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Then they asked him,“Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”
Buyer Beware Yesterday afternoon, I was at the dealership getting my car serviced. While sitting in the waiting area, I overheard a conversation between a service adviser and a customer. The young couple complained that the car's transmission was no longer shifting properly. The car was purchased only a couple of months ago. They filed a claim with the extended warranty company but the insurance refused to cover the cost. The lady was worried the transmission would fall out of her car is she kept driving it! The couple was very frustrated with the situation, and the service department didn't do much to help their case. Sadly, I think these people were taken advantage of. Buying a ten year old car with 100 K miles and being sucked into purchasing an extended warranty is normally a bad sign!
Unfortunately, rip off artists are everywhere. Some of the worst use their sneaky practices at car dealerships, auto repair shops, mattress stores, and electronic stores. I feel terrible when people get taken advantage of, paying for overpriced services of little benefit.
One thing for certain: God never rips us off! We may think he does when things go wrong, and we don't get what we want, but it's simply not true. Sometimes we have to endure the pain of being scammed to learn a huge lesson: Buyer beware! We must do our homework and use our God given intellects to say "No!" to the junk people try to sell us.....
Most importantly, we should say "No, thank-you!" when people want us to violate our consciences or disobey the Church's teachings.
Most importantly, we should say "No, thank-you!" when people want us to violate our consciences or disobey the Church's teachings.
Do not follow them I think we are all afraid of the future. Things don't look so peachy right now. We have the Ferguson riots, the Ebola outbreak, ISIL threats, economic uncertainty, and legalization of everything under the sun (gay marriage, pot, assisted suicide). Families are falling apart. Prescription pill abuse is rampant. Obesity is affecting the health of millions of children. The sex trade is exploiting women all over the world. It's crazy and scary, to say the least. We may think to ourselves, "All of these horrible things are happening. Are these signs that the end near? Are we all doomed for destruction?"
Keep calm and do your homework! The Catholic's homework assignment is not too difficult; it just takes discipline: attend Mass and confession regularly, read scripture, pray the rosary, and most importantly, pray for the betterment of our world. Yes, things are nutty all around us. We can choose to follow the chaos, worried and frightful, or we can choose to follow Christ, understanding that the world as we know it won't end in one big "Poof!" God has a plan for the universe and it will be realized on his own time schedule. We can't sit around worrying about "signs". Enjoy life and live it to the fullest with Christ!
Mockingjay This past weekend I went to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. I thought it was very good. This movie, along with the other two, follows the books closely, and the acting is excellent. In many ways, I'm relieved this is a fantasy story. I can't imagine living in a world with the "Capitol" exploiting individual "districts," treating people like common slaves. I can't imagine year after year watching people kill others for entertainment. I can't imagine having so little rights and freedoms under the command of a horrible president like President Snow. I think The Hunger Games really helps us stop and think about how our government is run and how we treat our citizens. Furthermore, it qualifies the need for God in society.
Let us fear the Lord, as in love and worship him, following his ways and his Truth. Advent begins this coming Sunday. Are you ready? Don't forget to do your homework assignments!
-J.
Keep calm and do your homework! The Catholic's homework assignment is not too difficult; it just takes discipline: attend Mass and confession regularly, read scripture, pray the rosary, and most importantly, pray for the betterment of our world. Yes, things are nutty all around us. We can choose to follow the chaos, worried and frightful, or we can choose to follow Christ, understanding that the world as we know it won't end in one big "Poof!" God has a plan for the universe and it will be realized on his own time schedule. We can't sit around worrying about "signs". Enjoy life and live it to the fullest with Christ!
Mockingjay This past weekend I went to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. I thought it was very good. This movie, along with the other two, follows the books closely, and the acting is excellent. In many ways, I'm relieved this is a fantasy story. I can't imagine living in a world with the "Capitol" exploiting individual "districts," treating people like common slaves. I can't imagine year after year watching people kill others for entertainment. I can't imagine having so little rights and freedoms under the command of a horrible president like President Snow. I think The Hunger Games really helps us stop and think about how our government is run and how we treat our citizens. Furthermore, it qualifies the need for God in society.
Let us fear the Lord, as in love and worship him, following his ways and his Truth. Advent begins this coming Sunday. Are you ready? Don't forget to do your homework assignments!
-J.
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