IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
by Larry Peterson
It seems that now, in the early 21st century, people of faith have been thrust into the Canyon of Decision. This is a place where a personal decision must be made and only two choices are available. Those choices are Good vs Evil. God is the perfection of all that is GOOD. Satan is the owner of all that is EVIL. Satan hates exponentially. He hates everything and everyone, including his own followers.
He has tried throughout the ages to convince himself that by destroying the God of Love he might find some unattainable and perverted joy. He has been wrong and knows in his deformed and blackened self that he can NEVER destroy God, his own creator. It follows that he can also NEVER feel joy or happiness of any kind. He also knows that he has no one to blame for his condition but himself. So "hate" is his thing. Nothing can "hate" like the Prince of Darkness".
All of those before us, from Adam and Eve on down, have already chosen the side they would follow. Their eternity has been established by their using their God given free will. We, the living and the ones that will live on after us, are still faced with one of the two choices. Do we choose God and His Love or do we choose Satan and his empty, sugar coated, phony promises? We must consider that the evil wrought by Satan is more powerful than 50 Ebola---no, a thousand times a thousand Ebola virus. It permeates the very soul of humankind and eats it away with a subtle ferocity that is hard to comprehend. He is the master of disguise hiding his evil agenda under a fake banner of virtue. So many of us fall for it.
We ask ourselves how can a "civilized" person behead a child? How can a "civilized" person invoke the name of a god who supposedly condones and approves such hatred and viciousness? This evil committed can only be demonically encouraged. Yet these are the "shock and awe" methods used to put fear into our hearts. They succeed at striking fear into many of us. Murder, rape, pillaging,looting and genocide are part of the "shock and awe" method also.
It happened right here in America the other day. In red-state Oklahoma a follower of all that is Evil beheaded an innocent woman just because she was an American. This was smack dab right in the middle of America's heartland. The same place where a "black mass" was held only a few days earlier. How devious. How cunning. How horrible is this enemy of Goodness.
However, there are many more subtle methods Satan uses to gather new followers. Television, movies,the Internet,social media and social networking and the music industry to name a few. These all promote promiscuity, abortion, euthanasia, denigrate marriage between a man and a woman and celebrate the hedonistic lifestyle of self-gratification and personal pleasure no matter what the cost or consequence. They say it is our RIGHT to pleasure ourselves. Those that say differently are branded as extremists, fanatics, racists, homophobes or advocates of 'hate'. How twisted this is.
You know what? They are dead wrong. It is NOT our right. Yet this message has grabbed hold of many and is now part of our culture. Our young have been indoctrinated into this godless mind set of pure secularism. Satan is laughing as he sees more and more of God's children turning away from their faith in Him and Goodness for a world that ultimately leads to personal death and the final loss of one's soul. The war against God and Goodness is now worldwide.
We Catholic/Christians, each and every one, must be prepared to engage in this fight, not only for all of what is Good but for our own souls. Satan is after each of us. He has been successful in acquiring millions of recruits. Many fend him off and cast him away. This could be Armageddon. So love your faith, embrace it, and then fight for it. "Lip service" may no longer be enough. The reward shall be great. Ignore it and you might be lost in the bottom of the Canyon of Decision.
From the Book of Revelations:
Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and people see him exposed.!" And they assembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Rev 16: 15-16
©Larry Peterson 2014 All Rights Reserved
September 28, 2014
September 23, 2014
Hating the Truth of the Real Presence of Christ, Satanists Perform a 'black mass'
IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
by Larry Peterson
Praise the Lord (TRULY). The 'black mass' abomination in Oklahoma City (with its huge congregation of 42 people) is finally over. The Satanic lovers of the "darkness" have had their day. I hope they are fulfilled with whatever redeeming spiritual blackness their boss can deliver into their misguided, hate filled, anti-God hearts.
I wrote about this shameful event back on August 8. The mock "mass" that these Satan lovers were going to enact was reprehensible enough. But what nagged at me like an unscratchable itch was the fact that these Catholic haters seemed to understand the Holy Eucharist and what it actually was better than many "cafeteria" Catholics (those who pick & choose doctrine they accept). Statistics say that 48% of "Catholics" do not accept the Real Presence ( a blog for another day). Yet here are Satanists obviously accepting this profound Dogma of Catholicism. They must realize the truth of this Dogma or why would they revel in hating and defiling it? There would be no point.
So, why do Satanists want to desecrate a host consecrated at a Catholic Mass? They are definitely not interested in a host from another Christian service. Is their callous faithlessness filled with an abiding TRUTH that they cannot stand because of their pride and ego? Is the magnificent reality of the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered at the Mass what drives them to gather together to defile, mock and denigrate this mystery? Is this why Adam Daniels, the Satanist in charge of this debasement, tells us they will denounce Jesus Christ, stomp and spit on the host they are using and even urinate on it. How can they hate something so much? I think I know why.
I have come to the realization that they have the truth in their hearts and down deep inside they know what that truth is. Unfortunately for them, the greatest of the Seven Deadly Sins, PRIDE, has embraced them all in a bear-hug of self-centeredness, a hold that they choose not to break free from. Therefore, it follows, down deep inside they also hate themselves. This is very sad.
They hate so much because Satan himself is hate and they are filled with his venom. They do not understand that Satan hates them too. He hates them because they can still obtain redemption. God is love and that love is pure Goodness. Any of these human followers of Satan still have an opportunity to ask God for His forgiveness. If they do, God will embrace them and welcome them home. They can perform these heinous acts against Christ and still have a chance for redemption. They can change their minds and have this opportunity up until death takes them.
Satan, as the greatest of all angels, had his chance and blew it. He turned against God and was cast from heaven with his pride-filled followers. His Pride cost him to lose total Hope. Filled with hate he and those that followed him prowl around the world seeking the ruin of souls, a task at which they have been extremely successful. Ironically, Satan hates his human followers more than they can imagine. That is because he has no fear or respect for any of them. More than anything, he knows they can still find redemption if they so decide. That drives him crazy because a) he knows he is so much better than them; and b) redemption can NEVER be his. Bring on the eternal envy.
Each and every one of us has a life long, personal war we must wage within ourselves. That war's two main enemies are Pride and HUMILITY. These two entities are part of us and they pit us against ourselves throughout our entire lives. Pride has torn apart families, destroyed friendships, fomented resentment and bitterness, incited fury and outrage, and even led to war and murder and something called a 'black mass'.
The antidote to Pride is Humility. For many that is too hard a pill to swallow. How many of us have heard words or even used words like:
"I'm NOT apologizing to him." or
"She was RUDE to me. I'm never talking to her again." or
"I'm not going to confession and telling my sins to another person." or
"She's SO stuck up. I can't stand her."
Death, destruction, and mayhem are the result of pride. It certainly can be a terrible thing. Jesus, dying on the cross, forgave His executioners and all of us too. Therein is the greatest lesson in Humility ever given.
The war within each of us will continue until our deaths. Many times it is a hard fought struggle but many of us win these ongoing battles. Having the Love of God in your life combined with prayer are the greatest weapons against this deadly sin of pride. Sadly, many surrender to the Great Impostor, Satan, and his lies and false promises of worldly pleasure. For all of those folks let the rest of us keep praying for them. And that includes the Oklahoma City Satanists.
by Larry Peterson
Praise the Lord (TRULY). The 'black mass' abomination in Oklahoma City (with its huge congregation of 42 people) is finally over. The Satanic lovers of the "darkness" have had their day. I hope they are fulfilled with whatever redeeming spiritual blackness their boss can deliver into their misguided, hate filled, anti-God hearts.
I wrote about this shameful event back on August 8. The mock "mass" that these Satan lovers were going to enact was reprehensible enough. But what nagged at me like an unscratchable itch was the fact that these Catholic haters seemed to understand the Holy Eucharist and what it actually was better than many "cafeteria" Catholics (those who pick & choose doctrine they accept). Statistics say that 48% of "Catholics" do not accept the Real Presence ( a blog for another day). Yet here are Satanists obviously accepting this profound Dogma of Catholicism. They must realize the truth of this Dogma or why would they revel in hating and defiling it? There would be no point.
So, why do Satanists want to desecrate a host consecrated at a Catholic Mass? They are definitely not interested in a host from another Christian service. Is their callous faithlessness filled with an abiding TRUTH that they cannot stand because of their pride and ego? Is the magnificent reality of the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered at the Mass what drives them to gather together to defile, mock and denigrate this mystery? Is this why Adam Daniels, the Satanist in charge of this debasement, tells us they will denounce Jesus Christ, stomp and spit on the host they are using and even urinate on it. How can they hate something so much? I think I know why.
I have come to the realization that they have the truth in their hearts and down deep inside they know what that truth is. Unfortunately for them, the greatest of the Seven Deadly Sins, PRIDE, has embraced them all in a bear-hug of self-centeredness, a hold that they choose not to break free from. Therefore, it follows, down deep inside they also hate themselves. This is very sad.
They hate so much because Satan himself is hate and they are filled with his venom. They do not understand that Satan hates them too. He hates them because they can still obtain redemption. God is love and that love is pure Goodness. Any of these human followers of Satan still have an opportunity to ask God for His forgiveness. If they do, God will embrace them and welcome them home. They can perform these heinous acts against Christ and still have a chance for redemption. They can change their minds and have this opportunity up until death takes them.
Satan, as the greatest of all angels, had his chance and blew it. He turned against God and was cast from heaven with his pride-filled followers. His Pride cost him to lose total Hope. Filled with hate he and those that followed him prowl around the world seeking the ruin of souls, a task at which they have been extremely successful. Ironically, Satan hates his human followers more than they can imagine. That is because he has no fear or respect for any of them. More than anything, he knows they can still find redemption if they so decide. That drives him crazy because a) he knows he is so much better than them; and b) redemption can NEVER be his. Bring on the eternal envy.
Each and every one of us has a life long, personal war we must wage within ourselves. That war's two main enemies are Pride and HUMILITY. These two entities are part of us and they pit us against ourselves throughout our entire lives. Pride has torn apart families, destroyed friendships, fomented resentment and bitterness, incited fury and outrage, and even led to war and murder and something called a 'black mass'.
The antidote to Pride is Humility. For many that is too hard a pill to swallow. How many of us have heard words or even used words like:
"I'm NOT apologizing to him." or
"She was RUDE to me. I'm never talking to her again." or
"I'm not going to confession and telling my sins to another person." or
"She's SO stuck up. I can't stand her."
Death, destruction, and mayhem are the result of pride. It certainly can be a terrible thing. Jesus, dying on the cross, forgave His executioners and all of us too. Therein is the greatest lesson in Humility ever given.
The war within each of us will continue until our deaths. Many times it is a hard fought struggle but many of us win these ongoing battles. Having the Love of God in your life combined with prayer are the greatest weapons against this deadly sin of pride. Sadly, many surrender to the Great Impostor, Satan, and his lies and false promises of worldly pleasure. For all of those folks let the rest of us keep praying for them. And that includes the Oklahoma City Satanists.
September 17, 2014
Pope Francis: "...Marriage is about a Man and a Woman Walking Together..."
IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
by Larry Peterson
Way way back in ancient times, like around 1950, about 22% of American adults were single. Since the population 'way back then' was about 152.3 million that would mean that about 33.5 million Americans were unattached. In 2013 the population was almost double, coming in at about 316 million people. Single adults tipped the scales at 50.2%. That translates into the fact that more than HALF the population of the United States is now single. The actual number of the percentage of 50.2% would be 158,632,000. That is actually more than the entire United States population of 1950. SINGLES have taken over. Whatever have we wrought?
What we have wrought, or rather allowed, is a secular induced ambivalence about marriage. It seems that since marriage translates to "responsibility" and many of the young people of today have been induced into a state of "Meism", the old cliche, "looking out for Number One" is the dominant standard. In addition, it seems that our society has encouraged an extended period of adolescence where young adults often stay with mommy and daddy even as they begin to journey into middle age.
Heck, even the government calls people up to 26 years old, "children". This way they justify their being carried on their parents' health insurance plan. What's a young person supposed to think.
Of course we also live in a world of "practicalism". People are more practical today than back in my day. In the "old days" most folks were "impractical". They dated first, then got engaged, and then, about a year later, got married and a new family was born. Then they moved into the apartment they had rented and it WAS their first home. Then along came little "Jack" or "Jill". I confess, having been married in 1967, I was among the vast majority of impractical young people.
Things have changed a bit since the early to mid seventies. In the world of "practicalism" marriage is often looked at the same way one might look at a new Toyota or a Ford. The couple want to "test drive" it first. Meists see many positives to this type of non-commitment: a) you can have separate bank accounts; b) you can have your own health insurance and not have to pay for anyone else's; c) if you do not like sleeping together you can go sleep somewhere else with NO strings attached; and finally, d) if you do not like the "model" you are trying you can simply walk away and look for another model. There might be some yelling and screaming but, hey, such a DEAL!
Fear not, the Meistic and Practical world of secularism has some detractors. Listen to Pope Francis in his homily given right before he presided over the marriages of 20 couples in Rome. The Pope said, "The love of Christ, which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife, is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out. The love of Christ can restore to spouses the joy of journeying together."
The Holy Father continued , "Marriage is about a man and a woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become even more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more of a man. Here we see the reciprocity of differences."
I love how the Pope used the phrase, "reciprocity of differences". This simply points out that men and women do compliment each other. I would venture that up until the late 1960s, marriage was the state of life that most human beings chose to enter. Marriage is actually instinctive. It has always (for the most part) been under the umbrella of marriage that the human race was preserved. The husband and wife formed the family nucleus and they brought forth children and raised them and nurtured them and educated them. Most of these children followed their parents and did the same.
The Holy Father said (in the same homily when talking about the family), "It is impossible to quantify the strength and depth of humanity contained in the family as demonstrated through the mutual help, educational support, relationships developing as family members mature, and the sharing of joys and difficulties."
"Families are the FIRST place in which we are formed as persons and, at the same time, the "bricks" for the building up of society."
The central theme of the Holy Father's homily, was "Marriage is a symbol of life...the Sacrament of love of Christ and the Church, a love which finds its proof and guarantee in the Cross."
Pope Francis is quite wise. He also said, "There is a cure which God offers to spouses who "have become impatient on the way, and who succumb to the dangerous temptations of discouragement, infidelity, weakness, and abandonment. To them God the Father gives His Son Jesus, not to condemn them, but to save them. If they entrust themselves to Him, He will bring them healing by the merciful love that pours from the Cross, with the strength of His grace that renews and sets married couples and families once again on the right path."
He said to the couples and these are words all married couples should embrace, "This is the task you share. 'I love you, and for this love I help you to become ever more a woman.'; 'I love you, and for this love I help you to become ever more a man."
Pope Francis has given all people (not just Catholics) a profound and poignant message about the call to the married state. He recognizes that it is a hard road because two individuals, a man and a woman, are joining together as one. There are differences between them. But marriage is the ultimate commitment to giving of oneself to another. A marriage united in the sacramental life of the church has been built on a foundation of solid bedrock. Its chance to withstand the decades long onslaught from the world around it has been fortified and shielded in the best way possible. It has embraced the Cross. Somehow, someway the Church must bring folks back to that reality. Pope Francis has set the table for this to begin. He has done the responsible thing.
by Larry Peterson
Way way back in ancient times, like around 1950, about 22% of American adults were single. Since the population 'way back then' was about 152.3 million that would mean that about 33.5 million Americans were unattached. In 2013 the population was almost double, coming in at about 316 million people. Single adults tipped the scales at 50.2%. That translates into the fact that more than HALF the population of the United States is now single. The actual number of the percentage of 50.2% would be 158,632,000. That is actually more than the entire United States population of 1950. SINGLES have taken over. Whatever have we wrought?
What we have wrought, or rather allowed, is a secular induced ambivalence about marriage. It seems that since marriage translates to "responsibility" and many of the young people of today have been induced into a state of "Meism", the old cliche, "looking out for Number One" is the dominant standard. In addition, it seems that our society has encouraged an extended period of adolescence where young adults often stay with mommy and daddy even as they begin to journey into middle age.
Heck, even the government calls people up to 26 years old, "children". This way they justify their being carried on their parents' health insurance plan. What's a young person supposed to think.
Of course we also live in a world of "practicalism". People are more practical today than back in my day. In the "old days" most folks were "impractical". They dated first, then got engaged, and then, about a year later, got married and a new family was born. Then they moved into the apartment they had rented and it WAS their first home. Then along came little "Jack" or "Jill". I confess, having been married in 1967, I was among the vast majority of impractical young people.
Things have changed a bit since the early to mid seventies. In the world of "practicalism" marriage is often looked at the same way one might look at a new Toyota or a Ford. The couple want to "test drive" it first. Meists see many positives to this type of non-commitment: a) you can have separate bank accounts; b) you can have your own health insurance and not have to pay for anyone else's; c) if you do not like sleeping together you can go sleep somewhere else with NO strings attached; and finally, d) if you do not like the "model" you are trying you can simply walk away and look for another model. There might be some yelling and screaming but, hey, such a DEAL!
Fear not, the Meistic and Practical world of secularism has some detractors. Listen to Pope Francis in his homily given right before he presided over the marriages of 20 couples in Rome. The Pope said, "The love of Christ, which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife, is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out. The love of Christ can restore to spouses the joy of journeying together."
The Holy Father continued , "Marriage is about a man and a woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become even more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more of a man. Here we see the reciprocity of differences."
I love how the Pope used the phrase, "reciprocity of differences". This simply points out that men and women do compliment each other. I would venture that up until the late 1960s, marriage was the state of life that most human beings chose to enter. Marriage is actually instinctive. It has always (for the most part) been under the umbrella of marriage that the human race was preserved. The husband and wife formed the family nucleus and they brought forth children and raised them and nurtured them and educated them. Most of these children followed their parents and did the same.
The Holy Father said (in the same homily when talking about the family), "It is impossible to quantify the strength and depth of humanity contained in the family as demonstrated through the mutual help, educational support, relationships developing as family members mature, and the sharing of joys and difficulties."
"Families are the FIRST place in which we are formed as persons and, at the same time, the "bricks" for the building up of society."
The central theme of the Holy Father's homily, was "Marriage is a symbol of life...the Sacrament of love of Christ and the Church, a love which finds its proof and guarantee in the Cross."
Pope Francis is quite wise. He also said, "There is a cure which God offers to spouses who "have become impatient on the way, and who succumb to the dangerous temptations of discouragement, infidelity, weakness, and abandonment. To them God the Father gives His Son Jesus, not to condemn them, but to save them. If they entrust themselves to Him, He will bring them healing by the merciful love that pours from the Cross, with the strength of His grace that renews and sets married couples and families once again on the right path."
He said to the couples and these are words all married couples should embrace, "This is the task you share. 'I love you, and for this love I help you to become ever more a woman.'; 'I love you, and for this love I help you to become ever more a man."
Pope Francis has given all people (not just Catholics) a profound and poignant message about the call to the married state. He recognizes that it is a hard road because two individuals, a man and a woman, are joining together as one. There are differences between them. But marriage is the ultimate commitment to giving of oneself to another. A marriage united in the sacramental life of the church has been built on a foundation of solid bedrock. Its chance to withstand the decades long onslaught from the world around it has been fortified and shielded in the best way possible. It has embraced the Cross. Somehow, someway the Church must bring folks back to that reality. Pope Francis has set the table for this to begin. He has done the responsible thing.
September 10, 2014
Remembering 9/11/2001: : Not Much Needs to be Written or Said
IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
by Larry Peterson
The posted picture says it all. What is in it is no more. But it lives on in our hearts, mind and souls.
by Larry Peterson
The posted picture says it all. What is in it is no more. But it lives on in our hearts, mind and souls.
TWIN TOWERS pre September 11, 2001
"Say 'NO' to death, to hatred, to violence , to error to evil, to degradation.
Say 'YES' to the good, to the beautiful, to truth, to justice, to responsibility,
to life, to peace and to love.
SAINT JOHN PAUL II
September 8, 2014
Secularism Conquers the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade: Cardinal Dolan Should Clarify
IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
by Larry Peterson
by Larry Peterson
We are up to our waists in the muck of secular quicksand and
slowly but surely it is trying its best to suck us all deeper into its godless abyss. This insidious secularism has permeated so
much of our lives it has become the norm for many, especially the Millennials (those born from 1980 and after). Marriage has been relegated to an afterthought; after living together, having sex together and having a baby together then MAYBE marriage is considered. The Affordable Care Act has gone so far as to demand that we
Catholic/Christians leave our faith and morality inside the church door and shed it when we leave. Once outside of church we MUST accept
abortion and contraception because they are now LAW and therefore we cannot reject them. What our church teaches matters not. Is this NONSENSE? Nope, it is the law of the land.
In New Orleans, the Louisiana Supreme Court reversed a lower court and has ruled
that a priest can be be “made” to testify
as to what he was told in the confessional and violate the "seal of confession", something a priest can NEVER do. The court also empowered the trial court to DECIDE “whether or not a sacrament took place”. Imagine the hypocrisy of a court that rejects the very Constitution it is sworn to uphold and determines that it can decide when a Catholic sacrament is or is not a sacrament.
These few examples are the tip of the iceberg. Who needs to be defended are all of those
Catholic/Christians standing tall and speaking out against the attacks against
the faith. Many of them are being
stifled as Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech are being shoveled into the
secular trash cans that are filling up with the freedoms that we so recently
took for granted as we lived our lives in the greatest country ever
founded. I want to mention one Catholic
priest in particular. Monsignor Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington
D.C.
Monsignor Pope has been a Catholic
blogger for some time and his clear explanations and teachings and defense of
the Catholic faith have been a refreshing joy to many. However, the other day Monsignor wrote a
column criticizing Timothy Cardinal Dolan and his defending the gay agenda being accepted into New York City's annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The powers to be did NOT like it and Monsignor Pope was forced to remove the blogpost. Today, September 8, the church celebrates the
birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today, I did NOT see a post by Monsignor Pope. I hope and pray he has not been pushed off the cliff by the PC Gendarmes simply because he told the truth. That would be a shame because he is a true and honorable defender of the Catholic faith which he loves so much. We need Monsignor Charles Pope and more people like him.
My non-theological explanation of church teaching on this topic is this: Homosexuals are permitted to be in full communion with the church...but they must remain celibate. This also applies to single men and women engaging in sex whether living together or not.. This is NOT new. This is how it has always been. It will not change. Embracing a sexually active homosexual lifestyle is NOT permitted. The fact is, Cardinal Dolan, standing as the Grand Marshall of the parade, will be giving credence to the lifestyle of the "gay agenda". It will appear that the LBGTQ lifestyle is acceptable to the Catholic Church. It is NOT. End of story.
When you are a "parent' there are times you MUST stand firm and say to your children "NO!" Cardinal Dolan is the spiritual parent of the Catholics in the New York Archdiocese. In addition, his name recognition is worldwide. He must teach, guide, nurture, and protect his children, especially from the forces of secularism. He also must stand tall and set an example for everyone beyond his diocesan borders. As a parent I know that often times saying "NO!" is hard to do. But it comes with the territory and you are obliged to do so or you are failing in your responsibility. Right now I, too, am very disappointed in Timothy Cardinal Dolan. I am praying that before the parade in March he clarifies his stance and explains Catholic church teaching to all concerned.
When you are a "parent' there are times you MUST stand firm and say to your children "NO!" Cardinal Dolan is the spiritual parent of the Catholics in the New York Archdiocese. In addition, his name recognition is worldwide. He must teach, guide, nurture, and protect his children, especially from the forces of secularism. He also must stand tall and set an example for everyone beyond his diocesan borders. As a parent I know that often times saying "NO!" is hard to do. But it comes with the territory and you are obliged to do so or you are failing in your responsibility. Right now I, too, am very disappointed in Timothy Cardinal Dolan. I am praying that before the parade in March he clarifies his stance and explains Catholic church teaching to all concerned.
September 4, 2014
Salem Matti Kourk: Hated and Murdered by ISIS; Loved by God and God's Mom
IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
by Larry Peterson
I guess there is nothing like the shocking beheading of a live, innocent, helpless person by gutless, yellow-bellied devil lovers dressed in black pajamas to garner world attention. The high-profile, barbaric murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff have done just that. Their murders have been emblazoned across the print headlines and media air waves giving Satan's favorite "crew", ISIS, the publicity it sought.
James Foley and Steven Sotloff have been introduced to all of us as individuals. We saw their photos, we learned about their background and their families. They could have been any one of us. It became personal for us and we can feel some of the horror and pain these young men must have felt as death approached them. Yet so many thousands have been murdered in this modern day genocide. We recoil at the numbers but the individuality of all those executed evades us. The Holocaust claiming six million Jews is not the same as hearing the story of Anne Frank or Maximilian Kolbe.
Anne was a youngster we could relate to because, like all of us, she had a name, a family, siblings, a home, ambitions and desires. Plus, she left behind that most famous diary. We can identify with her because she was not just a statistic, she was a real person, the same as James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Maximilian Kolbe was a Catholic priest who offered his own life so that a Jewish husband and father might live. His request was granted and the Nazis starved him to death. We can be inspired by the courage and selflessness of such individual acts of brotherly love. Maximilian Kolbe was canonized a saint on October 10, 1982 by Pope John Paul II. And only last April, Father Frans Van der Lugt, a Catholic priest who had worked in Syria for 50 years, was dragged from his church by agents of ISIS. They beat him unmercifully and then shot him in the head twice. Father Van der Lugt was 75 years old. Three died because of their love of God and two died because they were Americans.
There are so many thousands that have been brutally executed by the ISIS maniacs. So many whose names we shall never know or hear. So many who were brutally tortured and murdered because of their Christian faith. So here is one of those with a name, a person we can identify with. He was not famous or well known. He was, for the most part, just like the rest of us, unknown. His name was Salem Matti Kourk. He was 43 years old and was an Orthodox Christian.
In early August, the Islamist State "Christian haters", aka ISIS or ISIL, had taken control of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Thirteen miles east of Mosul is the town of Bartella. ISIS had also secured that town. We are well aware of how Mosul, the oldest Christian city in the world, has been overrun and how the city's ancient churches were destroyed while almost the entire Christian population had either fled or been killed. Over in Bartella similar atrocities were taking place. Salem Matti Kourk, a Syrian Christian, had a heart condition. He could not flee with his family and friends because of his disability. So they stockpiled food and drink and other supplies for him and he remained behind, hiding out in an abandoned apartment. The days came and went.
Three weeks later the food and water had run out. Salem became a bit desperate and eventually decided to leave his hiding place in search of food and water. Sick and weakened, he did not get far. ISIS "swine" discovered him near the Church of the Virgin Mary. They demanded he renounce Christianity and accept Islam. They screamed at him and kicked him and bludgeoned him with clubs and rifle butts. The kept at it until Salem's battered body could not withstand anymore.
Salem gave up his spirit and his body rolled over dead. The Satan "lovers" left him in front of the church and walked away laughing. Salem Matti Kourk had died a martyr's death. He was alone, terrified, and surrounded by thugs that hated him. Yet, through it all, he refused to renounce his belief in Jesus. But maybe, just maybe, he was not alone.
I like to think that being in front of the Church of the Virgin Mary, our dearest Mother stood nearby waiting for him. I like to think he saw her waiting. I have a profound feeling Salem walked away from that place with his Mother's arm around his shoulder. I can see her leaning over and kissing his battered forehead. Salem was smiling. He will smile for all eternity.
by Larry Peterson
I guess there is nothing like the shocking beheading of a live, innocent, helpless person by gutless, yellow-bellied devil lovers dressed in black pajamas to garner world attention. The high-profile, barbaric murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff have done just that. Their murders have been emblazoned across the print headlines and media air waves giving Satan's favorite "crew", ISIS, the publicity it sought.
James Foley and Steven Sotloff have been introduced to all of us as individuals. We saw their photos, we learned about their background and their families. They could have been any one of us. It became personal for us and we can feel some of the horror and pain these young men must have felt as death approached them. Yet so many thousands have been murdered in this modern day genocide. We recoil at the numbers but the individuality of all those executed evades us. The Holocaust claiming six million Jews is not the same as hearing the story of Anne Frank or Maximilian Kolbe.
Anne was a youngster we could relate to because, like all of us, she had a name, a family, siblings, a home, ambitions and desires. Plus, she left behind that most famous diary. We can identify with her because she was not just a statistic, she was a real person, the same as James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Maximilian Kolbe was a Catholic priest who offered his own life so that a Jewish husband and father might live. His request was granted and the Nazis starved him to death. We can be inspired by the courage and selflessness of such individual acts of brotherly love. Maximilian Kolbe was canonized a saint on October 10, 1982 by Pope John Paul II. And only last April, Father Frans Van der Lugt, a Catholic priest who had worked in Syria for 50 years, was dragged from his church by agents of ISIS. They beat him unmercifully and then shot him in the head twice. Father Van der Lugt was 75 years old. Three died because of their love of God and two died because they were Americans.
There are so many thousands that have been brutally executed by the ISIS maniacs. So many whose names we shall never know or hear. So many who were brutally tortured and murdered because of their Christian faith. So here is one of those with a name, a person we can identify with. He was not famous or well known. He was, for the most part, just like the rest of us, unknown. His name was Salem Matti Kourk. He was 43 years old and was an Orthodox Christian.
In early August, the Islamist State "Christian haters", aka ISIS or ISIL, had taken control of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Thirteen miles east of Mosul is the town of Bartella. ISIS had also secured that town. We are well aware of how Mosul, the oldest Christian city in the world, has been overrun and how the city's ancient churches were destroyed while almost the entire Christian population had either fled or been killed. Over in Bartella similar atrocities were taking place. Salem Matti Kourk, a Syrian Christian, had a heart condition. He could not flee with his family and friends because of his disability. So they stockpiled food and drink and other supplies for him and he remained behind, hiding out in an abandoned apartment. The days came and went.
Three weeks later the food and water had run out. Salem became a bit desperate and eventually decided to leave his hiding place in search of food and water. Sick and weakened, he did not get far. ISIS "swine" discovered him near the Church of the Virgin Mary. They demanded he renounce Christianity and accept Islam. They screamed at him and kicked him and bludgeoned him with clubs and rifle butts. The kept at it until Salem's battered body could not withstand anymore.
Salem gave up his spirit and his body rolled over dead. The Satan "lovers" left him in front of the church and walked away laughing. Salem Matti Kourk had died a martyr's death. He was alone, terrified, and surrounded by thugs that hated him. Yet, through it all, he refused to renounce his belief in Jesus. But maybe, just maybe, he was not alone.
I like to think that being in front of the Church of the Virgin Mary, our dearest Mother stood nearby waiting for him. I like to think he saw her waiting. I have a profound feeling Salem walked away from that place with his Mother's arm around his shoulder. I can see her leaning over and kissing his battered forehead. Salem was smiling. He will smile for all eternity.
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