Spending Time with God

This morning I politely told a neighbour's boy to stop throwing sticks at a defenseless squirrel. His mother came out to begin a fight. While I was in my wheelchair. I told her everything. She told her son to stop and sent him to his room. I believe I did the right thing. I also told her to have him read the bible. I handed her an old bible I got from a pantry and she thanked me and I helped her read a few passages to read with the boy. I hoped it would help them turn to God. I think I did the right thing. If Not it's in God's hands now.

I felt that after some time with the mother of the boy she was understanding that I was a Christian. I told her about the life of mine and becoming a Christian and converting to be Catholic. She told me she wished she had learned about God and found people to teach her like my partner's family and our friends at St Mark's church. I gave her the address and phone number of the church and the web address of my spiritual blog. She told me she would check it out. I sure hope she does and hopes in time she reads the bible she was given by me. This will help her draw closer to God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost. The Trinity is hard to grasp. I even to this day find it difficult to understand. 

Trinity is the foundation of most Christianity churches in the world today. Methodist, Baptists, Catholic, Church of England, and many more. I have even been to several others - Mormon, Jehovah Witness, and Jewish synagogs. I found them very confusing at times. I just didn't like Jehovah Witnesses due to them not having blood transfusions and having certain medications from a doctor you need to stay healthy. Mormons don't smoke, drink alcohol, drink tea or coffee, or any soda with caffeine in either. Which means no Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Mr. Pibb, or the like. These are a bit extreme to me. I kind of understand the medical stuff for the JW's on the blood thing, but Mormons on the drink stuff are beyond me. This is ridiculous. 

If you need to find out more about the Mormon faith or Jehovah Witness faiths or any other please research them on Google or another Search engine. I have found out my pieces of information by learning amongst them. I was in England when I was going to their communities where I could learn about their faith and learn amongst them. I studied with them the Mormons had a church, the Jehovah Witnesses had a Kindom Hall for their religious services.  They both had plenty of study books to learn from and different Bibles and the Mormon's even added scriptures to the Bible. This was unusual for us. We still have it as a memento for us. 

Reading and studying is the best way to learn about any faith. Researching is also a good way to learn about a faith and it's teaching. I find it very informative too. Good luck in your search for the right religion for you. Keep searching and asking God for the true church of God. There is after all Only on God. 

Poem - Midnight Times

In the midnight times of my life
When everything seems so wrong
Just help me to remember
That Your name will bring a song.

For when I whisper "Jesus"
My darkness turns to day,
I see You here beside me
I can hear the words You say.

You tell me that You love me
That Your son died to set me free,
That I'd never be alone
Because You are here with me.

Lord, help me to remember
My answer is in Your hands
When all else fails, You'll be here
And Your strength will help me stand.

Receiving the Lord: Holy Communion

Holy Communion is the act by which we receive the sacrament of Holy Eucharist.

A Separate article discusses the nature of the Holy Eucharist. This current article explains Communion, the reception of Holy Eucharist as asacrament:

• What is the purpose of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist?
• What effects does it produce in the soul?

The purpose of the Eucharist

We know that each of the Catholic sacraments produces its own special effect or effects. If the purpose of all sacraments were simply to give a single kind of grace, one sacrament would be enough; there would have been no need for our Lord Jesus to have instituted seven.

The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist was instituted as a food, a spiritual food.

That is why the outward sign of this sacrament—the appearances of bread and wine—is a sign of nourishment, just as in Baptism the outward sign is water, a sign of cleansing.

The action by which we as individuals receive the Holy Eucharist is an act of eating. We swallow the appearances of bread and wine under which Jesus is present. This is the action which we call Holy Communion.

As the Catechism's section on Holy Communion and the Eucharist says:

The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist: "Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." [Jn 6:53](Catechism, 1384)

Union with the Lord

Since the Holy Eucharist is a spiritual food, it does for the soul what physical food does for the body.

When we eat physical food, it becomes united to us—it is changed into our own substance and becomes a part of us.

In Holy Communion something analogous happens to us spiritually, but with a great difference: in this case it is the individual who is united to the Food, not the Food to the individual. The lesser is united to the Greater.

We become one with Christ.

This sacramental union of ourselves with Jesus is more than the mere physical union between our body and the Sacred Host which we have swallowed. More importantly, it is a mystical and spiritual union of the soulwith Jesus. This is produced in the soul by our physical contact with the sacred Body of Jesus.

This marvelous blending of the soul with Jesus is a very special kind of union. Obviously we do not become "part of God." It is much more than the "ordinary" union with God which the Holy Spirit establishes in us by sanctifying grace. Yet it is less than the ultimate and most intimate union with God which will be ours in the beatific vision in heaven.

This union is simply called Communion.

The Mystical Body

Being united with Christ in this close and personal union, we are necessarily united also with all others who are "in" Christ—all others who are members of His Mystical Body.

Union with Christ in Holy Communion is the bond of charity which makes us one with our neighbor.

When we grow in love for God through our union with Jesus, we also necessarily grow in love for our fellow man. If we have the right dispositions, our Holy Communions should produce fruits in ourselves that we notice over time: a lessening of racial and national prejudices, of neighborhood resentments; an increase in neighborliness, in compassion, in patience and forbearance towards others.

The very sign of the sacrament symbolizes our total oneness in Christ:

• Many grains of wheat have been compounded together to make the one bread which has become the Body of Christ.
• Many grapes have been crushed together in the press to make the contents of the one chalice which has become the Blood of Christ.

We are many in One—and that One is Christ.

"And the bread that we break," says St. Paul, "is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? Because the bread is one, we though many, are one body, all of us who partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Communion's sacramental grace

It is characteristic of every sacrament either to give or to increase sanctifying grace.

Each of the other sacraments however has a specific purpose of its own in addition to the bestowal of sanctifying grace:

• Baptism cleanses from original sin
• Penance forgives mortal sin
• Confirmation strengthens faith
• Matrimony sanctifies marriage...

...and so on.

But in the Holy Eucharist we have the one sacrament whose principal purpose is to increase sanctifying grace, repeatedly and often, through personal union with the Giver of grace Himself.

That is why the Holy Eucharist is preeminently the sacrament of spiritual growth, of increase in spiritual stature and strength.

A state of grace is required

That also is why the soul already must be in the state of sanctifying grace when we receive Holy Communion—in other words, free from mortal sin.

Physical food cannot benefit a dead body, and the Holy Eucharist cannot benefit a dead soul.

Indeed, a person who knowingly would receive Holy Communion while in the state of mortal sin, would add a new dimension of guilt to his already sinful state: he would commit the grave sin of sacrilege. In the very act of outwardly offering himself to Jesus for the union-in-love which is the essence of Holy Communion, he would be opposing Jesus by that rejection of God which is inherent in all mortal sin.

A grace that protects

However, the reception of the Holy Eucharist will forgive venial sin—presuming of course that the communicant has sorrow for his venial sins.

Here again it is love that does the work. What we might call the "charge" of love which Jesus unleashes upon the soul in this moment of personal union, is a purifying force; it purges the soul from all lesser infidelities. Whatever accumulation of venial sin may encumber the soul, it is dissolved and annihilated (if repented) as Christ's love makes contact with the soul.

Another effect of Holy Communion is to preserve the soul from spiritual death, to preserve the soul from mortal sin.

The strength of our inclination to sin (called concupiscence) is also reduced each time we receive the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

A rich banquet of the Lord

Holy Communion unites us with Christ and intensifies our love for God and for neighbor.

It increases sanctifying grace. It remits venial sin, lessens concupiscence, and thus preserves us from mortal sin.

Finally, as good food should, it readies us for work. A frequent communicant who receives worthily and fruitfully cannot possibly remain wrapped up in himself. As love for Christ more and more fills his horizon, he feels the urge to do things for Christ and with Christ. Powered by the graces of Holy Communion, he becomes an apostolic Christian.

Holy Communion is indeed the Bread of Life, a banquet overflowing with grace and richness.

The Sacrament of Confirmation

Grace for Fullness of
Faith and Life

There is a close relationship between the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.

While Confirmation is a distinct and complete sacrament in its own right, its purpose is to perfect in us that which was begun in Baptism. We might say—in a sense—that we are baptized in order to be confirmed.

Growing beyond a self-centered spirituality

We are born spiritually in the sacrament of Baptism. We become sharers in the divine life of the most Blessed Trinity. We begin to live a supernatural life. As we practice the virtues of faith and hope and love and as we unite with Christ in His Church in offering worship to God, we also grow in grace and goodness.

But at this stage our spiritual life, like the life of a child, is largely self-centered. We tend to be preoccupied with the needs of our own soul, with the effort to "be good." We cannot be wholly self-centered, of course—not if we understand what it means to be a member of Christ's Mystical Body, and not if we understand the significance of the Mass.

But in general our religious life does revolve around self.

Living for others

Then we are confirmed.

We receive a special grace by which our faith is deepened and strengthened, so that it will be strong enough not only for our own needs but for the needs of others with whom we shall try to share it.

With the onset of adolescence a child begins to assume, progressively more and more, the responsibilities of adulthood. He begins to see his place in the total family picture and in the community at large.

Similarly, the confirmed Christian begins to see more clearly (or ought to) his responsibility to Christ for his neighbor. He becomes deeply concerned (or ought to) with the welfare of Christ-in-the-world—which is the Church—and the welfare of Christ-in-his-neighbor.

It is in this sense that Confirmation is a spiritual "growing up."

Special grace

In order that we may have such a concern for Church and neighbor, in deed as well as in feeling, the sacrament of Confirmation gives us a special grace and a special power.

Just as the "mark" or character of Baptism made us sharers with Christ in His role of priest, giving us the power to participate with Him in divine worship, so also the character of Confirmation makes us sharers with Christ in His role of prophet or teacher.

We now participate with Him in the task of extending His kingdom, of adding new souls to His Mystical Body. Our words and our works are directed not merely to our own sanctification but also to the purpose of making Christ's truths alive and real for those around us.

The Catechism's section on Confirmation says that Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Its effects are to:

• Root us more deeply in divine filiation (being children of God)
• Unites us more firmly to Christ
• Increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us
• Strengthens our bond with the Church
• Associates us more closely to her mission of bearing witness to Christ
• Helps us and more strictly obliges us to spread and defend the faith by word and deed

A generation ago, we said that confirmed Catholics were "soldiers of Christ." This indicates Confirmation's effects: it configures us for a full & active mission of service to Christ.

Actively living our vocation

The confirmed Christian—whether we call him a spiritual soldier or a spiritual adult—goes forth joyfully in the fulfillment of his vocation.

Strong in his faith and with an ardent love for souls which stems from his love for Christ, he feels a continual concern for others. He feels a restless discontent unless he is doing something worthwhile for others—something to ease their burdens in this life, and something to make more secure their promise of life eternal.

His words and his actions proclaim to those around him: "Christ lives, and He lives for you."

The grace to do this is the grace which Jesus promised to His Apostles (and to us) when He said: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses for Me. . . . even to the very ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The roots of Confirmation

We do not know exactly when, during His public life, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Confirmation. This is one of the "many other things that Jesus did" which, as St. John tells us, are not written down in the Gospels (see John 21:25).

We know that Catholic Tradition (the teachings of the Church which have been handed down to us from our Lord, or from His Apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit) is of equal authority with Sacred Scripture as a source of divine truth. If a "Bible-only" friend thrusts out his jaw and says, "Show it to me in the Bible; I don't believe it unless it's in the Bible," we do not fall into that trap. We answer sweetly by saying: "Show me in the Bible where it says that we must believe only what is written there."

However, it does happen that the Bible tells us about Confirmation. Not under that name, of course. Aside from Baptism, our present names for the sacraments were developed by the early theologians of the Church; "Laying on of hands" was the earliest name for Confirmation. This is the name which the Bible uses in the following passage taken from the Acts of the Apostles:

"Now when the Apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John. On their arrival they prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet He had not come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. But when Simon [the magician] saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the Apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me also this power, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit'." (Acts 8:14-19)

It is from this passage, and the attempt of the magician Simon to buy the power to give Confirmation, that we get the word "simony"—the name given to the sin of buying and selling sacred things. That, however, is a very minor point.

The real significance of this passage lies in what it tells us about the sacrament of Confirmation. It tells us that while Confirmation is a complement to Baptism, a completing of what was begun in Baptism, nevertheless Confirmation is a sacrament distinct from Baptism.

• The Samaritans already had been baptized, yet it still was necessary for them to receive the "laying on of hands."
• The passage also tells us the way in which Confirmation was to be given: by the placing of the hand of the one who confirms, upon the head of the one to be confirmed, with a prayer that he may receive the Holy Spirit.

We are particularly interested in this fact which the passage makes plain: the fact that it was the Apostles—that is, the bishops—who did the confirming. Whoever it was who had baptized the Samaritans very evidently did not have the power to "lay hands" upon them and to impart to them the Holy Spirit. Two of the Apostles, Peter and John, had to travel from Jerusalem to Samaria in order to give the sacrament of Confirmation to these new Christians.

The bishop was the original minister of Confirmation. Ordinarily, the bishop still administers this sacrament so that there is a clear link to the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. However bishops can also permit priests to administer this sacrament, and in practice this is often done.

The rite of Confirmation

The essential part of the Confirmation rite is when the bishop or priest places his hand upon the head of each individual.

The bishop traces the sign of the cross on the person's forehead—having first dipped his thumb in the holy oil called chrism—and says, "Be sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit." The newly confirmed person responds by saying, "Amen."

Chrism is one of the three kinds of holy oil which a bishop blesses each year at his Mass on Holy Thursday. The other two kinds of holy oil are the oil of catechumens (used in Baptism) and the oil of the sick (used in Anointing of the Sick). The holy oils, all of them, are composed of pure olive oil.

From ancient times, olive oil has been looked upon as a strengthening substance; so much so that athletes were accustomed to bathe in olive oil before taking part in athletic contests. The significance of the holy oils used in the administration of the sacraments is then very evident: the oil represents the strengthening effect of God's grace.

Besides the distinct and special blessing which each holy oil receives, chrism has another difference: balm has been mixed with it. Balm is a fragrant substance procured from the balsam tree. In the holy chrism it symbolizes the "sweet odor" of virtue; it tells of the spiritual fragrance, theattractiveness that should characterize the life of him who puts his Confirmation graces to work.

Are we allowing the grace to work?

The cross which is traced upon the forehead of the person being confirmed is a powerful symbol if it is really understood and acted upon.

It is quite easy to know whether I do understand and act accordingly. I have only to ask myself:

• "Do I actually live as though there were a visible cross branded on my forehead, marking me as 'Christ's man' or 'Christ's woman'?"
• "In my daily life, do I really bear witness to Christ?"
• "By my attitude towards others, by my treatment of those around me, by my actions in general do I proclaim: 'This is what it means to be a Christian; this is what it means to live by the Gospel'?"

If the answer is no, then it means that there is a lot of grace being wasted—the special grace of Confirmation. It is a grace which is available to me in abundance if I will but use it.

Its strengthening grace will enable me to overcome my human pettiness, my cowardice in the face of human opinion, my fearfulness of sacrifice.

Strength to live in the world

In Confirmation, the bishop or priest places his hand upon our head and calls down upon us the Holy Spirit Who can, if we will let Him, transform our lives.

Without Baptism we cannot go to heaven. Without Confirmation we can get to heaven, but the going will be much rougher.

In fact, without Confirmation it would be easy to lose our way entirely, easy to lose our faith. That is why it is of obligation for every baptized person to be also confirmed if he has the opportunity of receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.

We know that Jesus did not institute any of the sacraments "just for the fun of it." Jesus instituted each individual sacrament because He foresaw, in His infinite wisdom, that we would have need of certain special graces under certain particular circumstances.

He foresaw, among other things, the dangers to which our faith would be exposed. Some of the dangers would be from within, as when passion or self-will wars with belief. Sometimes the dangers to our faith are from without.

In all of these circumstances, the grace of Confirmation comes to our aid (if we will let it) and irresistibly pushes back the urgings of self-will, helps us to preserve our sense of values, and keep us on an even keel so that faith may triumph.

The peace we find then is a real peace.

Song - I'm a Child of God

I am a child of God,

And he has sent me here,

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

I am a child of God,

And so my needs are great;

Help me to understand his words

Before it grows to late.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

I am a child of God.

Rich blessings are in store;

If I but learn to do his will

I'll live with hime once more.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

I am a child of God.

His promises are sure;

Celestial glory shall be mine

If I can but endure.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

Romans 8:1-11 Daily Scripture

So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death. It is impossible to do what God’s standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature. Therefore, we, who do not live by our corrupt nature but by our spiritual nature, are able to meet God’s standards.


Those who live by the corrupt nature have the corrupt nature’s attitude. But those who live by the spiritual nature have the spiritual nature’s attitude. The corrupt nature’s attitude leads to death. But the spiritual nature’s attitude leads to life and peace. This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God’s standards because it can’t. Those who are under the control of the corrupt nature can’t please God. But if God’s Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature.


Whoever doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ doesn’t belong to him. However, if Christ lives in you, your bodies are dead because of sin, but your spirits are alive because you have God’s approval. Does the Spirit of the one who brought Jesus back to life live in you? Then the one who brought Christ back to life will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you. 

This scripture tells me, that I have to have the spirit of God, the Holy Ghost living and breathing inside my body, soul, heart and strength. I believe I do have the Holy Ghost living inside. I pray daily for this spirit of God to lead my path, let me know what is right, and what is not. I feel God guiding spirit living, and dwelling inside my soul and heart.


Remember: to pray daily, you need to have God living, and breathing inside. Without God's guiding spirit within your, you're going to fail at every thing you try and do!