The Woman Priest

Recently in Kentucky, a woman by the name of Rosemarie Smead was ordained a priest in a small group that has defected from the Roman Catholic Church.  She said she can no longer wait until the Catholic Church allows women priests and she must act now.  Also, she had to have been ordained by a priest or a bishop, who has gone against the rules of the Church.  Both of these people claim to be still be members of the Church, but has carried out the actions to be separated form the church, schism.  If Jesus had wanted a woman priest, he would have made a woman one of his apostles.  People argue that men were the dominant figure back then and Jesus could not have made a woman an apostle.  Jesus could have easily done this, he broke so many other rules and traditions, what was holding him back?  The answer is nothing, if Jesus had wanted a woman as an apostle he would have done it, but this was not part of God's plan.  Jesus was a man and all of the apostles were men and God intended it to be this way.  The Church follows God's will and only allows men to be priests.  Rosemarie Smead is going against God's will by becoming a priest, but she remain a nun.  As a nun, she can participate in God's will as fully as she can but the office of the priest is reserved for men.  One can only pray that she understands why God desires it to be this way.
        
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/woman-priest-ordained_n_3174277.html

Why the Church Teaches What It Does

Long ago Jesus began his earthly ministry and founded the Church. He gave his authority to her and she was told to go and spread the Good News, teaching what Jesus taught her.

In today’s world, there has been rising controversy towards women ordination, married priests, and homosexuality. Even now, many hope for a change in the Church with the coming of the new Pope, while the old one has stepped down. What many do not understand is that the Church cannot ever change. In the Ordinary Magisterium, part of the Church’s Deposit of Faith - its teaching authority on Earth - she may only affirm the teachings given to her by God and can never change or create new doctrine, only reaffirm. Some may point to changes in the Liturgy as signs that the Church has the power to change the way we pray and take part within it, but that never changes the underlying grace behind these words. It changes as culture changes, to help bring us to God in every circumstance - even the Sacraments are just visible signs of grace. The grace behind the signs are what really matters to growing in communion with God. THIS is what the Church can never change. As such, the same teachings given by Christ represent this hidden grace and help us become closer to God in all of our lives.

Who Can Receive Communion?

The Sacrament of Communion is the most prominent because we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. It strengthens us in our fight against sin and draws us closer to God. The Sacrament of Communion gives us grace to resist sin in every aspect of our lives. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:53–58). This encounter we have with Christ has been entrusted from Jesus to his Church, and it is only through his Church that we are saved.

There are five requirements the Church has for those who wish to take Communion. First, you must be in a state of grace. Second, you must have been to confession since your last mortal sin. Third, you must believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation. Fourth, you must observe the Eucharistic fast. Finally, one must not be under an ecclesiastical censure. If you have offended someone you must repent your sin before you can participate in Communion; otherwise it is futile. Transubstantiation literally says that the bread and wine are actually transformed into the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, with only the appearances of bread and wine remaining. Only after fulfilling these requirements and are a member of the Universal Church can you participate in Communion.

My Church believes that everyone has the right to participate in Communion, to help them grow and be transformed in God. The United Methodist Church’s Confession of Faith states: “We believe the sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols and pledges of the Christian’s profession and of God’s love toward us. They are means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, bringing to life, strengthening and confirming our faith in him. Two Sacraments are ordained by Christ our Lord, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”

On transubstantiation, we believe that the change is spiritual. They signify the body and blood of Christ for us, helping us to be Christ’s body in the world today, redeemed by Christ’s blood. We pray over the bread and the cup that they may make us one with Christ, “one with each other, and one in service to all the world.”  Anyone may participate, but you remain your right to choose to not receive Communion. It is the Lord’s Supper, not ours, and it is Christ who invites you. As our ritual puts it: “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” We do not refuse any who present themselves desiring to receive. Whether you should receive Communion with us is between you and God. Two thousand years ago Jesus ate with sinners and those whom others scorned. He still does. None of us is worthy, except by God’s grace. Thank God we don’t have to earn worth in God’s eyes by our goodness or our faith. Our sacred worth is God’s free gift. No matter what we have done or what is our present condition, if you want Christ in your life you are welcome at his table. Communion provides the opportunity for you to confess your sins, to receive forgiveness, and to indicate your intention to lead a new life.

Children may also receive Communion. We remember that when some of Jesus’ disciples tried to keep children away from him he said: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Mark 10:14 NRSV). You may say they do not understand the importance of their actions; however, neither do any of us. It is a wonderful mystery, and children can sense wonder and mystery. Children cannot understand the full significance of family meals, but we feed them at our family tables and at Christ’s family table. Young children experience being loved by being fed. They sense the difference between being included and excluded at a family meal. They have the faith of a child, appropriate to their stage of development, which Jesus recognized and honored. Indeed, he said to adults: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15 NRSV). More information can be found in the book, United Methodists and Communion. We believe anyone who has the desire to change and to grow in God should be given the right to have Communion.

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano is a miracle where the Host turned into the flesh of Christ.  In the small Church if St. Legontian, a Basilian monk was performing the mass.  He had trouble believing the Jesus's real presence and thought that the Eucharist represented Christ.  When he held up the host to consecrate it, it transformed into the flesh of Christ.  Also, all five goblets of wine were transformed into red, sparkling blood.  The flesh and wine has been preserved today, left out with nothing to preserve it.  The flesh can be seen today and is said to look brown, but when lit from the back, a rosy color emerges.  The blood over 1,200 years has changed to a mustard yellow color.  Several scientific test were performed on the blood and flesh in 1970-1971 and in 1981.  They examined the flesh and determined that it was true flesh and belongs to the human species.  They also discovered that it is the flesh of the heart and found that the myocardium is thicker than the rest of the heart, just as it is in a normal heart.  They then tested the blood and confirmed that it is indeed human blood and they found proteins that would normally be in the blood of a healthy human being.  Finally, the most convicting evidence is that the blood type, AB, is the same as the blood on the Shroud of Turin.  This miracle shows that the hosts and wines are truly the body and blood of Christ, but they may not look like them in appearance.  So next time you are taking communion and you wonder if you are really consuming the body and blood of Christ, remember this miracle.        
   

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/apparitions/pr00026.htm

What Would Jesus Do

Have you seen those bracelets that people have that say WWJD.  In case you haven't, it means What Would Jesus Do, and it is a great way to stop and consider your actions.  When ever presented with a difficult situation, just say, "what would Jesus do," to yourself and it will often guide you to the correct decision.  These bracelets give us a great opportunity to evangelize in our everyday lives.  The WWJD also can be reworded to better suit our day to day lives, but we can also use the words to take on a more selfish meaning.  We could say, Lord help me to be more like Christ, but this limits us to just act like Christ.  The gist of the saying is to do as Jesus would in a given situation. Jesus is a great model for our lives, he gave his life to us.  We are now to follow in his footsteps, we should aspire to be as much like Jesus and we can possibly be.  The idea of the phrase is to act as if Jesus was working through you, not just to follow behind.  We are supposed to be the example of Christ and act like we were Christ himself.

       http://scribblesandscratchings.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/wwjd-the-wrong-question-perhaps/