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JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior’s mission and message, compounding all scriptures in one on the various aspects of the life of our Redeemer. CHAPTER 9, THE BOY OF NAZARETH Joseph, Mary, and her Son remained in Egypt until after the death of Herod the Great, which event was made known by another angelic visitation. Their stay in the foreign land was probably brief, for Herod did not long survive the babes he had slain...

The Habit of Recognizing God’s Provision " . . . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . ." —2 Peter 1:4 We are made "partakers of the divine nature," receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, "Oh, I can’t afford it." One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut...

After modeling a seeker-sensitive approach to church growth for three decades, Willow Creek Community Church now plans to gear its weekend services toward mature believers seeking to grow in their faith. cut Since 1975, Willow Creek has avoided conventional church approaches, using its Sunday services to reach the unchurched through polished music, multimedia, and sermons referencing popular culture and other familiar themes. cut .....surveyed congregants at Willow Creek and six other churches, suggested that evangelistic impact was greater from those who self-reported as "close to Christ" or "Christ-centered" than from new church attendees. In addition, a quarter of the "close...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior’s mission and message, compounding all scriptures in one on the various aspects of the life of our Redeemer. CHAPTER 8, THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM THE BIRTH OF JESUS Equally definite with the prophecies declaring that the Messiah would be born in the lineage of David are the predictions that fix the place of His birth at Bethlehem, a small town in Judea. There seems to have been no difference...

May 16, 2008                                 Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jas 2:14-24, 26 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,if someone says he has faith but does not have works?Can that faith save him?If a brother or sister has nothing to wearand has no food for the day,and one of you says to them,“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,”but you do not give them the necessities of the body,what good is it?So also faith of itself,if it does not have works,...

I was truly blessed with a smile when I listened to this song being sung, click and enjoy.

CHAPTER 7 - GABRIEL'S ANNUNCIATION OF JOHN AND OF JESUS JOHN THE FORERUNNER Associated with the prophecies of the birth of Christ are predictions concerning one who should precede Him, going before to prepare the way. It is not surprising that the annunciation of the immediate advent of the forerunner was speedily followed by that of the Messiah; nor that the proclamations were made by the same heavenly ambassador -- Gabriel, sent from the presence of God. About fifteen months prior to the Savior's birth, Zacharias, a priest of the Aaronic order, was officiating in the functions of his office...

The Habit of Rising to the Occasion " . . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . " —Ephesians 1:18 Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10  ). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must...

By President Thomas S. Monson.In April 1966, at the Church’s annual general conference, Elder Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a memorable address. He quoted an account written by Samuel T. Whitman titled “Forgotten Wedges.” I too wish to quote from Whitman’s account, followed by examples from my own life. Whitman wrote: “The ice storm [that winter] wasn’t generally destructive. True, a few wires came down, and there was a sudden jump in accidents along the highway. … Normally, the big walnut tree could easily have borne the weight that formed on its spreading...

Dr. Pusey on the Worship of Mary in the Church of Rome by C. H. Spurgeon From the January 1866 "Sword and Trowel Spurgeon" According to promise, we have summarized the detailed account of the idolatrous worship of Mary by the Papists as exposed in full by Dr. Pusey in his new work. As his statements are not made at random, but are supported by quotations from Romish writers of recognised authority, they will be valuable to those who are met by the crafty denials of Romanists whenever they expose the genuine doctrines of Popish faith. Amid all the mischief...

May 15, 2008                            Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jas 2:1-9 My brothers and sisters, show no partialityas you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly,and a poor person with shabby clothes also comes in,and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothesand say, “Sit here, please,”while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,”have you not made distinctions among yourselvesand become judges with evil designs? Listen, my...

The video has pictures of earth’s universe and its grandeur. The pictures and images are of space Nebulas and show the magnificent awesomeness of our solar system.

May 14th. THE HABIT OF ENJOYING THE DISAGREEABLE "That life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." 2 Corinthians 4:10 We have to form habits to express what God's grace has done in us. It is not a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to manifest the life of the Son of God in our mortal flesh, and it is the disagreeable things which make us exhibit whether or not we are manifesting His life. Do I manifest the essential sweetness of the Son of God, or the essential irritation...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on Savior's mission and message. CHAPTER 6, THE MERIDIAN OF TIME Unto Moses, with whom the Lord spake "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend," the course of the human race, both as then past and future, was made known; and the coming of the Redeemer was recognized by him as the event of greatest import in all the happenings to which the earth and its inhabitants would...

The Habit of Enjoying Adversity " . . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body " —2 Corinthians 4:10 We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that "the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the...

This morning, as I was reading the scriptures, a passage popped out at me that made me reflect upon what's been happening lately here on FR. I don't usually post Caucus or Devotional threads, but I will in this case. My hope is that all of us will reflect on an important passage or passages from both ancient and modern prophets, that tie together a principle of the mission of the Savior. Let this be strictly for edification and enlightenment, thus the Devotional title. I'll begin. First Nephi, then Isaiah. 2 Nephi 2: 6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through...

May 14, 2008                                     Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty personsin the one place).He said, “My brothers and sisters,the Scripture had to be fulfilledwhich the Holy Spirit spoke beforehandthrough the mouth of David, concerning Judas,who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.Judas was numbered among usand was allotted a share in this ministry.For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let...

Pilgrims sing the praises of Latin The Tridentine Mass is being revived by young Catholics while walking to Chartres Cathedral Greg Watts Religion may well be in decline among European youth but it is by no means dead. This weekend about 6,000 young Catholics will set off on a 75-mile walk from Paris to Chartres Cathedral — and as they walk they will all be praying and singing in Latin. Pope Benedict XVI’s decision last year in his apostolic letter, Summorum pontificum, to revive the Tridentine Latin Mass, was seen as a turning back of the clock by some liberal...

ROME, MAY 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.Q: I noticed that the Holy Father is carrying a new processional cross. Can you tell us about that new cross and perhaps why the Holy Father made the decision to carry this new cross rather than the one that he has carried for the past several years -- the same one that Pope John Paul II carried? Are there norms and guidelines for what type of shepherd's staff the Holy Father can carry? -- B.D., Columbia City, IndianaA: I...

Pope Benedict XVI holds a rosary on the occasion of a Rosary prayer inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome, Saturday, May 3, 2008. Vatican City - A recording of Pope Benedict XVI reciting the Rosary in Latin is to go on sale as a four-CD box set, the Vatican announced Tuesday. "It was born as an answer to listeners and from several Catholic radio stations," Vatican Radio director, Father Federico Lombardi, said explaining the initiative. Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, on several occasions recited the Rosary live on Vatican Radio, providing the faithful with "great consolation"...

CMR is happy to give its readers a preview of a remarkable shrine in Chicago, the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, now in its final planning stages. The Sanctuary grows from the vision of Fr. Anthony Bus, the pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Chicago, who tells the story of the sanctuary in his book A Mother's Plea. The project's architect, James McCrery of Washington, DC, a specialist in classical architecture, drew the sketches shown here (click the pictures for larger images). The sanctuary is understood as a refuge in the heart of the city, with a large exterior...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on the life and mission of the Savior. CHAPTER 5, EARTHLY ADVENT OF THE CHRIST PREDICTED The coming of Christ to earth to tabernacle in the flesh was no unexpected or unheralded event. For centuries prior to the great occurrence the Jews had professed to be looking for the advent of their King; and, in the appointed ceremonials of worship as in private devotions, the coming of the promised Messiah was...

The Habit of Keeping a Clear Conscience " . . . strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men " —Acts 24:16 God’s commands to us are actually given to the life of His Son in us. Consequently, to our human nature in which God’s Son has been formed (see Galatians 4:19  ), His commands are difficult. But they become divinely easy once we obey.Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of...

May 13, 2008                             Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jas 1:12-18 Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.No one experiencing temptation should say,“I am being tempted by God”;for God is not subject to temptation to evil,and he himself tempts no one.Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,and when sin reaches maturity it gives...

Women's Ordination Was Non-Negotiable When the Church of England’s General Synod voted to allow the ordination of women to the Anglican priesthood in 1992, it caused a seismic row in the Anglican church. A number of clergy, including five bishops, eventually left to join the Catholic Church. Among them was Fr. Peter Geldard, who, as chairman of the Church Union, led the opposition to the ordination of women and opened the debate by speaking against the then-Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey. The debate took place not merely in the synod itself but throughout the media in the days and...

The Habit of Having No Habits " If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful . . . " —2 Peter 1:8 When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life...

This is the second in the series; and if you haven’t already read the one on Creation, I would encourage you to do so before moving on to this post. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he placed the man whom he had formed. – Genesis 2:8 Immediately after his account of God’s creation of the world, Moses goes on to describe the creature in whom would be centered God’s design for creation, namely, the man whom he had formed; and likewise he describes the place in which the fulfillment of this...

Heavenly Father, you are a merciful God. When we consider our daily lives and how often we fall, slip or miss an opportunity to minister for You, Your unfailing LOVE lifts us up, brushes us off, and sets us back on the path. We come before You humbly, knowing our own weaknesses and failures, thanking you for the greatest sacrifice of all ~ the gift of Your one and only SON. As a parent and a mother, Father, I cannot fathom a LOVE so great as to give up Your only child to save the rest of mankind. Father God,...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on the life and mission of the Savior. CHAPTER 4 - THE ANTEMORTAL GODSHIP OF CHRIST It now becomes our purpose to inquire as to the position and status of Jesus the Christ in the antemortal world, from the period of the solemn council in heaven, in which He was chosen to be the future Savior and Redeemer of mankind, to the time at which He was born in the flesh....

May 12, 2008                                   Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jas 1:1-11 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,when you encounter various trials,for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.And let perseverance be perfect,so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.But if any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,and he will be given it.But he should ask in faith,...

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas has been dealing with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius  for a while now regarding her scandalous and unrepentant support, as a Catholic, of abortion. He has now taken further action. The Kansas City Star reports: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius should stop taking Communion until she repudiates her support for the “serious moral evil” of abortion, the Catholic archbishop for northeast Kansas says. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, also criticized the governor Friday for her recent veto of a bill imposing new restrictions on abortion providers. The...

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 5/12 and 5/15Kohen--Leviticus 25:1-3Levi--vs. 4-7Yisra'el--vs. 8-13 Strday 5/17--Shabbat Parashat BeHarMORNING Kohen--Leviticus 25:1-13Levi--25:14-18Shelishi--25:19-24Revi`i--25:25-28Chamishi--25:29-38Shishi--25:39-46Shevi`i--25:47-26:2Maftir--25:55-26:2Haftarah--Jeremiah 32:6-27 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 26:3-5Levi--vs. 6-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-13

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on the life and Mission of the Savior. CHAPTER 3 THE NEED OF A REDEEMER We have heretofore shown that the entire human race existed as spirit-beings in the primeval world, and that for the purpose of making possible to them the experiences of mortality this earth was created. They were endowed with the powers of agency or choice while yet but spirits; and the divine plan provided that they be...

'Love One Another' " . . . add to your . . . brotherly kindness love " —2 Peter 1:5, 7 Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26 ). Initially, when "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" ( Romans 5:5 ), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in...

< Traditional Holy Mass Propers Dominica Pentecostes ~ Pentecost Sunday (Whit Sunday) Missa Spíritus Dómini replévit orbem terrárum ~ The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole earth 04 May 2008 Anno Dómini "....the the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you....." "Nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us. I could attend Mass forever, and not be tired. It is not a mere...

May 11, 2008                                             Solemnity -- Pentecost Sunday                                            Mass during the Day       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 2:1-11 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit...

Father Terry Rassmussen, pastor of St. Joseph in New Hope, finished reading, closed the Book of the Gospels, and stepped away from the ambo. From the congregation, Ginny Untiedt stepped forward. Clad in a white robe, Untiedt bowed as Father Rassmussen laid his hands on her head and blessed her. She looked up, walked to the ambo and began preaching for the last time.As many as 29 parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have used lay preachers at Mass during the past 25 years. In January, however, Archbishop Harry Flynn instructed pastors to discontinue the practice. He...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., has ordered an end to weekday Communion services outside the context of Mass by July 1. Citing guidelines for the distribution of Communion in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Bishop Murphy said in a May 9 pastoral letter that his decision would bring the diocese "into conformity with the liturgical norms of the church." The order applies to parishes, schools and social and charitable organizations which had adopted the practice of offering "celebrations of the word" with the distribution of Communion when no daily Mass was scheduled....

Take the Initiative " . . . add to your faith virtue . . ." —2 Peter 1:5 Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must "work out" our "own salvation" which God has worked in us...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on the life and Mission of the Savior. CHAPTER 2 PREEXISTENCE AND FOREORDINATION OF THE CHRIST We affirm, on the authority of Holy Scripture, that the Being who is known among men as Jesus of Nazareth, and by all who acknowledge His Godhood as Jesus the Christ, existed with the Father prior to birth in the flesh; and that in the preexistent state He was chosen and ordained to be the...

May 10, 2008                                          Pentecost Sunday                                         At the Vigil Mass         Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Genesis 11:1-9 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.While the people were migrating in the east,they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.They said to one another,“Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.”They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a cityand a tower with its top in the sky,and so...

May 10, 2008                             Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter                                     Mass in the Morning       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 28:16-20, 30-31 When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,with the soldier who was guarding him. Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.When they had gathered he said to them, “My brothers,although I had done nothing against our peopleor our ancestral customs,I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.After trying my...

Come Unto Christ By President Henry B. Eyring The words “come unto Christ” are an invitation. It is the most important invitation you could ever offer to another person. It is the most important invitation anyone could accept. From the beginning of the Restoration of the gospel in this dispensation, it has been the charge given by Jesus Christ to His representatives. Their charge has been “to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ.”1Every member of the Church, upon accepting the baptismal covenant, becomes a disciple who has promised to stand as a witness...

Reaching Beyond Our Grasp " Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint . . . " —Proverbs 29:18 There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, ". . . I know...

May 9, 2008                                 Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 25:13b-21 King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesareaon a visit to Festus.Since they spent several days there,Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jewsbrought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.I answered them that it was not Roman practiceto hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusersand had the...

Chapter 6The Temple "The order of the house of God has been, and ever will be, the same, even after Christ comes; and after the termination of the thousand years it will be the same; and we shall finally enter into the celestial kingdom of God, and enjoy it forever. - Joseph Smith1Although it was not mentioned in Chapter 4, the ordinance of baptism for the dead is performed by the Latter-day Saints in buildings they call temples. Various other ordinances, notably the Endowment and marriage for eternity, are also performed there, both for the living and the dead. Therefore,...

An exhibition opening next week at the Museum of the City of New York will trace New York Catholics' growth from a small religious minority to a politically powerful group with a wide range of institutions spanning the five boroughs. "Catholics in New York, 1808-1946" — organized in light of the Archdiocese of New York's bicentennial celebration — makes its debut on May 16. The exhibit is organized around three key themes: the centrality of parish life, the evolution of church-run schools, hospitals, and social welfare organizations, and the rise of Catholics as a major force in city politics. The...

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is granted a personal parish in RomeIt is with great joy that the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter announces the opening of a personal parish in the Diocese of Rome.  The decree of erection of the parish, which is dated Easter day of 2008, states that in conformity with art. 10 of Summorum Pontificum, "and after having received the proposal of the Cardinal Vicar, the Holy Father has established that in the central sector of the Diocese of Rome, in the 1st District, and in a fitting place of worship, namely, the Church of...

The Pope is set to make an historic apology when he visits Sydney in July - to the tens of thousands of Australians sexually and physically abused by predatory Catholic priests. Church sources have told The Daily Telegraph there is mounting expectation that Pope Benedict XV1 will use his Australian trip to express his shame and regret over the church's long-running abuse scandal - and may also meet with victims. The likelihood of an apology increased yesterday when one of the Catholic church's most senior figures, the bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Michael Malone, gave his backing for a papal apology. Bishop...

The Faith to Persevere " Because you have kept My command to persevere . . . " —Revelation 3:10 Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, "I can’t take any more." Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and...