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Oh the joy of being called sons of God! Man has this special title given by believing in Christ and being born by the will of God (John 1:12-13). The Bible uses different terms both in the Hebrew and Greek for the word “son” or “sons”. One particular Hebrew word, “bane”, designated by Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries “H1121” appears 4924 times in the Old Testament. It is translated in many ways, the majority of which are not “son or sons”. Consider these few: children (Genesis 3:16), old (Genesis 5:32), one born (Genesis 15:3), people (Genesis 29:1), colts (Genesis 32:15),...

The word angel is derived from the ancient Greek word aggelos which means messenger. The angels are God's instruments or messengers whom he uses to communicate his will. References to the celestial or non-corporal beings better known as angels, are mentioned more than 100 times in the Old Testament and more than 150 times in the New Testament. From the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation, scriptures speak of the existence of angels. In the book of Genesis, the three men who appear to Abraham are angels who have taken human form (Genesis 18:2). An...

Brethren, Peace and Good to all of you in Jesus our Lord and Savior. I’m about to tackle the issue of the testing of the angels by God mentioned by Fr. Fortea a few posts ago, and to search for Scriptural clues about it, and reflect on the consequences of the failure by some of the angels to rise to the test. Why does God test his creatures? Speaking about this test is difficult because the Scriptural data is sparse and can only be surmised by what’s explicitly stated in Scripture by secondary reasoning. We know from Scripture that God...

Brethren, Peace and Good to you in Jesus Christ!In my recent blogpost titled, What is a demon?, Fr. Fortea spoke about the manner in which angels (and demons) experience time, calling it “the aeon”. Today I wanted to share with you his definition, but then I thought that we should first reflect about what is “time” for us before we jump into how angels may experience time, so that we could all relate to it via what St. Thomas Aquinas called "the analogy of faith".Yet, our definition of time may be as slippery as a flopping fish. Philosophers, theologians, and...

Featured Term (selected at random):PHYSICAL MIRACLE An event produced by God which surpasses the powers of physical or bodily nature. Tow kinds of physical miracles are known to Catholic theology: 1. Those essentially supernatural, such as raising the dead, which only divine power can perform (major miracles); and 2. those relatively supernatural, such as sudden healing, which the angels can perform under divine providence (minor miracles). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

DALLAS -- Albert Pujols has agreed to a 10-year, $250 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Thursday. The deal includes a full no-trade clause, which Pujols had been seeking and may have been a sticking point in his negotiations with the Miami Marlins.

When monster smash hit Charlie's Angels first hit the tube in Fall of '76, I sure didn't have to think long when anybody asked who my favorite was: Jaclyn Smith - the young actress that played "Kelly Garrett" on the show- was to me always the  most heavenly Angel, hands down... This was for reasons I was largely unable to convey to those with Farrah posters in their bedrooms, back in the days when that one with the red bathing suit was all but ubiquitious.  But the somehow Jaclyn Smith just had a sexy vibe, bit more real/natural-look than Farrah (smile/hair), imho- plus I guess I...

September 29, 2011   Feast of Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael, archangels   Reading 1 Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 As I watched: Thrones were set upand the Ancient One took his throne.His clothing was bright as snow,and the hair on his head as white as wool;His throne was flames of fire,with wheels of burning fire.A surging stream of fireflowed out from where he sat;Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a son of man coming,on...

Reading about hurricane Irene reminds me of a night, almost 22 years ago. My eldest daughter was exactly 3 weeks old and hurricane Hugo was supposed to "brush past" the South Carolina coast. We lived inland, so we were not concerned at all. My husband had farmed all his life and said that probably we would get some nice rain. I didn't know what to expect, this was my first hurricane, besides I was too busy with my newborn baby. So we went to bed. Just before midnight, the wind was getting very strong and the rain was hitting the...

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A Delta charter flight carrying members of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim has made a safe emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport. Victor Rojas, the team’s announcer, reportedly tweeted that the team was aboard the 737-800 Delta Charter Flight that flew in from Kansas City. The plane was expected to land at John Wayne Airport, but was diverted to Los Angeles due to hydraulic problems. It had 51 people aboard . No other information is immediately available.

Looks like Dodgers fans aren't just dishing out the hooliganism these days. A pregnant woman and her brother, both apparently Dodgers fans, were hospitalized after they were beaten, allegedly by Angels fans, following an exhibition game between L.A. and the Angels at Angels Stadium. A blogger's account of the dust-up described it as a fan-based outbreak of violence that put the woman and her brother in the hospital. The game was March 29. Both victims were released from the hospital within 24 hours, police said. Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Department downplayed the clash, saying ... ... both...

My sufferings are growing through you , All that I AM growing anew , The blood , the stripes , the words you know , Persecution that just seems to grow and grow , My very essence speaking and flowing through you , Oh ! but as you suffer I become new , For it is heaven in you I desire to prolong , For as you suffer your flesh falls behind , And all your words now become mine , A beautiful tapestry sung just for me , Each stitch woven in perfect harmony , My kingdom then comes...

Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts   Jesus's words are in italics.  St. Faustina's words are in regular print.   "Your task is to write down everything that I make known to you about My mercy, for the benefit of those who by reading these things will be comforted in their souls and will have the courage to approach Me." (1693)     "Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy." (300)     

It was the kind of nightmare every parent fears. A wrongly diagnosed illness. Another wrongly diagnosed illness. Then a lifeless 4-year-old boy rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery for a an appendix that had ruptured five days earlier. When it was all over, Colton survived and recovered. But that was just the beginning of the amazing saga. Four months later, Colton began telling his parents things he could not have known. "Mom, I have two sisters," he said. "You had a baby die in your tummy didn't you?"

A great video featuring the first Blue Angels (F8F Bearcats) flying with the current Blue Angels (F/A-18D Hornets). http://www.neptunuslex.com/2010/12/10/good-day-at-the-patch/

Funeral pickets to be met by 'angels'By the CNN Wire Staff January 11, 2011 2:25 a.m. EST Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- Tucson just isn't that kind of town, says Christin Gilmer. Gilmer is talking about Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, that has made its name picketing the funerals of people who died of AIDS, gay people, soldiers and even Coretta Scott King. **SNIP** They're planning an "angel action" -- with 8-by-10-foot "angel wings" worn by participants and used to shield mourners from pickets. The actions were created by Coloradan Romaine Patterson, who was shocked to find the Topeka church...

As of this writing, Hollywood has produced more than three dozen films, made-for-TV movies, and series featuring “heavenly beings.” Roger Ebert, film critic not noted for his commitment to the Bible, wrote “These scenarios are all wrong, wrong, wrong from a theological point of view (which is the only one worth having about angels). All the authorities agree that God created angels before the beginning—before there was earth or sea or sky, or men and women.” Say it again, Roger! We do not expect theological accuracy from Hollywood; indeed, sometimes even respect and decency are lacking. Thus in the movie...

Angels, are big business. There are books about various angels; there are angel computer networks, and angel “channelers.” And even angel prayer groups. “If there is anything new about this wave of angel-mania,” says Brooks Alexander, “it is the breadth of its appeal, and the depth of its deception. It is more intense, more pervasive, more deceived, and more deceiving than those that came before it...” We’ve already learned that there just might be a difference between the angels of popular culture and God’s “ministering spirits.” In chapter 4 we shall consider this in more detail. We shall learn that...

Angels are flying low these days. Walk through your bookstore and you will discover that they are not only flying low, but very busy doing all kinds of nice deeds for us. Here are some of the titles I discovered in a quick tour through a local bookstore: Angel Letters; Angels Within Us; The Mysterious Messengers; Ask Your Angels; Angelic Healing; A Celebration of Angels; Messengers of Light; Angels Among Us; and finally, I’m sure the book my wife would have wanted me to buy: Be An Angel. I believe in angels; I know they exist and also believe that...

Heaven helped them! “After experiencing dramatic rescues, medical miracles and other life-changing events, these ordinary people have no doubt that we share our world with heavenly spirits,” reports People magazine. Note 1 There was a time when those who believed in angels were thought of as misguided souls who existed on the fringe of society. Not any more. In just a few years a fad has become what is now called a cultural phenomenon. According to some surveys, nearly 75% of Americans believe in angels. And a good percentage believe that they have had an encounter with one. Angelic appearances...

“Catholic Caucus” I am stating to learn some Catholic Apologetics and wanted to get some thoughts on a point I have not seen made so far in my learning’s. I know there are some very learned Catholics out there and wanted to get your perspectives on this. To Minister can have several meanings: A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument. Definition source: http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/minister Matthew 4:11 “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” The very next verse 4:12 “Now when Jesus had heard that John was...

October 9, 2010. The angels have had cities and shrines named after them, and have been the inspiration for many hymns. However, they are a great unknown and have always been surrounded by a halo of mystery. The Italian priest Marcello Stanzione has been studying them for years, and has written over 40 books on them. The Vatican Publishing House published the last one: an essential guide to the angels.

October 2, 2010Memorial of the Guardian Angels Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17Job answered the LORD and said:I know that you can do all things,and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.I had heard of you by word of mouth,but now my eye has seen you.Therefore I disown what I have said,and repent in dust and ashes.Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Jobmore than his earlier ones.For he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels,a thousand yoke of...

Archangels and Guardian AngelsFR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS Last week, we began our discussion of angels, examining their role in Sacred Scripture and even investigating the nine choirs of angels. This week, we focus our attention on the archangels and the guardian angels. Sacred Scripture identifies by name three angels, who are the great messengers of God — Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. They are called archangels because of their important roles in God’s plan. St. Michael, whose name means “one who is like God,” led the army of angels who cast Satan and the rebellious angels into hell; at the end of...

September 29, Saints Michael and All Angels Angels Everywhere One of the most striking things about Rome’s churches -- and about Italian churches in general -- is that they are full of representations of the angels. American churches in contrast, especially those built in the last fifty years, are strangely devoid of angelic imagery. In Italian churches there are angels everywhere: all sorts of angels. There are majestic angels of graceful athletic appearance, angels in splendid apparel playing musical instruments, and playful little angels with fat cheeks and chubby legs. In Italian churches, one is always conscious of praising...

Matins Reading for Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels .

September 29, 2010Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dn 7:9-10, 13-14As I watched:Thrones were set upand the Ancient One took his throne.His clothing was bright as snow,and the hair on his head as white as wool;His throne was flames of fire,with wheels of burning fire.A surging stream of fireflowed out from where he sat;Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,and myriads upon myriads attended him.The court was convened, and the books were opened.As the visions during the night continued, I sawOne like a son of man coming,on the clouds of heaven;When he reached the Ancient...

The Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael Catherine FournierSaint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint RaphaelArchangelsFeast Day: September 29 Patron of: against temptations, ambulance drivers, artists, bakers, battle, boatmen, Brussels Belguim, coopers, Cornwall England, dying people, emergency medical technicians, EMTs. fencing, Germany, greengrocers, grocers, haberdashers, hatmakers, hattersm holydeath, knights, mariners, millieners, Papua New Guinea, paramedics, paratroopers, police officers, radiologists, radiotherapists, sailors, security forces, security guards, sick people, soldiers, storms at sea, swordsmiths, watermen. Symbol: dragon, scales, sword Young Families God made everything from nothing by His Almighty power and His Love for His Creation. He made all parts of everything seen and...

Angels 547. I believe in God, but I do not believe in the Catholic doctrine that besides this material universe He created angels. If you believe in God who is an invisible and purely spiritual Being, it is difficult to see why you should refuse to believe in angels. If one invisible and purely spiritual being can exist, why not others? There is nothing against the possibility of their existence, did God choose to create them. And God has told us that He did create angelic beings. 548. One can go only by his senses. That is not true. You...

They are messengers from God, heavenly beings without material bodies, spiritual envoys carrying out God's will. They are angels. And according to Lorna Byrne, everyone has one -- a guardian angel who’s always with you and will never leave you. She says they are “the gatekeepers of your soul.” She knows this, she says, because all her life she's been surrounded by them and has talked to them. Her book, Angels in My Hair, recounts her lifelong experiences with angels directing her and teaching her. Byrne's story begins with the telling of her toddler years, when the angels told her...

Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With Jump to: The 7 Sacraments (The Holy Mysteries)The 7 Corporal Works of MercyThe 7 Spiritual Works of MercyThe 3 Eminent Good WorksThe 7 Gifts of the Holy Ghost (& the Charismata)The 12 Fruits of the Holy GhostThe 3 Theological VirtuesThe 4 Cardinal VirtuesThe 7 Capital Sins & Their Contrary VirtuesThe 6 Sins Against the Holy GhostThe 4 Sins That Cry Out to HeavenThe 3 Conditions of Mortal SinThe 9 Ways We Participate in Others' SinsThe 10 CommandmentsThe 2 Greatest CommandmentsThe 3 Evangelical CounselsThe 6 Precepts of the ChurchThe Holy Days of Obligation (English)The...

"Millions of ordinances are performed in the temples each year in behalf of our deceased loved ones. May we continue to be faithful in performing such ordinances for those who are unable to do so for themselves. I love the words of President Joseph F. Smith as he spoke of temple service and of the spirit world beyond mortality. Said he, 'Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work...

<p>Men of an anti-aircraft battery saw and filmed strange lights in the sky. We don't know what these things are. They may be aircraft, or they may be something else. In former, more sensible, times the appearance of strange lights in the skies was often a sign foreboding evil times.</p>

 East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 New York Yankees 50 31 .617 -- 28-13 22-18 20-11 10-7 9-6 Won 2 6-4 Boston Red Sox 49 33 .598 1.5 29-17 20-16 18-17 10-9 8-2 Lost 1 6-4 Tampa Bay Rays 48 33 .593 2.0 20-19 28-14 19-10 11-6 11-6 Won 2 6-4 Toronto Blue Jays 41 42 .494 10.0 21-19 20-23 13-14 11-9 10-8 Lost 2 2-8 Baltimore Orioles 25 57 .305 25.5 16-25 9-32 9-27 4-6 5-13 Lost 1 5-5  Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 Detroit...

Steinem, Quinn, Fields to be 'Charlie's Angels' at Rangel Fund-RaiserBy Reid Pillifant June 10, 2010 | 12:28 p.m A group of women billing themselves as "Charlie's Angels" is hosting a fund-raiser later this month for Charlie Rangel's re-election. The invite for the June 21 event includes a long list of "Angels," which leads with some of Harlem's elite--Alma Rangel, Joyce Dinkins, Portia Paterson and Leatrice Sutton. Also on the list: Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Councilwomen Inez Dickens and Jessica Lappin; former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields; Suzy Ballantyne of AFL-CIO; Bill Thompson's wife, Elsi McCabe Thompson; and longtime feminist...

They Be Squids, but They Be Good!

My diocese ( House )( Spirit ~ Water ~ Blood ) is within you , My kingdom expands around you , But do you notice or is this all for naught ?!, Are you aware of your surroundings as Ezekiel was taught ? , Can you imagine ? Can you envision the four living creatures surrounding Me ?! , That all this is yours if only you see , It is no longer you or your matter (existence) but mine , And it is upon my table and cup you dine , That the image in your mirror is no...

In today's technological age, it might seem silly for intelligent people to consider a spiritual world where beings we cannot see might exist. Oh it's fine to read books and watch Hollywood movies about the afterlife and spirits that roam the netherworld but that's all make believe, not the real world. In the real world we are taught that reality consists of what we can touch, taste, see, hear, smell, and that the spirit world is for those weak minded individuals who use religion as a crutch to get through the day.  However, what if I told you that...

Bozeman Police Officer Marek Ziegler was called to Van’s IGA last Friday night to check on a shoplifting report. The 33-year-old officer has been on the Bozeman force for three years. He is a K-9 handler and works nights, from about 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. When he got to the grocery store on North Seventh Avenue, employees told Ziegler that a 32-year-old man had stuffed food and “pens, pencils, maybe markers, things for his kids” into his coat. The officer arrested the man, cited him for theft and then released him. But the story didn’t end there. Ziegler had...

LONDON, A London scientist has authored a paper arguing angels as classically depicted, mostly-human forms with wings, would be unable to fly. Professor Roger Wotton of University College London wrote in his paper, which was published by the school's Opticon magazine, that human-appearing angels with feathered bird-like wings would not be able to use the wings for flight, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday. "Even a cursory examination of the evidence in representational arts shows that angels and cherubs cannot take off and cannot use powered flight," Wotton wrote. "And even if they used gliding flight, they would need to be...

Angels, those winged creatures atop Christmas trees and a perennial subject for movies, long have captured the human imagination. But for most religious people, angels are far from imaginary. They are not merely cultural conceptions, symbols or myths. Indeed, angels play a vital role in the relationship between humans and the divine, according to teachings of the world's dominant religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe in angels and share a common notion -- that angels do God's work, including communication with humans. The very word "angel" is from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for messenger, "mal'ach." Many...

Percentage of Americans who believe in angels: 55 Percentage of Americans who believe in evolution: 39 Percentage of Americans who believe in anthropogenic global warming: 36 Percentage of Americans who believe in ghosts: 34 Percentage of Americans who believe in UFOs: 34

As we all know, as as numerous stacks of research have shown, only really stupid, illogical, fact-challenged people believe that God played some meaningful role in the creation of heaven and earth. Right?I mean, facts are facts and journalism is all about the facts. Still, I am happy to report that the New York Times ran an essay the other day that opened the currents of science just a bit and showed us the kind of things that linear, logical scientists think about when things go bump in the dark, or when they go bump in the light. This is...

I think that to completely dismiss the "alien" abductions and UFO sightings is just not very intelligent. The truth is that SOME THING is doing these things. People have their unborne babies taken with no trace. People awake with peices of symetrical metal under their skin with no visible mark. People have thousands of hours of UFO videos, of which SOME are quite legitimate. There have been millions who have said they've been abducted. I highly doubt that every single one is lying. Even if just 5 people are telling the truth then there IS somthing "out there". As a...

It was bad news if you were a fan looking forward to Game 6 tonight. But when the official announcement of a rainout was made in New York, it was good news for the Angels. Now Mike Scioscia will have all sorts of options with his starting rotation, including the strong possibility that he could come back with John Lackey, on three days' rest, in a potential Game 7 on Monday. It also means he not only will have Joe Saunders starting Game 6, but he could have Jered Weaver, who had been scheduled to start Game 7, available in...

Game 6 of the AL championship series between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees was postponed because of rain Saturday. The game was rescheduled for 8:20 p.m. Sunday at Yankee Stadium. New York leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and needs one victory to clinch its 40th pennant and reach the World Series for the first time since 2003. Game 7, if necessary, will be Monday in New York at 7:57 p.m. “The one thing is, you don’t want to stop and start, and we don’t know when the rain is going to get out of here,” Yankees manager...

A thread for the remainder of the 2009 ALCS (Angels, Yankees) and NLCS (Phillies, Dodgers)

Personally, the video you are about to watch is pretty amazing: I would say this is pretty conclusive evidence of why Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera is able to throw only one pitch that has unpredictable, yet precise movement. He has mastered the Angels so far in the ALCS but has Major League Baseball gotten a look at how he "warms up" for his appearance on the mound? You be the judge... * With a tie game in the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees bring in Rivera. * After warming up, he has his back to home plate so the...

The Rabbi talks about who Adam was and just what sort of creature he was purposed to be. He also talks about how the angels reacted to the creation of Adam. (From IsraelNationalNews.com)

ALCS Yankees-Angels Sat night, NLCS Phillies-Dodgers Sat night. Talk about 'em here. Going in: Yankees lead Angels 1 game to none, Phils and Dodgers are tied at a game apiece. From 40 degree (wind chill 25) NYC to 93 degree LA, it's baseball's league championship series.