Friday, July 13, 2012
EASTER.............!
Where Did Easter Come From?
Easter is never mentioned in the inspired text of the New
Testament. While the King James translation does contain the word
"Easter" in Acts 12:4, virtually every other translation says
"Passover," which is the proper rendering of the Greek word pascha.
You can easily verify this yourself by consulting almost any Bible commentary
or Greek interlinear. The early first-century Church never observed Easter
Sunday. Christians continued to observe the Passover, just as the original
Apostles had done in Jesus' presence. But although the New Testament Church
kept the Passover, just as God has commanded, Christians made special use of
the symbols that Christ had instituted at His final Passover. These symbols, a
small piece of broken unleavened bread and a sip of wine, pictured Christ's
sacrifice—His body broken for our healing, and His blood shed for the remission
of our sins.
Where, then, did Easter observance come from? There is no
record of it in the Christian community until almost a full century after
Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Notice this striking statement by a
scholar associated with the Pontifical Gregorian University Press in Rome:
"There is a wide consensus of opinion among scholars that Rome is indeed
the birthplace of Easter-Sunday. Some, in fact, rightly label it as
'Roman-Easter'" (From Sabbath to Sunday, Bacchiocchi, p. 201).
In his Ecclesiastical History, the early Catholic historian
Eusebius provides insight on the introduction of Easter. A contemporary of the
Roman emperor Constantine, Eusebius described the late second-century
controversy between Victor, Bishop of Rome, and Polycrates, disputing over
whether to celebrate Passover or Easter. Eusebius wrote: "The bishops,
however, of Asia, persevering in observing the custom handed down to them from
their fathers, were headed by Polycrates… 'We,' said he, 'observe the genuine
day; neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom. For in Asia great lights have
fallen asleep, which shall rise again in the day of our Lord's appearing…
Phillip, one of the twelve apostles… John, who rested upon the bosom of our
Lord… Polycarp of Smyrna… All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover
according to the gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of
faith" (chapter xxiv). Eusebius then proceeded to quote from a letter of
Irenaeus, a second century bishop of Lyons, which traced the observance of
Easter as a substitute for Passover back to the days of Sixtus, bishop of Rome
(c. 116–126ad).
In other words, Easter Sunday was not observed by the
professing Christian community until almost 20 years after the death of the
Apostle John, the last surviving eyewitness to the crucifixion and the
resurrected Jesus. If God truly wanted His people to observe this holiday, why
did it take so long to be established? If it really commemorated the events of
Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, surely it would have been observed from
the beginning! Yet it was only introduced as a "Christian" holiday
after all who had first-hand knowledge of the facts were dead. That alone
should make us stand up and take notice.
Easter Sunday actually has its origins in the cult of ancient
pagan sun worship. The very name "Easter" is derived from Ishtar or
Astarte, names referring to the ancient Babylonian goddess who was worshiped as
the mother of the sun god. Notice this admission: "The motif of the Sun
was used not only by Christian artists to portray Christ [from the third
century onward] but also by Christian teachers to proclaim Him to the pagan
masses who were well acquainted with the rich Sun-symbology. Numerous Fathers
abstracted and reinterpreted the pagan symbols and beliefs about the Sun and
used them apologetically to teach the Christian message" (Bacchiocchi, p.
253).
Much of the symbolism associated with Easter, including
rabbits and eggs, hearkens back to ancient practices that originated in Babylon
and came down to us today by way of Rome. Roman emperor Constantine, a lifelong
devotee of Sol Invictus, the sun god, forged an alliance with the Bishop of
Rome in the early fourth century. It was from this alliance of church and state
that most of the trappings that are associated with modern Christianity came to
be forced upon the Christian-professing world.
Does it matter that the name "Easter," and many of
the motifs associated with that holiday, can be traced back to ancient
paganism? Many sincere professing Christians would protest that they attend
Easter sunrise services to honor Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the
dead, not to worship the sun god. Is it acceptable to take pagan customs and
symbols and reinterpret them from a Christian perspective? No! God warned the
ancient Israelites, as they prepared to enter the land of the Canaanites, to
"take heed… that you do not inquire after their gods, saying 'How did
these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship
the Lord your God in that way" (Deuteronomy 12:30–31). Rather, God told
His people: "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall
not add to it nor take away from it" (v. 32).
Easter Sunday does not celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
It actually obscures the very point that Jesus said was the defining sign of
His Messiahship—the three days and three nights in the tomb. Easter, like most
of the symbols associated with it, has its origin not in Scriptural commands,
but in the practices of ancient sun worshipers. It is high time that those who
profess to be the people of God come out of spiritual Babylon and worship the
Creator as He commands—in spirit and in truth!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
THINK TO SAY THANKS TO THE LORD
We have to say thanks to The Lord God for the way we are. Imagine what troubles these people encounter in their daily life.
VISIT WIKIPEDIA
Pope John Paul I (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. I, Italian: Giovanni Paolo I), born Albino Luciani (17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978), reigned asPope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes. John Paul I was the first Pope to be born in the 20th century and the last Pope to die in it.
In Italy he is remembered with the appellatives of "Il Papa del Sorriso" (The Smiling Pope)[1] and "Il Sorriso di Dio" (The smile of God).[2] Timemagazine and other publications referred to him as The September Pope.[3]
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[edit]Biography
[edit]Early years
Albino Luciani was born on October 17, 1912 in Forno di Canale (now Canale d'Agordo) in Belluno, a province of the Veneto region in Northern Italy. He was the son of Giovanni Luciani (1872?–1952), abricklayer, and Bortola Tancon (1879?–1948). Albino was followed by two brothers, Federico (1915–1916) and Edoardo (1917–2008), and a sister, Antonia (1920–2009).
Luciani entered the minor seminary of Feltre in 1923, where his teachers found him "too lively", and later went on to the major seminary of Belluno. During his stay at Belluno, he attempted to join the Jesuits, but was denied by the seminary's rector, Bishop Giosuè Cattarossi.[4] Ordained a priest on July 7, 1935, Luciani then served as a curate in his native Forno de Canale before becoming a professor and the vice-rector of the Belluno seminary in 1937. Among the different subjects, he taught dogmatic and moral theology, canon law and sacred art.
In 1941, Luciani began to seek a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, which required at least one year's attendance in Rome. However, the seminary's superiors wanted him to continue teaching during his doctoral studies; the situation was resolved by a special dispensation of Pope Pius XII himself, on March 27, 1941. His thesis (The origin of the human soul according toAntonio Rosmini) largely attacked Rosmini's theology, and earned him his doctorate magna cum laude.
In 1947, he was named vicar general to Bishop Girolamo Bortignon, OFM Cap, of Belluno. Two years later, in 1949, he was placed in charge ofdiocesan catechetics.
On December 15, 1958, Luciani was appointed Bishop of Vittorio Veneto by Pope John XXIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 27 of December from Pope John himself, with Bishops Bortignon and Gioacchino Muccin serving as co-consecrators. As a bishop, he participated in all the sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).
On December 15, 1969, he was appointed Patriarch of Venice by Pope Paul VI and took possession of the archdiocese on February 3, 1970. Pope Paul created Luciani Cardinal-Priest of S. Marco in the consistory on March 5, 1973. Catholics[who?] were struck by his humility, a prime example being his embarrassment when Paul VI once removed his papal stole and put it on Patriarch Luciani. He recalls the occasion in his first Angelus thus:[5]
Pope Paul VI made me blush to the roots of my hair in the presence of 20,000 people, because he removed his stole and placed it on my shoulders. Never have I blushed so much!
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Thursday, February 09, 2012
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