Christus --> Lumen + Caritas + Logos

Not Even by Society's Standards By Carl Anderson NEW HAVEN, Connecticut , APRIL 12, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- In early April, the German Magazine Der Spiegel weighed into the recent attacks on the Church with the following headline: "The Failed Papacy of Benedict XVI." Failed papacy? Not by a long shot. Even by this world's standards, the papacy of Pope Benedict has been remarkable. He has led the Church forward with a focus on engaging the culture around us with love. His two encyclicals on charity, his encyclical on hope, and his letter on the Eucharist -- Christ at the center of our faith -- have taken us back to the most basic and profound message of Christianity -- faith, hope and charity. Benedict's Christianity is the Christianity of the Beatitudes. The reason some see a "failed papacy" is that they want to see just that. Too many in Europe want to see this papacy fail -- any papacy fail -- because the Church stands counter to their secula...

1. When Snake is alive, Snake eats Ants. When Snake is dead, Ants eat Snake.Time can turn at any time. Don't neglect anyone in your life........ ... 2. Never make the same mistake twice,There are so many new ones,Try a different one each day. 3. A good way to change someone's attitude is to change our own. Because, the same sun melts butter, also hardens clay! Life is as we think, so think beautifully. 4. Life is just like a sea, we are moving without end.Nothing stays with us, what remain is just the memories of some people who touched us as Waves. 5. Whenever you want to know how rich you are? Never count your currency, just try to Drop a Tear and count how many hands reach out to WIPE that- that is true richness. 6. Heart tells the eyes see less, because you see and I suffer lot. Eyes replied, feel less because you feel and I cry a lot. 7. Never change your originality for the sake of others, because no one can play your role better t...

Retirement or a New Assignment? TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman   For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill... (Eccl 2:21). He didn't begin this job until he was sixty-nine years old. He had already had a successful Hollywood movie career and decided to try his hand at politics. He would be known by one job more than any other. He would also be known as one of the United State 's greatest statesmen. He had a faith that was genuine but not intruding or very public, but you knew where he stood. He always treated people, even his detractors with grace. He was known for his extraordinary love he had for his wife. His name was Ronald Reagan, and he did not begin his greatest work until he was sixty-nine years old. By this season of life, most are thinking of retirement in Florida . Ronald Reagan decided to run for President of the United States and successfully served two terms as our 40th President. It was Reagan's faith that led...

The Error of Positive Thinking     ..."Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6 God's people should be the most positive, joyful people on earth. This joy should be a by-product of a healthy, intimate relationship with Jesus. In today's business climate, we are barraged with every possible means of becoming more productive workplace believers. Positive thinking and self-help philosophy are promoted as tools for workplace believers to fulfill their potential and overcome the mountains in their lives. God calls each of us to be visionary leaders, but we must be careful that vision is born out of His Spirit, not the latest self-help program. These ideas lead us away from dependence on God to a self-based psychology designed to give us more power, prosperity, and significance. The result is heresy. Our faith in God becomes faith in faith. It is born out of hard work and diligence rather than obedience to God's Spiri...

Reflects on His Faith With L'Osservatore Romano ROME , SEPT. 15, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- Religion has a central and unique role in society and its development, according to the former prime minister of England . Tony Blair, a convert to Catholicism, spoke with L'Osservatore Romano about his faith in an interview published in today's Italian edition. "My spiritual journey began when I started to go to Mass with my wife," Blair said. "Then we decided to baptize our children in the Catholic faith. It was a journey that lasted 25 years, or perhaps more. In time, emotionally, intellectually and rationally it seemed to me that the Catholic home was the right one for me. When I left political office, and I no longer had all the context connected with being prime minister, it was something I really wanted to do." Blair added that religion has brought him closer to his wife.   "We did not meet because of religion, but it was very interesting to disc...

"Moses said to the LORD, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue'" (Ex 4:10). One of the greatest affronts you can commit against God is to refuse His calling that He has placed upon you. Imagine arguing with your Creator and telling him you know better than Him. That is exactly what Moses did when God called him to be his spokesperson to Pharaoh. God and Moses got into an "I know best" competition. "The LORD said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.' But Moses said, 'O Lord, please send someone else to do it.'" God actually relented in the argument. Can you imagine that? But He's not happy about it. "Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, 'What about yo...

Giving and Receiving   "Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account" (Phil 4:17). The apostle Paul had a tent-making business. However, over time, it was evident that more and more of his time was being given to vocational ministry activities. That required him to receive income from those to whom he invested his life. It became increasingly difficult to run a business and travel and minister. His letter to the Philippians gives us a perspective on giving. Although Paul appreciated the support financially, his real joy came in the fact that their gift was being credited to their Heavenly account. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and agai...

One of the blunders I use to make… I do make sometimes NOW.   But I have to change now…. No room for Situational Ethics….Only Absolute Standards…No relative measures.   Warm Regards, Christus ---------------------------------------------------------------------------         Confronting Your Industry Culture   "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers'" (Matt 21:12-13). Sometimes a corporate culture dictates the way business is conducted because it was established years before. We simply inherit whatever the accepted practice is. Some of these practices violate a biblical principle. For instance, some businesses withhold payment ...

How Sharp Is Your Ax?   "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success" (Eccl 10:10). Manufacturing companies live and die by the ability of its designers, engineers, and staff to bring new products to market quickly. Yet for many organizations, a team's capacity to turn promising ideas into new revenue is diminished because of fragmented business processes, a geographically dispersed workforce, and a lack of standards across the supply chain according to an industry expert on innovation in technology. We live in an information age where the level of knowledge is increasing at warp speed. The way you did things two years ago may not be the same way you do it today. The knowledge you have two years ago may not be adequate to compete in the global marketplace today. Businesses have gone bankrupt because they were not willing to change with the times. Have you seen a Polaroid camera lately? Do you know someone over ...

Interview with Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk By Giovanni Patriarca PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, JUNE 17, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- A neuroscientist and ethicist is underlining the need to base bioethics in moral principles, and is affirming that even people who profess relativism count on certain absolutes in life. Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk is the director of education at the Philadelphia-based National Catholic Bioethics Center . He writes a monthly column for The Catholic Herald titled "Making Sense out of Bioethics." In this interview with ZENIT, he discusses some of the need to base bioethics in absolute moral principles in light of recent events related to his field. ZENIT: In recent years bioethics seems to have become a battleground where many interest groups try to impose their political views separated from any consideration of the field's moral foundations. The 2005 U.N. Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights could be considered a starting po...

Those in Whom God Delights "His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." - Psalm 147:10 Mammon and power are the ruling strongholds of the workplace. If you possess either of these, then you will be courted by those who serve the workplace in hopes of increasing market share. It is a competitive environment that often gives way to decisions and actions that are dictated by the financial bottom line. A recent newspaper article stated that employers are requiring workers to put more time into their jobs, often requiring weekend work in order to be more competitive. For the Christian worker, this brings pressures on the family and will result in "lost market share" in the spiritual realm. The Lord has a different measuring stick. The Lord is not impressed with your ability or what you can do for Him. Only one thing delights Him-peopl...

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." - John 12:24 The goal of the Christian life is death, not success. A popular teaching says that if we follow God, we will prosper materially. God may, in fact, bless His people materially, but few can make this claim among third-world countries. Wealth must never be the goal of a person's life, only a by-product. A missionary to a Middle-Eastern country has shared a motto among their ministry team: "God does not require success, but radical, immediate obedience." Jesus' obedience gained Him the cross. It did not gain Him popularity among the heathen, the religious or financial success, or a life of pleasure. His obedience resulted in His death on the cross. This is the same goal Christ has for each of us--death of our old nature so that He might live through us. That may not sell well among outcome-based...

  I am so glad and overjoyed that finally Indians are recognized in a global stage for pure and sheer talent. Though the marketing and lobbying would have made the extra bit for the trash to millionaire stories success in the Academy award ceremony where the global village was tuned into the Kodak Theatre happenings.   My joy is unlimited but equally saddened that master talents such as that of Rahman had to be recognized for a movie which is not the best of his life…he has done far too many better ones in the past. But BBC headline read that “British film Slumdog Millionaire wins eight Oscars including best director and best picture, while Kate Winslet wins best actress.” (still colonial…in its tone ???)   As an Indian, I feel we lost it in the whole game plan of Hollywood entry into Indian movie making business … probably that’s the main reason that this movie is hyped up but Still ….I AM OVERJOYED THAT INDIAN TALENT...

Bad time….still you can ‘start over’…This message was a real blessing to me and those of you who are caught up with the recession and the other worries…………   Starting Over The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. - James 1:9 Do you find yourself in humble circumstances? If so, James tells us that we are to take pride in this "high" position. These two things would seem to be an oxymoron. Most of us would not consider humble circumstances a high position. Successful business tells us that being on top means being wealthy, attaining favor and status, or having power to influence. However, Jesus influenced not from power, but from weakness. J.C. Penney is a name synonymous with department store. He first launched his chain of "The Golden Rule" stores in 1907. In 1910 his first wife died. Three years later, he incorporated as the J.C. Penney company. In 1923 his secon...

How important it is for us to focus on ethics, values and discipline … and ‘GOD’     Pope Had `Prophecy' of Market Collapse in 1985, Tremonti Says By Flavia Krause-Jackson and Lorenzo Totaro Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Pope Benedict XVI was the first to predict the crisis in the global financial system, a ``prophecy'' dating to a paper he wrote when he was a cardinal, Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti said. ``The prediction that an undisciplined economy would collapse by its own rules can be found'' in an article written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , who became pope in April 2005, Tremonti said yesterday at Milan 's Cattolica University . German-born Ratzinger in 1985 presented a paper entitled ``Market Economy and Ethics'' at a Rome event dedicated to the Church and the economy. The future pope said a decline in ethics ``can actually cause the laws of the market to collapse.'' Pope Benedict in an Oct. 7 speech reflec...

Cardinal Says Future With Obama Is Gethsemane Affirms That Life Cannot be Controlled by Government WASHINGTON , D.C. , NOV. 19, 2008 ( Zenit.org ).- The decline in respect for human life has had “catastrophic effects” on the unity and integrity of the United States, which are evidenced by the presidential election, says a Vatican official. Baltimore-native Cardinal James Stafford, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, affirmed this in a lecture on "Humanae Vitae" last Thursday at the Catholic University of America. His lecture, “Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II: Being True in Body and Soul,” pointed out the need for Catholics to return to the true values of marriage and human dignity faced to the current challenges. “Because man is a sacred ! element of secular life,” the cardinal said, “[…] a person’s life cannot ultimately be controlled by government.” "On Nov. 4, 2008, America suffered ...

The majority of the Americans voted for an outspoken and charismatic leader in Obama who claims to be a Christian by faith but supports death in all his belief. Christ came to give us life and life in fullness but here we have a leader who is against life. I am not a fanatic and I don’t want to sound like a fanatic. But the real issues today are not the symptoms we see such as AIDS, poverty in third world nations and recession in the developed & developing nations, civil war or what not. I used the word the symptoms because the real issues are more on the principles and beliefs that we have as our guiding pillars. If we believe in things which leads to moral degradation and death then what it produces only will lead to chaos and total callousness ending in death.   I am not suggesting that one should ever go against the elected representative of people – the leader but one can strive to represent the truth in the right perspective in right forums in a more a...

"I was converted in November of 1825, but I only came into the full surrender of the heart four years later, in July 1829. The love of money was gone, the love of place was gone, the love of position was gone, and the love of worldly pleasures and engagements was gone. God, God alone became my portion. I found my all in Him; I wanted nothing else. And by the grace of God this has remained, and has made me a happy man, an exceedingly happy man, and it led me to care only about the things of God. I ask affectionately, my beloved brethren, have you fully surrendered the heart to God, or is there this thing or that thing with which you have taken up irrespective of God? I read a little of the scriptures before, but preferred other books; but since that time the revelation He has made of Himself has become unspeakably blessed to me, and I can say from my heart, God is an infinitely lovely Being. Oh, be not satisfied until in your own inmost soul you can say, God is an infinitely love...

Today i heard someone mocking the second coming of Christ. The person said for years we have heard Christ is coming and coming....when will HE come...and it was a secular and business setting - hence had to keep my mouth shut. But i know the God of the bible is truthful and reliable. His word is the TRUTH. Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7 He is coming for a blameless Church and take the saints with him ....also to Judge. This is a revelation only for those whose eyes are unveiled can grasp the impact. I heard a preacher saying (Adrian Rogers) the word coming is not bound by time....its not a NOW word i.e. immediate happening but His Coming is Imminent i.e. impending/ forthcoming/ looming/ about to happen/ on the cards im·mi·nent /ˈɪm ə nənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[im-uh-nuh nt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronu...