Advent Series- December 1

(Note: The series is posted here for parents to share with their children- it was written for a young audience which accounts for its simple style)

The history of the world properly begins with God, our Creator, Who Himself has no beginning.

We have all heard the story of creation; how God created the world out of nothing in 6 days.

It is easy to remember what God created on each day, since the first 3 days and the last 3 days are related:

The Bible says, 'In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, And the earth was void and empty."(Gen 1:1-2)

On the first 3 days, God began by giving a form to His creation.

The next 3 days God spent filling His creation,

Thus;

On Day 1 God created the light---on Day 4 He created the sun, moon and stars to shine with that light

On Day 2 God created the sky and separated the waters above from the waters below--Day 5 He filled them with the birds and fish

On Day 3 God created the land---Day 6 He filled the land with animals and man

On Day 6 God made the first man and woman; our first parents Adam and Eve.

We are all descendants of Adam and Eve.

God gave Adam and Eve everything to make them happy. His greatest gift to them was sanctifying grace; His own life in their souls. If they were faithful to God, God planned that they would have a happy life here on earth, followed by eternal happiness in Heaven.

God gave only one command for Adam and Eve to obey, and they did not remain faithful.

We all know what happened....the devil tempted Eve and she ate of the forbidden fruit, then she convinced Adam to do the same.

There are many lessons to be learned from the sin of Adam and Eve;

1)We learn the importance of keeping busy and avoiding the occasions of sin

2) We learn the importance of saying no to temptations right away (don't dialogue with the devil!)

3) We learn the importance of not becoming attached to ourselves and the things of this world- Eve disobeyed because she wanted to become like God, knowing good and evil.....how often does the sin of pride lead us to look at things we should not!

4) The importance of not giving in to the pressure of companions- Adam gave in to the pleadings of Eve and dragged the whole human race with him.

During Advent we make sacrifices in order to detach ourselves from the things of this world, so that we can grow closer to God.

By this we show God that we choose Him before ourselves.

We do not make sacrifices in order to be miserable, but rather to prepare ourselves for the best kind of happiness.....eternal happiness!

After their sin, Adam and Eve lost God's special gifts. They had to leave the garden of Eden. They had to suffer and eventually they would die.

The worst thing that happened (even worse than suffering and death) was that they lost God's life in their souls. The gates of heaven were closed.

God did not leave them totally hopeless, however. He promised to send a Savior, Who would come to make up for sin and reopen the gates of heaven.

This promise that God made is called the "Protoevangelium" or "first message"

In Genesis 3:15, God foretells the coming of Jesus and Mary when he told the devil, "I will put enmities between thee and the woman and thy seed and her seed; she shall crush thy head and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel."

It is interesting to note that when Our Lord spoke to Mary, He called her, "Woman"....because she is "The Woman" foretold in Genesis 3:15.

The whole Old Testament has as its central idea, the coming of the Savior, Who would restore the old friendship between God and man.

God foretells the Woman and her Seed crushing the head of Satan ....and we will see in the Old Testament, there is quite alot of head crushing going on! (and alot of women who do it, too!)

And each time it is a foreshadowing of our Redemption.

Everything in the Old Testament leads up to the sacrifice of Our Lord on the cross.

It is at that very moment we see the Woman and her Seed crushing the head of Satan on the hill of Golgotha, which means, "Place of the Skull"

We are in for some interesting days ahead!

From the creation of Adam to the coming of Our Lord there is about 4000 years.

The 4 weeks of Advent symbolizes these 4000 years of waiting for the Savior to come.

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

+ JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them. I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest. This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis? When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due. This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

Communique about Avrille Dominicans - SSPX.org

+ JMJ Having completed the review of the 'Avrille' perspective, this communique from the French District Superior is perfectly timed. I believe that the 'resistance' has lost rationality and further argumentation simply results in their holding on to their false ideal all the more firmly. Pray much ... First, for them to acquiesce to the grace of humility in order to obtain a clear perspective on the principles involved. Second, that we may remain faithful to the Church, and Her Dogmas, Doctrines and Principles. Lest we become that which against we strove ... P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Magisterium and Levels of Assent

+ JMJ Understanding the levels of assent to be given to the teachings of the Church is a critical success factor in walking the knife's edge during this crisis of the Church. The levels of assent are generally associated with the theological grades of certainty, which are not surprisingly mirrored by the censures for contravening the teachings of the various levels.

Tradical Commentary on: Restore DC Catholicism: SSPX And Austrilian Bishops - Two Different Errors

+ JMJ An interesting thing has happened on the discussion that prompted my article on whether it is sinful to attend the Novus Ordo Missae . The blog owner of RDCC has shut down discussion by locking the article. That is their prerogative, but I am puzzled as to why? Perhaps it has something to do with some of the latter comments. They didn't believe the teaching on intention with regards to confecting the Sacraments. This is not the first time I've experienced incredulity on this topic ( reference articles ). Really this isn't about what they believe but the truth. They seem to believe that the objections to the Novus Ordo Missae are simply about "overly delicate sensibilities". In response to this I am reblogging a number of articles by the SSPX. Perhaps it was the comment made by Bishop Schneider, a currently well revered hero (who deserved the accolades) but apparently has said something similar to the SSPX. I suspect that it is more...

Tradicat

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