August 1, 2010

We have all heard the word "fundamentalism" as it applies to Christian Churches, but what is it? Fundamentalism is not necessarily a Church in itself (like the Catholic Church or the Lutheran Church), but is more like a movement. It first appeared in the 18th century and has died out and re-surfaced about 30-40 years ago.

Their attitude is one of purity in religion, that is, nothing but the Bible. Perhaps the doctrine that really singles them out as Fundamentalists is their belief in salvation. In regard to Jesus, they do see Him as the Son of God, but they believe that He was actually punished by God for our sins, In other words, when He died on the cross, it was not just a matter of taking upon Himself our sins, but He was actually punished for them by God and therefore, once one accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, he/she no longer has to worry about punishment for sins committed; the moment this commitment is made, that person is assured of heaven, he/ she will not go to hell. Without that instant, he would be doomed. This leads to a "me and God" attitude with the exclusion of everyone else (Jesus is "my" Lord and Savior). There is no central authority, no Priesthood, no Sacraments and no "Church" (in the sense of "God's people"). Their individual community is important to them and their life is centered upon it, but that is as far as it goes. There is no idea of all Christians being a part of the 'Body of Christ' or `Church'; the emphasis is on "me and God".

July 25, 2010

I received the following e-mail a few weeks age. I have no way of verifying this, but it is very plausible and it is worth reading as it brings out the power of prayer and the power of God over evil: Father Gabriel Amorth, chief Exorcist of the Vatican writes: "One day, a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism: 'every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the rosary was, it would be my end." The secret that makes this prayer so effective is that the rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is addressed to the Trinity as Father, Son and Spirit, and to Mary, our Mother. At the same time, it is a meditation centered on Christ (the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries - from the annunciation of His birth to His entry into heaven; and Mary's assumption and crowning).

As I was reflecting on this, I thought to myself, if the rosary is a blow to the head of Satan, can you imagine what the Sacrifice of the Mass does to him? The Mass was given to us by Christ Himself, at the Last Supper, and His words were fulfilled the next day on the cross where He shed His blood and gave up His body in death; His words were completed when He rose from the dead and then returned to His Father in heaven, leaving His Church to continue. Every time we celebrate Mass, we celebrate these great mysteries again and again; before the mysteries are enacted, we read and reflect on God's Word, both the old and new testament. For any Catholic, the most important event on Sundays should be to celebrate Mass with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Can you imagine what a blow to Satan's being there would be if every Catholic would desire, as the most important event of my Sunday, to come and celebrate Mass?

July 18, 2010

Abortion has been so much a part of our society, that we don't really pay enough attention to our "pro life" advocates. Abortion is still one of the most horrible crimes against God and society. It is taking a human life, even though not fully formed, and destroying it. President Obama is a strong abortion supporter and his selection of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court fits his views. Politically, he knew not to mention the word abortion in his nominating speech, but he did say that in choosing her, he wanted to select someone "who is going to be interpreting speech, but he did say that in choosing her, he wanted to select someone "who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account…women's rights" and that this was going to be "very important to him as he viewed our Constitution as protecting the 'body integrity' of women". One can't tell me that one of the core reasons he chose her was to protect the so called right to an abortion. He realizes that the attitude towards abortion is slowly changing in the country and efforts of those protecting human life has made great inroads into our society's way of thinking. This is all due to the prayers and efforts of God's faithful people. Please keep this issue an important issue in your lives. Never cease praying to an end to abortion. Elections are coming in November. I urge you, once again, to use your vote. Vote with a moral conscience. Uphold God's way. He didn't give us the ability to bring new life into this world so we can turn around and destroy this precious life while it is being formed.

July 11, 2010

I hope you noticed the bulletin announcements about Marriage encounter Weekends. Marriage Encounters have been around for a long time now. Couples who are involved in Marriage encounter are very dedicated to their ministry. This so because they "live" their marriages. They see their lives together as a 'holy bond', made so by the presence of Jesus Christ who sanctifies their lives. They have learned to turn to Him as well as use the power of the Holy Spirit, to keep their love alive and well. During the Marriage Encounter weekends, these dedicated couples share their experiences, the good and the bad, and how they are able to use their Sacrament of Marriage to enhance or heal their lives together. I have first hand experience of what goes on during this weekend. Many years ago, I was part of the team presenting the weekends. I was overwhelmed at their dedication to each other and to their faith. I was edified by their love for each other and by their deep faith. I was amazed at how they healed their differences, through sharing and prayer, and using their Sacrament.
Consider making a Marriage Encounter weekend. Believe me, you won't be sorry. I have seen many marriages become stronger because of this weekend, and I have seen some shaky marriages healed. See the announcement below for details and look at their website: www.lovemoredeeply.org.

July 4, 2010

At this writing, Governor Lingle has not taken any action on HB444 (Civil Unions bill) (today is Monday, June 28th). If this is still the case when you read this, I am asking you to please send her a message by phone (586-0034), fax (586-0066) or email (governor.Lingle@hawaii.gov). Our new newspaper, the Star Advertiser, through their editorials and slanted reporting, are calling for an approval of the bill. Those who are pushing for the bill have doubled their efforts. We must do the same - double our efforts. Please communicate with the Governor and let her know there is still a strong opposition to this bill. Those who are pushing the bill will tell you it is a matter of "rights". No, it is not. There is no civil law that says couples of the same sex cannot live together. If they want to live together, the civil law cannot stop them. What they want is to have society recognize their relationship as equal to that of a marriage between a man and a woman. The term "civil unions" is simply calling it by a different name. Please uphold what God intended marriage to be: a union between a man and a woman who commit themselves to live in married love; a union ordered toward the well being of the spouses and the procreation of children.

June 20, 2010

There are three things to cover today. First the invitation to the Bishop's "thank you" for those who participated in the "With Grateful Hearts" campaign is still scheduled for June 29th. However, the venue has changed. It will not be at Our Lady of Sorrows as originally planned, but at St. Elizabeth in Aiea, beginning at 6:30 pm.
Secondly, the power bill: our power bill is well over a thousand dollars each month and I really don't think it has to be so high if everyone would be more conscious of turning off lights when you leave a room that is empty (store room for example), keeping the air condition unit's thermostat at a reasonable temperature and closing doors when the air conditioner is on so that we are not trying to cool off the outdoors or the entire church. Three different days last week I had to change the temperature setting on the air conditioner in the Blessed Sacrament chapel from 65 to 71 - this despite a sign on the thermostat stating "do not change the temperature setting". There is no reason to set the temperature gauge to 65 degrees. Also, when a small group is using the Church, there is no reason to have every light in the Church on. Use the dimmers to turn some of them off.
Finally, yes, you guessed it, the water. While the water-sewer bill has been lower, it is still too high. On Sunday, as I was locking doors around 1 pm, I heard water running in the women's bathroom. One of the toilets was running because someone forced the flush handle so hard that it was struck in the down position. How long it was running is anyone's guess, but a lot of water was wasted. Also, the toilet next to the one that was running was so stuffed with paper that it was clogged - please be considerate of these who have to clean the toilets. Our old plunger was so warn that we recently had to purchase a new one.

June 6, 2010

James and Mary are and have been parishioners of Resurrection Parish for many years. They are at a point in their lives that they need help with their house and yard. James has an artificial leg (because of diabetes) and Mary has trouble walking and has been very ill. They need our help in up keeping their home and property. A group from our parish family met at their home last Monday (Memorial Day) and did some work for them. However, this is an ongoing project. It is a Gospel project.
Our Church building is kept clean because of the dedication of parishioners who have formed groups, each one taking a week to clean the Church (much like the "adopt a highway" or "adopt a park" movement in many towns throughout our country when a group of people take a section of a park, for example, and keep it neat and clean). It would be very Christ like if several of our parishioners could adopt James and Mary's place and volunteer to keep it clean for them. We are all part of Resurrection of the Lord Parish family. If any are willing to do this Gospel ministry, please contact Bob Mace who heads our social and outreach ministry (see the front cover of the bulletin for his phone number).