Podcast 12: My Walk of Faith - Christ the King

My Walk of Faith - Christ the King

I believe I was put here on this earth to love and to serve God. During my childhood years, I didn’t know what that looked like. My childhood years were carefree, as perhaps your younger days were. My parents were not really religious during my very early years. My mom did start taking me to a Baptist Church when I was four or five years old, as she was also exploring ways to become closer to God. I remember that I did not like going to church and especially going to Sunday school or vacation Bible school.

I was exposed to the harsh realities of this world many times during my childhood. I saw crime. I experienced relatives fighting with each other. I saw and felt how alcohol could easily destroy a person or a family.

The influences of the world and those around me led me to fall into a lifestyle of lying and cheating soon after our family relocated to a much smaller city in the midwest. I couldn’t seem to break free from lying to my parents. If I had the opportunity to lie to them, I usually took that road. It was very hard to break free from something like that.

My life began to change direction thanks to Jesus working through my mom’s sister and her husband. I remember them often having discussions, sometimes heated, about Christianity. My aunt and uncle were Catholic. They were encouraging my mom to seriously consider the Catholic faith. I was in fourth grade. My mom was still searching for the right “church” to belong to. Thanks be to God, my mom started to really take to what my aunt and uncle were telling her. I am so thankful for them for being brave and bold enough to risk losing the love of their family member in order to bring the Good News of Jesus and his Church to my mom.

One thing quickly led into another. Before long, my brothers and I were soon taking private instruction lessons in the Catholic Faith. We were baptized after our period of learning, and I finally had the Grace of God within me. I was certainly a child of God. My sins, although childlike, were washed away with my baptism through the shedding of the blood of Jesus. I remember feeling that my lifestyle of lying and cheating were now washed away from my way of life and way of thinking. Thank you also needs to be given out to my guardian angel.

As often happens, my faith slipped towards the end of my high school years and into college. Staying out late, going to parties, and having a circle of friends that weren’t interested in my soul, slowly led me further away for Jesus and his Church.

Fast forward twenty years. I was lucky if I was going to Mass once every 4-6 weeks. I certainly was not showing that Christ was my king. I am sure that my fall from grace all started when I did not go to confession during my confirmation in tenth grade. I know that the seal of the Holy Spirit did not fully take effect, because of my stubborn attitude towards thinking I was in control.

In steps my mom in her loving and always caring manner. I know she had been praying for me for many years. It was around the year 2000 when my mom mentioned to me that she had found a Catholic radio station in our northern California city. She suggested a few times that I should listen to Immaculate Heart Radio on my commute to and from work.
I finally tuned in and soon went to confession for the first time since before my confirmation... What a tremendous blessing that was. To confess my sins to Jesus, through Father Walsch, have my sins of the last twenty years washed away, and to finally receive the seal and grace that I missed at my confirmation was life-altering.

I was truly transformed. Since that Saturday which was the feast of Corpus Christi, (Body and Blood of Christ) I now yearn to go to Mass each week or more often. The great gift of being able to physically and spiritually receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is really mind-blowing. The Mass itself is such a gift that has been handed down by the Apostles and the early Church fathers. I truly desire to have Christ be my KING.

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Podcast 11: The Catholic Church - Jesus Gives the Keys to Peter

CATECHISM - LESSON 11: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

At the end of our last lesson about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we asked the questions: What church did Jesus start and is that church still with us today?

In this lesson, we will find out what a church is. We will also find out if Jesus started a church. Today, there are many Christian denominations or Christian traditions. To be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ Jesus. Many experts say that there are more than 30,000 different Christian denominations throughout the world today.

Do we really need a church or 30.000 churches in our world? 

Here are some questions for you to think about while you read through this lesson.

What do we call the sheepfold of Christ?
How does our Lord help his sheep?
Why did our Lord choose twelve apostles?
Which apostle did Jesus pick to be the leader of the apostles?
Who takes our Lord's place, today, as the shepherd of the Church?

In the Apostles Creed that we've been learning about, we say: “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church." 

Let's read something from the Holy Bible to see if we really should be believing in the Catholic Church, or any church for that matter.

Here is a reading from the Gospel of St John, chapter 10: 1-11.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus is telling us in this reading, in order for us to be saved from going to hell after we die, we need to follow him. He also said that he is the gate, and that whoever enters through him will be saved. When shepherds are in the field with their sheep, they often have a gate they open to let the sheep go into a place of safety. Jesus is telling us that we can enter that safe place by going through him. He is the gate and our Good Shepherd. Christ will teach his sheep, feed his sheep, heal his sheep’s wounds, and guide his sheep to heaven. Who are the sheep of Christ? That's right, you and I are his sheep.

Here's another reading from St. John chapter 21: 15-17

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Here we read about Jesus and Peter talking with one another. Peter tells Jesus that he loves him three different times. Jesus tells Peter to take care of and to feed his sheep three different times. Did you catch that? Jesus told Peter to take care of his sheep? He didn’t give that specific direction to any of the other apostles, only to Peter. Jesus really did start a church while he was here on earth. He picked a group of twelve men to help him with his church. These twelve men were called his apostles.

In St. Mark's gospel we read the following:

Jesus told His apostles to go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” “Whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Jesus was talking to his apostles and was telling them to go to all areas of the world to teach all the people. He told them to preach what he had taught them. He also taught them to baptize everyone that they could. The Church of Jesus is a group of people who believe in him, believe and follow all the truths that he taught, and are baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. You might be wondering why Jesus would start a church. His main reasons were so that we could follow his teachings, and be able to make it to heaven one day.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear Jesus asking his disciples a very important question.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Peter was one of the apostles of Jesus. We read in that reading that Jesus selected Peter to be the first leader of his Church. The rest of the apostles were known as the bishops of the Church. Jesus had already told the apostles to go out to the whole world to spread his Church. Now, he has selected a leader for that one Church. The apostles, or bishops of the Church, were given the power from Jesus to be the rulers and the leaders of his Church. The bishops selected priests and deacons to help bring the message of Jesus to even more people. As more churches started around the world, there was a need for more bishops and priests.
The Church has had a leader continuously since Jesus gave the keys of the Church to St. Peter nearly two thousand years ago. After St. Peter was crucified, the bishops chose the next leader. Every time since then, when the leader of the Church has died, the bishops have gathered together to choose a new leader under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We have always called the leader of Jesus Christ’s Church, the Pope. The word pope means papa or dad. The Pope is not just the leader of the Church, he is also our dad or father in the Church.

Let's read in the Bible when Jesus chose his apostles. This is from the Gospel of St. Luke chapter 6: 12-16

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

This is also from Luke when Jesus sent the apostles out into the world.

He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal [the sick].
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.


As you have read in the Bible and throughout this lesson, Jesus started his Church so that you and I can make it to heaven one day. He selected twelve of his disciples to be his apostles to lead his Church, to take his message to the whole world, and to baptize everyone who wanted to follow his teachings.
The apostles needed a leader after Jesus ascended to heaven, so Jesus picked Peter to be their first leader, the first pope. There was only one Church of Jesus back then, led by the Pope and the apostles and the bishops. That one Church is still here today, two thousand years later. That Church is still led by the Pope, The Vicar of Christ.

In our next lesson, we are going to get a little deeper into this. We will learn more about the Church that Jesus started.

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Podcast 10: The Virtues and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Catechism Lesson #10 -  The Virtues and Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  

Today we continue our lessons about the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In our last lesson we talked about the Holy Spirit and the grace that we receive from prayer, the Sacraments, and from the Holy Eucharist.  Today, we're going to talk about the Virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We all have problems or challenges that we have to deal with.  We may have issues with school,  homework, friends, family, and many other things in this world. The Holy Spirit is there to give you strength and to help you carry your cross.

Here are the questions that I would like you to think about during this lesson.

1. Who sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts?
2. What does He fill us with?
3. How does He teach us to love the Father?
4. How does the Holy Spirit change us?
5. What do we have to be willing to do in order for Him to be able to change you?

The Catholic Church leaders put together all the books of the Old Testament and the New Testament around 300 a.d..  They were guided by the Holy Spirit to choose all the books and only the books that make up the Holy Bible.  Some people actually think the Bible fell from the sky.  It was actually the Catholic Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that gave us the Holy Bible.

First Reading: Romans chapter 8: 14-17.

In our last lesson, I told you that one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit was wind or the Breath of God.  God has breathed his life into each one of us to make us his children.  I think it's great to be one of God's children.  That means that his home in heaven is now open to be our home.  Thankfully, we get to enjoy many of the great things here on Earth during our life.  There are many beautiful and wonderful things in this life.

There are also things that give us hurt and heartache.  Those things that are hard for us to deal with are called our crosses.   Just like Jesus had to carry that very heavy cross in Jerusalem, you and I have to carry our own crosses every day.  I know, your crosses can be very heavy to carry at times.  The holy spirit is right there to help you deal with your cross and to help you carry your cross.  If you carry your cross and are having a hard time with one of your crosses, take a minute to pray to the Holy Spirit for some extra strength and more faith.  He will give you extra strength. When Jesus carried his cross, it was the most beautiful act of love anyone could ever do for you or me.  We can also carry our crosses with love for those in our life.

The powers of the Holy Spirit will make your soul stronger.  They are like muscles in your soul. The main three powers that we get from the Holy Spirit are faith, hope, and charity.  These are called the Three Virtues.  God also gave us seven special gifts that we call  the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are indeed very special.  We were given the three virtues and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit when we were baptized.  That's also when we received sanctifying Grace.  

Faith is the virtue that we are given that allows us to believe the word of God and everything that he has revealed to us directly, through scripture, and through the Church.

Hope is the second virtue.  Hope simply means that you can always trust God to care for you and all your needs.  Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed, but hope is always with you.  You just have to remember to call on it to help you. Please always keep hope.

Charity is the third virtue.  Charity is the love of God that you give  from your heart to another person, especially when they really need your help.

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit will help you live a better life, and a more holy life.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are:  wisdom,  understanding,  counsel,  fortitude,  knowledge,  piety,  and fear of the Lord.  

Wisdom is the gift of the Holy Spirit that helps you make good judgments about what God wants for you, instead of what the evil in the world wants to give to you.

Understanding is the gift that will allow you to see more clearly the mysteries of our faith.  If you see and understand our faith better, you will be able to live a more holy life.

Council is the gift of the Holy Spirit that is like getting advice from God.

Fortitude is another great gift.  It will allow you to love God, no matter what obstacles or barriers are put in your way.

Knowledge is the gift that you are given that helps you see the beauty of God In all creatures, and to give God praise for all of those creatures.  Knowledge also helps you desire  God more than anything else.

Piety is a wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit.  Piety allows you to love and give reverence to God as your Father.  It also helps you to see and love everyone you know as children of God and brothers of Christ.

Fear of the Lord sounds bad, but it is actually a very good gift to have.  The Holy Spirit gives us this gift to help us to have great love for our Lord, so that we will never, ever want to do anything to hurt him.

Read from the Bible Galatians 5: 16-25

Here are some questions to test your new knowledge.

Do faith, hope, and charity come from the Holy Spirit?______________
Is fear the Lord a virtue?______________
Is Charity the love of God and our neighbor?_______________
Does Hope make us believe all that God has revealed?______________
By faith, do we believe only what we want to believe?___________
Who gave us the three virtues?____________
What is the virtue that helps you and I  believe in God?_____________
What is the virtue that allows us to trust in God?____________
The Virtue that helps us to love God and our neighbor is called?________________
How many gifts of the holy spirit are there?______________

Answers

1. Yes,  These are the three main virtues that we get from the Holy Spirit, along with sanctifying grace, at our baptism.
2.  No,  Fear the lord is one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The three virtues are also gifts but, the three virtues are faith, hope, and charity.
3.  Yes,  This is the gift that you are given that allows you to truly love God and also to love your neighbors as brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. No,  Hope is a virtue that you're given to help you trust in God, and to take care of you and all your needs.
5. No,  You can't choose what's true or not, just like you can’t change 2 + 2 from equaling 4 to make it equal 6.  Faith is a virtue to help you believe all that God has revealed, and taught to us by Jesus.
6. The Holy Spirit gave us the three virtues when we were baptized.
7. Faith.  This is the very important virtue that helps you and I believe in God and what he has taught us.
8. The virtue of Hope.  I hope you never lose Hope.  I know the Holy Spirit will not let you lose hope as long as you remain in a State of Grace.  Remember, being in the State of Grace is when you haven't committed any mortal sins that you haven't confessed to a priest.  If you commit a mortal sin make sure you go to confession as soon as possible so you get back into the State of Grace.
9. Charity.   Charity is not just giving something  to someone.  It's actually loving them the way you think Jesus would love them if he was here.
10. Seven.  Great job,  there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

Our next lesson will be about the first church that Jesus started.  We are  going to find out what that church was, and if it is still here today, 2000 years after Jesus died. 

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Podcast: 9- The Holy Spirit and Grace

"I believe in the Holy Spirit...

"Now on the last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, From within him there shall flow rivers of living water.'  He said this, however, of the Spirit, Whom they who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified"
(John 7, 37-39)

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.  Jesus sent him to us so that we may have the living water of the Holy Spirit to nourish our soul.  

Symbols of the Holy Spirt:  (1) the dove, a symbol of love; (2) tongues of fire, also symbols of love; (3) the wind, the "breath of God," a symbol of the unseen power of love.

Read about the Holy Spirit in these Bible readings:

Acts 1, 1-12 

Acts 2, 1-8, 38-47

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The Will of the Father

Today's Verse

"This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

John 6:40 

Podcast: 8- The Redemption

"I believe ... in Jesus Christ ... Who ... suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead ... "

Jesus came into this world to show us how to love.  He wanted to give His life for us.  Jesus went to Jerusalem to die for us.  Jesus died for our sins and rose so that we might rise too.  This is the Redemption. 

We are the sheep, and Jesus is the Lamb of God.  Our sins are washed away by the blood of the Lamb of God. 

 

Read about the sufferings and death of Our Lord in these readings:

Matthew 26 and Matthew 27

Mark 14 and Mark 15

Luke 22 and Luke 23

John 18 and John 19

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All Saints Day - November 1, 2018

Today is the Feast Day of All Saints. It is a celebration day and a Holy Day of obligation.

 Listen to Relevant Radio today for an all day feast and celebration of the saints in Heaven.

Programming today will focus on the life of these saints:

Morning Air

St. Faustina

St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta

The Patrick Madrid Show

Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Junipero Serra

St. Maria Goretti

St. John Bosco

North American Martyrs

St. Peter Damian

The Inner Life

St. John Vianney

St. Josemaria Escriva

Go Ask Your Father

St. Damien of Molokai

St. Thomas More

Sts. Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Father Simon Says

St. Ignatius

St. Polycarp of Smyrna

The Drew Mariani Show

St. Padre Pio

St. Joseph

St. Kateri Tekawitha

St. Andre Besette

A Closer Look

St. John Paul II

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Joseph's Workshop

St. Joseph

St. Maximillian Kolbe

If you miss any of the live shows on Relevant Radio, you can go back to the website Relevant Radio to listen to the specific show's podcast