John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (((Theology account)))

[andrvlpnd]

The Sacrament of Matrimony

The Bible begins with Adam and Eve being created in God’s likeness. God tells them to be fruitful and multiply. Their love for each other is the image of the love God has for us. Whenever the authors of the Old Testament wanted to show the beauty of the relationship between the Israelites and their God, they would often compare it with marriage. We see one example of this in Isaiah 62: 4–5

4 No more shall men call you "Forsaken," or your land "Desolate," But you shall be called "My Delight," and your land "Espoused." For the LORD delights in you, and makes your land his spouse. 5 As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; And as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you. (Isaiah 62: 4–5)

In the Sacrament of Matrimony, a man and a woman are united in such a way that they become one flesh, each belonging to one another. Matrimony is a celebration of a lifelong commitment of faithful love. Living together in marriage is not the only way in which people love one another, but marriage is certainly the supreme example of human love. In the exchange of promises during the marriage ceremony, the couple administers the sacrament to each other. There must by an official Church witness present, either a priest or a deacon, because Matrimony is an act of public worship, a community prayer, bringing God’s blessing to the couple. Once the couple is married, their home becomes a domestic church, for the Church is whole and entire in a family built on the foundation of the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Matrimony often takes place during the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy. The couple exchanges promises. One example is

I, [name], take you, [name] to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

While Matrimony is part of the sacramental life that makes it possible for Christians to attain eternal salvation, the purpose of the sacrament is to help the partners in this life as they work to live in faithfulness to God. Their love for each other is a reflection of the enduring love between Christ and his Church, and it provides them with a foretaste of the divine love that awaits them in paradise.

[andrvlpnd]

My Vision of A Perfect Married Life

1. Complete Trust in One Another

- A marriage can only work if a husband and wife learn to trust one another. In a relationship that is full of doubt and mistrust, it would be difficult to see it succeed without there being mutual faith.

2. The Same Values

- Some marriages may have relationships built over different religions but it is vital to have matching values. Love works its way around compatibility and being with someone who sees the world in a similar way that you do is one of the factors of a successful Christian marriage.

3. Good Communication

- Fighting is an inevitable event in the lives of a couple. For them to be able to move to the next step which is to welcome marriage and start a family, a man and woman must settle their differences through talking about their feelings.

4. Pure Love with Christ 

- A Christian marriage is simply a marriage bound by law without Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the middle of the relationship. It is also important to have an awareness of God’s Grace within the marriage because it is a reminder that love is not just what binds man and wife, but also God’s calling to them.

5. Balance

- The vision of a perfect married life is a goal that is not far from reach. To love and cherish someone is one thing, and to welcome the Holy Spirit in your love, but to also incorporate every value and key element into your marriage to keep the love fresh and everlasting. To have a perfect balance of all the key elements of a marriage would mean striving for a lifetime or pure love.

[andrvlpnd]

[andrvlpnd]

Two Becoming One

Barry R. Leventhal, Ph.D.

What is the Perfect Vision?

What would you consider the perfect vision of a Christian marriage? Would it be a husband and wife that communicate with the tongues of angels? Would it include an ecstatic romantic interlude that lasts for about a month? How about a financial windfall that not only covers all of your debts, but also launches you out onto a three-month worldwide vacation? Maybe your perfect vision of a Christian marriage embraces a new and perfect set of in-laws. You can probably fill in the rest, can't you?

Many of us really believe that a perfect Christian marriage is the direct result of a new marriage seminar or neat set of marital principles that will finally transform our marriage-of course, by transforming our mates. Maybe it's the latest book or set of tapes on "How to Have A Successful Marriage." Don't get me wrong. We at Christian Family Life have spent the last thirty-two years working on and trying to perfect the best principles on Christian marriage that we can find in the Bible. We are totally committed to God's basic principles for marriage and family.

But that does not mean that we believe that if you perfectly apply all of our CFL materials to your marriage, then you will have the perfect marriage. That would be like saying that if you applied all of the basic surgical skills in open-heart surgery, every heart patient would successfully survive the operation. But a successful marriage, like a successful open-heart surgery, requires a vision that is larger than itself, a vision that transcends its earthly limitations, confusion, and setbacks.

[heart-for-god]

John 1:12

[thewordfortheday]

“‘Behold, I have come … to do Your will, O God’” (Hebrews 10:7). Christ’s entire life and ministry were orchestrated by His Father and that Jesus was careful to carry out every detail according to His will. His complete obedience climaxed in His death. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Obedience cost Jesus everything. In the end, Jesus knew obedience was worthwhile, because His death meant life to the lost, healing to the sick, restoration to the broken and deliverance to all under the oppression of satan.”

— the word for the day

[andrvlpnd]

Happy Tuesday! <3 

Revelation 14:7

 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 

[wiirocku]

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) - Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

[andrvlpnd]

My artwork <3

This illustration represents the common beliefs being tackled by the other sectors about certain misconceptions on the Catholic Church. First, we eye the rosary, which is a representation of our faith to the Mother Mary. In other religions Mary is not “worshipped” because she is not God, or a god, while the Catholic Church encourages us to lift our prayers up to Mary so that she may deliver our prayers to God. Next is the idea of saints and worshipping them. Though the saints are only symbols of the strength of Gods miracles, and they are around to intercede for us, the ideas that others have of the holiness of saints are usually a big misconception. Next, is the representation of the Holy trinity through an illustration of Jesus and the White dove. The Trinity is also a belief discouraged by other sects because it debates the true nature of God, but Catholic faith builds its essence around the nature of the Holy Trinity. Lastly, the representation of the Eucharist through a drawing of a chalice and unleavened bread. Catholics are known for their repeated prayers and traditions, which is something some sects do not do because some find that there is more solemnity in a prayer that is personally composed. They also do not regularly commemorate the body and blood of Christ, like us who celebrate it every Sunday, but according to Catholic tradition, this is our way of honoring Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

[kingdomreigns]

[gospel-art-project]

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

[heart-for-god]

Psalm 100:4-5

[andrvlpnd]

Good morning <3 

Listen to one of my favorite songs when I feel down. Thank you Lord for another Blessed day! 

“Lord, I offer my life to you Everything I've been through Use it for your glory Lord I offer my days to you Lifting my praise to you As a pleasing sacrifice Lord I offer you my life” 

[andrvlpnd]

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

1 Corinthians 8:6

[andrvlpnd]

ROMAN CATHOLICISM

INTRODUCING CATHOLICISM

The Roman Catholicism is a couple thousand-year old community that is known all around the world for its majestic aesthetic like the Gothic Architecture of Medieval France, or the Ethereal buildings inside the Vatican. Roman Catholicism is only one of so many sects in the Christian Community. Though the community is great in size, its Christian beliefs differ from that of other Christian Sectors.

THE BELIEFS

For one, Roman Catholicism popularized the idea of the Holy Trinity, in which God is one being, but three persons in nature, that being the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Other beliefs are also rather controversial, as some Catholic practices are “controversial” or opposing to the original approach of the Bible.

Unlike other Christian religions, Catholicism does practices like showing respects to religious images, which, as stated in the Book of Genesis, is something that had been discouraged, even during the time of Moses. Catholics also have saints, which are humans gifted by God to do miraculous works on Earth. This is something that other sects do not believe in, as they adhere closely to the word of the Bible.

WHY SHOULD WE STUDY HISTORY (Its relevance to the Church)

But thankfully, with the help of History, researching about the origins of Christianity and the concepts being created in the first few moments of the Church, this would allow people to be more open with these new ideas and concepts being introduced by Roman Catholicism. History would allow us to examine the statements of the early Councils, or even examine Biblical text.

It is also extremely interesting to know more about the history of the Church, because these beliefs go way back into the era of the first civilizations. It is always very important to know more about history because this would allow us to know more about our identity as Christians. Nowadays we live with the idea that we are Christian because we were born into it, or that there are Christians just because of Jesus. There will always be a deeper meaning to that, and being able to explore more about the origins of the Bible and the events that took place in the Bible, we would know more about our culture and our spirituality. In being able to look back in time and examine these events, we could create a stronger, or even newly found connection with God and Jesus Christ.

[andrvlpnd]

I’d love you to the bottom of the sea.