Father Corapi: Angels and Demons Are Fact Not Fiction.

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Father Corapi: Angels and Demons Are Fact Not Fiction. Posted: 08 Oct 2010 11:44 AM PDT Christians Need To Remember The Truth Of Their Existence! There have been a number of television shows, movies and various articles on the subject of angels and the demonic in recent years. Most of this material is pure fiction, yet the part that is not fiction is an acknowledgment that they both exist. As part of the Church’s catechesis on creation it is necessary to speak of both the angels and the devil, Satan, or the demonic. “The Apostles’ Creed professes that God is the ‘Creator of heaven and earth.’ The Nicene Creed makes it explicit that this profession includes ‘all that is, seen and unseen” (Catechism #325). The profession of faith of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) affirms that God from the beginning of time made at once (simul) out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and then (deinde) the human creature who as it were shares in both orders, being composed of spirit and body.” (#327) The Catechism clearly asserts that “the existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls ‘angels’ is a truth of the faith” (#328), the witness of Scripture being as unanimous as tradition. In other words, there is no question about it: the angels are real, not the figment of someone’s medieval imagination. It is a truth of the faith. This quite simply means that for a Catholic, one must accept this as part of God’s revelation. One may not understand it, but one must accept it on faith, and then seek the understanding that faith can ultimately bring. Although, it being understood, that we’ll never understand in this life God and all his mighty works perfectly. We would have o be God to understand him perfectly. The angels are creatures, pure spiritual beings whose mission or office is to be messengers and servants of God (#329). “As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, [with the exception of the Mother of God] as the splendor of their glory bears witness.” (#330) The Lord Jesus Christ is the author, center, and end of all creation including the angelic world. They are “His angels.” As the Catechism teaches, “they belong to him because they were created through and for him…They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan.” (#331) The existence and activity of the angels is more than obvious in both the Old and New Testaments. To say, by the way, that they are mere “literary figures” in Scripture in the name of so-called biblical scholarship is an affront to and an attack upon true scholarship. All Scripture has to be read as a totality, in the light of tradition, and applying the analogy of faith. When this is done it is clear that the Church’s teaching s constant in that angels are really beings, not mere literary devices. They have played a key role in salvation history. …[E]ach and every person benefits from the ministry of the angels. The Church has long taught that we have a “guardian angel” to guide and protect us through life. “From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels’) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. The existence and malevolent activity of the devil or Satan and the fallen angels or demons is likewise a teaching of the church that must be accepted by all. “The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.” (#391) Through the misuse of the gifts of intellect and free will the devil (Lucifer) and those who went his way chose irrevocably to reject God and his reign. Their choice is irrevocable because of their higher nature. Men get a second chance, and many more than that, but the angels clearly saw what they were doing. Hence, “There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death.” (#393) Christ came to cast out the evil one and his works of lying and death and did so through the humble obedience which led him always to accept the Father’s will, even unto the death of the cross. The essence of the diabolic is that pride and arrogance which leads to disobedience. This leads to fracturing and division. Stepping outside of the truth who is God himself results in this division. Those who are most powerful in Christ through His Church, which is called to fight against “the liar and father of lies, the murderer from the beginning”  (the devil), are those who are most humbly obedient to God’s authority working through the church. The devil can do nothing when he comes up against those who obey most humbly Christ’s church and her teachings. On the other hand, he is most powerful and untiringly active working through those who imagine themselves to be above the Church’s teaching authority. Humility leads to obedience, which leads to life. Pride leads to disobedience, which leads to death. This is the lesson of the book of Genesis. It is the lesson of the cross. With the angels of the Lord we humbly and obediently praise and give thanks to the Father through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit for all that God’s creative and redemptive power has wrought. God Bless You, Father John Corapi

“O Stupid Catholics, Who Has Bewitched You?” Posted: 08 Oct 2010 10:42 AM PDT Voting Catholic! Are You Going The Way of Evil or The Way of Truth By Fr. Richard Perozich (Written for the Church Bulletin) – Elections are coming up November 2, 2010. Catholics must engage in the political process to form a nation that reflects the values held by Christ’s followers. Learn who you are and act like a Christian. 1 Peter 2. 9 But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Your job is to announce to the whole world that Jesus is the anointed King of God’s everlasting reign and to offer all men His salvation given by grace and received by faith. One forum in which you do this is politics. Politics comes from the word pole and polarity. Poles are opposite ends of an idea, of a temporal structure, or of a force. Catholics Have A Higher Calling Catholics, even though we live in a country and are citizens of that country, have a higher calling and responsibility to God and to our neighbor to promote God’s truth even when others hate it, reject it, and hate us for proclaiming it. We are citizens in an earthly realm, but more importantly we are citizens of the new kingdom of heaven with Jesus as the Lord, His laws as our prime way of life, and called to live them and to promote them even to unbelievers. We live in a society where many people with power, possessions, and prestige are promoting ideas that are not founded in Christ. In order to promote their ideas over ours, they tell us we must stay in our churches, keep our religion to ourselves, and that their idea of separation of the church from the state (which does not exist in our American constitution as they say it does) trumps any ideas we might have, so we have to shut up. And Catholics sheepishly keep quiet and vote for men and women who promote evil. In chapter 3 of Galatians, St. Paul, frustrated with the Galatians allowing non believers to silence the truth even to the point of the Galatians returning to pagan or evil ways chastises them saying, “O stupid Galatians. Who has bewitched you?” “O Stupid Catholics, who has bewitched you?” It can be said of us in America in the year 2010, “O Stupid Catholics, who has bewitched you?” We easily go over to pagan ideas, putting aside our faith, our truth, in order to accommodate the evil of people who will not accommodate us! To promote their ideas they attack us personally calling us the far right, ultra conservative, bigoted, homophobic, hate mongers, holy rollers, and other epithets. This silences many Catholics. It only emboldens me, and it should embolden you also to promote your faith. In the fights in politics, all sides cannot win. It is either going to be the way of evil or the way of truth. You must engage it as an ambassador for Christ and not as an agent of the devil. God is life. Jesus is King. Christians are citizens of the kingdom sharing in life, the mission of God to promote it constantly in every forum. People are most concerned with their economic power to purchase, to live, to save. Their greatest fear is losing this, evident in how they voted in 2006 and 2008. Our Greatest Concern Should Be With Life For Christians our greatest concern should be with life, and we vote for those who promote it. You have heard the mantra, “I’m a fiscal conservative, but a social liberal.” Nonsense. The societal responsibilities come first, and from a sound society built on biblical principles flow the economic concerns. In a healthy economy there will be rich people. I who earn $20,000.00 a year do not envy their wealth, their homes, their power to shape the economy. The people Americans put into office in 2006 and 2008 DO envy, and are using the economy to tear apart the entire social fabric of society to promote abortion here in our country and abroad; to kill new life in embryos; to kill the elderly and sick; to destroy the nature of gender and marriage; to allow sexually immature people to be predators of others to try to satisfy their lack of psychological development. Here Are The Fundamental Issues For us Catholics the basic issues are: Life from conception to natural death, that is protection of the unborn, those with life, and those who are sick; protection of new life in its most nascent form, the embryo; protection from cloning to farm body parts; protection from sexual deviance in the form of pederasty, homosexuality, adultery, fornication, prostitution. An elite class has assumed power in the United States, transcending political parties. They claim to know more than the people the elites represent. They do not. Their interest is keeping their positions in which they earn upwards of $200,000.00 with a health plan that is not part of the new one passed for the rest of us. They plan the destruction of the military, the silence of the churches and free voices, the destruction of children, embryos. They simply cannot stay in power. I have voted for some of them despite their mixed policies. Enough! But enough! I refuse to cast a vote for anyone who supports abortion, sexual confusion to be forced in the military, marriage, school curricula, or any other societal aspect, cloning, embryonic stem cell research, or euthanasia. A Stand Must Be Made! I am a Catholic. I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God and will promote that kingdom in all parts of my life. To you politicians who promote non Catholic values, I will not vote for you just so your opponent will not get into office. If you do not represent me, you do not have my vote. I don’t want your government money. I don’t want your ideas of equality, fairness, and justice. I don’t want your health care. I am not a prostitute who sells my vote for temporal benefits. I am checking your voting records through various organizations which monitor your voting. If you do not promote life from the moment of conception to natural death, chastity and sexual distinctions, traditional marriage, respect for embryos in science, then you will not get my vote. You do not belong in political office. Teachers who sheepishly follow their corrupt unions do not belong in the classrooms. Clergy who follow non Christian teaching do not belong in the pulpit. True Change! My hope rests in Jesus Christ and his salvation exactly FROM the very things these politicians are promoting. Change is repentance from sin, conversion to God, and reparation of the damage by following the commandments without relativizing them. Hope and Change did not come in 2008. I’m going to do my part to see that it does in 2010. Fr. Richard Perozich Slight editing – headlines and spacing only Are you bold enough to share this? P.S. – Would you do Courageous Priest a favor and share this info with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or Email right now? It will just take a second by clicking one of the buttons below. We truly appreciate it.

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