the body of Christ

This teaching, another held in the highest of regards by the communion of saints, is another way to describe the Church. This way deals with Christ being the head and founder of the Church. Christ is seen as the head of the Church because he founded the Church, and through the Holy Spirit, he guides the Church.

The Church as a Mystical Body

The teaching of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ is one that is held in high regards by the communion of saints. Pope Pius XII issued this teaching during World War II to illustrate that the Church is a living entity and that it is not fully spiritual or fully physical, but that it is supernatural. This contrasted the belief that the Church was a "perfect society."

The War in Heaven

In the Book of Revelation, St. John describes many events, but one stands out as one of the most intriguing. The War in Heaven is described as a war waged between the Army of Heaven and the fallen angels of Hell. The Army of Heaven is lead by the Archangel Michael and the fallen angels are led by Satan depicted as "the dragon." The vision ends with the dragon and his army being thrown down to the Earth.

Heaven

Heaven is the eternal state of supreme happiness. It is the divine state where God and all of the angels dwell. Heaven is the ultimate goal for us as Christians. We have to credit Jesus fully for our entrance into Heaven. Without Jesus, there would be know Savior to die on the cross for us, and therefore we would not be redeemed. Therefore, Jesus is the only way to find Salvation and entrance into Heaven so we must embrace his teachings and open our hearts to Him.

Hell

Hell may be seen as just the place you go after you die if you've been a bad person in your life, but there is more to it than that. Hell is the state of eternal suffering suffering and self-exclusion from Heaven and God. Hell is not only reserved for people who died in mortal sin with no repentance, but also for people who blatantly have rejected God. It comes down to our decision in whether or not we go to Heaven or Hell.

Satan

Most Christians know that Satan is the epitome of evil, but not many know of his fall from Grace. Satan was once Lucifer, God's most loyal angel. But he started to lose faith in God and in the process be ame the first fallen angel. There were many angels to follow in the same footsteps who are now demons, but Satan was the first and hence he is the leader of the demons who dwells in Hell for eternity.

The Archangels

There have been three named archangels throughout scripture and they are Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. Gabriel usually serves as the messenger for God, and that is seen through the Gabriel visiting Mary informing her of her own pregnancy. Michael serves as the enforcer os God, and this is seen when he leads God's army against Satan's forces in the book of Revelation. Finally, Raphael serves as the healing service of the Lord.

Demons

Following the post on Angels, demons are the counterparts to angels. In the creation of angels, these are the angels who choose to reject God because they have free will. They then become fallen angels, or demons who descend into hell to dwell with Satan. Demons can never go back on their decision because they will gain nothing intellectually for going back on their decision because they have unlimited intellect.

Angels

An angel is characterized as a messenger of God. A supernatural being, an angel, at its creation, is given the choice to love God or reject him. Giving that they choose to love God, they are born as angels, given the mission to serve humans. This is very hard to grasp because something that is mor powerful than man, is serving them.

Final Judgment

Following the post on Particular Judgment, Final Judgment is the judgment that occurs when Jesus rises from the dead to judge all people. This idea of judgment is to not scare the people of the Church from this day, but to make them aware of the day of our Salvation. This judgment is separate from Particular Judgment in that it concerns the judgment for all members of the Church, dead or alive.

Is Love Subjective Pt.4

The spiritual aspect of love can be one of the most important aspect to a person in them finding love. If a person has been raised as a spiritual person in a family who is that way, they might believe that it is important for their partner to be spiritual as well. The non-subjective view for the spiritual aspect of love  is that the partner worships or pars in the same ways that everyone prays. The subjective view is the person seeing their partner worship or pray in a certain way with a special drive that makes him or her want to worship in the same way.

Is Love Subjective Pt.3

The social motive for love between two people happens when the two talk with each other. Whether the two spend a lot of time together before they decide they're right for each other, or a minimal amount of time, they will decide that what they have is something special. The non-subjective view on social love is that everyone could see the quality in that person that makes them intellectually attractive. The subjective view would say that there is something about one person that only one person sees that makes them crazy about that other person.

Is Love Subjective Pt.2

The physical aspect of love is typically one of the drives of a person to love another. It should not be the main drive for love of another, but one partner should think the other is beautiful and vice versa. The non-subjective physical aspect for love is everyone seeing something in a person that would physically attract all of them. The subjective side for love would be different people seeing something that none of the other people see that physically attracts them to that person.

Is Love Subjective Pt.1

On the topic of love being subjective, there can be strong cases made from both sides of the argument. There can be specific things pointed out for loving the person that can be seen by all people and for the same reasons that everyone has. On the other hand, there can be certain things that the person in love sees in his or her partner that no one else sees. This is the subjective side of love. There are many cases where love can be seen as subjective or non-subjective and these cases are categorized in the physical, social, and spiritual attraction to another person.

Particular Judgment

The particular judgment of God can be misinterpreted in many ways. Particular judgment is the judgment that God offers to us when we have departed from the physical world. This judgment occurs directly after death, and it is characterized by Christ judging your admittance into heaven or being sent to hell. His decision is based on the actions of that person throughout his or her life. 

Purgatory

Purgatory has been one of the more confusing things for me learning the Catholic theology. As a non-Catholic, I was never taught of a purgatory before i came to high school, but I have come to learn more about it as I've grown. The things that I have taken away from it is that it is the afterlife state where souls, who have not achieved holiness quite yet, go. Here they look to improved there faith to finally be accepted into the kingdom of heaven. Thank you for reading

-Jak

Hello, we are the team known as Derz and Jake. We will give the public what they want on the Catholic Church, and we know exactly what that is. The public want to gain knowledge on the Communion of Saints. This being that we will further enhance your knowledge on the states of the soul in the after life. This will also include knowledge on the the saints and the Ecumenism theme. We will truly hope that you keep up with our blog.

- The Teem