The Media's Misuse of God's Name

If you have ever watched a movie, one of the things you'll always hear is the misuse of God's name. Almost every script written by Hollywood includes the expression "Goddam." The use of this blasphemy is so prevalent in movies that many people think this is a "normal" term to use. So you hear it everyday from other people, even in the workplace. I have a question for these screenwriters. What do you think would happen if you replaced "Goddam" with "Allahdamn" instead? How do you think Muslims would feel? So don't you think Christians would feel the same way? Of course, since it's open season on Christians only, Hollywood wouldn't mind offending Christians by blaspheming God, but they certainly wouldn't offend Muslims by blaspheming Allah. That would be politically incorrect. Can you spell "hypocrisy?" Here's something else to consider. "Damn" is not God's last name. If someone added "damn" to your name and called you "Johndamn", "Mikedamn", "Joedam", "Stevedamn", and so on, how would you feel? Now how do you think God would feel if you do the same to Him?

Civility - Some People May Surprise You

I was told about a comment made by someone who read my blogs. Although the comment was made by an agnostic, he actually said some nice things about me and my blogs. That surprised me. I was expecting a hostile reaction since I perceived that agnostics or atheists wouldn’t like my blogs about religion. I guess my perception was wrong. Unfortunately, this is the common perception we developed, due to the hostility or animosity that we hear about, from the media, between Christians and atheists. I read somewhere that G.K. Chesterton (a convert to Catholicism) was a friend of George Bernard Shaw (an atheist). Although they debated about God and religion, there was no animosity between them. In fact, when Chesterton died, Shaw had only nice things to say about him. I was just wondering if it was ever possible someday for people to discuss things, whether religion, politics, or other topics, with civility once again. There seems to be a shortage of that nowadays.

Why is Missing Sunday Mass Considered a Sin?

I’ve been asked this question many times before. To answer it, one has to understand the mass. It is a reliving of the sacrifice of Jesus in Calvary. In doing so, we also commemorate the sacrifice he made to “save” us. Let’s draw an analogy. Suppose your father fought during WWII and died in the war. It’s only proper to honor the sacrifice he made to “save” you from fascism. If you refuse to go to his memorial service, then this would be a grave insult. Refusal to commemorate the sacrifice he made would send the message that you don’t care that he died for you. It further implies that what he did was not important to you. How do you think his dad, your grandfather, would feel about that? I think he would be deeply hurt and offended by it. So ask yourself, how do you think God the Father would feel, if you refuse to commemorate the fact that His Son Jesus gave His life to “save” you from eternal damnation? Do you now see why it’s considered a serious offense to deliberately miss Sunday mass without any legitimate reason?

Why Would God Create Hell?

Someone asked me this question a few years ago. Here's one way of looking at this. Imagine someone you dislike. Now imagine what it would be like to live with that person your entire life. You wouldn't like it would you? So if someone dislikes God, God won't force that person to live with Him forever in Heaven. Otherwise, that person wouldn't like it. But there's a problem. God is everywhere. So God had to create a place where He is absent for those who don't want to be in His presence. We call that place Hell. Now the question for the rest of us is, "Where do we want to be?"

Why Visit the Blessed Sacrament?

As I mentioned before, Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. So why aren't there more people visiting Him? If you think about it, our ultimate end is to be with God forever in Heaven. So we need to spend more time with Him here on earth. Let's look at an analogy. If you were planning to marry someone (i.e. spend the rest of your life with that person), wouldn't you want to get to know him/her first? And how do you get to know someone? You do it by spending time with that person. So if you plan on spending the rest of eternity with God in Heaven, wouldn't it make sense to get to know Him better? Then you should also spend time with Him here on earth by visiting the Tabernacle of your church, where Jesus is really, physically present in the Eucharist. And like people in love, spend that time conversing with each other. That's what prayer is - conversing with God about anything and everything. So next time you pass by a Catholic church, drop in to say, “Hi.” Or better yet, schedule time to visit Our Lord regularly, maybe once a week. You won't regret it.

Will the World Really Be Better Without God?

I saw a TV show called “Masters of Science Fiction.” In it, the President said nuclear weapons & God were invented due to fear. This represents Hollywood’s belief that God is just an invention. But there’s more. John Lennon’s song, “Imagine”, expresses his belief that the world will be perfect if there’s “no heaven” & “no religion too.” The music industry shares this belief. So is it true? Will the world be better if people didn’t believe in God? Examine the evidence. Stalin, Mao, & Pol Pot are examples of atheists who tried to create a utopia on earth. These despots are responsible for murdering millions of people. What they created instead is hell on earth. Just ask any survivor of their regimes. Now look at those who genuinely believed in God, & actually practiced their belief, such as St. Francis of Assisi & Mother Teresa. They were motivated by faith in making the world a better place. Ask anyone who benefited from the works of the Franciscans or the Missionaries of Charity. So do you still believe the Entertainment Industry’s notion that eliminating God will make the world a better pace? Judge for yourself.

Being a Christian Means More Than Just Going to Church

A retired nurse, who went to church last Sunday, told us this story. A man sitting nearby started to go into shock. She recognized the symptoms and immediately helped him. She also called 911. What upset her was the fact that there were other nurses there who did nothing but watch them. Is your notion of Christian behavior similar to these people? Is Christianity limited to just going to church on Sundays? Or does Christian behavior actually require that you practice what you believe, such as emulating the “Good Samaritan”, or “doing unto others what you want them to do unto you?” Will God say to you “Well done,” when it’s your turn to face judgment before Him?”

Why Go to Confession?

I've heard this question before. Here's how I look at this issue. You love your spouse. So, you have a personal relationship with each other. You love God and He loves you. Then, there should be a personal relationship between you and God. Because your are not perfect, you will sometimes "offend" your spouse, either deliberately (e.g. making fun of him/her) or inadvertently (yelling in anger). Sometimes, the offense can be more "serious", such as going to the baseball game with your buddies on your anniversary. What do marriage counselors advise in these situations? Ask your spouse for forgiveness to restore your relationship with your spouse. Likewise, you will occasionally offend God too. It happens. It can be a minor sin, such as fibbing at a job interview. Or, it can be more serious, such as fornication or adultery, or having sexual fantasies about someone other than your spouse. So how do you restore your relationship with God? For Catholics, it's called Confession. This is how you formally apologize to God for any offenses committed against Him. This includes failure to do the right thing. So don't be afraid of confession. It's the way to restore your relationship with God.

Going to Communion at Mass: What Does It Mean?

Like many Catholics, I've received communion almost as a matter of routine, without thinking much about it. One day, while falling in line to receive communion at mass, a Eucharistic Minister asked me, "Do you believe this is Jesus, your God, that you're about to eat?" I was taken aback for a moment. I was expecting her to say the usual phrase "Body of Christ." I had to think for a moment what to say. Then I realized that this is precisely what we believe as Catholics, that the bread, after being consecrated by the priest, actually becomes Jesus. So it is God that we Catholics eat during communion. Since I do believe this, I said the usual response, "Amen", which means "truly" or "I agree." I'm not sure if what she said was proper, but it did bring to mind this important Catholic belief, which I and many other Catholics, had taken for granted. I guess it's a good thing to be reminded of this key doctrine of our Faith once in a while.

Do Reasonable People Believe in God?

I read an email from someone who said only unintelligent people believe in God, & rational people don't. A critical thinker would ask, "Is this true, or is this merely an assumption?" The truth can always be proven. So let's look at the evidence. Two of the greatest scientists that the world has ever known are Newton & Einstein. Both believed in God. Some of the greatest composers in history are Mozart, Beethoven, & Vivaldi. They believed in God. Some of the great literary figures of England are G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, & J.R.R Tolkien. They believed in God. One of the most famous atheists of our time, Malcolm Muggeridge, ended up believing in God. Are these people irrational or unintelligent? So do you still think that people who believe in God are stupid or unreasonable? I think the facts speak for themselves. Don't you think so?

The True Worth of a Human Being

Most people today measure their worth as human beings by the amount of money they make, their social status, or their possessions. But is this really the true measure of our worth? A visiting pastor gave the answer in his sermon last Sunday at our church. Our true worth as human beings is dependent on our relationship with God. Think about this for a moment. Parents value their children simply because the kids are their children. It doesn't matter if the kids are smart, talented, athletic, or not. Parents love their children for the way they are. God, as a loving Father, also does the same. He loves us the way we are and He values us simply because we're His children. Since we should be imitators of God, we should value one another simply because we're all children of God, equally loved by God. So if we value each other for what we are, instead of what we have or what we can do, what would the world be like? Would we still suffer from worries and anxieties? Would our relationship with each other be better? What do you think?

People Can Change

Because of media bias, you won't hear this story on ABC News, nor on CNN's Larry King Live. So this story was obtained from WorldNetDaily.com instead. It's about Michael Glatze, who is a prominent gay activist & editor of Young Gay America magazine. He lived the homosexual lifestyle at age 16. But at age 30, he found God, or rather, God found him. He said his conversion was the most liberating experience in his entire life. He further stated that he had been leading a movement of sin & corruption, that homosexuality prevented him from finding his true self, that homosexuality is lust & pornography wrapped into one, and that it destroys young minds. So he abandoned his homosexual lifestyle. Now that he has a personal relationship with God, he was no longer confused, afraid, nor upset. So this story is proof that there is hope for people to change.

Good Can Come Out of Something Bad

I have a co-worker whose husband got fired from a job he held for a long time. They have 2 children, one who's about to enter college. Naturally, he was concerned about how to make ends meet. They also wondered why God allowed this to happen. It wasn't long before he found another job, doing the exact same thing he did in his previous job. The only difference is that now he's getting paid a lot more. This new job took care of his financial concerns. So something good came out of something bad. I guess we just have to trust that God allows things to happen for a reason.

Lost and Found

Like other kids entering college, I became an agnostic. After graduation, I had a materialistic view of life. But I still felt "empty." Something was missing in my life. Then I saw Rev. Billy Graham on TV. He asked, "Do you know why you feel emptiness in your life? It's because you never made God your goal and purpose for living." That struck me to the core like lightning. So I started reading the Bible. I was also instructed about the Faith by two new co-workers, who became my friends. I felt like someone who was lost, but had been found again. Do you have loved ones who have gone astray? Don't lose hope. Keep praying for them. God reached out to me. He'll reach out to them too when the time is right.