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Friday, May 30, 2014

The Poor You Will Always Have With You


 
Did you ever wonder why Jesus sort of throws up his hands in frustration and said, "The poor you will always have with you."  A common interpretation floating around Christendom is that one should keep their money to themselves and don't bother helping the poor.  As if to say, there are too many of them and they will always be here.  But probably not a good answer!
 
OLD TESTAMENT: THE POOR YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11

 
NEW TESTAMENT: THE POOR YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU
Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you.”  Matthew 26:11

 
TODAY: THE POOR YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU
To this very day God remains poor on earth Himself and shares that commonality with the destitute among us.  There are more gas stations than churches.  There are more shopping centers and banks than chapels.  Allegiance to the shopping mall has become the new pagan temple. Meanwhile, Protestants on average try to eke out 10% of their income to help the poor Lord out, Catholics 3% and the rest of the world less than 1%.  Unfortunately, Jesus, though he was rich continues to remain poor on earth.  Thus there lies the fulfillment of the Biblical expression, “The poor you will always have with you.”  It seems as though God will always be mired in poverty.  Some things may never change.  "Blessed are your poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:3
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Monday, May 19, 2014

Go and Grow!




The Servants of the Father of Mercy are going on retreat this Friday. We're meeting at the Ventura, CA warehouse, Father of Mercy Chapel and heading to the Benedictine, Prince of Peace Abbey (photos from last year's retreat) in Oceanside, CA. Depart at 11:15am and return Sunday after the11am Mass and 12 noon lunch. Monsignor Kidney, pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades, CA is our spiritual speaker and Abbott Charles Wright of the monastery. Lots of time in the schedule to walk, reflect, read, sleep, go to the monastery library, visit, share, and grow in Christ. It's a waterfall for your spirit! Call now to go and grow @ 310-595-4175 . . . Operators are standing by.
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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Reality!



Today, Brian Triplett, a writer for the Examiner comments on Pope Francis and the Christian's belief in devils and demons . . .  "The writer of the entry went on to say, "... Francis is given a pass. When are those people who are so impressed by his 'humility' going to learn that it’s just a facade, behind which lurks all the incense-scented malfeasance and superstition of Catholicism? And, far from reforming his church by nudging Catholics toward more enlightened sentiments, Pope Francis is keeping the Church mired in the Middle Ages, at least on the issues of Satan and demons. Yes, these people really do believe in Satan, and that itself is unbelievable! Where's the evidence for Satan, much less God?"

Well, so much for writer, Brian Triplett's nonexistent theological training!  Not long ago, I completed a 5 hour visit with a family and their teenage son who had tried to harm himself after a 5 year obsession with demonic video games and receiving real-life apparitions of demons.  The demons are manifesting themselves in real time because of the posters in his bedroom that all exalt blood, gore and more evil.  This teenager is now under medical care for distress, anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies, but none of the medication seems to help.  That is because in this case, it is not psychological, it's demonic.  Ironically, the parents were not aware that the evil posters and 40+ video games could open the doorway to the other side - probably because they have read ill-researched and out-of-touch articles by writers like Brian Triplett who would be better suited journaling home remodeling and DYI gardening.
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Monday, May 12, 2014

Saving the Poor and Needy

“For he delivers the needy when he cries out, the poor and him who has no helper.”  Psalm 72:12

A pastor is claiming divine intervention after a behemoth boulder cast forth during a construction blast nearly gutted a Massachusetts church.

The construction workers captured the blast on video and watched the chunk of rock stop short of Saugus’ Grace Ministries Church by one foot on Saturday.

The video begins with the crew standing across the street from the church and counting down to a blast on a neighboring property.

The explosives shook the ground and then, a boulder leaped out of the protective covers.

“That’s not good,” a member of the excavation crew said as they and Pastor Rick LeClair ran over to check on the church and marvel at their blessing.

A video of the work project shows the crew circling the rock cautiously, slightly unsure of its origin: “Where did that come from?”

They estimated the rock to be about 20 tons.

“I was thinking the church was going to get wrecked,” Pastor LeClair told WCVB-TV, but his worst fears were unfounded.

The rock could have shut the Grace Ministries down if it crossed an additional 12 inches. Its congregation runs a food pantry that feeds thousands of poor and homeless people, the TV station reported.
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Visit our web site: http://servantsofthefather.org

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Friday, May 9, 2014

The Problem of Too Much Money: Where to spend it all?



Here's for people who forgo frugal living, unlikely to share wealth with the poor and having so much money, may be difficult to find ways to spend it all, until now . . .

Four Seasons has a new weapon in the luxury travel wars: a company-owned Boeing 757.

The Toronto-based luxury resort hotel company said Wednesday that it's launching the first Four Seasons-branded private jet. The plane will come with many of the amenities of a Four Seasons suite—from puffy duvets and chef-prepared meals—and will ferry only about 50 passengers per trip (a 757 usually holds 250 passengers) to Four Seasons resorts around the world on tours that cost more $100,000 per person.

"Taking our legendary service to the skies is a natural extension of what we've been doing in our hotels for more than 50 years," said Susan Helstab, executive vice president for marketing. "It will be relaxed and elegant and comfortable and come with all of the Four Seasons' services, private chefs and the ability for the individual to tailor the experience to whatever their desires."
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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

An Inspiration





 
Okay, finally found a moment since last weekend to share pictures of our dear brother Joel out on the streets serving the homeless in downtown Los Angeles.  Joel has been battling cancer for a while now.  Right after surgery, he then fought for many months a wicked and unresponsive-to- antibiotics staph infection.  Many prayed, and prayed, and prayed - now, thanks be to God, he is strong enough to serve. He's a fighter and inspiration to us all. Joel and Pam plan to be at the team retreat at Prince of Peace Abbey over Memorial Day Weekend.  Who all is going, or would like to go?  RSVP
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Visit our web site: http://servantsofthefather.org

Subscribe to the blog:  www.HomelessinAmerica.blogspot.com  

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