Roman Catholic Religion

Have you prepared a living will trust? It's been the rage lately.

Of course since Obamacare became a reality many people, especially the elderly and frail are relooking into their living will trust. Since Terri Schiavo was exterminated like a bug by her husband, the reality of the death panels in Obamacare will become a reality.

Make no mistake, Obamacare is about rationing healthcare in order to reduce the runaway costs of healthcare in the US. The irony is that signing a wrongly worded living will is actualy signing your own death warant.

You may want to consider relooking at the language in your living will trust.

You can read more at these sites -

• A Living Will Is Not About Living
• A Loving Will - free living will

What is the meaning of Memorial Day for you?

For many today, it's another one of the holidays for swim parties and cookouts. What happened to Christmas and Easter has also happened to Memorial Day. There are tons of sales taking place over the Memorial Day weekend.

I  come from a culture that doesn't honor the war dead like Americans do. During WW2, my maternal grandmother's brother, Manual Pereira, died in the opening weeks of the Pacific front, in Singapore - most probably between 01/01/42 and 02/15/42. He died in a Japanese bombing raid and his body was never found. He was the only member of my family to have died in a war, yet we don't have a special day to remember him like Americans do.

Sometimes, I wonder if the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Singapore could be his...

I feel a certain amount of envy as well as sadness. Envy because, US fallen Armed Forces members have a special day of honor, whereas if I had perished, I would just be worm food remembered by immediate family but not the nation. I feel sad too that my great uncle's sacrifice is kind of glossed over and forgotten.

Memorial Day is rightfully the day to remember the servicemen and servicewomen who died in war. Without blurring their contributions, I would also like to commemorate those who support or supported these troops and three people come to mind.

First on my list is Servant of God, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Although he wasn't a soldier, he contributed immensely to the spiritual well being of Catholic service personnel with his book fulton sheen's wartime prayer book.

Although this book was written for soldiers during WWII, many Catholic troops in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to rely on it to edify their moral courage.

Father Vincent Capodanno

The second is highly decorated Servant of God, Lt. Fr. Vincent R. Capodanno. Fr. Capodanno was a Navy chaplain and was affectionately known as the Grunt Padre. Fr. Capodanno died a heroic death, during the Vietnam War while giving last rites to fallen soldiers.

His services during the war were highly regarded by the Navy that a navy ship was named after him - the USS Capodanno. Among his decorations are the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

If and when Fr. Capodanno becomes a canonized saint, he would be the closest saint in time and space to me. He died in 1967 about 1000 miles away from my home when I was five years old.

The Battlefield Rosary

The final and definitely not least person I would like to remember today is Karon Adams. She's a Catholic mother of two from Chattanooga, TN who plays a very important ministry for Catholic airmen, soldiers and sailors.

Karon makes and sends rosaries like the one you see on the left. They are called Battlefield Rosaries and she sends them to Catholic service personnel throughout the world. These rosaries come with a yellow ribbon, so they are called Yellow Ribbon Rosaries. They are light weight, plastic rosaries with a matt finish, so they are battlefield friendly.

Karon depends on donations to create these rosaries and mail them. She was kind enough to send me a personal Battlefield Rosary without the yellow ribbon as I'm back home, although these are reserved for currently serving members of the Armed Forces.

These rosaries are an immense morale booster and spiritual aid for service personnel. Merely having a rosary reminds  them that there are people back home who remember them and care for them. Praying the rosary frequently also helps them be grounded in God's commands and fight battles ethically.  The donation for a Yellow Ribbon Rosary is about the cost of  a trip to Starbucks. You can donate here - Battlefield Rosaries.

Recall the words of Lt. Cdr. JoAnn Galloway, in a Few Good Men - They stand on a wall and say, "Nothins gonna hurt you tonight" - and offer up a prayer for all the souls of service personnel in purgatory...

Happy Memorial Day.

One of the essential Roman Catholic beliefs is that a Roman Catholic is expected to keep the Sabbath holy. Basically the supreme way of keeping it holy is to attend Mass on a Sunday.

Now, this is a law that God Himself gave and not the Pope. This may surprise many people, including Catholics who have forgotten their catechism.

When God gives a law, it's always for our good, though we are too short sighted and lack a crystal ball to see into the future to see how it will help us. Well God has now given us a crystal ball via a market research conducted by the Pew Center that shows the benefits of regular attendance of Sunday Mass.

In a nutshell a regular Mass goer has a happier, holier and healthier life.

Wouldn't you want these in your life?

When then, make sure you stick to this (and all other) Roman Catholic beliefs.

If you want more information, visit these links:

• A Sign From God
• Nine Ways to Encourage Family Participation in Sunday Mass

I have a Secret to tell you about how to be happy. But you must promise to tell everyone, after you have meditated on it yourself, of course.

I have found the secret to be true for myself, but the trouble is I keep forgetting!

The Secret
One day, one friend asked another, "How is it that you are always so happy?
You have so much energy, and you never seem to get down."
With her eyes smiling, she said, "I know the Secret!"
"What secret is that?"

To which she replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others."

"The Secret is this: I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches.

I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do. He has never let me down. Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."

The questioner's first thought was, "That's too simple!"
But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy, but it didn't!

She thought a better paying job would make her happy, but it hadn't.
When did she realize her greatest happiness?

Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple gift from God.

Now you know it too! We can't depend on people to make us happy.  Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that.

Trust HIM!

And now I pass the Secret on to you! So once you get it, what will you do?

YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!
But it's not really a secret...
We just have to believe it and do it...
Really trust God!

Does God exist?

Isn't this the eternal question on humankind's mind since they existed on Earth? Everyone of us at some point in time, whether we are God believers or atheists, will ask this question.

Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are the latest in a long line of atheists who have asked if God exists and try to prove that God does not exist. They of course on a mission to convince people that they are wasting their time in believing God, if they do. Naturally they have also become quite wealthy in the process as they have written books, articles and have speaking engagements.

Have you heard of Professor Antony Flew? He passed away on April 1o, 2010.

His is an interesting story. He was the son of a Methodist minister and became an atheist (reminds me of the Anglican priest played by Mel Gibson in the movie Signs).

Six years ago he discovered evidence that God exists, while doing research on genetics and DNA. I remember when as a late teenager, I entered university and had a brief doubt of God's existence. What brought me back to believe that God exists was my study of atoms. It was the awe that such tiny stuff could be in eternal movement.

It's amazing that my experience and Prof Flew's are similar, that we discovered God when examining microscopic things and not the heavenly bodies.

If you want to learn the answer to the question, does God exist, and that God exists, then click this link - There Is a God

If you're American or someone who uses US currency frequently, you will be reminded to trust in God because on every bill, is the phrase, "In God We Trust".

But you know that most people don't give it a second thought.

Here's something to make you think profoundly and trust in God...

THE GREATEST MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM IN THE WORLD

Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them. They had to be fed, and fed is what they did, according to the Quartermaster General in the Army. It was reported that Moses would have had 1500 tons of food each day.

Do you know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each a mile long, would be required! Besides you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long just for one day.

And just think, they were forty years in transit and oh yes, they would have to have water. If only they had enough water to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11, 000, 000 gallons each day, and a freight train with tank cars, 1800 miles long, just to bring in water!

And then another thing! They had to cross the Red Sea at night. (They did?) Now, if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So there had to be space in the Red Sea , 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night.

But then, there is another problem. Each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles long… Think of it! These spaces just for nightly camping.

Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt ? I think not! You see Moses believed in God. God took care of these things for him.

Let us take courage, we have the Great God. We think our problems are so big. Remember what God can do!
~By Dr. Danny Kellum ~

The Shroud of Turin is probably Christendom's most controversial piece of material. Even the Veil of Veronica doesn't have the level of confusion as shroud of turin.

The Shroud of Turin has been subjected to numerous modern scientific tests to determine if it indeed is the burial shroud of jesus christ. Some scientists defend this Jesus shroud as authentic and others disparage it as a fake.

Is the image on the shroud of Turin really the image of Jesus Christ?

Will a Catholic's faith be demolished if the shroud is determined inconclusively as a fraud?

Which side of the argument are you weighing in with?

Jerome Corsi has written a book titled, The Shroud Codex to shed light on the various arguments for and against the Shroud of Turin, without the scientific jargon that tends to confuse most lay people.

I've added this video so you can get up to speed on the controversies surrounding the Shroud of Turin.

If you want to know more about the Shroud of Turin, get The Shroud Codex.

Do you think the end of the world is near?

Kelly Bowring has written this book titled - The Secrets, Chastisment and Triumph, published by Two Hearts Press. It even comes with an Imprimatur from Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal.

What's the book about?

If you're Catholic and you see the phrase Two Hearts as well as learn that Cardinal Vidal is a Marian expert, you should catch on.

And watch this video for some thrilling and possibly spine tingling and hair raising lessons...

If you want to buy the book, this link will take you directly to Amazon - The Secrets, Chastisement, and Triumph of the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

And so we ask the eternal question on every generation's mind since humankind appeared on the face of the Earth and could contemplate the mysteries of the universe - is there Life After Death and more importantly - is there any Proof of Life After Death.

If you are someone who is seeking the answer, I have good news for you. There is now proof of life after death and it's not found in the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), Christian Bible, Quran or any other religion's scriptures.

Shockingly, this proof of life after death is found in the scriptures of the secular - Time Magazine!

Dr. Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist (no less) has studied hundreds of life after death experiences and has come to the conclusion that these experiences are definitely confirmation of the irrefutable proof of life after death. Read his interview with Time Magazine - Proof of Life After Death.

Dr. Long has condensed his conclusion about these near death experiences into a life after death book - Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences.

Who knows - one day the Vatican could make this book, required reading in Sunday School.

If Martin Luther were alive today, do you think he would approve the idea of marriage for Catholic priests?

I just think about this question after answering another related investigation. The idea of Catholic priests who remain unmarried and dates back hundreds of celibacy centuries. The sexual abuse scandals abound, do you think Martin Luther would approve of married priests If it were still alive? Consider the fact that he disapproved of the pardons, offices of the Pope are sold, children being elected to the office of the pope (Pope Leo X is an example of this), etc. Or is it still a negative opinion of the Catholic Church?

We already know he approved of priests married, and he himself married.

Romance Without Regret Part 3