In the next issue - September/October 2015 Signs and WondersIn the next issue - September/October 2015 Signs and Wonders July/August 2015 Faith is a Gift and a Choice Signs and Wonders

In the next issue - September/October 2015

Signs and Wonders

Faith is a Gift and a Choice Signs and Wonders of the Sacraments The Spiritual Gifts

July/August 2015

Why not give the Bread of Life as a gift to your friends, to your children, parents, in-laws, to your relatives, or your church prayer group. Because the Bread of Life is:

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Connect with us at the BreadofLife.ca

In the next issue - September/October 2015

Signs and Wonders

Faith is a Gift and a Choice Signs and Wonders of the Sacraments The Spiritual Gifts

July/August 2015

Why not give the Bread of Life as a gift to your friends, to your children, parents, in-laws, to your relatives, or your church prayer group. Because the Bread of Life is:

Uniquely Canadian • Uniquely Catholic Renewal Uniquely Prophetic Teaching

Thank you for spreading the word about the Bread of Life Magazine


Connect with us at the BreadofLife.ca

Teaching, Leading, Guiding

The Bread of Life Ministryis about...

The Bread of Life Ministryis about...

Rev. Dr. Peter B. Coughlin

What is Truth?

EDITORIAL

Jesus was asked this question by Pilate. Do we recognize that Jesus is the Truth and that we must live in the Truth and speak the Truth in love? Jesus proclaims that he “has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37). Christians are to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from the Gospel. We do this by passing on the faith in words and deeds. All Christians living in right relationship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit give by the example of their lives and the witness of what they say, evidence of the new man which they have put on by baptism, and they reveal the presence and power of the Spirit, by the way they live. Jesus’ disciples live in truth, in the simplicity of a life lived in conformity with the example of the Lord. “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth” (1 JN 1:6).

To know truth is to see from God’s perspective, not our own, unless our perspective matches that of the Lord. Very often we see only part of the Truth. For example, if we looked at a beach ball, one person would see red and yellow, another blue and green, another orange and black. We often only recognize part of the truth, but if we see the beach ball from God’s perspective, we see all the colours. We need to be both receptive and attentive to the Lord;

receptive to all that the Lord wants to reveal to our inner being, that it may be integrated within to be part of all we do and say; attentive to recognize what the Lord is doing or communicating to us, so that we may be responsive to his presence and revelation. The question we need to ask in any situation or circumstance is: “Where is the Lord in this?” As we recognize the Lord’s presence or direction we are able to respond in the truth of our circumstances.

Jesus is the Truth. He has a plan for our life, for our welfare and blessing. As we choose to live in the light and not in darkness, as we turn from sin and walk in the Lord’s grace, we become true disciples of Jesus and discover the great freedom he gives us. We speak his words with love and come to know more and more clearly revealed truths, the truths of faith, the truth worth living for, the truth worth dying for: Jesus, the Son of God who laid down his life for our freedom and salvation. Jesus is the fullness of Truth who calls us to live in truth and freedom.

COUGHLIN, Rev. Dr. Peter B., Editor of The Bread of Life magazine, has a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Founda-tion. Currently he is Chaplain at St Joseph’s Mother House in Dundas, Ontario. He contin-ues to serve the renewal of the Church through the Charismatic Renewal and the ministry of healing.

Teaching about the Holy Spirit’s presence, power, gifts and heal-ing actions in our daily

lives. Leading us to renew our lives and commit them to following the example of Jesus Christ our Lord. Guiding us to live our daily lives with the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit to free ourselves and lead

o the r s to H im. We accomplish our goal by communicating in all media to spread His Word to ever yone everywhere.

Teaching about the Holy Spirit’s presence,

power, gifts and healing actions in our daily lives. Leading us to renew our lives and commit them to

following the example of Jesus Christ our Lord. Guiding us to live our daily lives with the grace and

gifts of the Holy Spirit to free ourselves and

lead others to Him. We accomplish our goal by communicating in all media to spread

His Word to everyone everywhere.

Teaching about the Holy Spirit’s presence,

power, gifts and healing actions in our daily lives. Leading us to renew our lives and commit them to

following the example of Jesus Christ our Lord. Guiding us to live our daily lives with the grace and

gifts of the Holy Spirit to free ourselves and

lead others to Him. We accomplish our goal by communicating in all media to spread

His Word to everyone everywhere.

Page 1 July • August 2015

PublisherC.C.S.O. Bread of Life Renewal Centre Inc.Editor-In-ChiefRev. Dr. Peter Coughlin D. Min.Managing EditorMary Evans

Editorial StaffFr. Robert Hétu Andrew RimkusMargaret SchnarrMiriam WrightJennifer CauchiLisa RadiceTim WhitnellKathleen WhitnellTracy TaitSean JohnsonStephen JohnsonJim RutaCopy Editing & TypesettingMary EvansBook Review EditorElaine Balestrini-VizardBook Reviews Elaine Balestrini-Vizard

Illustration and Photographywww.dreamstime.comwww.christiansunite.comwww.christianphotos.netwww.companionsofthecross.orgCover Design

Andrew Rimkus

PoetryFrances Killen

Regular ContributorsSue AtkinsonCharles BartonDoreen JuurlinkFr. Frank PavoneLorraine ShonamanPat RileyDeacon Victor Frank VereMiriam Wright

CREDITS

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Our Mission is to promote a deeper understanding of the Holy Sprit and His presence in the lives of God’s people.

Feature Articles

3 Who is Jesus?

Fr. Robert Hétu

6 An Authentic Prophet

Lisa Radice

10 Words of Blessing

Regina Rolph

21 Speak Words With Love

Kathleen Whitnell

26 Truth in the Shade Don DeMarco 29 The Power of the Spoken Word Tim Whitnell

33 Sins of the Tongue

Cory Yakimovich

Cover Design by: Andrew Rimkus

Speak theTruth


Regular Articles Editorial Rev. Dr. Peter B. Coughlin What is Truth?12 Life in the Spirit Rev. Dr. Peter B Coughlin Forming the Mind15 The New Evangelization Miriam Wright Do Tell All18 Faithbook Christine Manuel Telling Lies - White, Grey or Even Black24 Just for Kids Charles Barton Ambassadors of the King32 The Olive Garden Doreen Juurlink Speak the Truth35 Leadership Corner Lorraine Shonaman A Servant to All38 Scripture Unpacked Eileen McCallion 39 Culture of Life Fr. Frank Pavone The Spirit of Truth 41 Another Perspective Deacon Victor Frank Vere God Calling...44 Book Reviews Elaine Balestrini-Vizard Encounter Jesus - From Discovery to Discipleship Inspired - The Powerful Presence of the Holy spirit

Magazine Layout, Design & PrintingAve Maria Press, Etobicoke, Ontario

Board of DirectorsBrian Bolt, PresidentDenise ClementsGeoffrey CauchiJohn CunhaRev. Dr. Peter Coughlin D. Min.Jim RutaRudolph SequeiraPaulina PaplinskiPeter Smith Myra Jumeau

AdministrationMary Evans


Who is Jesus? If we read the Gospel according to John with an open heart and an open mind, we will discover the saving answer. The Gospel according to John of-fers us seven ‘I am’ statements. These declarations give us a very clear picture of who Jesus says he is. It is no coincidence that John records seven statements because ‘seven’ is traditionally considered the perfect number or the number of perfection (John also records seven miracles of Jesus).In John 6:35, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life.’”In John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.’”In John 10:7, "Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep."In John 10:11, "Jesus said, "I' am the good shepherd.'"In John 11:25, Jesus said to Mar-tha, "I am the resurrection and the life."In John 14:6, Jesus said to Thom-as, "I am the way and the truth and the life."And finally, in John 15:1, Jesus said, "I am the true vine."

FEATURE

Fr. Robert Hétu

Who is Jesus?

Just in case we might have missed his message, John makes even clearer ‘who Jesus is’ by re-cording his volatile encounter with the Jewish authorities. In the story (John 8:52-59) the Jews asked Jesus, “You are not yet fif-ty years old and have you seen Abraham?” (vs. 57). Jesus calmly and without hesitation declares to them in a clear and concise man-ner that even they could not miss, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (vs. 58). The crowd’s response was

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to try to stone him because he was claiming to be equal to God. (Some scripture scholars consider this an eighth: ‘I am’ statement.)

Let us consider each ‘I am’ statement individually.The Bread of Life

Jesus had recently fed five thousand people. Sadly some were still asking for a miraculous sign to help them believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be. His lis-teners brought up the story of the manna that their forefathers had eaten in the wilderness (Exodus 16:13-18). Jesus reminded his lis-teners (and all of us) that he is the true food that nourishes us for our journey into eternal life. In Jesus, the bread of life our spiritual hun-ger is satisfied and our spiritual thirst is quenched.The Light of the World

Jesus reminds us that those who join Jesus and follow him will not be ignorant of spiritual mat-ters but will be enlightened and have the power of understanding, especially of the spiritual truths, that bring eternal life. When we take the time to learn and apply these truths, in faith, we discover that the old saying is true. “What-ever the spiritual question, Jesus is the answer.”The Gate

This is a reference to the King-dom and recalls the words of Psalm 23:2a, “He makes me lie down in green pasture.” Salva-tion is found through Jesus. He is the gate to the Kingdom and no one can enter except through him (John 3:3, John 14:6). Having en-

tered through Jesus, we will have the freedom to come and go as we please, dwelling in a state of peace in the midst of plenty. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long” (Psalm 23:6).The Good Shepherd

Nobody expects sheep to be responsible for themselves. Own-ers usually hire shepherds for that purpose. The job of a shepherd is to accept responsibility for the safety and well-being of the flock. Most shepherds only take that to a certain point, rightly deciding that their life is worth more than that of a sheep. A few might be willing to risk their lives to protect their sheep, however, Jesus the good shepherd knowingly and freely died to save us because that is how much he loves us.The Resurrection and the Life

The Lord had already said that whoever believes in him would not perish but would have eter-nal life (John 3:16). Here Jesus provided more detail, saying that even though believers experience physical death, they will still have life. Jesus was referring to the res-urrection of those who die in faith. Once again Jesus confirmed that the single qualification for eternal life is to believe that his death on the cross and his resurrection paid the full price for our sins.The Way, the Truth, and the Life

There is no other way into the presence of God than by accept-ing the Lord’s death as payment in


full for our sins. Jesus is the only remedy the Father has provided for us to destroy and conquer our sins. Jesus is the only way to the Father. This is the truth of God’s word and our invitation to eternal life. We are called to follow in his footsteps.The True Vine

It is important to understand that salvation is not a fruit-bear-ing event, so in this statement Jesus was talking about our life-long faith journey. Believers are not automatically fruitful. Yet, if we yield our life to the Lord (Ro-mans 12:1-2) and respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has sent to guide us (John 14:26), we can bear much fruit. Alone our lives will be unfruitful, because without Jesus we can do nothing of spiritual value. Fruit-fulness is not a matter of success or failure from an earthly stand-point. It is a matter, however, of intention, service and love. Only those things that are prompted by the Holy Spirit and where our only motive is gratitude for all we have been given, will be fruitful.

Who is Jesus? Jesus is the bread of life—our food for the journey. Jesus is the light of the world—a guide for our path. Je-sus is the gate—the all inviting open door for us to enter. Jesus is the good shepherd—our constant source of comfort and security. Jesus is the resurrection and the life—through his resurrection we can share in eternal life. Jesus is the truth, the way and the life—our source of truth and our way

to eternal life, Jesus is the true vine—as fruitful branches solidly connected to the vine we will be cared for by our heavenly Father the vine grower.

Who is Jesus? Following the great example of St. Thomas the Apostle may we declare with deep faith and conviction the truth that Jesus is: “My [our] Lord and my [our] God!” (John 20:28).

HÉTU, Fr. Robert is Pastor of St. Joseph, Patron of Canada parish in Acton, Ontario. He has published his first book of poetry entitled, The Blood of His Love, and he is a member of the Editorial Committee of The Bread of Life magazine.


An Authentic Prophet

FEATURE

Lisa Radice

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Scripture warns us that there will be false prophets appearing in sheep’s clothing who will perform signs and wonders to deceive the elect (Mat 7:15, Mk 13:22). And that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).

Distinguishing between a false prophet and an authentic one is not easy. We need to know the word of God and be discerning believers who are attentive to the messages we are receiving. We cannot blind-ly accept everything that is spoken to us. Or worse accept something because it is personally pleasing to what we want.

So how do we tell the difference between a false prophet and an au-thentic prophet?

By their FruitIn his book, Understanding the

Charismatic Gifts, Fr. Peter says of a prophet, “It is important to exam-ine a person’s personal life in this regard- their relationship with God and conformity of life to his stan-dards” (1 Cor 14:31). Jesus warns us: “By their fruit you will recog-nize them…Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree

bears bad fruit” (Mat 7:16-17).

The Life Application Bible ex-plains these are people who seem religious but are motivated by mon-ey, fame and power. They glorify themselves. So observe such people carefully, keep watch of their ac-tions, words and deeds.

Instead of drawing one closer to Jesus, a false prophet might direct people back to themselves. Jesus may use them for healing, however, our relationship with Jesus is to grow stronger not our reliance on one individual who seems to have some “special connection” to Jesus. “For these things lure the people away from dependence on God, causing them to turn to demons in-


stead in their seeking after hidden things which are forbidden" (Deu-teronomy 29:29).

Are we getting ahead of ourselves to seek answers or ‘fortune tell' the future before God reveals it? What is faith then? In this context, we remember to attribute blessings as ultimately coming through grace and God’s infinite love for us, not our own, or someone else’s effort (Ephesians 2:8).

Test Everything"A prophet was not only to fore-

tell the future as revealed to them by God, but to call people into obe-dient relationship with him" (Deu-teronomy 29:29).

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that con-fesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world" (1 John 4:1-3).

If someone claims the name of Jesus or what God says, it is still important to confirm that what they acclaim about God is correct in the context of the Trinity and the true Lord Jesus Christ. I once went to a Christian church that proclaimed the word of God very prophetically and accurately, however, they called

the wafer and juice that they served once a month “the body of Christ.” This by no means was the body of Christ, the sacrament that we re-ceive at Holy Mass.

It is also beneficial to use dis-cernment when someone proclaims a prophecy over you. There have been times when something in my spirit warned me about an inaccu-rate prophecy. However, this was not confirmed until sometime later. Through this, I learned to listen to the Spirit carefully and pray when unsure.

DiscernmentOne of the cardinal virtues is pru-

dence. This can be compared to our conscience in which we use discern-ment. We should ensure that our discernment is well tuned and con-firmed through God’s word, Godly counsel, and toward the common good. Discernment is a “heart atten-tive to what God is requiring and en-abling us to do.” It is important for us to exercise discernment and de-velop this gift which is within us so that we are able to determine truth from falsehood. If someone else is providing you with all the answers, how does this grow your personal discernment?

Remember who the ultimate authority is; God and his Spirit is within us so if someone tells you to do something regardless of their po-sition or a claim they make, if your conscience is telling you otherwise, God could be trying to warn you about something. Further prayer


Lisa Radice was born and raised in Oakville. She is a Catholic educator within the Halton Region. She has a great appreciation for the Charismatic Catholic Community which she has been a part of for 8 years.

1. Johanna Michaelsen, The Beautiful Side of Evil, (Har-vest House Publishing, 1982), p. 196.

2 . Johanna Michaelsen, The Beautiful Side of Evil, (Har-vest House Publishing, 1982), p. 196.

3. Richard Gula, Reason Informed by Faith, (Paulist Press:1989), p. 321. Richard Gula, Reason Informed by Faith, (Paulist Press:1989), p. 321.

may be required.

The ability to discern between authentic and false prophet is not to make us hyper-vigilant but dis-cerning believers, firm in truth. Fr. James Lebar a former exorcist, claimed in the 1990’s that, occults are drawing people away from true faith. These come in the form of partial truths which lead people away by subtle notions. Jesus and St. Paul warned us about this. There are even many among us who say they are Catholics in good standing but agree with abortion, euthanasia, yoga and many other issues which are contrary to our faith. Therefore, “Be well balanced, be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring, seeking someone to seize upon and devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Quick tips:

1. Does it appeal to feelings? A false prophet measures feel-

ings and weakness as a means of praying, speaking, and minister-ing to you.

2. Does the message and mir-acle give glory and praise to Jesus Christ?

Sometimes a person may claim a healing in the name of Jesus but then keep you returning to them for prayer rather than empower-ing you to grow in your personal relationship with God.

3. Does the message resonate with what God is telling you through your discernment?

It is important to take time to discern and then seek Godly counsel, if confirmation is need-ed, rather than seeking confir-mation or prophecies that are in tune with what you want. Keep a healthy detachment from per-sonal desires.

4. Did you accept a message as for you because someone says so?

A false prophet may use their position of authority to sway you to their thinking.

5. Does it go against your con-science?

No matter who tells you some-thing you need to use prudence through God’s Spirit within you. I say this because I have been told by people that something was right when in reality it was exactly the opposite. I was only able to discern this through deep prayer and sound spiritual ad-vice.


1.) "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but..."

� Every good and perfect gift, which cometh from above

� Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the prophets

� Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

� All crops and herbs and beasts of the field also have been given to you for food.

2.) The beginning words of all the preaching of Jesus were:

� Repent: for the Lord requires that you do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

� Repent: for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed.

� Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.� Repent: for the day of judgment is at hand.3.) When Jesus called Peter and Andrew his

brother, he said, "Follow me, and..."� let the dead bury their dead.� I will make you fishers of men. � whatever you ask the Father in my name, He

will do for you.� All the nations of the earth will arise to the

light of your dawning.4.) In the beatitudes, Jesus said, "Blessed

are the peacemakers, for..."� they shall be called the children of God.� theirs is the kingdom of heaven. � they shall obtain mercy.� they shall see God.5.) Jesus said that we shall not enter into the

kingdom of heaven unless...� there is a new song of praise in our hearts.� the whole tithe is brought to the storehouse. � our righteousness shall exceed the righteous-

ness of the scribes and Pharisees.� we forgive our debtors.

6.) "I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

� seek justice through the courts for� pray for � care for� show mercy to

7.) Jesus told us not to use repetitions, as the heathen do, for...

� their repetitions weary the ear of God.� their gods are not able to answer their

prayers. � they are making themselves hoarse from

their much speaking.� they think that they shall be heard for their

much speaking.8.) Jesus said, "For where your treasure is,

there..."� will your heart be also.� will also be moths and dust. � is also the thief waiting to kill and steal and

destroy.� is also need to bind the strong man.

9.) Jesus said, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet..."

� they are able to survive in the time of dearth.� your heavenly Father feedeth them. � they are able to migrate from nation to nation

for food.� they have food enough for themselves and

their young.10.) The last words that Jesus spoke on the

cross were:� It is finished.� Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. � Father forgive them, for they know not what

they do.� I thirst

This Quiz: Words of Jesus

Answers on page 40

Puzzle from www.christiansunite.com


FEATURE

Regina Rolph

Words of BlessingGod bless you. It means, May

God bring you good things. May you know God and experience His love, his blessing.

All of us can call down God’s blessing on another. And perhaps we can take a look to see if we do this enough in our daily lives. We remember the blessings that our priests give us, during Mass, as well as at other times. It is good to ask Father for his blessing. But, in addition, let us find occasions to bless one another.

Many people have done this in-stinctively for a long time. I think of parents blessing their children as they tuck them into bed. I think of our automatic reaction when someone sneezes. But there are other times we can “utilize” to extend God’s blessing to those around us.

In our scripture group, we have a prayer time before and after the study. At least once a year, we form a circle and trace a cross on the head of the person standing next to us. We use holy water and we speak a spontaneous blessing. Sometimes this is as brief as the sign of the cross, or saying, “May the Lord bless you.” One of the

participant’s has taught us the prayer she often uses, “I bless you in the name of the Father who cre-ated you, the Son who redeemed you and the Holy Spirit who lives within you.”

My son uses the children’s birthdays as a time to give a spe-cial blessing for the year ahead.

You know the little baby in mom’s arms next to you at Mass, why not trace a small cross on the baby’s forehead as your “kiss of peace?”

Another thing we can do is sub-stitute the word blessed for the word lucky. For a long time now, when I find myself saying that I am lucky because of a certain event, I stop and change it to blessed. Af-

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Regina Rolph - After a long time in Baltimore working for Catholic Relief Services, Regina Rolph is back in Canada, retired and living with her son, daughter-in-law and six grandchildren in a rural area outside of Ottawa. She thanks God for the training she received through the Charismatic Renewal and for God’s faithfulness through all the changes in her life.

ter a while, it has become automat-ic. My good fortune, and others, always comes from God, not from something as ephemeral as luck!

Blessings are universal and in-ternational. In old Russia, sons often went to their mother to ob-tain a blessing before beginning a journey or military service.

There has been a Quebec tradi-tion for many years. It takes place on New Year’s Day and has been known as “la bénédiction pater-nelle.” The father formally blesses each of his children at the start of the New Year. Even adult children used to travel home to receive this blessing.

From a website called, My Jewish Learning, I learned about blessings given by Jewish parents at the beginning of the Sabbath day.

“The words of the blessing are taken from the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26).

May God bless you and guard you. May God show you favor and be gracious to you. May God show you kindness and grant you peace.

The blessing is performed dif-ferently in every family. In some traditional homes, only the father blesses the children. In other fam-ilies, both parents give blessings--either together and in unison, or first one parent, followed by the other. In some homes the mother blesses the girls and the father blesses the boys.

Beyond the weekly blessing on Friday nights, many parents re-cite this blessing on special occa-sions, such as at a child’s naming ceremony, bar or bat mitzvah and wedding. Any important milestone in a child’s life, from the first day of school to birthdays, to the day they graduate high school or col-lege, can be appropriately marked with this blessing.”

And now for the famous Irish Blessing. “May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

When you think about this blessing, it covers so much in our lives. I like to picture the road rising up and making my journey easy and pleasant. As a city girl, I like to be reminded of the fields and the soft rain. The image of God holding me right in the palm of his hand, and someone loving me enough to wish that for me, are true consolations. So I take leave of you now, and ask that God will do all of that for you.


LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

Rev. Dr. Peter B. Coughlin

Forming the Mind The Word of God forms the

mind. The more we familiarize ourselves with Scripture and live it, the more our mind is trans-formed to think, speak and act with the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom is the order or plan with which God creates the world, and by which he continues to reg-ulate the world in its existence. Wisdom is the gracious gift God bestows on his people so that they can order their human lives by it, down to the most intimate and particular details. Wisdom tells us how to relate with others, how to bring up children, how to follow the Lord and learn his ways and how to have balance and right or-der in the various aspects of one’s life, such as temperance, pru-dence, modesty and discretion.

Wisdom helps us live in the greatest possible harmony with God and with all other human beings. By living the way of wis-dom in our lives we can achieve the greatest happiness for our-selves and the peace of Christ which passes all understanding, that peace with God from which all happiness comes. Indeed, the bible personifies Wisdom; and in

the New Testament we read that Jesus is the Wisdom of God. The Wisdom books of the Old Testa-ment tell us how wisdom is to be sought after and prayed for. There are beautiful descriptions of wisdom in the book of Wisdom. It is the wisdom of God found in the Word of God that forms our minds and leads us to make the right life decisions. But we need to know the mind and heart of God, his stance and outreach, that Scrip-ture reveals, so it is important to read, study, memorize and put into practice the ways of the Lord.

In the Pauline epistles, wisdom is a charismatic sharing in the wis-dom of God himself (1 Cor 12:8; Rom 11:33) and part of the neces-sary equipment of an apostle (Col 1:28). Christians must distinguish between this true wisdom and the false wisdom of the world (Col 2:23) using it to admonish their fellow Christians (Col 3:16) and to deal prudently with non-Chris-tians (Col 4:5). In 1 Cor 1:28-19, we read that true Christian wis-dom is Jesus Christ crucified.

Though the world regards this as folly, in reality it is the deceitful wisdom of the world that is folly to


God ( 1Cor 3:18).

We should put wisdom (Christ) first in our lives so that our minds can be formed according to God’s plan for our lives. Love is the first fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). They go together – wisdom in the un-derstanding and love in the heart. One does not acquire wisdom un-less one loves. The more one loves, the more wisdom is produced.

In 1 Corinthians, chapters 1 to 3, wisdom is mentioned twenty-four times, and always with a marked distinction between “wisdom of men” and the “wisdom of God.” Paul deliberately puts aside his own wisdom that he might be a channel for the supernatural wisdom of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:1-4). In Paul, the word of wisdom is the preaching of Christ and his cross and those things which God prepared for those who love him. This would be recognized as the kind of preaching in which our hearts burn within us.

In the Acts, the apostles give us a wonderful example of the word of wisdom in action. The twelve dealt with the daily problems of ministry in looking after the wid-ows and orphans by choosing sev-en men filled with the Holy Spirit and faith to minister while they themselves focused on prayer and the proclamation of the word (Ac 6:1-7). Their answer to the situa-tion shows that they were commit-ted to the highest spiritual princi-ples, while at the same time em-bracing what made perfect com-mon sense. The result was that the whole community was pleased

and edified and many were added to their numbers as a result.

The mind of God holds all the fruits of time and eternity. There are different kinds of wisdom. There is the normal human wis-dom which is naturally applied knowledge or sagacity. Such wis-dom, rightly used, can contribute much to human progress but it can also ponder to man’s pride. Thus the scripture says, “I will de-stroy the wisdom of the wise; and the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate” (1 Cor 1:19). There is this world’s supernatural wis-dom. This was one basis for the first temptation when Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was “de-sirable for gaining wisdom” and “took some and ate it” (Gen 3:6). Such wisdom was expressly for-bidden by God.

There is the spiritual wisdom, such as is exemplified by the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, indeed throughout the pages of the bible, and we are told to seek to acquire this kind of wisdom. Ultimately, Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24). Scripture says that “if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God…and it will be given to him” (Jam 1:5). The Co-lossian Christians were prayed for by Paul that they would be filled “with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:9).

There is also the charism of the word of wisdom – which is the sudden, amazing giving of wisdom to meet a given situation, answer a particular question or to be able to


utilize a particular piece of knowl-edge, whether natural or super-natural.

Solomon prayed, “Give your servant therefore an understand-ing mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kg 3:9). He was known then as the wisest man in history and his fame spread every-where for his wisdom.

In the New Testament Jesus warned his disciples of the perse-cution to come, but he promised them, “I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adver-saries will be able to resist or con-tradict” (LK 21:15).

Jesus himself manifested this wisdom in the way he taught his parables; in the way he answered his accusers over the matter of au-thority (Mt 21:23-27); in the ques-tion of paying taxes (Mt 22:15-22); in the way he obtained the tax money by acting on a “word of knowledge” and sending Peter to fish for it (Mt 17:27); in the way he answered trick questions about the commandments (MK2:27) and in the way he responded to the Chief Priest, Pilate and Herod. Jesus speaks kernels or nuggets of truth. Jesus speaks words of wis-dom and truth, clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit.

“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit

COUGHLIN, Rev. Dr. Peter B., Editor of The Bread of Life magazine, has a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation. Currently he is Chaplain at St Joseph’s Convent in Dundas, Ontario. He continues to serve the renewal of the Church through the Charismatic Renewal and the ministry of healing.

of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Sprit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” (1 Cor 2:10-13).

“Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence, de-termining that we should become his adopted sons through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes…He has let us know the mystery of his purpose, the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning to act upon when the times had run their course to the end; that he would bring ev-erything together under Christ as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth” (Eph 1:4-10). Form your mind, renew it, transform it, by reading, study-ing and praying with Sacred Scrip-ture.


THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

Miriam Wright

ful who preserve a deep and sincere faith, expressing it in different ways, but seldom taking part in worship. Ordinary pastoral ministry seeks to help believers to grow spiritually so that they can respond to God’s love ever more fully in their lives.

A second area is that of “the bap-tized whose lives do not reflect the demands of Baptism,” who lack a meaningful relationship to the Church and no longer experience the consolation born of faith. The Church, in her maternal concern, tries to help them experience a con-version which will restore the joy of faith to their hearts and inspire a

“Truth!” bellowed the military general from the witness stand, “You can’t handle the truth!” The proud character portrayed in a popular movie by Jack Nicholson had been deceived by his own self-importance. Free from any such de-ception, Jesus said, “For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).

We all know that in a court room we are under oath to tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” But in the mission field we need not always “tell all, every time.” To evangelize effectively, we need to be sensitive to the context of our encounter with the other per-son.

In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evan-gelii Gaudium, Pope Francis outlines 3 principle settings in which the New Evangelization is carried out:

In first place, we can mention the area of ordinary pastoral ministry, which is “animated by the fire of the Spirit, so as to inflame the hearts of the faithful who regularly take part in community worship and gather on the Lord’s day to be nourished by his word and by the bread of eternal life.” In this category we can also include those members of the faith-

Do Tell All

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commitment to the Gospel. Lastly, we cannot forget that

evangelization is first and fore-most about preaching the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or who have always rejected him. Many of them are quietly seek-ing God, led by a yearning to see his face, even in countries of ancient Christian tradition. All of them have a right to receive the Gospel. Chris-tians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but “by at-traction” (EG para. 15).

Our role is to help people encoun-ter Jesus so that their hearts and lives might be filled with the “joy of the gospel.” (EG 1) Each person is on a unique spiritual journey. We must try to meet him “where he is at” by recognizing the setting in which we encounter the person. Then we can best determine how to share our faith and what might be best left unsaid. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a phy-sician, but those who are sick” (Lk 5:31). Following this metaphor, the point becomes quite clear. If a phy-sician encounters a person at the site of a traffic accident, the priority is to address significant bleeding, not to test for cholesterol.

Similarly, when we encounter someone who does not know Je-sus or has always rejected him, we might best first share the core gos-pel message of God’s love and sav-ing power. We can invite him to

the “delicious banquet.” Conver-sion begins with “attraction,” an ex-perience of God’s love. Growth in obedience takes time. If, unaware of the setting, we mistakenly focus on a morality lesson, expounding on the error of the person’s ways, his experience may be one of judg-ment rather than love! “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:17).

That is not to say that salvation doesn’t demand obedience. Pope Francis emphasizes, “The Lord’s missionary mandate includes a call to growth in faith: ‘Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you’ (Mt 28:20). Hence it is clear that that the first proclamation also calls for ongoing formation and maturation” (EG 160). “Ordinary pastoral ministry” clearly needs to include teaching about contro-versial topics such as Pro Life and sexual ethics as well. The truth will set you free. To grow in freedom and personal holiness, the full truth must be embraced.

In every setting, let us endeavor to appear as people who wish to share our joy of the Gospel by invit-ing others to do the same!

Miriam and her husband Bill are members of St. Patrick’s parish in Burlington. She is a mother and delighted “Oma” of two grandchildren. Miriam works full-time as a Manager of Information System and is working on a Masters of Theology and Christian Ministry. She is a member of the Bread of Life Editorial Board and the Board for Renewal Ministries Canada. Her passion is the New Evangelization: leading others to experience a personal Pentacost and Freedom in Christ so that they may live forever in the blessing of being a beloved child of the Father.



Christine Manuel

Telling Lies - White, Grey or Even BlackO, what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive.

Sir Walter Scott

The sweetest smiles hold the deepest secrets.

From Pretty Little Liars

Everyone tells lies – at least that is what we are led to believe. It is expected behaviour in our world and it can get you out of a lot of inconvenient trouble. A little lie never hurt anyone. And that my friend, is a lie. And you know one of the most famous lies of all time? Let’s step back into a time ma-chine, back to the garden of Eden, where we meet our main charac-ters, Adam and Eve, and of course, the serpent.

The Set Up: Now the serpent says to Eve,

“Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’” (My notes: Now here is where we get some traction. The serpent very well knew exactly what God had commanded, but this is the lead up to the big lie, and a very clev-er opening line.) Then he further

proceeds to tell her, “You will not die if you eat of the fruit. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis (My notes: Now this, my friends, is where things really get serious – a real slam dunk for the serpent. Not only is he encour-aging Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, which is serious disobedience, but he is insinuating that God is the liar – we can’t trust

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him, he is not telling us the truth. Now, when you think about it, that is pretty audacious. The serpent, who only wishes for our harm and downfall, is saying that God is the liar – God , who loves us, gave us life, loves us enough to give us free will to pick good or evil, and who gives us warnings of what sin does to our lives – and God knows that sin causes terrible pain and suf-fering. (Think of wars, terrorism, hatred, abortion, rape, and mur-der.) Now the serpent, or may we say a little more clearly, satan has a different plan for our lives – this is a plan for our downfall, a plan for our destruction. Satan wasn’t called the “father of all lies” for nothing!

Well, someone might just say, there are different types of lies – let’s not overreact here. Yes, there are the really bad lies, the really black lies. For example, I murder someone and deny it – surely we can agree that it is wrong and pretty much everyone agrees upon it. Those are like lies of tangled webs of deceit. And then we can go through differ-ent shades of ombre. Some grey lies are a little more serious – but hey, if no one gets hurt, what is the big deal. Mom: “Jason, do you ever text while driving?” Jason: “Hey mom, you know I know the differ-ence. Don’t you trust me?” All the while, Jason has neither said that he did or that he didn’t - he just evaded the question so he wouldn’t have to lie. Is this my tactic?

Take the Test:How honest am I? Do I always tell the truth?

• Have I ever told lies to make me look good in the eyes of other people? For example, “Coach says that I am the best player of my team. He said I should go professional.”

• Have I ever put the blame on someone else, particularly, if I was the culprit? For exam-ple, “That vase, broken? No it wasn’t me, must have been Seth. I heard him playing hockey out in the dining room.”

• Or do I get amnesia when asked particular questions by my par-ents or am particularly vague or not forthcoming with perti-nent information that I should be sharing with them. For ex-ample, My friend is cutting or has expressed suicidal thoughts. I am concerned but do nothing about it. When I am asked about it later on, I deny that I knew it was going on.

• Have I ever told a lie to protect someone else’s feelings? For example, “I totally love those jeans. They look great on you. “

• And the piece de resistance! Have I ever told lies to protect myself from being punished by my parents? For example, “No there wasn’t anyone at that party drinking or doing drugs. I don’t know anyone who does that. Yes, Alison’s parents were


home."

The problem is, if we say that a few white lies are okay, we start to dull our conscience. Our con-science cannot start to distinguish right from wrong anymore and we get caught up in a more serious spi-ral of sin upon sin, ever traveling in a further web of deceit and dark-ness. Just like the spider, we get trapped. It is hard to get out of tell-ing lies and we tell more and more lies just to protect ourselves from getting into trouble from where the lie actually came from.

The Real Deal: Does God really care if you tell

lies or is he okay with lying – as long as no one gets hurt? First of all we know that God hates any form of wrong doing in followers of Christ. It says in Collosians 3:9 “Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.” God is not saying stop the serious lies, he means all lying. We need to be honest with ourselves, honest with others and honest with God, most of all. Jesus said in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Go Forward in the Truth:Do you want to be set free from

lying? Get honest with God. Make a decision that you are going to take a 360◦ turn from this type of sin. Deal with, if you can, with situations where you lied and

make amends to those whom you harmed. It will be difficult, but God will help you. Go to confes-sion and receive the grace to help you to live in the truth. If you are truly sorry and want to have noth-ing more to do with this web of ly-ing and deceit, the Holy Spirit will help you in this battle for truth. As you progress further and further in uprightness, the Holy Spirit will use your conscience to guide you in speaking and living in the truth.

Holy Spirit, I want to be set free from lying. I want to follow Jesus and live in the truth. Help me turn away from the sin of lying. Reveal to me what I need to change in my life. Show me the peo-ple whom I have hurt from my lying and deceiving. Also, show me how I have hurt my-self and how I have offended you. Help me come clean and be made clean in your love, in the name of Jesus.

Amen

Christine Manuel serves as Chairperson of New-foundland Catholic Renewal. She is a parishioner in the Cathedral of Most Holy Redeemer and Immacu-late Conception Parish in Corner Brook, Newfound-land and she is a leader in the Holy Spirit Charismatic Prayer Group. She is a Consecrated Virgin.


FEATURE

Kathleen Whitnell

Speak Words With Love

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Whose love? How do we love? Quality, Quantity. Out of the abun-dance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

I remember looking into the eyes of my eldest child Derek soon after he was born and falling hopelessly in love with him. With tear-filled eyes I looked at him and thought how perfectly he had been made. How could something so small be so beautiful, so helpless and totally dependent on me?

The love I felt is hard to describe; it is a feeling of love that comes over you and is best described as the love of a mother for her child. This same feeling of love was also present at the birth of each of my other three children - Melanie my daughter and my twin boys Graham and Austin.

No matter what path of life you walk, whether you are a parent or not, we are all called to love each other unconditionally and to love the way the Father loves us. For God is love and he created us in his own image and likeness to love each other the way he loves us.

St. Paul called to be an apostle of Christ during his ministry in Corinth, taught these words of love:

" Love is patient; love is kind; love

is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends "(1.Corinthians 13:4-8).

Jesus is the perfect example of the words spoken by St. Paul. In the Gospel John 17 (11-13, 15, 17, 20, 21, 24-26), before he is arrested, Jesus shows us just how much he loved his disciples and how much he loves us, when he prays to his Father for us.

"And now I am no longer in the


world, but they are in the world and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them I protected them in your name that you have give me. I guarded them and not one of them was lost, except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. Sanctify them in the truth, your truth. I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on be-half of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. "

Again Jesus continues to pray, "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. "

Jesus' prayer for us just before his arrest shows us how much he loved us. Even before he was to suffer his only thought was to pray for us so that we could be strong and loving

like him on our earthly journey to heaven.

Though there are many saints known and unknown there is one person that I would like to mention who exemplifies how we should love. It is Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Blessed Mother Teresa was a Ro-man Catholic religious sister and missionary of Albania who found-ed the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. It is a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor.

Mother Teresa heard Christ speak to her on September 10, 1946. "I want Indian nuns, Missionaries of Charity, who would be my fire of love amongst the poor, the sick, the dying and the little children".

With Jesus as the lead, Mother Teresa stands out as one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century. She dedicated her life to helping those in most need. Her passion and love for the poor and marginalized allowed her to devel-op a leper colony, an orphanage, a nursing home, a family clinic and many mobile health clinics. She organized missionaries not only in her native India but around the world. In 1982, she secretly went to Beirut, Lebanon where she crossed between Christian East Beirut and Muslim West Beirut to aid children of both faiths. In 1985, after speak-ing at the United Nations General Assembly, she opened the Gift of Love, a home to care for those in-fected with HIV/Aids.

She has touched millions of lives with her love for those in most need


Kathleen and her husband Tim are members of St. Andrews parish in Oakville. She is a mother of four children and is an office manager at an elementary school. Kathleen is involved in Eucharist Ministry for shut-ins and is also an active member of St. Andrews prayer group and music ministry.

and has certainly lived by one of her most famous quotes, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." She was truly a holy woman whose heart belonged to Je-sus and lived her life loving others the way the Lord would want us to love one another.

Speak Words With Love:

Whose love? How do we love? Quality, Quantity. Out of the abun-dance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

All of us as Christians long to know Jesus better; we long to be closer to him and to love the way he loves. For it is through Jesus we get to heaven to share eternity with him and the Father. There is an old hymn whose verses best sum up the love of the Lord., "Though the mountains may fall and hills turn to dust the love of the Lord will stand as a shelter for all who will call on his name. Though you may be abandoned by others the Lord will not forsake you."

God is LOVE and our heavenly Father showed his love for us by sending his only son to show us the way.

Come rest at My Feet,

Beneath the Shade of My Love,

Let My Light Shine upon You

To wash away all your Cares.

My Love will conquer all,

My Light dispels all darkness.

Bring Me your pain,

Bring Me your trials and troubles,

They are of Infinite importance to Me

Come rest at My Feet,

Beneath the shade of My Love,

Where I will make you whole,

Where I will set you free.

I desire that you always lean on Me,

That You shed all your cares on Me.

Come, Let Me hold you in My Heart,

Come, My Dearest Child

That I may make us One.

The Lord BeckonsFrances Killen


JUST FOR KIDS

Charles Barton

Ambassadors of the KingTIME was, I shrank from what

was right; From fear of what was wrong; I would not brave the sa-cred fight, because the foe was strong.

This poem by Cardinal Newman may be 150 years old, but it still hits the mark today. The words suggest both courage and fear and a choice that we must make. Do we run, or do we stand for what is right. Which way shall we go?

It is hard to take a stand for what is honest, true and right. Hard, be-cause in taking a stand, we know that we will encounter resistance. Some may not understand, others will laugh at you. Still others may hate what you say and work against you. We may be isolated, bullied and put down. Surely our foe is strong. We can run away, but where can we run to? Where can we find courage?

Perhaps the Apostle Peter can be our guide on this quest. Peter, the Apostle who denied Jesus three times at our Lord’s greatest hour of need. He would understand how hard it is to take a stand. In fact, it was Peter who, as in the poem, ‘shrank’ away from doing what

was right. He feared the guards, he feared the mockery. He feared for his life. He would understand our weakness and our desire to run, but he was also the Apostle who said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

How did Peter find his cour-age? Certainly, his strength did not come from his own intelligence and strength. That would not be enough. Surely he was a ‘Rock,’ but a rock



BARTON, Charles and his wife Cathy attend St. Leonard’s parish in Brampton. They have a son, and a daughter who is studying at the Catholic University of Dallas. Charles has been involved with the Renewal for over 30 years.

on its own is lifeless and doesn’t move. No, it takes a David to pick up a rock, put it in a sling, and use it to defeat the foe. No matter how strong Goliath may appear, a tiny rock can bring him down. The same simple man, who ran away in fear on Holy Thursday night, was the same man who could proclaim Christ on the day of Pentecost! What had changed? Three things: first, Peter had said ‘Yes!’ to the Lord’s ques-tion, “Do you love me?” Next, Peter and the apostles heard the Lord’s command to go out into the world to proclaim the Good News; and fi-nally, Peter had received the power of the Holy Spirit!

How do we also find our cour-age? Like Peter, we need to re-spond to the Lord’s question, “Do you love me?” It is a fundamental question! We must, in our heart of hearts say our own ‘Yes!’ Then, like Peter, we must accept our commission, to go out into the world, being an ambassador for Christ. Spreading the Good News, bringing the love of Christ, and be-ing a blessing to all those we meet. Finally, we will need the Holy

Spirit to bring us wisdom and un-derstanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.

When we have said yes, when we have reached out to help our fellow man, when we have re-ceived all that the Holy Spirit has to give us as gifts, then, even if we are as small and feeble as a Moth-er Teresa of Calcutta, we can stand against any foe, any Goliath, and the Lord will be our strength! As Cardinal Newman would say …

So, when my Saviour calls, I riseand calmly do my best;leaving to him, with silent eyesof hope and fear, the rest.

Newman Reader - Works of John Henry Newman Copyright © 2007 by The National Institute for Newman Studies.


FEATURE

Dr. Donald DeMarco

Truth in the ShadeEducation is a travesty when

it is not concerned with uncover-ing truth. A teacher is not true to his vocation when he lacks the courage to speak the truth. As we know only too well, however, edu-cation and teaching in the practi-cal order do not always conform to these lofty ideals. For St. Thomas Aquinas, “The truth of the human intellect is measured by things so that man’s thought is not true on its own account but is called true in virtue of its conformity with things” (Summa Theologica I-II, 93, 1 ad 3). Truth is not conformity with the Party line.

In 1933, the Bavarian minis-ter of education, a certain Hans Schemm, delivered the following message to an assemblage of uni-versity professors: “From this day on, you will no longer have to ex-amine whether something is true or not, but exclusively whether or not it corresponds to the Nazi ide-ology.” There may be some irony in the fact that the name “Schemm” so closely resembles the word “scam.”

These German professors of ed-ucation were told that they should no longer dedicate themselves to searching for the truth of things, but to serve the Party with unques-

tioning commitment. Something higher than truth had allegedly been discovered, though it would eventually plunge the world into a nightmare of unprecedented pro-portions. Herr Schemm’s order would make teaching a lot easier for the professors. They no longer had to sift through deceptions and lies to uncover truth. But could they still be called educators?

For Saint Paul, “The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God” (1 Cor. 3:19). Truth serves every-one indefinitely; the Party ideology serves no one, and for a very short term. The dethronement of truth is like a deliberate blindness. Rather than illuminate, it puts everyone in the dark. “The most drastic symp-tom of the dethronement of truth,” writes Dietrich von Hildebrand, “is the way that contradictory opin-

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ions are accepted in submission to the command of the Politbureau [government]” (The New Tower of Babel). We are naïve today if we think that the Nazi experiment was just an isolated moment of history and that truth has been restored to its proper seat on the throne. Human beings remain foolish and what they deem progress is often foolishness writ large.

There has been much public-ity in recent months concerning professional athletes being found guilty of domestic violence. Vari-ous leagues representing different sports have now adopted policies that respond to such incidents cat-egorically, swiftly, aggressively, punitively and decisively. Domes-tic violence is considered intoler-able and reprehensible. But is it, in all its various manifestations?

The National Organization of Women may applaud the world of sports for taking such decisive steps to punish and curtail inci-dents of this abominable crime, but is it not guilty of the very same crime, and even in a far more egre-gious way? The word “domestic” refers to the home, where, suppos-edly, life should be protected from harm. The United States Constitu-tion promises to “insure domestic tranquility.” On the other hand, Carolyn Graglia makes the case, in her book Domestic Tranquil-ity, that feminism, given its assault on marriage and motherhood, has robbed women of their surest source of fulfillment, which is in the home. Are secular feminists all that enamored by things that are

“domestic”?

Let us take truth out from its contemporary shade and look at the uncompromised truth about abortion. It is indeed, though fem-inists would sharply disagree, an instance of domestic violence. It is a violent act, almost always result-ing in death, for the unborn child that was in the domestic care of its mother. It is violence in the home, in that intimate domestic circle that unites an unborn child with its mother.

In “The Vengeance of the Flesh,” a chapter in G. K. Chester-ton’s book, Eugenics and Other Evils, the author refers to abor-tion as “the mutilation of woman-hood and the massacre of men un-born.” This is strong language and evokes the image of Herod, but it is not untrue. It is, in the contem-porary climate, certainly politically incorrect. But that does not make it philosophically inaccurate. The kind of strong language that flows from Chesterton’s pen is indicative of a robust appetite for reality. The lie may be acceptable to some, yet it neither benefits nor illuminates anyone.

Those who support life do so because they support truth. Do-mestic violence, as a meaningful expression, is not confined to men against women, but includes all violent acts committed under the umbrella of domesticity, including mothers against their unborn chil-dren. An ideology--and the pro-choice movement marches under the banner of an ideology—must eliminate some element of truth if


Dr. Donald DeMarco is a Senior Fellow of Human Life International. He is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario, an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, CT, and a regular columnist for St. Austin Review. His latest works, How to Remain Sane in a World That is Going Mad and Poetry That Enters the Mind and Warms the Heart, are available through Amazon.com. Some of his recent writings may be found at Human Life International’s Truth and Charity Forum.

it is to stay in business. They in-dulge in a cafeteria approach to life: some truths are acceptable, others are not. Their ideology is a checkerboard of truth and error. An ideology, therefore, is far more restrictive than is a consistent phi-losophy.

If people see abortion for what it is, an instance of domestic vio-lence, they are more likely to see it for its reprehensible character. Then, they are more likely to see it as an offense against women as well as an offense against the un-born. Integrity of thought in this case will be consistent with in-tegrity of language. If language is false, the perception of reality will be correspondingly false. The first victim in any war is truth. Yet truth is invincible and will not re-main indefinitely in the shade. Truth is a companion of the light. Its emancipation may be slow, but its arrival is well worth the effort.

The Host DivineFrances Killen

The Host Divine, containing Perfection

In such humble simplicity.The Host small yet Infinite,Encompassing all power,

All Life all Love.

What a Gift My Lord, My Love,A total Gift of YouIn All Your Entirety,

So disguised as to be missed by many.

The Host, so Small so SimpleBut full of presence,

Full of healing,Full of wisdom,

That only you My Lord can bring.

My Lord it is Good to be here with You.

Your Love so wondrous I cannot contain it.

Come My Lord and quench this thirsting

of my Soul!


FEATURE

Tim Whitnell

The Power of the Spoken WordMost people likely

don't recognize the name Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton but you probably have read or heard two of his most famous literary lines.

The 19th century Brit-ish novelist, poet and politician is infamous for writing the often mocked literary phrase, held up as a prime example of bad writing, "It was a dark and stormy night..." in one of his long forgotten plays.

Oddly, however, he is equally fa-mous for the enduring idiom, "The pen is mightier than the sword."

It is the essence of the latter sen-tence that comes to my mind when I think about the power of the spo-ken word, specifically as it relates to God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The pen is mightier than the sword implies that spoken or writ-ten thoughts have a greater impact, perhaps more in the long term, on the affairs of humans than the use of threats or force.

Revolutions are often won by those with sheer numbers and physical might on their side but

the genesis of discord, discontent and the sense of being fed up with a government or a way of life often finds its inspiration from the words and writings of intellectuals or pop-ulists, such as the literary works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose es-says would eventually have great influence on the late 18th century French Revolution.

Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are examples of modern leaders who espoused non-violent civil disobe-dience as a means to protest socio-economic, political and racial op-pression, and who influenced mil-lions with their ideas and words — but who ultimately paid with their life for their principles.


The most famous example in hu-man history of someone who used the power of the spoken word, re-jected violence in all its forms as a means to an end and was killed for his unwavering beliefs is, of course, Christ.

Jesus spoke the Truth using his teachings to heal, set free, enlight-en and bless all that he met, wheth-er friend, foe or stranger.

"Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my world, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’"( John 8: 31-33).

One of the consistent stories retold in the Gospels is that of a blind man and another of two men, whose sight is restored by Jesus. In Mark 10:46-52, we read of the healing of Blind Bartimaeus.

The beggar, sitting by the road-side, knew of Jesus. When he heard that he was passing by the blind man called out to Jesus asking for his mercy and to be healed.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked the man.

"My teacher, let me see again," said the man.

"Go, your faith has made you well," Jesus told him, and with that the blind man could now see.

With those seven simple but powerful words Jesus blessed and healed the man, setting him free from his disability and no doubt reaffirming and strengthening the man's faith in God.

As a Eucharistic minister, I have many conversations, some short

and some lengthy, with ill, infirm or lonely people, often the elderly, when my wife Kathleen and I visit seniors' residences, long-term care homes and the hospital on various Sundays in Oakville, dispensing the blessed Body of Christ.

Occasionally I am mistaken for a priest. When this happens I quickly and firmly, but politely, tell the person I am visiting that I am a lay minister, not an ordained priest. I tell them I am a father of four grown children, but I'm not Father Tim.

Regardless of my title, invari-ably and appropriately, the person I am visiting is more interested in why I am there than who I am. They want to talk and to be in the presence of God, which they are as I am carrying his precious Body to give to them.

Just speaking to them, about God and his love for them, makes most people I deal with in my vis-its perk up, even if only in spirit, as they lie on a hospital bed or sit in a wheelchair.

Hearing words of encourage-ment, about what God wants to do for them and what he requires of them - to pray and have faith - usually brings a smile to the face of a shut-in and sometimes tears of hope and joy. Most of these people have been lifelong Catholics and want to be prayed for. They also often want to reaffirm their faith in God in the presence of another believer.

Perhaps nowhere do I sense the power of the spoken word from the Bible more than in the Lord's


Prayer, the words that Jesus taught his disciples to say(Matthew 6: 9-13).

I always invoke the Our Father prayer with every shut-in I meet. Almost invariably their eyes light up when I begin to say it and they usually repeat the words.

Even with people who don't speak English very well or at all, when I hold my hands out to each side, palms facing up, and begin reciting the Lord's Prayer they join in, in whatever language they are most comfortable with.

I have witnessed bed-ridden se-niors who are seemingly in a state of dementia, some with their eyes closed, but when you start to say the Our Father their facial expres-sion changes. There is some level of understanding and remembrance, and they murmur, apparently try-ing to say the words along with me.

That is the power of the spoken word, of a familiar and power-ful prayer, to heal, to bless and to strengthen body and soul.

Tim Whitnell and his wife Kathleen are members of St. Andrew’s parish in Oakville. He is a father of four adult children and is a longtime, award-winning newspaper reporter with the Burlington Post. Tim is involved in the Eucharistic Ministry for shut-ins at St. Andrew’s.

Honour Him,

who is the Almighty

The Lord of Lords

and King of Kings.

Honour Him,

who shed His Blood

to save us,

The Savior Divine crucified

upon the Cross.

Honour Him, lowly,

meek, born as Man,

For He, and only He, is Worthy.

Lord that I should

humbly adore You,

Fill my Heart with praise.

Before You I am nothing,

lost without Your Grace

Honour Him Frances Killen


THE OLIVE GARDEN

Doreen Juurlink

Speak the TruthI trust in you. I throw myself on your mercy. Lord Jesus, you will not fail me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you. Sacred heart of Jesus I believe in Your love for me.Sacred Heart of Jesus, your kingdom come. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked you for many favors,but I earnestly implore this one. Take it, place itin your open heart. When the Eternal Father looks upon it, He will seeit covered with your precious blood. It will be nolonger my prayer, but Yours, Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus I place my trust in you. Let me not be disappointed. Amen”

God Bless you.

“The Lord Almighty says, these are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice and violence” (Zachariah 8:14).

To be an honest, loving and kind person one should always speak the truth. Remember the old saying: "the truth will set you free."

“A lie has a short life, but truth lives forever” (Proverbs 12:19).

A powerful prayer in Catholicism is the prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This prayer can be adapted for any special intention. Today, let us pray that Jesus will guide us in his way of always being truthful.

“Oh Lord Jesus Christ, to your most Sacred Heart I confide this intention ( to always speak the truth, knowing you are guiding all I say and do). Only look upon me, then do what your love inpsires. Let your Sacred Heart decide. I count on you.

JUURLINK, Doreen and her husband Tony are parishioners of St. Matthew parish in Oakville, Ontario. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.


FEATURE

Cory Yakimovich

Sins of the Tongueta’s Father could get especially when he was drinking. Grace said, “No she didn’t, we went to a movie.” And Rita’s Father re-plied, “I believe you Grace, thank-you.”

Initially Grace was relieved and so was Rita, a near miss, it could have been very bad. Later that night when she returned home she found her

mom’s bible sitting open on the living room table and her eyes fell upon the following scripture. John 18:36-38," Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom was of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not be-long here.’ Pilate said, ‘So, then you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this; I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’ 'Truth?' said Pilate. 'What is that?'" Just as Grace finished reading this word her mother walked into the room and Grace blurted out, “Mom is it

Grace thought she would take a seat with her friends at the school lunch table. While she was having lunch her best friend said, “Grace, I am go-ing out with Lennie tonight but am go-ing to tell my parents that you and I are go-ing to a movie togeth-er. Will you cover for me?” Something inside of Grace made her hesitate because she didn’t think this was right but instead she said, “Yes I can cover for you.” She was afraid of upset-ting her best friend.

After school was over and Grace was walking home her conscience kept bothering her. This isn’t right you are going to be caught in a lie. Don’t you remember what the bible says? Thou shalt not lie. I’m not lying Grace told her-self, I just said yes to Rita, no one will even find out. The next day, in the evening Grace went to visit Rita. While she was visiting Rita’s Father pulled Grace aside and said, “Did Rita go out with Lennie last night? Grace tell me, I know that you don’t lie.” Grace was very up-set inside and knew how mean Ri-


wrong to tell a white lie when you are protecting someone else?” She was feeling confused and disturbed at the moment. “Well Grace, a lie is never the choice one should make,” and her mother went on to explain. “The dictionary says that truth is, ‘A fact or belief that is accepted as true’ and the Ten Commandments say quite specifi-cally, ‘Thou Shall Not Lie.'" Oh my, Grace thought, that is what I was hearing in my head. Her mother then continued on, “What hap-pens when you lie is that usually you get caught in a trap. You may think that the lie is okay because you are helping someone but one lie will lead to another lie.” Grace then felt so convicted she began to pour out her heart to her mother. “Oh mom, what should I do? The Holy Spirit has taught me not to be drawn into sin and never to agree to lie for others." Grace's mom re-plied, when you feel uncomfortable with a situation you are placed in grace, try this;

STOPStay stillTurn your eyes to Jesus,Open your heart Place your trust in Jesus asking for his help.”

“Come Grace sit down for a min-ute and let’s talk about how this situation could have been differ-ent. When your friend Rita asked you to cover for her, when you look back at the situation she placed you in with the light that has now been shed upon it, what would you do differently?” Grace replied “I was uncomfortable but I didn’t want Rita to become angry with me. I didn’t want to risk losing her

friendship. I can see now that my friend shouldn’t have put me into that situation and should not have asked me to lie so that she could do something she was not allowed to do. Now that I know to STOP and call upon Jesus whenever I am con-fused or afraid I will try to do this. What could I have said to Rita’s Father when he asked me where she was if I had recognized what I had done?” “This is a very difficult place to be Grace, especially if you are not sure how your friend will be treated. Sometimes it is wise to be vague without compromising the truth; stop and ask Jesus what to say but the best option will always be not to get yourself into this situ-ation in the first place. There are more sins committed by the tongue than the hand. Grace, remember what it felt like when you were hurt by what other girls said about you and always consider the pain we can cause others when we speak out of turn. We hold the power in our words to destroy someone’s reputation when we speak against them by being critical, gossiping, lying or bullying others.”

St. Paul says in Ephesians 4:25-29, "So from now on, there must be no more lies. Speak the truth to one another;.... let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers and do good to your listeners."

Yakimovich, Cory and her husband Ken live in Edmonton, AB. They have four daughters and five grandchildren. They attend Good Shepherd parish in Edmonton and Cory has been involved in the Renewal for over 30 years. Presently she is Chair of the Catholic Renewal Services of Edmonton, Chair of the Province for the Renewal and serves as secretary on the National Service committee.


LEADERSHIP CORNER

Lorraine Shonaman

A Servant to AllAnyone in a position

of authority is first of all a servant to all. The Pope himself is a ser-vant of the servants – the Bishops – who in turn, are the servants of the people in their charge. So all ministry heads in the Church are servants to the people in their charge.

The Pharisees and Scribes had a problem in being servants and laid heavy burdens on people – tried to control rather than serve. So Jesus was very angry with them and warned his disciples: “The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest” (Matt.23:11).

Why does a servant get into ‘con-trol’ rather than serve others? I think that the key reason is fear! How many times in the Scriptures we find the words: “Don’t be afraid.” There are many faces to fear and we have to deal with each one as Jesus reveals it to us until we are truly freed up. I John 4:18 says, “Love has no room for fear; rather perfect love casts out all fear.” Only Jesus can set us free!Being aware of examples of fear:1. Fear of losing control in a situa-

tion, so we control the situation or people.2. Fear of losing ‘my’ position, so we don’t not move on when Jesus has long said to move on to something else. 3. Fear of confronta-tion, so we avoid talk-ing about problems less we be not ‘liked’ less the situation gets worse, less we be hurt, etc.

4. Fear of losing my personal worth. I put my worth in the task or job rather than my worth hidden in Christ Jesus. I still have low self-esteem so I control others with an-ger and false pride, false humility. I truly have not allowed Jesus to deal with me in those areas.5. Fear rooted in prideful attitudes. I need to be ‘above’ others at all times so that I can function as a leader. I do not trust easily. I do not accept correction easily or worse, I do not desire any especially coming from ‘less spiritual’ people than me. My importance is in what I do and not who I am in God. I find it hard to be wrong and admit my weakness-es in front of others. I do not like to be vulnerable before others or


Shonaman, Lorraine and her husband Fred live in Rothesay, New Brunswick. They are parents of two and grandparents of two. Her parish is Saint Peter’s in Saint John. Since 1984 she has been involved in the Renewal through Queen of Peace Prayer Group, as well as Diocesan and Atlantic levels. She is presently chairperson of the Atlantic Service Committee. She has written a book entitled: “What is the Spirit Saying to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal after 40 Years?” She has written many articles for Catholic publications.

God. I have a mixed understanding of what true humility and worldly humiliations mean. I am not really comfortable being my true self with myself, others, or God as yet.

To be called forth to serve does not mean that I impose my way of doing things on others. I need to value and respect the giftedness of others. Others can do the same thing in a totally different way and time frame and it is OK! Others can bring a ‘freshness’ if allowed to be who they are – with all their im-maturity but have a desire to please the Lord too. It simply calls us to go deeper in our dying to the self and encourage them onward.

A servant watches his words care-fully - quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19) less he injures another under his care. There is no lording over another. A servant has comes to grips in truth with himself in all his weaknesses and strengths. Then he is not afraid to encourage others forward.

If a person does not encourage the giftedness of another, then that per-son is still gazing on the self – me, myself and I! They are still insecure in their own identity of whom they are in Christ. Only Jesus can trans-form our ways into his ways of lov-ing as he has loved us.

There are rules and boundaries for the betterment of the whole. But rules never replace mercy, compassion and “not breaking the bent reed,” The balance of doing and loving have to come together. “It is mercy I desire not sacrifice” (Matt.12:7b). Find out what that re-ally means for you personally.

We need to come to a place, by God’s grace, of seeing others better

than ourselves (Phil.2:3b) and re-joice. I do not attach myself to what I do. Rather I attach myself to Jesus Christ and follow him, the Master! Therefore, I am free to serve others.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI showed us a great example of be-ing a free servant of God when he stepped aside and let Pope Francis reign in his place. He knew how to be obedient to Jesus and humbly serve God and the people.

Michelle Moran, ICCRS Chairper-son, said this at the USA National Leaders and Ministries Conference. She said that igniting (the Fire), the Renewal is something only the Lord can do. “We have the respon-sibility to get ourselves in a place of faith where the Lord can turn the ignition.” She called us to repent for the moments of the Holy Spirit that we missed because of con-trol. “The root to more glory of the Lord is to become more and more a humble and submissive people who bend the knees at the cross of Jesus Christ” (Pentecost Today- Winter 2015, page 9).

A servant is one who understands that his power comes from the Cross of Jesus Christ and not from his own efforts. Then truly the Holy Spirit will empower us all to serve ever more fully to go forth “in Jesus name.”


Jesus Christ can make your life new again. No Pain. No Guilt.No Sorrow. No Worries. No Anger. No Hate. Just Love and Peace.


The late afternoon was hot and humid. Lean the trees hung motionless. The waster was calm, not even a little wavelet disturbed its placid face. The men knew that they had a long row ahead of them to get to the other side before night, but the weather looked favour-able.

They were tired from their long day with the crowd of people and looked for-ward to rest on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

One of them rested up in the bow of the boat and soon drifted off to sleep lulled by the sound of the oars.

Darkness fell and they didn’t no-tice the clouds gathering on the horizon. The calm was broken by a sudden gust of wind. The water was no longer calm as the waves whipped by the wind, grew higher and higher. No use in rowing now. They were powerless before the white capped waves.

Some of the waves were pushing the boat sideways. The water was starting to come over the side of the boat.

Still he slept.

SCRIPTURE UNPACKED

Eileen McCallion

The StormA man shook him and

shouted, “Lord, save us! We are going to die!”

Slowly the man stretched and rose. “Why are so terrified? I am with you – don’t you believe in me?”

He stretched out his hands to the waves and ordered them to cease.

They couldn’t believe their eyes. Instantly

the wind fell, the sea became calm. They looked at him with wonder-ing eyes. A man among men, yet he commanded the storm to stop and it did. He was something much more than just a man, they were beginning to realize.

We, too, like the apostles, start out in our way of life, confident that we can handle whatever will hap-pen. It doesn’t take too long for a bad storm to come up and threaten our safety. Soon, we are afraid for our very lives.

We don’t even have to call Jesus, he knows when we are in trouble. Calmly he is with us, untouched by the storm. He stretches out his hands and as the danger passes, we realize that he is the Lord of all things. We are safe with him.


CULTURE OF LIFE

Fr. Frank Pavone

The Spirit of TruthI have always found one of the

most fascinating aspects of theol-ogy to be the study of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understand-ing, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. Each has its own characteristics. Each has its own ways of lifting us up and trans-forming our lives.

The gift of knowledge helps us to see created things for what they re-ally are. Together with a knowledge of God, we need a proper knowledge of creation, so that we may neither despise it nor worship it.

How do I understand reality? How do I proceed, then, to treat the created realities around me?

The Holy Spirit gives us a prop-er understanding of creation be-cause He is the Spirit of Truth. “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (Jn. 16:13). He frees us from the lies we tell ourselves and each other. He frees us from the blindness which sin brings, a blindness that distorts our knowledge of God, creation, and our very selves.

Saint John Paul II has written of "how the value of life can today undergo a kind of 'eclipse'" (The Gospel of Life, #11), leading to such evils as abortion and euthanasia. We need the Spirit of Truth to lead us out of this eclipse.

The conviction that the child in the womb is not worthy of protec-tion is not merely a statement about the child in the womb. It is a state-ment about all of us. It reflects a distorted answer to the fundamen-tal question, “What is a human per-son?”

The Risen Christ proclaims in the Book of Revelation, “I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne”(Rev.3:21). We will not only worship before the throne of God. We will sit with him on the throne! That is the destiny of the human person! The Spirit bears witness to the greatness of our destiny by crying out “Abba, Father!” within us. The Spirit enables us to see the greatness of our calling, and the greatness of the same call given to every human being, including those yet in the womb.

This confronts the lie of abor-tion, which throws human beings in the garbage. Such an action in itself contradicts the Gospel. How can one who believes that the ul-timate destiny of human beings is in the heights of heaven allow such human beings to be thrown away as trash?

Abortion does not only break the fifth commandment, Thou shalt not kill. It breaks the eighth commandment, Thou shalt not bear


PAVONE, Fr. Frank is an internationally known pro-life activist, speaker and author. He has led the Priests for Life movement since 1993. He has served at the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family. Norma McCorvey, the “Jane Roe” of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Roe vs. Wade, called Fr. Pavone “the catalyst that brought me into the Catholic Church.” Priests for Life can be contacted at P.O. Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314. Phone: 718-980-4400; email: [email protected]; web: www.priestsforlife.org.

false witness against thy neigh-bor. To speak of or treat a human being as less than human is to bear false witness, to lie about his/her dignity.

We need You, O Spirit of Truth! Visit your people, and open their eyes and hearts once again to the greatness of human dignity and the sanctity of every life! Guide individ-uals and nations to recognize and

This Quiz: Words of JesusAnswers from page: 9

Question 6.) "I say unto you, Love your en-emies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and them which de-spitefully use you, and persecute you."

Answer: pray for

Question 7.) Jesus told us not to use rep-etitions, as the heathen do, for...

Answer: they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Question 8.) Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there..."

Answer: will your heart be also.

Question 9.) Jesus said, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet..."

Answer: your heavenly Father feedeth them.

Question 10.) The last words that Jesus spoke on the cross were:

Answer: Father, into thy hands I com-mend my spirit.

Question 1.) "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but...

Answer: "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Question 2.) The beginning words of all the preaching of Jesus were:

Answer: Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Question 3.) When Jesus called Peter and Andrew his brother, he said, "Follow me, and..."

Answer: I will make you fishers of men.

Question 4.) In the beatitudes, Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for..."

they shall be called the children of God.

Question 5.) Jesus said that we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven unless...

Answer: our righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.

defend the true meaning of human life. Amen.


ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

Deacon Victor Frank Vere

The Truth...


We live in an age of “spin” and the people who help promote ideas, products, politics and public rela-tions agendas are often called “spin doctors.” Often the spin is just that and as far removed from the truth as it is possible to be, without think-ing that the line between truth and fiction has been crossed. In other words as spinning makes one dizzy, spin may cause muddled and fuzzy thinking.

Let us consider television adver-tising. The worse ones in my view, are those ads promoting beauty products. These are often pricy, glitzy and glamourous ads telling us that by using these products, wrin-kles will disappear, gray hair ceases to exist, teeth are remarkably whit-er and aging is ancient history. We can be forever young.

Let us consider another aspect of “spin.” Political propaganda. East versus west. Communism versus capitalism. War versus peace and economics versus common sense along with social justice. Progress versus preserving the environment. Pipelines versus creation and risk to the future environment. Religion versus secularism.

Another master of “spin” is Holly-wood. Do not get me wrong. Holly-

wood produces thought provoking films at times. Often, however, the content if not glorifying violence, glorifies perfect beauty, wealth, athletes, rock stars, sex, power and war. Consider for a moment the spin given to people supporting the various wars of supposed liberation while really covering hidden agen-das versus the vast numbers of peo-ple opposed to war.

And last but not least, spin mas-ters writing for political leaders al-ways raise my eyebrows when polit-icals raise their eyes to heaven, and God bless everyone within hearing. I wonder about sincerity there. Just listen to the spin during election campaigns.

One of the advantages of my col-umn “Another Perspective” is that I can take a long time to get to the


point.The point today is that Jesus and

the bible had much to say about truth. “The truth will set you free.” When Jesus was before Pontius Pilate, Pilate asked what the truth was, but did not want to take the time listening to the truth present before him.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

As for the spin doctors, Jesus also said, “Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.”

Having said all of this, I can un-derstand why it is also written that silence is golden. However silence at times can be a lie, if the truth would right a wrong. For example you hear someone else gossip about another and you know that what that person said is not the truth, but you remain silent. Does your silence not condone the lie?

I go back to my childhood as a schoolboy attending Holy Family School in Hamilton Ontario. We were taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Our catechism was the old fashioned Butler’s Catechism.

The Sisters taught us that “God can neither deceive nor be de-ceived.”

I think that response settles the issue.

Satan deceived Adam and Eve. The first lie on Earth began in the proverbial garden and the rest is history. We have perfected the cult of the lie. And so doing we further what Satan began in Eden. What we may have thought was a white lie spoken out of a sense of tact or delicacy has seemingly evolved into

a complete ideology of “if it sounds good” say it. Whether it is truthful or not. That mentality is called “exi-gent” thinking. A band aid for the moment. Or more simply stated, “tell them what they want to hear.”

The truth is the truth and any-thing short of the truth is not of God.

A quote not often mentioned is found in the fifth chapter of Ecclesi-astes verse 1. "Be not hasty in your utterance and let your heart not be quick to make a promise in God’s presence. God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few."

The writer might have well added and let them be true, although that is implicit in the context of scrip-ture.

In the Hebrew language and mind, “truth is something to which one can give belief to with the certainty that you do not error.” St. Thomas Aquinas called that certitude. In a wonderful article contained in the Dictionary of The Bible, writ-ten by the John L. McKenzie, S.J., published by MacMillan Publishing Company, New York, Father McK-enzie writes a most comprehensive article on the subject of truth. It is well worth the read.

Jesus always referred to himself as the truth. He was the living truth because all that he said, all that he did was evident and transparent. There were no hidden corners in Je-sus’s life and he did not participate in conspiracies. He was open and accessible to all. When he spoke he never equivocated.

Jesus defines himself as the truth because he relayed what the Father


VERE, Deacon Victor was ordained to the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie in 1984 and has been practising criminal law in Sudbury, Ontario for more than 40 years. Deacon Vere is married with three children, four grandchildren and two Siamese cats, Azzurri and Tirah Misou. He is currently assigned as deacon to Our Lady of Hope parish.

had revealed to him. His truths, teachings, life and missions were all from and of the Father. And as the Son of God, he knew the Father completely. Therefore, the truths that Jesus has revealed from the Father are total, complete and final. As the “Living Word of God,” Jesus Christ, we can trust his revelation of the truth, because it is the truth. And that is worthy of belief and our faith. Jesus is also the total perfec-tion of God’s revelation to us.

Jesus always had recourse to the Father. He connected with the Fa-ther through prayer. He lived the mission his Father asked him to live. Jesus believed in the Father and wants us to do the same.

The only eternal beauty and eter-nity Jesus offers us is eternal life in his kingdom, where one will indeed live in peace, justice, joy and eternal beatitude.

The promises of Christ are true. They are worthy of belief and most credible. Let us remember that Je-sus Christ as the Son of God while human, was and is still God. God to revert to the answers of the old cat-echism can neither deceive nor be deceived. Jesus can neither deceive nor be deceived.

Truth in the Jewish tradition as Fr. McKenzie’s article points out is always connected with righteous living. It is in the pursuit of righ-teous living as taught to us by Jesus Christ, that we will attain true and enduring happiness.

However, in the writing of this ar-ticle, I came to another conclusion about the truth. And that is, truth is always connected to wisdom.

We live sophisticated lives that are

complicated and directed by many technological advances. These can delude us into believing we have it all. Perhaps even deceive ourselves into believing that everything is here and now.

Jesus and Sacred Scripture often advised us that above all else be true to our own selves. We are urged to disperse and scatter the illusions, delusions, and rationalizations that take us away from our true purpose which is loving God and loving each other.

As the psalmist writes, in the fa-mous Davidic psalm 51, “Behold you are pleased with sincerity of heart, and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.”

In other words, be not afraid to tell Jesus the truth about your life. Do so humbly and honestly. In such an encounter, a prayerful one I might add, wisdom will be given to you. The fact that you engage in such a prayer suggests that you are well along the path of wisdom by God’s good and generous graces. He who is the truth will respond to your truth.

AMEN


BOOK REVIEW

Fr. Dave and Deacon Ralph wrote this book out of their passion for evangelization and discipleship, along with their desire for every-one to know the lifesaving love of Jesus.

When you encounter Jesus it is the most personal and exciting life changing experience that will grasp your soul and fill you with the deepest love you could ever feel.

After your encounter with Jesus, then what? Will your relationship with Jesus take root and grow, or will it be choked out by the world, or taken away by the deceit of sa-tan?

This book helps you after your original encounter with your Sav-iour. Each author gives advice through personal experiences and stories of other’s walk. They help the readers of this book to move from the discovery of their faith to walking the path leading them to discipleship.

I encountered Jesus at a young age, but like many I would put

him on a shelf and take him down when I needed him. Eventually the experiences of life drew me closer and closer preparing me for the Charismatic Renewal. Three weeks after my husband and I married, we went to our first prayer meeting, and our true walk of faith and discipleship began.

At the beginning of my walk I would have truly benefited from a book such as this. Although each walk of faith is unique like your fingerprints a blueprint of how to grow in that walk to discipleship would have been welcomed.

Being a disciple comes about as you grow in the Lord Jesus Christ, and as we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts, we become more able to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christ-like. As you become more Christ-like your desire to share Jesus with others becomes stronger.

When I encountered Jesus again through the Charismatic Renew-al, I was a walking time bomb, a

Encounter Jesus - From Discovery to DiscipleshipAuthor: Fr. Dave Pivonka T.O.R.Published by: Servant Books, Cincinnati, OH,www.FranciscanMedia.org ISBN# 978-1-161636-789-3


BOOK REVIEW

Inspired - The Powerful Presence of the Holy SpiritAuthor: Fr. Gary CasterPublished by: Servant Books, Cincinnati, OH,www.FranciscanMedia.org ISBN# 978-1-161636-818-0

zealot disciple of volcanic erup-tion. I believe my exuberance turned more people away then bringing them to the Lord. How-ever through the Holy Spirit I was able to find my calmer self in the Lord thus becoming a disciple people would listen too.

If you know someone who has just encountered The Lord this book would be a beautiful gift to help them walk their path. Actu-ally this book will help anyone wherever they are in their walk to better understand what they are going through as they become dis-ciples in The Lord Jesus Christ.

This book sells for $15 in paper-back and Kindle price is approxi-mately $10.

I highly recommend this book for so many reasons; pick it up and find what those reasons are.

Inspired is a book that takes us from our knowledge of the begin-ning to the present day realiza-tion of the ever present power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the lives of others.

At the time of this review I am unable to quote from the book as it is an uncorrected proof copy.

Fr. Caster brings up many inter-esting facts about the third per-son of the Trinity, which we use to call Holy Ghost. He brings the Advocate into a simpler under-standing so that many will come to know the promised comforter, teacher and guide Jesus told the apostles would come after he was taken home to be with the Father.

BALESTRINI-VIZARD, Elaine has been married to David for 40 years and celebrated their anniversary May 5, 2013. She is the mother of five loving children and seven grandchildren. She has worked as a nurse for more than 30 years. She enjoys Bible studies with family and friends and alone time with her Lord and Saviour.


BOOK REVIEW

BALESTRINI-VIZARD, Elaine has been married to David for 40 years and celebrated their anniversary May 5, 2013. She is the mother of five loving children and seven grandchildren. She has worked as a nurse for more than 30 years. She enjoys Bible studies with family and friends and alone time with her Lord and Saviour.

The Author states that many Catholics do not have much knowledge of the Holy Spirit, in fact most do not know the role of the third person in the Trinity, one of the three persons in one God! Surely it is a mystery, yet Fr. Caster makes it less mysteri-ous for all to understand.

He writes of how the Holy Spirit always was, as was God the Fa-ther and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is the power and love of God and so much more. Most of all he writes about the Holy Spirit of the New Testament and how he was ever present in the lives of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, and continues on especially mention-ing St. Paul often.

At one point Fr. Caster writes about how many people feel like they are puppets on a string, playing a role in God’s great plan, where we have no voice in his pre-destined path he has chosen for us. This said, he responds by ex-plaining God’s gift of free choice, although for me his explanation was confusing, he seemed to prove a point only to take it back. As mysterious as the Trinity is so too is the explanation from Fr. Caster.

Most Charismatic Christians know that the Holy Spirit is the focal point of the Charismatic Renewal, and for many of us we

have had numerous encounters with the third person of the Trin-ity. However for most Christians who find it hard to grasp the role of the Holy Spirit this book will inspire you into this Mystery of God.

For me, Fr. Caster's book titled "Inspired," renewed in me the power and love of the Advocate who remains in me and my life.

I sincerely recommend this book for all Christians, whether you have been a constant in the Char-ismatic Renewal, or remain con-fused about the Holy Spirit’s role in your life. It would be a perfect gift for family members to come to a better understanding of the role of The Holy Spirit in their lives.

You can buy this book at Amazon.ca/com or at your favourite book store. Cost is approximately $15 for the paperback, Kindle price is $10.


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