MEDITATIONS
Posted by Batas Internet Media on Thursday, November 18, 2010
Under: MEDITATIONS
I AM A JEALOUS GOD
Thus says the LORD:
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
nor the strong man glory in his strength,
nor the rich man glory in his riches;
But rather, let him who glories, glory in this,
that in his prudence he knows me,
Knows that I, the LORD, bring about kindness,
justice and uprightness on the earth;
For with such am I pleased, says the LORD.
*******
THE TWO COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS
[GOD'S TEN COMMANDMENTS (through Moses)]
"This is the greatest and the first commandment:
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and
with all your mind."
1. I, the LORD, am your God... You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
"The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew
22:37-40)
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house
[From Wikipedia]
The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, is a Philippine
bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth
control and maternal care. The bill has become the center of a contentious
national debate. There are presently six bills with the same goals, the most
prominent of which is the one proposed by Congressman Edcel Lagman.[May God
have mercy on Edcel Lagman and other co-authors ~ Seek the LORD while he may be
found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his ways, and the
wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God who is
generous in forgiving.]
While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child
health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the government funds and
undertakes widespread distribution of family planning devices such as birth
control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, dissemination of information on their use, and
enforcement of their provision in all health care centers and private
companies, as a way of controlling the population of the Philippines. The bill
is based on the premise that present population growth impedes economic
development and exacerbates poverty. [God forgive them, they do not know what
they are doing. ~ I, the LORD, am you God. You shall not have other gods besides
me.] / [You shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor.]
(1) The bill is based on an inaccurate premise since Nobel-prize winning
economist Simon Kuznets found no correlation between population growth and
poverty in his book Modern Economic Growth: Rate, Structure, and Spread, and say
that human capital is the ultimate resource.Kuznets's findings have been
confirmed in numerous later studies coverign developed and developing countries
cited by Economis Roberto de Vera in a "Primer" on the bill. [You shall love
your neighbor as yourself: You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.]
(2) The bill takes away limited government funds from treating many high
priority medical and food needs and transfers them to fund harmful and deadly
devices. The latest studies in scientific journals and organizations show that
the ordinary birth control pill, and the IUD are abortifacient: they kill young
human embryos, who as such are human beings equally worthy of respect, making
the bill unconstitutional. [You shall love your neighbor as yourself:You shall
not steal.You shall not kill.]
(3) Leading secular social scientists have found that contraceptives have
deleterious social effects (abortion, adultery, female empoverishment,
fatherless children, spread of AIDS, teenage pregnancies, immorality, etc.).
The pill is carcinogenic,and confers other serious health risks. "It is never
lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it." [God
forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. ~ You shall love your
neighbor as yourself: You shall not kill.You shall not commit adultery. You
shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You
shall not covet your neighbor's house.]
(4) People's freedom to access contraceptives is not restricted by any opposing
law, being available in family planning NGOs, stores, etc. The country is not a
welfare state: taxpayer's money should not be used for personal practices that
are objectively harmful and immoral; it can be used to inform people of the
harm of BCPs. [God forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. ~ You
shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not steal. You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor.
(5) It promotes sex education of the youth which promoters themselves have
considered as having brought about more teenage pregnancies and fatherless kids.
[You shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not commit adultery. You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.]
(6) A 2009 survey showed that 92% rejected the bill when informed of its
detailed provisions and penalties. Filipinos are pro-life since Buhay party-list
is always at the top of their choices. (7) The penal provisions constitute a
violation of free choice and conscience, and establishes religious persecution.
[You shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.]
(8) The promotion and increased usage of contraceptives will eventually lead to
more unplanned pregnancies and greater demand for abortion. There are six
versions of the bill in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate.
[You shall love your neighbor as yourself:You shall not kill.]
President Aquino denied he was an author of the bill. He also stated that he
gives full support to a firm population policy, educating parents to be
responsible, providing contraceptives to those who ask for them, but he refuses
to promote contraceptive use. He said that his position "is more aptly called
responsible parenthood rather than reproductive health." [I, the LORD, am you
God. You shall not have other gods besides me.]
*******
AS A CHRISTIAN
I firmly believe that God is the initiator and author of life. He alone has the
ultimate right to give life and to take it (Deut 32:39 ; Job 1:2, 2:6 ; 1 Sam
2:6 ; Sirach 11:14). We humans are stewards of God's life-giving work. He passes
on to us his work to uphold and develop life in the way he engraved it in our
nature.
I believe that God gave us individual lives not because we earned it, but
because God in his generosity gave it freely to be an opportunity for me to live
with him eventually. He wants me to use his gift of life in the way pleasing to
him. Thus, God gave me the freedom to choose: to love him intentionally or to
willfully separate from him. I choose God than death and live a godly life, it
is written: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have
set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and
your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19)
I believe that sex and the sexual act are God's design to me in order to
procreate and be fruitful upon the earth. Pleasure in sex is part of the beauty
of this design, so sex is not intended for pleasure alone. Sex is a commitment
with the one I love, respect, and whom God consecrated for me to be with, as
well as willingly taking upon us the consequences of self-giving no matter how
heavy. It is written: "But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin
marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience distress in this
life..." (1 Cor 7:28a)
As a Catholic Christian
"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church. " This phrase I recite
in our Apostles Creed in our prayers and in every Sunday Mass. It is dishonest
for me to confess these words and not to profess it in my thoughts, words and
actions.
I believe that the Holy Spirit will teach me the Truth according to what the
Bible says: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the
truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and
he will declare to you the things that are to come." (John 16:13). The Holy
Spirit, who will teach me the truth, will safeguard me from error, and will
continue to instruct me on the Truth in every changing of the times, as it has
already known me the things that are to come.
Jesus Christ, who is "the way, the truth and the life", has promised that the
Holy Spirit will stay with his disciples forever. "And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever." (John 14:16).
This Holy Spirit filled the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2) and has been actively
working in it ever since. Because this Spirit of Truth has animated the Church,
the Church is the "pillar and groundwork of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). And we are
instructed to hear what the Church is saying, because it is the Holy Spirit who
is speaking: "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to
the churches." (Rev 2:29)
The bishops are the successors of Christ's Apostles. It is the custom of the
Apostles to send disciples of them to continue their task. "While they were
worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting
and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:2-3).
Every bishop has been laid by hands with his own bishop, and the said bishop by
another bishop, forming an uninterrupted chain of succession back to the time
when the Apostles laid their hands to their chosen disciples. Succession is
essential for the Christian ministry for the Church will endure up to the end of
the age, according to Christ's promise (cf. Matthew 28:20)
So it is very Catholic to listen to our own Bishops. Those who claim that they
are Catholics but do not listen to their religious authorities has no right to
claim it for themselves, for it is written: "Obey your leaders and submit to
them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let
them do this with joy and not with sighing-- for that would be harmful to you."
(Hebrews 13:17) and "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects
you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." (Luke
10:16)
*******
AS A MUSLIM
To be submitted to the will of Allah, I must not do something that is against
His will. Allah demands purity from me as believer in Islam. When I enter a
mosque, I must cleanse myself from bodily filth to purify myself of sin. This is
ritual cleanliness in Islam. In the month of Ramadan, I must abstain from
gluttony, from sexual activity, and from everything that causes me to be
unclean. Purity is important in Islam. There has to be an avoidance of using
drugs and alcohol or engaging in gambling. Allah is a God of perfection, of
purity of body, mind and spirit above all.
Allah hates immorality. His Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) has viewed immorality as an
abhorrence before Allah and is to be dealt severely. In The Koran, Allah
implemented punishments and measures to persons who will violate and degrade
purity (YUSUFALI 004.015-016; 024.002)
The RH Bill will allow the youngsters to be "informed" of the sexual activity.
It is also possible that condoms and pills will also be introduced to them. This
is abhorrence. Informing them about sex is like inciting them that it is a thing
that is worth to try. A Muslim youngster must not defile himself or herself of
the thoughts of sex to avoid uncleanliness. Unleashing the new and strange urge
in youngsters by these "information" is unbecoming, and will endanger the purity
of the Muslim youth.
*******
Guarding Truth and Freedom
What might be the consequences to our nation if Christians falter in fighting
for God's truth to prevail? Is God's truth an important factor when you make
family, business, financial, or political decisions? What do you need to do to
help guard truth and freedom? Develop more intimacy with the Lord in prayer?
Learn more about the truths in your Bible? God is sufficient to give you wisdom
and power in these areas if you only ask. Pray that God will strengthen you to
contend for the faith and for truth in your home, work, community and country.
Prayerfully approach your decisions as a family member, neighbor, and citizen.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and
follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."--1 Timothy 4:1
The Lord desires what is good for us and will do what is necessary to bring
transformation in our thought life, attitudes, actions, and priorities.
Consider that the gift of life, body, mind, and heart, in all of its glorious
complexity, is wrapped up in the greatest gift, the most astounding trait of
our humanity: We are all created with the capacity to have deep and eternal
fellowship with Almighty God! When he “knit you together,” he set you apart to
share in his goodness, his love, and his divinity.
Today, spend some time in prayer thinking about how amazing God’s creation is.
You are his masterpiece, and he is very proud of you!
Let us pray:
For we are reduced,
O God, beyond any other nation, brought low every where in the world this day
because of our sins. But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be
received. Almighty Father, let our daily sacrifice of praise be pleasing to you
today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put
to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray
to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and
great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O
LORD. Take our hands and lead us and make us your instruments to stop abortion
and to crush the culture of death society, not only in the Philippines, the
USA, but all over the world. We ask not our will, but your will be done our God.
In Jesus' name [the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE] we pray. Amen.
In Christ,
God Save the Philippines [my beloved native land].
God is my refuge, my fortress, and my shield!
Marjjah, a lowly servant of the Lord!
*member ~ CFC-FFL (Foundation for Family and Life)
*[ProGod-ProChrist- ProFamily- ProLife-ProPoor]
Thus says the LORD:
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
nor the strong man glory in his strength,
nor the rich man glory in his riches;
But rather, let him who glories, glory in this,
that in his prudence he knows me,
Knows that I, the LORD, bring about kindness,
justice and uprightness on the earth;
For with such am I pleased, says the LORD.
*******
THE TWO COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS
[GOD'S TEN COMMANDMENTS (through Moses)]
"This is the greatest and the first commandment:
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and
with all your mind."
1. I, the LORD, am your God... You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
"The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew
22:37-40)
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house
[From Wikipedia]
The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, is a Philippine
bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth
control and maternal care. The bill has become the center of a contentious
national debate. There are presently six bills with the same goals, the most
prominent of which is the one proposed by Congressman Edcel Lagman.[May God
have mercy on Edcel Lagman and other co-authors ~ Seek the LORD while he may be
found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his ways, and the
wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God who is
generous in forgiving.]
While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child
health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the government funds and
undertakes widespread distribution of family planning devices such as birth
control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, dissemination of information on their use, and
enforcement of their provision in all health care centers and private
companies, as a way of controlling the population of the Philippines. The bill
is based on the premise that present population growth impedes economic
development and exacerbates poverty. [God forgive them, they do not know what
they are doing. ~ I, the LORD, am you God. You shall not have other gods besides
me.] / [You shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor.]
(1) The bill is based on an inaccurate premise since Nobel-prize winning
economist Simon Kuznets found no correlation between population growth and
poverty in his book Modern Economic Growth: Rate, Structure, and Spread, and say
that human capital is the ultimate resource.Kuznets's findings have been
confirmed in numerous later studies coverign developed and developing countries
cited by Economis Roberto de Vera in a "Primer" on the bill. [You shall love
your neighbor as yourself: You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.]
(2) The bill takes away limited government funds from treating many high
priority medical and food needs and transfers them to fund harmful and deadly
devices. The latest studies in scientific journals and organizations show that
the ordinary birth control pill, and the IUD are abortifacient: they kill young
human embryos, who as such are human beings equally worthy of respect, making
the bill unconstitutional. [You shall love your neighbor as yourself:You shall
not steal.You shall not kill.]
(3) Leading secular social scientists have found that contraceptives have
deleterious social effects (abortion, adultery, female empoverishment,
fatherless children, spread of AIDS, teenage pregnancies, immorality, etc.).
The pill is carcinogenic,and confers other serious health risks. "It is never
lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it." [God
forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. ~ You shall love your
neighbor as yourself: You shall not kill.You shall not commit adultery. You
shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You
shall not covet your neighbor's house.]
(4) People's freedom to access contraceptives is not restricted by any opposing
law, being available in family planning NGOs, stores, etc. The country is not a
welfare state: taxpayer's money should not be used for personal practices that
are objectively harmful and immoral; it can be used to inform people of the
harm of BCPs. [God forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. ~ You
shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not steal. You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor.
(5) It promotes sex education of the youth which promoters themselves have
considered as having brought about more teenage pregnancies and fatherless kids.
[You shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not commit adultery. You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.]
(6) A 2009 survey showed that 92% rejected the bill when informed of its
detailed provisions and penalties. Filipinos are pro-life since Buhay party-list
is always at the top of their choices. (7) The penal provisions constitute a
violation of free choice and conscience, and establishes religious persecution.
[You shall love your neighbor as yourself: You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.]
(8) The promotion and increased usage of contraceptives will eventually lead to
more unplanned pregnancies and greater demand for abortion. There are six
versions of the bill in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate.
[You shall love your neighbor as yourself:You shall not kill.]
President Aquino denied he was an author of the bill. He also stated that he
gives full support to a firm population policy, educating parents to be
responsible, providing contraceptives to those who ask for them, but he refuses
to promote contraceptive use. He said that his position "is more aptly called
responsible parenthood rather than reproductive health." [I, the LORD, am you
God. You shall not have other gods besides me.]
*******
AS A CHRISTIAN
I firmly believe that God is the initiator and author of life. He alone has the
ultimate right to give life and to take it (Deut 32:39 ; Job 1:2, 2:6 ; 1 Sam
2:6 ; Sirach 11:14). We humans are stewards of God's life-giving work. He passes
on to us his work to uphold and develop life in the way he engraved it in our
nature.
I believe that God gave us individual lives not because we earned it, but
because God in his generosity gave it freely to be an opportunity for me to live
with him eventually. He wants me to use his gift of life in the way pleasing to
him. Thus, God gave me the freedom to choose: to love him intentionally or to
willfully separate from him. I choose God than death and live a godly life, it
is written: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have
set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and
your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19)
I believe that sex and the sexual act are God's design to me in order to
procreate and be fruitful upon the earth. Pleasure in sex is part of the beauty
of this design, so sex is not intended for pleasure alone. Sex is a commitment
with the one I love, respect, and whom God consecrated for me to be with, as
well as willingly taking upon us the consequences of self-giving no matter how
heavy. It is written: "But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin
marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience distress in this
life..." (1 Cor 7:28a)
As a Catholic Christian
"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church. " This phrase I recite
in our Apostles Creed in our prayers and in every Sunday Mass. It is dishonest
for me to confess these words and not to profess it in my thoughts, words and
actions.
I believe that the Holy Spirit will teach me the Truth according to what the
Bible says: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the
truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and
he will declare to you the things that are to come." (John 16:13). The Holy
Spirit, who will teach me the truth, will safeguard me from error, and will
continue to instruct me on the Truth in every changing of the times, as it has
already known me the things that are to come.
Jesus Christ, who is "the way, the truth and the life", has promised that the
Holy Spirit will stay with his disciples forever. "And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever." (John 14:16).
This Holy Spirit filled the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2) and has been actively
working in it ever since. Because this Spirit of Truth has animated the Church,
the Church is the "pillar and groundwork of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). And we are
instructed to hear what the Church is saying, because it is the Holy Spirit who
is speaking: "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to
the churches." (Rev 2:29)
The bishops are the successors of Christ's Apostles. It is the custom of the
Apostles to send disciples of them to continue their task. "While they were
worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting
and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:2-3).
Every bishop has been laid by hands with his own bishop, and the said bishop by
another bishop, forming an uninterrupted chain of succession back to the time
when the Apostles laid their hands to their chosen disciples. Succession is
essential for the Christian ministry for the Church will endure up to the end of
the age, according to Christ's promise (cf. Matthew 28:20)
So it is very Catholic to listen to our own Bishops. Those who claim that they
are Catholics but do not listen to their religious authorities has no right to
claim it for themselves, for it is written: "Obey your leaders and submit to
them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let
them do this with joy and not with sighing-- for that would be harmful to you."
(Hebrews 13:17) and "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects
you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." (Luke
10:16)
*******
AS A MUSLIM
To be submitted to the will of Allah, I must not do something that is against
His will. Allah demands purity from me as believer in Islam. When I enter a
mosque, I must cleanse myself from bodily filth to purify myself of sin. This is
ritual cleanliness in Islam. In the month of Ramadan, I must abstain from
gluttony, from sexual activity, and from everything that causes me to be
unclean. Purity is important in Islam. There has to be an avoidance of using
drugs and alcohol or engaging in gambling. Allah is a God of perfection, of
purity of body, mind and spirit above all.
Allah hates immorality. His Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) has viewed immorality as an
abhorrence before Allah and is to be dealt severely. In The Koran, Allah
implemented punishments and measures to persons who will violate and degrade
purity (YUSUFALI 004.015-016; 024.002)
The RH Bill will allow the youngsters to be "informed" of the sexual activity.
It is also possible that condoms and pills will also be introduced to them. This
is abhorrence. Informing them about sex is like inciting them that it is a thing
that is worth to try. A Muslim youngster must not defile himself or herself of
the thoughts of sex to avoid uncleanliness. Unleashing the new and strange urge
in youngsters by these "information" is unbecoming, and will endanger the purity
of the Muslim youth.
*******
Guarding Truth and Freedom
What might be the consequences to our nation if Christians falter in fighting
for God's truth to prevail? Is God's truth an important factor when you make
family, business, financial, or political decisions? What do you need to do to
help guard truth and freedom? Develop more intimacy with the Lord in prayer?
Learn more about the truths in your Bible? God is sufficient to give you wisdom
and power in these areas if you only ask. Pray that God will strengthen you to
contend for the faith and for truth in your home, work, community and country.
Prayerfully approach your decisions as a family member, neighbor, and citizen.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and
follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."--1 Timothy 4:1
The Lord desires what is good for us and will do what is necessary to bring
transformation in our thought life, attitudes, actions, and priorities.
Consider that the gift of life, body, mind, and heart, in all of its glorious
complexity, is wrapped up in the greatest gift, the most astounding trait of
our humanity: We are all created with the capacity to have deep and eternal
fellowship with Almighty God! When he “knit you together,” he set you apart to
share in his goodness, his love, and his divinity.
Today, spend some time in prayer thinking about how amazing God’s creation is.
You are his masterpiece, and he is very proud of you!
Let us pray:
For we are reduced,
O God, beyond any other nation, brought low every where in the world this day
because of our sins. But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be
received. Almighty Father, let our daily sacrifice of praise be pleasing to you
today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put
to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray
to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and
great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O
LORD. Take our hands and lead us and make us your instruments to stop abortion
and to crush the culture of death society, not only in the Philippines, the
USA, but all over the world. We ask not our will, but your will be done our God.
In Jesus' name [the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE] we pray. Amen.
In Christ,
God Save the Philippines [my beloved native land].
God is my refuge, my fortress, and my shield!
Marjjah, a lowly servant of the Lord!
*member ~ CFC-FFL (Foundation for Family and Life)
*[ProGod-ProChrist- ProFamily- ProLife-ProPoor]
In : MEDITATIONS