AMERICA IN 2010: THE CURRENT STATE OF FAITH

AMERICA IN 2012

THE CURRENT STATE OF FAITH

God made us to know him, to love him and to serve him in this world so that we may be happy with him forever in the next.  Holiness is God's will for us.   Below is a brief summary of essential Christian concepts which are critical for us to understand in light of current events and trends in the United States in 2012.  These are quoted from Fatima for Today:  The Urgent Marian Message of Hope, by Father Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2010.

BLASPHEMY AND THE REJECTION OF GOD.

Evil abounds in the United States in 2012, and it may seem that the "evil one" has theupper hand."  The answer today, as it has always been throughout history, is to nurture a strong faith in God, recognize his infinite love for his human creation, to love him in return, and to glorify him by turning away from sin.

What are the sins we must turn away from?  First, the sins of blasphemy, which are directed against God, our Lady, the angels and saints and those things that are sacred because they are associated with the honor and worship of God.  These sins must be overcome by a lively faith of believers, along with their authentic love of God and neighbor.  In Saint Paul's words, "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good."  (Rom 12:21)  Remember, God's love is stronger than the world's hatred. 

THE CULTURE OF DEATH

Second, there are the sins against life:  abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, assistaead suicide and the whole "culture of death."  Add to this list murder, p hysical abuse, gang wars, ethnic and racial clensing, and all the other violent crimes that come from hatred in our hearts.

In the book of Genesis, we read the story of the first murder.  Cain became jealous when his brother Able's sacrifice was more pleasing to God than his own.  When they were walking out in the field together, Cain killed his brother and buried his body in the ground.  Then the Lord said to Cain:  "Where is Abel, your brother?"  Cain answered:  "I do not know!  Am I my brother's keeper?"  The Lord then said to Cain:  "What have you done?  The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground!"  Abel's innocent blood was crying out to God for justice.  What about the innocent blood of the thousands of unborn children who are aborted each day worldwide?  What about the over 50 million innocent unborn children who have been aborted in the United States since 1971, when the U.S. Supreme Court made abortion a constitutional right?  Isn't their blood crying out to God for vengance?  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said that u nless we reverse the destruction of inocent life by abortion we will come to midnight on the clock of death, which he said will be a nuclear war.

It is important to recognize the connection between Communism and the culture of death.  Under atheistic Communism, Russia did not recognize any God-given dignity to human life.  A person was imnportant only to the degree that he was useful to the state.  Therefore, Russia became the first Christian nation in the world to permit abortion.  It became so commonplace that there are women in Russia who have had as many as thirty-five abortions.  Because the population of Russia has dropped drastically, the Russian government is now paying couples to have a second child.

As abortion has lessened the dignity of life, euthanasia to eliminate the terminally ill, the handicapped and the elderly has gained acceptance.  In an etheistic society, these people's lives are seen to have no value, but only constitute a drain on the state's resources.  Now in even formerly Christian societies, for many it seems too much of a bother to care for those in great need, while at the same time the Christian meaning of suffering is being lost.

THE ATTACK ON THE FAMILY

This is another name for the culture of death, which was fostered by Communism, and it is an attack on the traditional family.  The family is the only place whre the weak, whether they be very young, very sick or very old, are cared for by those bound to them through love.  The family is the building block of society.  If families are strong, the society will be strong; if they are weak, then the society will be weak.

The authority of husbands over their wives and that of fathers and mothers over their children creat inequalities and are rivals to the absolute power of the state over the individual.  This notion that the traditional family was the enemy of equality spread to Europe and the United States, where war was declared on those laws that supported traditional marriage.  Little by little, the legal supports beneath marriage have been stripped away.  First divorce was legalized, next cohabitating couples were given legal benefits that once were only granted to married couples.  Now we see the push to give same-sex unions the same legal status as matrimony.  Of course, when marriage is no longer honored and no longer understood as the only proper place for sexual relations, then sexual immorality runs rampant and weakens family life even further. 

6 February 2012

THE RADIANT GUIDANCE PROJECT

Looking Ahead to Completion

We have often heard it said that it would be wonderful if someone would "come back from the dead" and tell us just what happens when one dies.  The great magician, Houdini, boldly proclaimed that once he died he would do all in his power to return to his mother with just such a message.  If she were still alive, she would still be waiting.  As it is, she was given her own insight when she crossed the eternal threshold.  So, we wait and wish and ponder what lies beyond.

Humankind continues to ponder and seek answers about what lies beyond death's door.  Generally we focus our quest for insight in all the wrong places.  Ouija boards, tarot cards, psalm readers, spiritualists, voodoo, palm readers, and a host of other mediums-to-the-beyond are likely to be either moved by earthly desires or by the ever-present influence of Satan and his demonic legions.  Evil abounds among the human condition.  But the power of evil cannot hold a candle to the radiant glory of God the Father and His heavenly kingdom.

We began our Radiant Guidance Project in 2002 with a vision of interviewing individuals who have experienced some form of divine guidance from a departed loved one, an angelic being, or what is termed a "near death experience."  To date we have captured experiences from over two hundred individuals.  We found that spiritual experiences ranging from tingling and counter-intuitive decisions to communication with spiritual beings while near death are much more common than we could have imagined at the outset of our project.

And yet, none of these amazing experiences included an actual resurrection from death.

That was the time of our "Ah-Ha!" experience, or what we define as an instantaneous recognition of the obvious.  One historical personage really did return from the death to explain what was on the other side of death's door, and what was required of each and every one of us to seize the opportunity for eternal life in total glory and joy.  This "Ah-Ha!" is the core of our project.  While not diminishing the importance of countless experiences with "radiant guidance" in personal situations, we were blind to the ultimate experience right before our eyes.  During every Catholic Mass or most all Christian services we profess our faith as proclaimed in the Nicene Creed.

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I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.  


I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of god, born of the Father before all ages.  God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.  For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.  


For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.  He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.


I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.


I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.  I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.  Amen


Jesus Christ, Son of God, became man and lived and taught among us to redeem us, to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to provide us the opportunity to achieve eternal life in that Kingdom, and to assure us that he would always be with us in his real presence in the Holy Eucharist even until the end of the age.  From a broader perspective - if that is possible - Jesus demonstrated three key purposes for His time on earth.


His first purpose was to enable us to recognize God, our Father, who created the all things visible and invisible.  Human creation must recognize that God the Father - not the State or some form of government - created everything and everyone so we can have eternal life.  We have that opportunity only if we come back to the Father.


His second purpose was to have all human creatures respond to the love of God.  We were created in His divine image.  Jesus brought us back to the Father after Satan caused the fall of man.  Jesus taught us that the Father loves us all.  Our response to this infinite love from the Father must be an expression of thankfulness and to love the Father in return.  We must realize that we are the image of God and that we love Him.


His third purpose was to enable and move all human creatures to proclaim God the Father and glorify Him.  He speaks to all of his children.  We must recognize His presence, love Him, and glorify Him.  Essentially, we are charged to love God, glorify God, and then proclaim God to all people.  


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With these insights as our guide we will complete the Radiant Guidance Project by providing a peripheral sampling of instances of radiant guidance for selected individuals surrounding a core of the messages of Jesus, Son of God, who really did return from the dead to proclaim the Kingdom of God, our opportunity for eternal life, and the eternal consequences of our own personal behavior here on earth.



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REDIRECTION

Father Joseph and I have redirected the focus of these blogs to conform to the vision we have for a publication dealing with radiant guidance from God as revealed through various messengers.

THE RADIANT GUIDANCE PROJECT

THE RADIANT GUIDANCE PROJECT

THE TRUE GIFT

Encounters with the Divine

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethern.  Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father oflights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

- Letter of James 1: 16-17
The Holy Bible - Revised Standard Edition, Scepter, Princeton, NJ, 1966, p. 206.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;  and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

The First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 12: 4-7
The Holy Bible - Revised Standard Edition, Scepter, Princeton, NJ, 1966, p. 158.

FOCUS

My partner and I believe that people encounter a guidance from beyond their own realm of awareness, and that this experience is far more common than is realized. During times of social and economic uncertainty the act of sharing such an encounter becomes an act of love, hope and charity which may serve humanity by strengthening the bonds we share as members of the community of man.

Our objective is to prepare a manuscript for publication which captures the full spectrum of personal encounters with the divine. We will prepare verbatim transcripts of interviews and accurate transcriptions of comments/notes received electronically. From this input we will edit the content and prepare a written transcript for your review. From this reviewed transcript we will edit the content for inclusion in the manuscript.

PROCESS

Our imperative is to seek and to listen to your gift of sharing the experiences of your encounter with the divine. While we may ask facilitating questions from time to time, the experience of the sharing is yours. We will enhance accuracy of recording the entire interview process. Your confidentiality will be protected through a mutual understanding of your wishes.

EXPLORATION

OVERVIEW

My partner and I are developing a manuscript that will share individual personal encounters with the Divine that range from counter-intuitive guidance all the way to sensory perceptions and communication with spiritual beings. We will record the interview in order to assure an accurate represenation of the experience you will be sharing. From this recording we will prepare a verbatim transcript for your review, correction and modification. We assure you that we will respect your confidentiality and anonymity. Anything you share will be scrubbed to eliminate any personal identifying or location information to the extent possible.

1. Questions. Do you have any questions before we begin?

SITUATION

We understand you have experienced an encounter with the Divine. Before we get into the specifics of that experience, please tell us a little about yourself. You may wish to describe your childhood, family, education, work or professional focus, your religious training, and anything else that you feel may be of help in framing your experience.

2. Circumstances. What was going on in your life a few weeks (or days) before the encounter. That is, what were the circumstances that led up to your experience?

ENCOUNTER

Describe your encounter. Close your eyes - if this helps - and in your mind, go back to this experience. It may be helpful to think of Rudyard Kipling's "Six Honest Serving Men who were named Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. In other words: Who was present at this time? What exactly happened? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why do you feel it happened? How did the experience progress from start to finish?

3. Encounter. Please describe your encounter.

4. Feelings - During. How did you feel during this experience?

5. Feelings - After. How did you feel afterwards?

CONVERSION

Often individuals who experience some form of "radiant guidance" will make choices in their lifestyle, patterns of living, and goals that have some degree of relationship to the experience.

6. Result. What was the result in your immediate situation after this experience?

7. Conversion. Was there a conversion in your personal outlook or life? Was there a significant change in the way you relate to the spiritual? - To others? To yourself? Specifically, what is different in your life now that you have had this experience?

INSIGHT

Many may say that an encounter with the Divine has been a significant learning experience. Think about how this experience has impacted your life, your relationsihp with others, and perhaps your relationship with God.

8. Feeling - Now. How do you feel now?

9. Insight. What insight have you gained from this experience?

10. Take Away. How do you feel other people have been impacted by your experience?

11. Key Concept. Having considered all you have shared, what one key concept would you like to share with everyone?

12. Final Thoughts. Do you have anything to add that will help people realize the significance of your encounter - that we have not yet discussed?

CONFIDENTIALITY

The final transcripts of interviews and review iterations will be the true situation as presented by each of the actual individuals interviewed. However, names, locations, and all other other personally identifying factors will be modified to enable each individual to remain anonymous in a world of increasing privacy infringements. This "scrubbing" process will further link each individual with the project within a comfort zone of control of personal control of sharing their identity in connection with their personal story.

Individuals interviewed and sharing their story under the conditions of anonymity will be able to view draft transcripts and draft artwork reflecting various aspects of their experience created by the authors from personal photographs and artwork in the public domain (collages).

PARTICIPATION

Please contact us at the e-mail noted below if you would like to participate in The Radiant Guidance Project.  The conditions listed above will always apply, and your story will bring light to individuals and perhaps the whole world.

E-MAIL:  pdchap@yahoo.com

Thank You and God Bless

The Partners

The Radiant Guidance Project