Characteristics of the Risen Body

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
All shall rise from the dead in their own, in their entire, and in immortal bodies; but the good shall rise to the resurrection of life, the wicked to the resurrection of Judgment. It would destroy the very idea of resurrection, if the dead were to rise in bodies not their own. Again, the resurrection, like the creation, is to be numbered amongst the principal works of God; hence, as at the creation all things are perfect from the hand of God, so at the resurrection all things must be perfectly restored by the same omnipotent hand. But there is a difference between the earthly and the risen body; for the risen bodies of both saints and sinners shall be invested with immortality. This admirable restoration of nature is the result of the glorious triumph of Christ over death as described in several texts of Sacred Scripture: Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:26; Apocalypse 2:4. But while the just shall enjoy an endless felicity in the entirety of their restored members, the wicked "shall seek death, and shall not find it, shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them" (Revelation 9:6).
These three characteristics, identity, entirety, and immortality, will be common to the risen bodies of the just and the wicked. But the bodies of the saints shall be distinguished by four transcendent endowments, often called qualities.
The first is "impassibility", which shall place them beyond the reach of pain and inconvenience. "It is sown", says the Apostle, "in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:42). The Schoolmen call this quality impassibility', not incorruption, so as to mark it as a peculiarity of the glorified body; the bodies of the damned will be incorruptible indeed, but not impassible; they shall be subject to heat and cold, and all manner of pain.
The next quality is "brightness", or "glory", by which the bodies of the saints shall shine like the sun. "It is sown in dishonor," says the Apostle, "it shall rise in glory" (1 Corinthians 15:43; cf. Matthew 13:43; 17:2; Philippians 3:21). All the bodies of the saints shall be equally impassible, but they shall be endowed with different degrees of glory. According to St. Paul: "One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, another the glory of the stars. For star differs from star in glory"'(1 Corinthians 15:41-42).
The third quality is that of "agility", by which the body shall be freed from its slowness of motion, and endowed with the capability of moving with the utmost facility and quickness wherever the soul pleases. The Apostle says: "It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power" (1 Corinthians 15:43).
The fourth quality is "subtility", by which the body becomes subject to the absolute dominion of the soul. This is inferred from the words of the Apostle: "It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44). The body participates in the soul's more perfect and spiritual life to such an extent that it becomes itself like a spirit. We see this quality exemplified in the fact that Christ passed through material objects.

Obituary for Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- There is such a thing as truth, and good and evil
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common sense could not breathe anymore when people tried to redefine marriage, and began to call evil good, and evil good. Those who had any kind of morals were demonized in the name of tolerance, and those who called themselves tolerant became the personification of intolerant bullies, and they were glorified in their abhorrent behaviors.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, I'm A Victim, I do what I want and that is it. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Who are the Intolerants?

I do not follow beauty paegants, nor watch much TV either, but I was appalled to hear the commentaries by one of the Judges of the Miss USA pageant Perez Hilton, indicating that the answer of Miss California to the question about "HER OPINION" regarding same sex marriage had cost her the crown. So let me get this straight, according to Perez, since Miss California Carrie Prejean gave an answer according to her convictions regarding same sex marriage, then he voted against her. How INTOLERANT and simply stupid can that be? That is like asking her what you think about the President, and she said she did not agree with many of his policies, then that would mean she would lose the vote. It was not because her answer did not make sense, it was not because she was shallow, it was not because she did not know what she was talking about, it was simply because she happened to have a different opinion than the judge on this particular question, a view which in fact is the majority of the voters within the state of California, and even more so overwhelmingly the view of most Americans. So who is the intolerant? Who is the irrational? Who are the ones that are really close-minded? The answer is clear, the intolerants by experience are those who actively support the homosexual agenda. Here in the state of California, these same people vandalized Churches, and other establishments when proposition 8 was upheld, these are the people what advocate for tolerance and respect. Except that they will have it their way or no way. Their tactics have now turned to intimidation and media management, and they are doing a good job at silencing people, and even more so, they are doing a great job at belittling anybody who happens to oppose their depraved and corrupt agenda. How sad that even a pageant, is controlled by your views on homosexuality as dictated by many of the attendees to this kind of pageant rather than by beauty and common sense. Where has common sense gone??

Do not Judge a Book by its Cover

We live in such a world that we are always tempted to judge people based on appearances, and we tend to look down on people that do not look appealing, or based on our prejudices we even look down on people of a different race, people of a different religion, or people with different ideas. Christ always encourages us not to judge so as not to be judged, even more so, Christ calls us to recognize the intrinsic dignity and worth of EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING regardless of age, race, sex, color, ideas, etc. Thus, we must respect all people and treat others with the dignity they deserve without exceptions. The following two videos are good examples that should teach us a lesson about not judging. The first one is from Paul Potts and the second one is from Susan Boyle. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Pray for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life

Today as we celebrate Holy Saturday, our Lord asked St. Faustina to pray in the Novena of Divine Mercy for the souls of priests and religious:
"Today bring me the souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."
And thus we pray:
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
* In the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.
This prayer is a great preparation for the upcoming world day of prayer for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life to be celebrated on May 3rd. Here is the text of the Holy Father for that day:
http://www.zenit.org/article-25529?l=english

Novena to the Divine Mercy

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:
"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."
The whole Novena can be found at:
http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm

and in Spanish at:
http://www.ewtn.com/SPANISH/prayers/nov-divinamis.htm

Walter Hoye is Free from Jail

Walter Hoye, a pastor at a Berkeley church was jailed for 30 days after unsuccessfully arguing that an order requiring him to stay 100 yards away from an Oakland abortion clinic violates his right to free speech. Walter Hoye is free now after being in jail only 18 days out of the 30 days he had originally been sentenced to. But the truth is that in that jail where he spent the last 18 days he was freer than his prosecutors and jailers, because he enjoyed the freedom of the children of God, he enjoyed the freedom of truth.

Walter Hoye of Union City was the first person convicted under an Oakland ordinance barring protesters from coming within 8 feet of anyone entering an abortion clinic. In February, Judge Stuart Hing of Alameda County Superior Court sentenced Hoye to three years' probation and 30 days in jail, and ordered him to pay $1,000 plus a $130 restitution fee. Hoye could have disposed of the jail time in a sheriff's work detail or by volunteering. But he balked at the judge's order to stay 100 yards from Family Planning Specialists Medical Group at Second and Webster streets. Hoye argued that the order was more severe than Oakland's ordinance and stifled his First Amendment rights. Judge Hing refused to budge at a hearing Friday at which Hoye's attorneys tried to stay the sentence pending an appeal. The judge asked Hoye to decide whether he wished to serve a month in jail or in an alternative program, and the pastor chose jail. Hoye was arrested May 13, 2008 at the Oakland clinic, carrying a sign that read, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help you!"As women approached the door, he asked them, "May I talk to you about alternatives to the clinic?"

Now Walter is free from jail and we must continue to express our support for him. He is an awesome guy and a true witness of courage in the face of opposition. He has shown truly how silly our judicial system is, as Mark Shea said "sin makes you stupid," and we live in a very stupid society indeed, where the real criminals are allowed to walk free, where the real criminals are protected so that they can continue their criminal activity, this is absolute stupidity. The amazing thing is that the abortion center where Hoye used to go to counsel women has been shut down in Oakland during the time Hoye was in prison due to "financial hardships." To me the closing is a sign of the power of prayer and fasting. We must remember that before Hoye was sentenced last month, he has engaged himself in a 40 day campaign of prayer and fasting, and the results are obvious. In the end is one more abortion clinic that has been closed and no more babies will be killed there. Awesome!

Pastor Rick Warren Supports Homosexual Agenda

It has been reported that Pastor Rick Warren, the famous California mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick, has apologized to his homosexual friends for making comments in support of California's Proposition 8, and now claims he "never once even gave an endorsement" of the marriage amendment. The truth of the matter is that Warren endorsed Proposition 8 before the election, perhaps not "publicly", if publicly means beyond the thousands of people who make up his congregation. This is an excerpt of what he said regarding Proposition 8:

"The election's coming just in a couple of weeks, and I hope you're praying about your vote. One of the propositions, of course, that I want to mention is Proposition 8, which is the proposition that had to be instituted because the courts threw out the will of the people. And a court of four guys actually voted to change a definition of marriage that has been going for 5,000 years. "Now let me say this really clearly: we support Proposition 8 -- and if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8. I never support a candidate, but on moral issues I come out very clear."

Obviously he is not so clear about moral issues, since he has basically retracted from his initial support for Proposition 8 and now says he has "never been and never will be" an "anti-gay or anti-gay marriage activist." While the Christian position is one of loving the human person with homosexual tendencies and respect his or her dignity as a human person, the Christian position has been also one of rejecting homosexual behavior, and even more so, the Christian position is one that rejects the glorification of a behavior that is considered to be abhorrent and sinful. It is very sad that Pastor Warren has radically changed his views on this issue, and one wonders how far he will go in the opposite direction, in order to grab the attention of our President and the popularity of the "new" Messianic movement. Sadly this seems to be more important to Warren than the teachings of Christ.

Tonly Blair Correcting the Pope on Homosexuality

It has been reported that Tony Blair who became a Catholic on December 2007, and now he is correcting the Pope and telling Catholics what we must believe. That is amazing for a new convert, and one wonders at the motivations of his conversion. Why would he convert to a Church he disagrees with on many issues including its stand on homosexuality? For the record, before his conversion Blair had a clear proabortion record, and also supported embryonic stem cell research. The Prime Minister never once voted with the pro-life lobby and voted 14 times for the pro-choice lobby in Parliament. In 1990, during the debates leading up to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act, he voted on three occasions to extend the time limit for abortion to birth on grounds of handicap. In December 2000 he gave personal backing to regulations permitting stem-cell research on human embryos; and his government enthusiastically promoted the morning-after pill. On family issues the married-couples allowance has been abolished, funding has been switched from groups backing marriage to those taking a relaxed view of any kind of relationship, the benefits system has been changed to target all money for children regardless of family structure, etc., etc. Far from being morally neutral on the family, the Blair government has actively discriminated against it. His record on life and family issues has been horrible. In one of his outgoing speeches as Prime Minister, in September last year Blair said: "America does not want stem cell research, we do, we welcome it here." Blair was referring to embryonic stem cell research, which kills embryonic children in order to extract their stem cells. Why would he come into a Church he disagrees with on all these critical issues and leave his Anglican church which in facts holds the same beliefs that he sponsored during his government? That is beyond comprehension. And now that he is Catholic he wants to tell the Pope what to believe and what not to believe, he is even trying to teach Catholics how to interpret the Bible correctly, that is Blair' way. To me that is a sign of pride and a great lesson for all RCIA programs. We do not simply bring people into the Church, we must scrutinize all those seeking admission into the Church so that they truly adhere to what the Church OFFICIALLY believes and holds to be true. Even more so if that person is a POLITICIAN, since politicians tend to be manipulative and in great numbers lack integrity and humility. If that is not enough this particular politician was well known in advance to disagree with the Church on many issues. What a mistake!! Numbers are not important, we have tons of numbers, numbers is not a problem, what we need is FAITHFUL Catholics, this is what this world needs the most and what the Church needs the most. We do not need more dissenters, we do not need more voices of division, we do not need any more people trying to tell the Church that the Church is wrong and they are right, we do not need any more proud intellectuals, what we need is saints, what we need is humble people, what we need is holiness, what we need is men and women in love with Christ. We only have one Pope and that Pope is in Rome, not in England nor anywhere else.