But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
- 2 Chronicles 26:16
For the Lord Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.
He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
- Psalm 47:2-4
Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.
- Ezekiel 24:21
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
- Obadiah 1:3
They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.
- Zechariah 10:11
“A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
I recently found a poem by C. S. Lewis on the deadly sins. I might work that into a short series of posts, but this post is a remembrance of two pastors that have passed on and how they responded to various questions. Tim Keller was being interviewed in front of a live audience and the interviewer was baiting him into saying something, but Rev. Keller was too smart for the interviewer. In the other case, R. C. Sproul talked about sanctification and why it is a lifelong process, during a panel discussion. I just chose pride as something relatable.
Pride is among the deadly sins, but then again, the Bible does not define any of the deadly sins as “deadly,” only blaspheming the Holy Spirit. But being mindful of the deadly sins, my mother often stated that she was proud of her humility.
Of course, it is hot in the South, and one day, a guy was working on paving a road down there, one of the hotter jobs you can have outdoors. He complained to his friend that it was surely hot. His friend replied, “It ain’t the heat that’s what gets you. It’s the humility!”
Now that we have the absurd and the funny out of the way, are there proud people in Heaven? The easy answer is “No,” but how you get there requires both the answers of Tim Keller and R. C. Sproul.
Tim Keller was asked if homosexuality would send you to Hell. If he had been asked if homosexuals were in Heaven, he might have had to say “No.” But Rev. Keller did as Jesus often did, answering the question by ignoring it. He, like Jesus often did, redefined the concept behind the question. He said things like: No one sin sends you to Hell nor prevents you from getting to Heaven. He then argued against the focus in the secular world on sexual sin, when Jesus talked a great deal more about greed than He did about sexual immorality. But adultery is easier to openly see. You go to bed and see the woman next to you and say, “Oh! You are not my wife!” But how do you see greed? Is the businessman selling something at a fair price which covers his overhead and his profits are modest or is he/she price gouging? Without a full audit, how can you tell? But then Tim Keller focused on what gets you into Heaven, and that is a life-giving personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus washes away all your sins. So, when you get to Heaven, we do not take those sins with us.
R. C. Sproul talked about how God reveals sin to us on a gradual basis. All our sins, all at once, we might be so dismayed at how sinful we are that we might just die on the spot. But as we grow in faith, we have to repent of this sin or another or our growth is stunted. It is like God is a sculptor. God chisels away at these sins in our life, cleaning us up, preparing us for eternity, and He makes the biggest swing of the hammer onto His chisel at death, so that when we arrive in Heaven, we are ready to be there.
I paraphrased both of those quite a bit. But back to the proud person…
Can you truly submit yourself to Christ without reservation when you are proud? We must humble ourselves before God to truly accept Him. Yet, the person that is prideful is going to be an Indian giver at times. He/She will take back control. They know this upcoming event in their life is something they have excelled in in the past. They do not rely on God due to their pride. Consider Hezekiah showing the envoys from Babylon all his riches. Hezekiah’s pride, after a lifetime of humbly serving God, sealed the fate of the Jews. Babylon was not going to stop until they had stolen the relics in Hezekiah’s storehouse and in the Temple. The relics were not restored until God appeared to Cyrus, king of Persia, and Cyrus made a decree that those relics had to return to Jerusalem.
The Psalm Scripture above gives a good connotation of pride. Pride in one’s work helps you try to excel and do your best. A builder who does not take pride in the finished product may find the structure collapsing due to the errors that were made.
But sinful pride must be removed to accept Jesus. And if pride is one of our defensive postures, when we are attacked or the results of our work is criticized, then we might still respond in a proud manner, but as Rev. R. C. Sproul said, that last swing of the hammer will remove that tendency if we truly believe and we truly desire to be like Jesus.
So, if you are proud of your humility or proud to be proud for pride’s sake, we need to search our hearts and know that is wrong. And God will help us in the sanctification process, even if it takes the last swing of that hammer.
When we arrive in Heaven, we will see God’s splendor and holiness, and then wonder why we ever thought of being proud in who we are.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
Thanks for sharing this idea
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You are welcome
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💯💖
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Thanks.
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THANKFULL TO GOD FOR MINE HUMILATION Molitvena zajednica sv. Jakova apostola – Bilaj
1 tim
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(Svjedočanstvo jedne žene)
Uzalud ti prelijepo ime Svetoga Josipa i uzalud potječeš od dobre obitelji kad ne držiš do svojega imendana niti se ikada moliš tome divnome svecu za sretnu smrt«, ponavljah mužu svakoga Josipova žarko želeći da se otrese dugogodišnjeg nevjerstva u koje upade odlaskom u vojsku, 1955., godine. Što sam ga više opominjala bivao je drskiji, dobacujući na račun Gospinoga zaručnika razne poruge. Da samo znate koliko sam molila za njegovo obraćenje.
Moja kćer bijaše opet trudna. Prvo dijete, curicu, zvala je Lidija. Drugo, bude li muško, nazvati će Leo. Rekoh joj:
»Kćeri, ime nije nikoga naružilo. Što god odabereš neka ti bude. Tvoja su djeca i jedino ih roditelji imaju pravo imenovati. Ipak, ispuni mi želju samo sada, a nikada više neću te tako što pitati upravo da ih rodiš desetero. Znaš koliko mi jada zadaje tvoj otac radi svetih stvari. Vrijeme je da se obrati. Učinimo skupa zavjet. Ako zaista rodiš sina, daj mu očevo ime. Neka to bude na čast i slavu Svetome Josipu, a za uzvrat, neka prosvjetli našemu jadniku pamet barem sada kad je obolio.«
Nažalost, kćer ne htjede pristati jer bi time uvrijedila muža Australca. Iako katolik, ne bijaše mnogo bolji od svojega punca. Sutra nakon rane Mise isplakah se u crkvi predajući Gospinom zaručniku sve jade, napose onu neispunjenu želju koju mi kćer uskrati. Srce me je boljelo. Zar je moguće da djeca ne žele ponavljati imena roditelja, baka i djedova? Eh, ta moderna vremena! Noću sam usnula prelijepi san. Klečim pred oltarom Svetoga Josipa u seoskoj crkvi rodnoga sela. Vidjeh ga s ljiljanom u desnoj i malim Isusom na lijevoj ruci.
»Nemoj plakati. Samo moli. Čujem ja tebe«, reče mi nježno«.
O, da znate kako bijaše veličanstven i stvaran taj kratki san! Prestala sam plakati moleći litanije spomenutome svecu ujutro i na večer. U rano zimsko jutro zazvoni telefon.
»Baba! Ti ima mali Josip! Tri kile debeli! Puno lip!« klicao je moj zet Australac toliko, da mi je uho zazvonilo. Istoga dana u bolnici, držeći dražesnoga sinčića, moja kćer reče:
»Znaš mama, nisam te noćas htjela zabrinjavati, no radi visokoga tlaka liječnik mi jutros u četiri sata napomenu, ako se dijete ubrzo ne rodi preostaje mi carski rez. Sjetih se odmah tvojega sveca. Zavapila sam:
– Molim te pomozi mi! Ukloni od mene nož. Rodim li sina, ispuniti ću maminu želju. Zvat će se Josip. U roku nekoliko minuta, na čudo svima tlak se popravio. Rodila sam dijete normalnim putem.«
Moj je muž radio godinama u tvornici kemikalija opasnih po zdravlje. Osim toga pušio je svaki dan dvije kutije cigareta. U zadnjih šest mjeseci slabio je, ali liječniku nije išao. Uzalud savjetovah neka ostavi i posao i cigare. Kad usljed kašlja i boli sav ocrnje, smrtno uplašen ode na pregled. Nalazi bijahu zabrinjavajući – lijevu stranu pluća zahvati rak. I pored mnogih bračnih nesloga žalila sam ga. Udovaljah mu sve, a znajući da neće dugo biti s nama, žarko sam željela neka se prije smrti ispovijedi i pričesti. Nije pristao tvrdeći da je čitav vijek bio pravedan. Bog ako postoji, oprostiti će mu grijehe radi dobrih djela učinjenih sirotinji. Navalila sam opet strogo postiti Svetome Josipu svaku srijedu samo o kruhu i vodi. Nakon posljednjega snimanja liječnik proreče skoru smrt. Rak se naglo razišao. Zamislite, premda mu bijahu zadnji dani, ne htjede primiti nikakve sakramente. Zar je moguće da đavao nadjača Svetoga Josipa, ne dozvaljajući mojemu mužu stupiti pred Boga čiste duše? I dalje sam molila i postila opominjući muža neka se ispovijedi australiskom svećeniku ako neće pred hrvatskim. Ništa. Bila sam očajna. Odnekud ga stadoh mrziti shvaćajući da čitav život provedoh sa odvratnim bezbožnim stvorenjem, koje će radije do smrti vjerno slijediti komunističku nauku stečenu u vojsci, nego se pomiriti s Bogom i postići mjesto u vječnoj domovini.
Sedam dana prije muževe smrti dok smo kuma i ja molile pored njegova kreveta, on iznenada otvori oči nakon dugoga spavanja. Jedva čujno upita:
»Kud ode onaj čovjek s malim djetetom i nekakvim cvijećem u ruci? Bio je kraj mene. Dijete se je smješkalo. Ličilo je našemu malom unuku.«
Zaplakala sam glasno rekavši mu da je to sigurno bio Sveti Josip. U to povjerova i umirući muž. Istoga dana obavio je dugu skrušenu ispovijed. Pričestio se je te primio sakramente umirućih. Smrt dočeka smiren i raskajan. Nekoliko sati prije potpune nesvijesti ponavljao je bez prestanka:
»Sveti Josipe, smiluj mi se!«
Vjerujte u moć molitve. Preporučite prečistome Gospinom zaručniku sve umiruće moleći svakodnevno i za svoju sretnu smrt. Također, pozovu li vas na imendan ili rođendan kojemu Josipu, dajte mu za poklon sliku divnoga Isusovog poočima s napomenom da je on zaštitnik umirućih. Ako nikada prije, u času smrti trebati će ga sigurno te će kao i moj muž vapiti mu iskreno:
»Sveti Josipe, smiluj mi se!« N.N.
Suzana Monika
Nikolinas inlägg
Nikolina Katić
6 tim
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Hvaljen Isus i Marija!
Blagoslovljen svima neka je blagdan Uzvisenja Svetoga Kriza!
TROSTRUKA ZAHVALNA MOLITVA ISUS KRISTU NA KRIZU
🐑💔✝️👏
Krotki Jaganjce Bozji, koji si tako jadno tri sata visio na Krizu, s cijelim svemirom zahvaljujemo Ti za onu neizrecivu bol, koju si podnio dok si bio na Svetom Krizu tako okrutno rastegnut, da su Ti se mogle prebrojiti sve kosti.
Molimo Te, da nam radi one boli oprostis sto god smo svojim udovima sagrijesili protiv Tvoje dobrote. Amen.
Nevini Jaganjce Bozji, zahvaljujemo Ti zahvalnoscu svih stvorova za gorku zedju koju si trpio na Krizu za spasenje svijeta, dok si tuznim glasom vapio: “Zedjam!”, a za napitak si dobio samu zuc i ocat.
Molimo Te, radi one silne zedje oprosti nam sto god smo sagrijesili neumjerenoscu u jelu i pilu. Amen.
Presveti Jaganjce Bozji, zdruzeni s onom hvalom i zahvalom koju Ti izricu svi Sveti izabranici, zahvaljujemo Ti za ono okrutno mucenistvo koje si podnio dok su Ti ruke i noge zeljeznim cavlima nemilosrdno pribilali na Kriz, tako da Ti je Srce drhtalo od boli i svi se zivci ukocili.
Radi te, tako zestoke Tvoje boli, molimo Te, operi grijehe koje smo pocinili rukama i nogama, i da te iste Svoje Rane prikazes Svome Vjecnom Ocu na pomirbu. Amen.
Kommentarer
Suzana Monika
In the Embrace of Our Lady of Sorrows 💔🌹
Today, we honor the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, a day when we draw close to the heart of our Heavenly Mother, who shared in the suffering of her son, Jesus. 💔
In the midst of our own sorrows and challenges, we find solace in her tender embrace. 🌹
This feast day is a poignant reminder that, just as Our Lady stood at the foot of the Cross, she stands with us in our trials and tribulations.
🙏 As members of the Militia of the Immaculata, we are doubly blessed to have her as our patroness. Her unwavering faith and love inspire us to navigate life’s challenges with grace and resilience.
Join us in reflecting on the deep connection between Our Lady of Sorrows and the MI mission.
#OurLadyOfSorrows #Faith #Strength #Grace #MI #MilitiaOfTheImmaculata
Share your thoughts on the significance of Our Lady of Sorrows in your life and as the patroness of the Militia of the Immaculata. How does her example inspire you in your MI journey?
We invite you to join us in our mission to spread devotion to Our Lady and the teachings of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Your support can make a meaningful impact. If you’d like to learn more about how you can contribute to our cause and help us continue the legacy of St. Max, please visit [ https://militiaoftheimmaculata.com/make-a-donation/ ]. Together, we can make a difference. 🌟
The cross is the school of love. ~St. Maximilian Kolbe…
The cross is the school of love. ~St. Maximilian Kolbe…
Servant of God Padre Domenico da Cese
7h sedan
Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
Holy Face of Manoppello
Padre Domenco da Cese
”This face is that of Jesus, and it is a great miracle, always love him.”
–Servant of God, Padre Domenico da Cese
Venerable Padre Domenico da Cese 1915-1978
Servant of God, Padre Domenico da Cese 1915-1978
In the photo above Padre Domenico appears to intently contemplate a square, white cloth. You will see in the many photos below, by Alexandra Prandell and Paul Badde, that what at first appears as a square, white cloth is actually the astounding Veil of Manoppello which bears the Holy Face of Jesus–a veil so sheer that one could read a book through it–and yet, according to the the light, the Face of Jesus appears. Padre Domenico personally believed that the veil was the Sudarium Veil placed on the Face of Jesus in the Tomb in addition to other burial cloths, and that the veil captured the first moment of the Resurrection.
Looking through the Veil of the Holy Face one may see through the open doors of the Basilica. (Photo: Alexandra Prandell)
Holy Face becomes visible in the light. (Photo: Alexandra Prandell)
The Holy Face as it appears in dim light. (Photo: Alexandra Prandell
The byssus Veil of Manoppello, which is thought to be one of the burial cloths of Jesus, photo: Paul Badde/EWTN
The Servant of God, known as Padre Domenico da Cese, was born on March 27, 1905; baptized Emidio Petracca, named for St. Emidio (c.279-309 AD), the saint who is invoked for protection in earthquakes. As a nine year old boy in 1915, young Emidio predicted the devastating Avenzzano earthquake in Italy. A 6.7 earthquake hit that region the next morning, killing more than 30,000 people, including two of his sisters and burying him and his father in the rubble of their church. A man he didn’t know pulled him from the rubble to safety, whose face he later recognized on his first visit as a friar to the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello. When Padre Domenico knelt before the ”Il Volto Santo” or Face of Jesus, the miraculous veil, he exclaimed, “This is the man who saved me from the rubble!”
A short time after Padre Domenico arrived in Manoppello the people were saying, ”We have received a Saint!”
St. Pio called the Holy Face Veil of Manoppello ”The greatest relic of the Church.”
Like his friend and fellow Capuchin, St. Padre Pio, the humble Padre Domenico was also a mystic and stigmatist who had extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit; such as the gift of ”reading souls” and bi-location. Penitents who traveled from Manoppello to go to confession with Padre Pio were admonished by him for traveling such a distance when they already had a holy priest in Manoppello. He told them, ” Why did you come all the way here, so far? You’ve got a priest there, my spiritual son, he’s like me!” St. Padre Pio’s last documented case of bi-location, just before he died, was before the relic of the Holy Face of Jesus at the shrine of “Il Volto Santo” in Manoppello, where Padre Domenico was the rector. Padre Pio had told his fellow Capuchins that the Holy Face of Manoppello was the greatest relic of the Church.
In September of 1968, as Padre Pio lay dying in San Giovanni Rotundo (which is about 200 km south of Manoppello in Italy), his friend Padre Domenico da Cese had just unlocked the doors of the shrine of the Holy Face one morning, and was astounded to find Padre Pio in prayer, in the choir behind the altar before the sacred image of the Face of Jesus. St. Padre Pio spoke then to Padre Domenico saying, “I do not trust myself any more. I am coming to an end. Pray for me. Good-bye until we meet in Paradise.” Twenty-four hours later St. Padre Pio died in his cell in San Giovanni on September 23, 1968. Testimony was later given by witnesses that Padre Domenico da Cese was seen at Padre Pio’s funeral (another case of bi-location). A film was even taken (here) which shows Padre Domenico walking slowly in Padre Pio’s funeral procession, even though Padre Domenico had never left the shrine in Manoppello.
The Veil of the Holy Face of Manoppello appears as a ”living face.”
Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN
Padre Domenico shared with everyone his ardent love and devotion for the Holy Face of Manoppello, also known as ”Il Volto Santo” — a miraculous veil which transmits supernatural beauty, and at the same time indescribable suffering. It is the Face of Mercy, Love and Peace. He would tell pilgrims, ”This face is that of Jesus, and it is a great miracle, always love him.” Padre Domenico had done much research on the sheer byssus veil, the image of which is not made with any paint or pigment, and compared the iridescent quality of the colors to the wings of butterflies which also reflect iridescent color naturally. He also made studies of the Face on the Shroud of Turin, and its similarities to the Holy Face of Manoppello. He believed with all his heart that it was the face of the same man, and he was convinced that, like the Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Manoppello was one of the many burial cloths in Jesus’s tomb–the holy sudarium which covered the Face of Jesus in death–and also miraculously bears witness to His Resurrection.
The Holy Veil of Manoppello (Photo: Alexandra Prandell)
On September 13 of 1978 while visiting Turin to venerate the Holy Face on the Shroud during a rare exposition, Padre Domenico, who was a giant of a man, was hit by the smallest car, a Fiat, as he was stepping out into a street. After suffering for several days in a hospital, and forgiving the man who had hit him, he died on September 17th, offering his life for the Holy Face on the Veil–the Face of the man who saved him as a child.
The penetrating and gentle gaze of the Holy Face of Manoppello, Italy Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN
The Holy Face of Manoppello- photo: Paul Badde/EWTN
Servant of God, Padre Domenico da Cese, Pray for us!
Servant of God, Padre Domenico da Cese…
Pray for us!
Prayer for the intercession of Servant of God Padre Domenico da Cese
Oh God, you gave Padre Domenico the capacity of recognizing in the poor and the suffering the very Holy Face of your beloved Son, whose devotion he promoted with such zeal, through his intercession obtain for me the humility of heart, and simplicity of the little ones to whom you have revealed the secrets of the Kingdom, and in my hour of trial give me the strength to overcome the seductions of evil in order to put Satan to flight, and to merit, at the end of my earthly pilgrimage, to be able to contemplate the Holy Face of Jesus in the glory of paradise.
Though unworthy as I am of your Divine favors, I ask that you might grant, through the intercession of your faithful servant Padre Domenico, the grace I humbly ask of you…
Amen.
+++
To learn more about his incredible life and passionate love for the Holy Face you can watch this wonderful video of his life: The Long Road Fr. Domenico, from Cese to Turin (click here)
Video of superimposed images of the face on Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello, Italy
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