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Christ is true God, as well as true man. The bright cloud represented the Godhead, and Heaven; and as it split open, Christ emerged, willing to descend to earth to live as a sinless man in a sinful world, to save us from Hell. The Angels looked on in awe and wonder, seeing His love for us all.
Christ wants people to reflect on my Last Judgement painting, and to ponder how they will feel when they come at last into the presence of God the Father, whose glory I have seen in prayer, and who is awesome in His holiness and beauty. Christ wants everyone to repent of their sins, while there is still time.
While capital punishment is being outlawed in many countries for being too barbaric, more and more countries allow the barbaric killing of babies in the womb
The Lord wants to see a crucifix on every altar, large enough to serve as a reminder for everyone that they are present at a solemn, living memorial of His Sacred Passion and death. The Mass is therefore not an appropriate place for frivolity, pop music, dancing, or chatter, or anything else which would draw hearts and minds away from the awesome act which takes place.
To be baptised and to become a Christian is to enter onto the only road that leads to Heaven. Yet it is possible for people outside the Church to be saved, if they persevere in trying to lead good lives, and if, at death, seeing Christ, they bow down in love and awe. Those who are blameless about not having known or served Him can receive the grace they need for salvation.
On my birthday, when I had thanked the Father for this gift of life, I saw Him lean over towards me, to embrace me, as He said: "HOW PRECIOUS YOU ARE". We ought to be amazed and awestruck that the Blessed Trinity has such love for weak creatures.
The whole Church of earth, Heaven and Purgatory is one at Mass. The Saints look on as they see Calvary re-presented in our sanctuary, during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Saints and Angels are awe-struck at the love of Christ for human beings in need of rescue, that brought Him to endure torment and death, to conquer sin and death.
God invites us to kneel in adoration. The Pope is right to encourage us to offer reverent praise to God the Father, Who is Creator of the whole Universe, greater than the Universe, and awesome in His attributes, and in the beauty of His loving nature. We owe the same praise to Christ His Son, Who is Present in every Catholic Church, and yet often receives praise that is banal, vain, irreverent, frivolous or mundane.
A person who enjoys an intimate relationship with Christ, in the heights of the spiritual life, must not feel ashamed if she is not feeling as awe-struck and astonished as in the earlier years. If her heart has grown even more grateful to Christ, and even more glad about opportunities to share Good News, she can enjoy His blessed, quiet friendship in peace
We are right to help the poor; but Christianity is more than good deeds. In Christ's sight, modernism flourishes where people do not have sufficient awe of God. Many good hearted Catholics, through poor instruction, have a faith that revolves around what humans need, rather than what the Father requests and deserves. They have a too-exalted view of man, in relation to God, which distorts the whole picture; whereas Catholics really grateful to God for Jesus Christ accept the Church's teaching without constant grumbling, shoulder the Cross, and strive for holiness like the Saints, out of love for their Saviour.
It is dangerous to succumb to spiritual stagnation when a priest or other person goes on prolonged leave, or a lengthy sabbatical, but for far too long, with little relish for prayer, and becoming weighed down with discontent; then it is time for him to look carefully at his relationship to God. Just as a buoy, left under the surface of the sea, becomes encrusted with shellfish and festooned with seaweed, becoming almost unrecognisable, so there is a danger of losing interest in a vocation, or becoming graceless and hopeless, unless changes are made.
Just as a tiny model of a dancer or a Princess turns around on top of a musical jewel box, Our Blessed Lady, Queen of Heaven, looks around her in awe and wonder, as she gazes, first at the men who generously come forward to accept her son's call to the Priesthood, and then, as she gazes at the priests who have persevered for love of Christ and are about to enter Heaven. She admires them all, but rejoices to see the second group receive the reward they deserve.
Just as a person who has a wondrous experience of flying through the air, by parachute, knows that such an experience, daily, would be joyful but never so exhilarating as during the first flight or two, so a person granted special spiritual experiences can become less awe-struck - though, it is to be hoped, no less reverent - when these have become part of her life of contemplative prayer.
If they do not repent before they die, those politicians who have passed laws which condemn unborn children to death will one day find themselves, after death, in front of a throne greater than any earthly throne, and a judge more awesome than any earthly judge. Wise politicians will repent, in earthly life, while they still have an opportunity to change.
There are two groups of people who look on, as if from afar, as a Bishop speaks with members of his flock. They are those politicians and journalists who regard the Catholic Church as an archaic, irrelevant, and peculiar religion; and they have no idea of the extraordinary role of the Bishop, in God's sight, nor of his awesome responsibilities and privileges.
In various societies and cultures, people are confused, and need help in bringing order to their stormy lives. The task of artists is to help people to see what is good, true and noble - even by sometimes depicting what draws people away from the good, though not through any obsession with what is grotesque, demeaning or sadistic. Such images can harm flawed human beings.
What is the message given to us by those who allow children in baseball hats to stand between some priests, at the altar, during the Eucharistic prayer? It is that it is more important to make children feel involved than to allow the priests to be close to the altar, undisturbed, as they offer the Holy Sacrifice of Christ! This is a tragic piece of evidence of flawed attitudes, today, to the Mass and the Priesthood.
The beauty and glory of Heaven is indescribable; yet we know that the blazing charity of the Saints, as they praise and thank the Blessed Trinity, is like a circle of flame around the awesome Godhead.
The Saints and Angels stand around Our Blessed Lady now, in Heaven, in awe of her privileges -- her Immaculate Conception, and her Assumption into Heaven - and in awe of her amazing holiness; yet she is as simple as a child, and kind, like her son, Jesus. We must not be afraid to approach her, to celebrate her feasts and to ask for her prayers.
When the Angels bow low, in awe, at the arrival of Jesus Christ, at the Consecration, they demonstrate, by their action, their interior disposition. We can do the same. We can express our adoration and love by reverent gestures, prayers, genuflections, and also by our silence in church, and our modest clothing, and dignified bearing.
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