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  Lord, Teach Us To Pray The Lord’s Prayer Table of Contents     By every standard of comparison, the most popular prayer in existence is the Our Father. One sign of its popularity is the number of polyglot collections of the Lord’s Prayer which have been published at various times since the invention of printing. Already in 1787 the Spaniard Hervaz printed the Pater Noster in three hundred and seven dialects and languages, and the practice of multi-lingual editions has been going on ever since. But the Lord’s Prayer is not only the most popular prayer in existence, it is...

A Prophecy Lesson: What Manner of Person Should You Be? Why are you interested in prophecy? Is your goal to decipher all the obscure biblical prophecies that await fulfillment? If so, be careful—God's purpose for prophecy may be different from yours. by Beyond Today host Darris McNeely I once knew a person who thought he had every detail of prophecy worked out. He had a chart to show when all the end-time prophecies would be fulfilled. He even thought he knew the year and day of Christ's return.There was one problem.The years and days came and went and the prophecies...

God’s Silence— Then What? " When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was " —John 11:6 Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any...

"Eternal life" is redundant. If it is "life" it must be eternal, unconquerable by death. John 3:16 then says - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have life". If we believe in Jesus, we are supposed to have life. Got life? Remain blessed, fogman.

Vatican City, Oct 10, 2008 / 11:35 am (CNA).- On Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, with Pope Benedict present, several Church fathers offered their input to the ongoing synod on the Bible. Among them were the president of the Council on the Family, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and head of the Pontifical Council for Legislative texts.Addressing the assembly, Cardinal Ennio Antonelli spoke about the need to incorporate the Word of God into the lives of families. The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family recommended that families make the Bible a part of their lives by following...

In any age, there are end-of-the-world predictions in time of societal upset (as well as unusual elections). When there is turmoil -- as there is now turmoil -- the prophetic pulse quickens. It grows dramatic. Or, past dramatic prophecies are rehashed. The question becomes: when does it go beyond credibility? Events such as September 11, the Iraq war, and the Asian tsunami caused a flurry of apocalyptic prophecy, and now we have the "9/11 of finances" (occurring, again -- for those with ears to hear -- in Lower Manhattan). And so now there are many prophecies circulating. Some are extreme...

Read Acts 17:1-15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 When someone begins to tell us what they believe or we read a book talking about spiritual issues, how do we know if what they say is legitimate? What should our response be – our first course of action? Simple: go back to The Book. Search the Scriptures. In today’s passage, we read about Paul’s preaching in Thessalonica. He spent three Sabbaths in the synagogue, explaining and proving that Jesus is the Christ....

The God of Comfort Today's Scripture “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” (Isaiah 66:13 NIV). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Oftentimes, when people face challenges, they seek comfort in things that are familiar. It may be work, or an activity, or relationships; and of course, we all know about “comfort food.” But those things only bring temporary comfort. True comfort is found in a personal relationship with God in heaven through His Son, Jesus. According to Webster’s dictionary, comfort means: to give strength and hope; to ease grief or trouble. No matter what...

How Will I Know? " Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ " —Matthew 11:25 We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" ( 1 John 1:7  ). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly...

Archbishop Raymond Burke Vatican City, Oct 8, 2008 / 05:58 pm (CNA).- On Tuesday, the former Archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond Burke, received an appointment from Pope Benedict XVI making him the head of the Vatican’s bar association. In addition to his duties as the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Archbishop Burke will now serve as the president of the Commission for Advocates. The president of the commission is in charge of admitting canon lawyers to the Vatican’s "bar association." Those who are admitted to represent the Holy See in the Apostolic Signatura must be...

Read 1 John 2:22-24, 4:1-6 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God…I John 4:2-3a When the apostle John writes about confessing the Son and confessing Jesus, he doesn’t mean just saying the name. He doesn’t mean just putting the name in all capital letters and inserting it into the name of your church. He doesn’t mean just tacking the name on to the end of your prayers or statements of faith. If...

Please the Lord Today's Scripture “When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria What does it mean to please the Lord? In the book of Hebrews, it says that faith pleases God. Faith is simply believing that God is who He says He is, and that He rewards those who seek after Him. The Bible also tells us that faith without works is dead. In other words, we know that we have faith in our hearts because it impacts our actions....

Building on the Atonement " . . . present . . . your members as instruments of righteousness to God " —Romans 6:13 I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to...

Good News for the Liturgy Posted Oct. 7, 2008 3:32 PM || by Dr. Jeff Mirus || category Commentary For liturgical changes over the past generation or so, official preparation of the faithful has been minimal. The vacuum has too often been filled by professional liturgists and liturgical publishing houses with their own agendas, agendas sometimes at odds with the unbroken Tradition of the Catholic Church. But not any more.The Mass is currently being re-translated in a long project arising from two important Vatican initiatives. In 2001, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued new principles of proper translation in Liturgiam Authenticam, a...

The Fall of Satan's Kingdom "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12). When we consider the whole picture, we can hold no doubt that this is Satan's world rather than God's. Paul even refers to our era as "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4). However, Satan will not always dominate planet earth. Bible prophecy reveals that an astounding series of events will shake our world as never before and usher in a new age—a 1,000-year...

On How St. Paul Knew Christ "Jesus Lives Now and Speaks With Us Now" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the previous catecheses on St. Paul, I spoke of his encounter with the Risen Christ, which fundamentally changed his life, and then of his relationship with the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus, particularly with Sts. James,...

Statement on Senator Biden's Recent Comments on Church Teachings on Abortion Bishop W. Francis MaloolyDiocese of Wilmington, Delaware Statement of Bishop W. Francis Malooly, Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, regarding Senator Biden’s statements on Catholic Church teachings on abortion: September 10, 2008 Earlier today, our United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement to clarify remarks recently made by Senator Joseph Biden. They explain the truth of the matter in a clear and concise way. As your Bishop, I want you to understand our Church teaching, embrace it and promote it. The USCCB statement is as...

Much mischief in Catholicism often results from over-emphasizing one or another pole of a continuum. For example, push too hard on the church as a hierarchy, and the result is an inflated notion of authority; put too much stress on the church as the “people of God,” and you get congregationalism. Applied to the current Synod of Bishops on the Bible, this "both/and" feature of Catholicism means that the bishops need to do two things at once: foster a deeper knowledge and love for the Scriptures, without generating an exaggerated cult of the printed word divorced from broader notions of...

MANASSAS, VA (OCTOBER 8, 2008) - Father Richard McBrien, the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Roman Catholic Theology at the University of Notre Dame, ripped into the hierarchy of the Catholic Church at a talk given at a Unitarian church in Kansas City recently. According to an article today, October 7, 2008 in the National Catholic Reporter, McBrien said Pope John Paul II’s greatest failing was naming bishops. “Father McBrien’s blatant disregard and contempt for the leadership of the Catholic Church is nothing new,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “Until Notre Dame and other Catholic colleges are...

I mentioned the case of Nicholas Cafardi briefly when he published an article in the National Catholic Reporter. Here's what I identified at the time as objectionable in his article: Selective reading of Faithful Citizenship which ignored key passages Despair at ever overturning Roe and exhortation that we should get over it False claim that McCain and Obama are identical on ESCR Gross overstatements about the new DNC platform's language regarding abortion False claim that reducing poverty outweighs the DNC plan to liberalize abortion legally False claim that republicans have more total moral baggage than Democrats 50+ comments later,...

In the history given to us in Scripture, and in the history prophesied following the time of the apostles, we see the same pattern over and over. Paul warns the elders at Ephesus -- "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:29). Truth must be preserved within the Church before it can be effectively proclaimed to the world. The primary battle with heretics and false teachers has always been within the Church. This was not done as effectively as it should have been during this period. The...

Read Deuteronomy 13:1-14 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. Deuteronomy 13:4 The Israelites were standing at the river, about to enter the Promised Land. God recognized that they would face many temptations brought on by the pagan worshipers who dwelt there. Mercifully, He gave His people guidance to ensure their continued faithfulness to Him once they crossed the Jordan. In Deuteronomy 6, the LORD provided a concise confession of the true faith” “Hear, O Israel! the LORD our...

Seek to Do Good Today's Scripture “See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody” (I Thessalonians 5:15). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria In Galatians chapter five, the Bible talks about nine specific fruits of the Spirit. These are spiritual qualities that manifest in our lives when we allow Him to work in us. The more we invite God to move in our hearts and follow His Word, the more those attributes will be displayed through us. Kindness and...

Coming to Jesus " Come to Me . . ." —Matthew 11:28 Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— "Come to Me . . . ." In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the...

Cardinal Says Scripture Inseparably United to Tradition Synod Considers Word of God as More Than Bible VATICAN CITY, OCT. 7, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Scripture and Tradition are inseparably united since they both come from the same source, says the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal William Levada, a delegate president of the synod on the word of God, affirmed this Monday when he addressed the 12th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. "As the dogmatic constitution 'Dei Verbum' reminds us, there exists an indissoluble unity between sacred Scripture and Tradition since both flow from...

What Is Needed for a Bible Comeback (Part 2) Interview With Cardinal Albert Vanhoye By Father Lucas Teixeira, LCROME, OCT. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A renowned biblical scholar who will be participating in the synod of bishops on the word of God has advice for the faithful who don't know where to start to get to know the Bible better. Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, a Jesuit priest and former rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and former secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, spoke with ZENIT about sacred Scripture and the synod that opens today. He has been a professor...

What Is Needed for a Bible Comeback (Part 1) Interview With Cardinal Albert Vanhoye By Father Lucas Teixeira, LC ROME, OCT. 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- For the Bible to become an integral part of Catholics' spiritual life, education and mediation are the two things needed, according to a renowned biblical scholar who will be participating in the synod of bishops on the word of God this month. Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, a Jesuit priest and former rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and former secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, spoke with ZENIT about sacred Scripture and the synod that...

Introduction Teresa of Avila calls for our consideration on several counts: Her writings are increasingly popular amongst unconverted but professing Protestants who find her 'mystical spirituality' attractive in their own 'pursuit of God.' We are thus alerted to a dangerous 'enemy within the gates.' She is revered by Romanists as 'a quintessential Catholic', 'a revolutionary mystic', 'a saint and doctor of the Church', and a co-patron of Spain. This gives us an inkling of the influence she wields over Roman Catholic hearts. Her works, 'long seen as merely devotional treatises . . . are now being mined more seriously for...

Shortly after his historic meeting with Jewish elders in Rome, in A.D. 64, as reported in Acts 28, the Apostle Paul wrote a series of epistles — one to the Jews (the book of Hebrews) and seven to Gentile congregations. Among them was the letter to the Philippians, in which this passionate apostle wrote, "The Lord is at hand" (Phil. 4:5). He wrote this incredible statement only seven years before the destruction of Herod's Temple. Why not? There was still time for Nero, the supposed Roman Antichrist, to commit the abomination of desolation, enslave the world and bring on the...

When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:22 When you hear the term “prophet,” what come to mind? A bearded old man dressed in worn-out first century garb and wandering through the desert? A shabbily dressed, bearded man standing on a box on a street corner in Manhattan? Or a smartly dressed twenty-first century man or woman – with no beard – speaking...

When You Pray Today's Scripture “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you…” (Mark 11:25 AMP). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Everyone has been hurt, offended, betrayed, and mistreated at some point. Sometimes those wounds are small and easy to move past, but other times they are deep and take time to heal. The important thing is that we choose to forgive so that we can open the door to God’s...

The Nature of Reconciliation " He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him " —2 Corinthians 5:21 Sin is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation...

"Abortion IS a social justice issue"             PRO-LIFE PRIORITY – Springfield BishopTimothy A. McDonnell said he intends to make the issue of respecting life at all stages a priority in the Springfield, [MA] Diocese. (Photo by Jeffrey Krasner) Bishop McDonnell responds to questions about pro-life issues By Carolee McGrath SPRINGFIELD – Catholic Communications interviewed Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell recently about why Catholics are called to be pro-life. Bishop McDonnell has made the respect life issue a priority in the diocese. He said he hopes to inspire people to get involved to help save the lives of the unborn, and to...

I am convinced that it is not accidental that the financial markets in the United States and throughout the world tumbled as the Bishops gathered to study the Bible. It is prophetic. Pope Benedict XVI selected the first session of the Synod to deliver one of his increasingly frequent, spontaneous pastoral teachings. The Holy Father told the Council fathers, and a nervous world watching the various financial indicators plunge: "We now see in the collapse of the great banks: money disappears, turns to nothing…And all these things, which seem like the true reality on which we can count, are realities...

“I don't divide Jews into religious and secular, to me, they are all Jews.� Who said that? Mel Gibson? Nope. This statement is actually from the history making Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, the chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Haifa, Israel. Cohen is history making because tomorrow afternoon Cohen will become the first non-Christian to address a synod of bishops. That synod, of course, is the synod on the Bible and Cohen will be discussing how Christians understand Jewish scriptures. In his piece at NCR entitled "Synod: A Rabbi, a Jesuit and the Pope walk into a bar …", John Allen Jr...

Next to the book of Revelation (not Revelations), the most widely quoted section of Scripture dealing with what many believe is a comprehensive prophecy about end-time events is the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. With descriptions of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, and false prophets, it's no wonder that these passages have been used for centuries to claim that some type of cataclysmic end was always near. It will help at this point to understand how the Olivet Discourse has been interpreted and then hone in on what is the most consistent biblical...

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Bishops gathered in Rome to begin a Synod of study on the Word of God. He reminded the faithful that the crisis should be a reminder that"He who builds only on visible and tangible things like success, career and money builds the house of his life on sand"....

Read Joshua 9:1-19 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. Proverbs 28:26 Have you ever gone to a movie and found yourself getting emotionally involved with the characters or caught up in the story? It feels like it’s real doesn’t it? In theatre, this is called being based on a pretense. That is, we “feel” like it is real, even though we know it isn’t real at all; it’s only pretend. What does this tell us about life? Simply that our feelings aren’t always correct. This pretense in movies...

"You search the Scriptures in vain, thinking that you have eternal life in them, not realizing that it is they which testify concerning me." With these words, our Lord confronted what has always been the temptation in our reading of Holy Scripture: to read it without Christ as the supreme focus of revelation. Many people who come to embrace the specific tenets of the Protestant Reformation (grace alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to God alone be glory, faith alone, etc.) are liberated by the good news of God's free grace in Christ. Pastors who used to preach a human-centered...

That You May Be Healed Today's Scripture “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Relationships are so important in the eyes of God. As His children, He desires that we live in unity and stay connected with one another. When we are transparent and pray for each other, something supernatural takes place. We open the door for God to pour out His abundant blessing and healing in...

The Nature of Regeneration " When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . " —Galatians 1:15-16 If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His...

In the Beginning Was the Word Listen   |   Watch   |     |   Podcast Excerpts:   Listen   |   Watch Download:   Audio   |   Audio Excerpt   |   Video   |   Video Excerpt By John Piper September 21, 2008   John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. The Gospel of John is...

The Nature of Degeneration " Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . " —Romans 5:12 The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26 ). The...

How Many Books Are in the Bible? By: Erwin W. Lutzer , M.A., LL.D. (Bio) Also available in: from The Doctrines That Divide1 Erwin W. Lutzer Even the most casual Bible student knows that there are more books in the Catholic Bible than in the one used by Protestants. Where did these differences originate? On what basis were some books selected to be in the Bible, and why were others rejected?Upon reflection, we could expect that there would be some dispute regarding these matters. After all, the Bible did not come down from heaven bound in beautiful leather and adorned...

The Vision and The Reality " . . . to those who are . . . called to be saints . . . " —1 Corinthians 1:2 Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are...

Our Lord Jesus Christ tells of two men, a rich man who rejects God and a beggar whose trust is in the Lord (Luke 16:19-31). Both of them die, and the beggar goes to heaven, while the rich man goes to hell. One reason he tells this story is so that we may know something of what comes after death. Many will enjoy the pleasures of heaven, but others will suffer the horrors of hell. This rich man who is suffering the torments of hell makes two requests of Abraham. First, he asks to be relieved of his torment, which...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Inviting a Jewish scholar to address the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible was logical given the role of the Scriptures in Jewish life, said the head of the synod office. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, briefed journalists on plans for the Oct. 5-26 celebration of the 12th general assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will focus on "The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church." Also during the Oct. 3 briefing, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the synod's 253 voting members would...

Pope reaffirms Church opposition to contraception VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Friday reaffirmed the Catholic Church's condemnation of artificial birth control, a position that has driven millions of people away from the faith. Contraception "means negating the intimate truth of conjugal love, with which the divine gift (of life) is communicated," the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics wrote on the 40th anniversary of a papal encyclical on the controversial topic. The message came two months after an appeal for a retraction by some 60 Catholic groups who said the Church's stance had been "catastrophic"...

He Keeps Watch Today's Scripture “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Everyone has seasons when they feel overwhelmed by the busyness of life. In fact, one of the tricks of the enemy is to get you so caught up in the everyday “hustle and bustle” so that he can distract you and make you feel disconnected from the Father. But no matter how overwhelmed you may feel, you can find rest in knowing that the eyes of the Lord are...

The Place of Ministry " He said to them, ’This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ " —Mark 9:29 His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ " ( Mark 9:28 ). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. "This kind can come out by nothing but" concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the...