Sometimes people (myself included) get so caught up in Bible studies, theology, and "putting the checks in the box," that they forget what the real heart of Christianity is. It is exactly as Christ said when questioned by a scholar of the law about how to inherit eternal life: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and will all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)
Prayers to God and praying for others is a vital part of being a Christian. Fulfilling prayer requests or making your own prayer requests should be a continuous part of your life. People, over the years, will each find their own favorite prayers. When I feel lost and out of hope, the Prayer to St. Jude is helpful. I like to read the book of Sirach when I want to remind myself of the importance of having patience and wisdom. There are a variety of Prayers for Strength that I am fond of. When praying for others and for myself to lead a good Christian lifestyle, the Prayer of St. Francis is one of my favorites: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." What are some of your favorite prayers?
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Those of us who live in comfort often forget that over three billion people live on $2.50 a day or less. The citizens of the U.S. live in such luxury that even those living below the poverty line often own televisions and cell phones. The concept of actually starving to death is foreign and almost unthinkable.
One of our duties as Christians is to help others. While it may not be possible to actually travel to an area trapped in poverty in your effort to help others, you can still help via larger organizations. "Compassion" is one such organization. They have a variety of ways that you can help a child. You can donate money to purchase a pig for a family, help one of the 10,000 newborns that die each day during birth, or sponsor a child. You can even help give Christmas gifts. Compassion helps over 1 million children in 26 countries, making it vital and powerful among the many children's charities out there. Their motto of "releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name" is very appropriate. "Whoever Love God Must Also Love His Brother," as we read in the Bible. How will you help someone today? This is a concept that has caused debate, feuds, murder, and war. Augustine was one of the first theologians to explore the topic of original sin at great length (though, of course, it had been brought up and discussed before his time). Due to the many translations of the Bible, the exact words used as a base for the concept of original sin are much debated.
There are two “basic” ways that the concept of original sin is viewed (there are hundreds of small divisions within these two, but to keep it simple, we’re only going to look at two): 1) We are conceived and born with the stain of original sin upon us. It is an intrinsic part of our human nature to sin. Another view that is “close enough” for our current study is that humans don’t carry the actual “stain” of Adam’s original sin, but we do have the “tendency” to sin. --In this view, baptism is a way of washing away the stain of original sin and consecrating a life to God. (In the RC, Mary is believed not to have been “sinless,” which, of course, is a designation only Jesus has….she is believed to have been born without the stain of “original sin.”) 2) Original sin, as such, does not exist. One of the main arguments for this is that: We are required to act according to our birth nature. If we are born sinful, then either we must sin, according to nature, -or- not sin, which would be a sin against nature. (The “son shall not bear the iniquity of the father” from Ezekiel is sometimes referenced, though many believe that applying something that affects one individual to the entire human race is nonsensical). --In this view, baptism is a symbol for making a personal covenant with God and nothing more. Debate still exist among different believers as to whether babies, under this belief, should be baptized or not. ~Discussion Topics: Which view (if either) do you subscribe to? Why? Do you believe babies should be baptized? Why or why not? Beyond the Bible- The Census from the view of scholars
(The following is direct quotation from the Commentary of St. Jerome) Critical scholars are unanimous in viewing the numbers given in this list as impossibly high and have proposed a number of theories to account for them. (1) Albright suggested that we have a record of a census taken at a later period, specifically, a variant of the census taken by David according to 2 Samuel 24:1-9. However, the numbers seem too high even for the time of David. (2) Others take the total figure of 603,550 as an example of gematria, i.e., play on the numberical value of the letters in certain words: the consonants in ‘bny ysr’l’, “sons of Israel”, add up to 603, and those in ‘kl r’ṧ’, “every head” add up to 550 if the quiescent aleph in r’ṧ is ignored. However, there is no evidence that the letters of the alphabet had these numberical values during the period in which the Priestly authors worked. (3) G Mendenhall built upon the fact that the Hebrew word for “thousand,” `elep sometimes refers to a subdivision within a tribe (e.g., Judges 6:15 and Micah 5:1). If the same word in our passage were taken to mean something like “contingent,” then the total given for Reuben, e.g., could be read as “46 contingents with a total of 500 men,” instead of “46,500 men.” This approach leads to results that are difficult to explain, for on its reckoning, the contingents from the tribe of Gad averaged 14 men while those from Simeon had only 5! In any case, the total given in v 46 requires that the word `elep be taken in its numerical sense. (4) Budd points to the fact that the Priestly writers were aware of older Yahwistic traditions which gave a round number of 600,000, presumably for the total population of the exodus generation. On the other hand, the Priestly calculation of the amount of silver required for the bases and hooks of the tabernacle came to 301,775 shekels. Uisng the postexilic rate of one-half shekel tax for each adult male leads to the figure 603,550. Having reached this total, the priests would have distributed the number among the twelve tribes in proportions that seemed plausible to them. Lesson given by St. Basil the Great:
“The halcyon is a seabird that nests by the shore, laying its eggs in the sand, and bringing forth its’ young in the middle of winter when the sea beats against the land in violent and frequent storms. But during the seven days to hatch its young- all winds sink to rest, and the sea grows calm. And as it then is in need of food for its young ones, the most beautiful God grants this little creature another seven days of calm: that it may feed its young. Since all sailors know of this, they this time the name of the 'halcyon days.' These things are ordered by the Providence of God for the creatures that are without reason, that you may be led to seek of God the things you need for your salvation. And when for this small bird he holds back the great and fearful sea, and bids it be calm in winter, what will he not do for you made in his own image? And if he should so tenderly cherish the halcyon, how much more will he not give you, when you call upon him will all your heart?” Question: How do you practice complete trust in God? “Scientific” Explanation of the 10 Plagues: Exodus Decoded and other sources
The basic cause for most of the plagues is hypothesized to be the eruption of the Santorini Volcano at approximately 1500 b.c. (A serious problem with the theory is that experts say the volcano actually erupted around 1625 b.c., a 100+ year difference!) Santorini ash HAS been found in the Nile Delta, which proves that at least the ash cloud from an eruption did reach all of the way to Egypt. It is also hypothesized that seismic activity around the African plate caused a series of small eruptions and then a large eruption of the Santorini Volacano. (This is the “Exodus Decoded” hypothesis). Plague 1: Nile turned to blood. The earthquake caused high concentrations of iron to be released and bubble up to the surface, where it combined with oxygen. This caused rust to form, giving the water a reddish-brown appearance. Of course, with this explanation, we only account for the Nile, not all of the water in Egypt as stated in the Bible. Also, in the Bible, it was an immediate act that the Pharaoh’s magicians replicated. (Other sources claim it was red clay that caused the discoloration). Plague 2: Frogs. All of the fish died from the lack of oxygen. Only the frogs, who were able to leave the water, survived. As the frogs fled the water, it was assumed to be a plague of frogs. Again, ignores some of the details of what occurred in the Bible. Plague 3: Insects (lice, gnats, or mosquitoes…depending on translation). The “Exodus Decoded” rushes through plagues 3-5 by saying: “The lack of clean water then leads to lice, flies, and bacterial epidemics among humans and domestic animals.” Other sources hypothesize that after Moses killed/got rid of all the frogs, the insects and flies were allowed to breed rampantly with their natural predator (the frog) gone. Plague 4: Flies Plague 5: Epidemic Plague 6: Boils & Blisters. By either an earthquake or other disturbance of the water, carbon dioxide was released (from where it was built up at the bottom of the water) and caused a type of semi-coma, in which the victims didn’t move very much. This lowered the circulation rate, resulting in boils and blisters. Plague 7: Hail with fire. The “Exodus Decoded” refers to the Ipuwer Papyrus claiming an outside source that describes the condition, again ignoring the fact it is dated from the wrong range. “Exodus Decoded” claims that lava from the eruption fell along with volcanic ash that had combined with water moisture to make a type of “hail.” Plague 8: Locusts. Sudden change in cold weather from the hail caused the locusts to land. As the weather warmed again, they left. Plague 9: Darkness. Final large eruption caused the land to be covered in ash, making it seem to be dark. Ignores the fact that the distance between the volcano and Egypt is much too far for this amount of ash to travel. Plague 10: Death of the firstborn. Firstborns slept on the place of honor on a low bed. Others slept on wagons and roofs? Carbon built up under the water released and turned to visible fog. Those close to the ground were suffocated. This entire idea is ridiculous beyond measure. I could write a page only on why the explanation for this plague is ridiculous. For a very detailed analysis of why “The Exodus Decoded” is very probably not accurate, visit: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?page_id=119 Now, as always, I have a question for my readers: Do you think there IS a scientific explanation (not necessarily the one above) for the plagues? Do you think we’ll ever figure out what it is? Does a lack of scientific explanation affect your belief of the reality of the plagues? Why or why not? ~~~~~Lesson: Exodus: First Five Plagues (Reading After Lesson)
Today we're going to cover the first five plagues that came upon the Egyptians. Moses requested permission for the Israelites to go to the desert for three days to worship their God, and Pharaoh replied by increasing their workload- aka: making bricks without straw. The ten plagues are often debated, as is much of the Exodus story. I'm sure most of you have heard of it, but there is a "non-God-involved" explanation in some circles for the plagues. The basic explanation is that a volcano erupted, causing red ash to fall into the river, making it appear as if the water had turned to blood. All of the fish died from the elements in the ash poisoning them. The frogs all fled the water, making people think there was a plague of frogs. As all of the fish and frogs died, the gnats came to feast on the remains, as did the flies. I'll explain the rest of it when we read about the last five plagues. Question: Can there be a scientific explanation for a "miraculous" event and still have it be led by God? Or if God is involved, does that mean that there cannot possibly be an explanation that we can understand? -or- in other words, are science and God mutually exclusive? If so, why? If not, why? ~Reading: Exodus 4-9 Staff into snake: Exodus 4:8-9, 12-13 (8-9) The Lord told Moses and Aaron, "If Pharaoh demands that you work a sign or wonder, you shall say to Aaron: Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will be changed into a snake." (12-13) Each one [Pharaoh's magicians] threw down his staff, and it was changed into a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs. Pharaoh, however, was obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had foretold. First Plague: Water Turned Into Blood: Exodus 7:15-16, 20-21 (15-16) Tomorrow morning, when he [Pharaoh] sets out for the water, go and present yourself by the river bank, holding in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. Say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with the message: Let my people go to worship me in the desert. But as yet you have not listened. (20-21) Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters of the river in full view of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water of the river was changed into blood. The fish in the river died, and the river itself became so polluted that the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt. Second Plague: the Frogs Exodus 7:25-27, 8:2, 4, 8-9, 11 (7:25-27) Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him: Thus says the Lord: Let my people go to worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I warn you, I will a send a plague of frogs over all your territory. (8:2)Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (4)Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray the Lord to remove the frogs from me and my subjects, and I will let the people go off to offer sacrifice to the Lord." (8-9)After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, Moses implored the Lord to fulfill the promise he had made to Pharaoh about the frogs; and the Lord did as Moses had asked. The frogs in the houses and the courtyards and fields died off. (11) But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he became obdurate and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had foretold. Third Plague: the Gnats: Exodus 8:13, 15 (13) They [Moses and Aaron] did so. Aaron stretched out his hand, and with his staff he struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came upon man and beast. The dust of the earth was turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt. (15) The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." Yet Pharaoh remained obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had foretold. Fourth Plague: the Flies: Exodus 8:18-20, 26-28 (18-20) [The Lord said:] But on that day I will make an exception of the land of Goshen: there shall be no flies where my people dwell, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. I will make this distinction between my people and your people. This sign shall take place tomorrow." This the Lord did. Thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and houses of his servants; throughout Egypt the land was infested with flies. (26-28) When Moses left Pharaoh's presence, he prayed to the Lord; and the Lord did as Moses had asked. He removed the flies from Pharaoh and his servants and subjects. Not one remained. But once more Pharaoh became obdurate and would not let the people go. Fifth Plague: the Pestilence: Exodus 9:2-3, 6-7 (2-3) If you refuse to let them go and persist in holding them, I warn you, the Lord will afflict all your livestock in the field- your horses, asses, camels, herds, and flocks- with a very sever pestilence. (6-7) And on the next day the Lord did so. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one beast belonging to the Israelites. But though Pharaoh's messengers informed him that not even one beast belonging to the Israelites had died, he still remained obdurate and would not let the people go. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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If you found the information helpful, even a small donation would be wonderful! Thank you & God bless you. ~~~Prayer before Writing-
Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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To my readers & fellow writers,
I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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