November 2003 Archives

Rather than coming up with my own scriptural narrative of the significance of Peter, I have decided to begin this lengthy article with the introductory section of his epistles in the Navarre Bible. The Navarre Bible is excellent, it uses the English translation of the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition and then the Latin translation from the New Vulgate. What makes it unique is that each book of the New Testament is accompanied by commentary by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre (Spain). This university is one of the leading universities in Biblical Theology. So let us review their narrative of Peter's apostolic life.

I actually have a moderately interesting conversion story that I thought I would share. It begins way back in time when I was just a boy. My best friend from the time I was five was Joseph. I was a Southern Baptist, Joseph was a Catholic (he’s the same person writing with me on this blog).

To give you some idea of where we were at that time, I can remember two stories. The first occurred when we were very young, probably around 10 or so. Joseph came to church with me one day – maybe a Wednesday night? – since he was sleeping over. At church I introduced him to my pastor and noted “he’s Catholic.” My pastor promptly told the little boy, “Well, you need to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, or you’re going to hell.” Needless to say this scared him to death and I don’t recall him coming back to church with me. The second story occurred a year or two later. One day Joseph said to me, “Jesus founded our church, do you know who founded yours?” I responded confidently, “Sure, John the Baptist.” As Baptists, we virtually ignore history. As Southern Baptists (the church was founded when Baptists started allowing black members), we had to. “No,” Joseph replied, “Martin Luther started your church.”

Over the years, Joseph and I debated Christianity over and over. He constantly insisted that the Catholic Church was the Church founded by Christ and I constantly argued against it. We basically covered every conceivable subject related to Catholicism over a period of about ten to twelve years. We both were very sincere about our beliefs and actively studied the Bible. Later on during this time, we saw an opportunity to start a business together and did it. We founded a catalog selling religious items at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. During that time, I worked around some very holy monks and some very knowledgeable Catholics. In particular Don Asci, who now has a Doctorate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University in Rome (and writes books for Ignatius Press).

Just a reminder: tomorrow is when you should start your nightly readings with the Advent wreath. If you haven't done this before, I highly recommend it. It's a great way to focus your Christmas season around Christ and His birth; especially for those with children.

You can still find wreaths online, although you'll have to start a little late - late is better than never.

May God bless you, especially during this Advent.

Jay

As the Liturgical seasons change, we'll update the colors of the website (you can see the change now, obviously). I'm still tinkering with the actual color. The site was designed to reflect the current season, which is why it was green before.

Wondering why we’ve dealt so much with protestant issues lately? The one issue with blogs is that articles getting lots of attention (read: comments) still fall back into the pack. However, we have two pretty interesting discussions going on between protestants and Catholics, so I thought I’d pull those two to the front:

Purgatory and the Bible. This has actually turned into a basic debate on the Church and her teachings.

The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus: Did Mary have Other Children. This has turned into a basic analysis of Scripture surrounding Mary and the ‘brothers’ of Jesus.

I encourage others to participate as well – people tend to analyze in different ways and everyone brings unique viewpoints into the discussion. The fun of defending your faith (if you’re Catholic) is discovering the depth of Truth involved in Christ’s Church.

Jay

I read this letter in a book entitled, "Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic" by David B. Currie. It is on Scriptural Authority and it is excellent. I will quote the section in its entirety here.

"On this subject of scriptural authority, let me begin by quoting from a letter I wrote to one of the pastors of the Baptist church we attended immediately before reconciling to Catholicism. The letter deals with the unresolvable problem of Protestantism: authority. It was one of several letters I wrote during the time I was leaving the board and then the church itself. My reading of the Old Testament that I mentioned in the second paragraph of the following extract was actually the first step in my pilgrimage to Catholicism. If not for this issue, I might still be an Evangelical with strong Catholic sympathies. The Eucharist showed me why I should be a Catholic. The Protestant problem with scriptural authority showed me why I could never remain a Protestant, Evangelical or no. The letter has been edited for its inclusion here.

'So that you better understand, let me explain the progression of my thinking to you. When I started this pilgrimage, I accepted the Protestant teaching of sola scriptura, or "only Scripture" (Scripture is the Christian's final authority for his faith).
Several years ago I set a goal for myself of reading the entire Bible through in a year. I chose the NIV Bible because I had not done much reading in that version up to that time. As I read the Old Testament, I was struck by several major issues. The most revolutionary for me was that I saw that no one could have established or maintained Judaism in the way God desired from the data found only in the Bible. There were too many holes and gaps: so much was assumed. I saw that a tremendous amount of what was involved in being a God-fearing, God-pleasing Israelite must have been passed down from generation to generation in an oral instruction (tradition). You want just one example? Try to reconstruct the process of offering a sin offering to God from the Old Testament alone. You can't get to first base! Reconstructing worship that would be pleasing to God from the Old Testament alone is impossible. There are many such examples.

Thanks to everyone who visits, reads, and posts on our blog. We’ve enjoyed the comments and the challenges; I think everyone benefits when conversation is started.

Also a big thanks goes out to those who have defended our country in the past or are currently defending our country (and the families that have men and women currently defending us). You are always in our prayers.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day and eats some great food! May God continually bless each and every one of us.

Jay

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that there’s a lot of confusion about what Catholics really believe. We’ve seen some pretty big misconceptions on this site, but even more so in the bigger world. So, I thought I’d point out a few good books that simply explain Catholic teachings. These books don’t try and convert non-Catholics, but rather lay out actual Catholic teaching. Note to non-Catholics: the people you see interviewed by news media are often dissidents that aren’t in full teaching with the Church. If you want to know the truth, go to the source. Here’s my list:

1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is the official teachings of the Church in full – it’s not a ‘quick read,’ but it is very fulfilling.
2. What Catholics Really Believe: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic Faith. This is quick and straightforward answers to the common misconceptions.
3. Catholic and Christian: An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs. This goes into a little more detail than the book above and is also very good.
4. Catholic for a Reason: Scripture and the Mystery of the Family of God. This book is more oriented toward Scripture than the above two and is a little more in depth. A good one that borders being very scholarly.

Some readers are looking for scholarly defenses of Catholic beliefs and ideas. I would offer some additional works in this case:

1. A Biblical Defense of Catholicism. This book is a fairly comprehensive Scriptural explanation of Catholic beliefs. It’s highly recommended, but doesn’t go into quite as much detail as the two below.
2. Not by Scripture Alone: A Catholic Critique of the Protestant Doctrine of Sola Scriptura. This book is comprehensive and examines every aspect of Sola Scriptura and Catholic understanding of it. Very detailed (600+ pages) and very excellent.
3. Not by Faith Alone: The Biblical Evidence for the Catholic Doctrine of Justification. By the same author, Robert Sungenis, and just as good. It covers everything surrounding Sola Fide in detail (700+ pages).
4. Not by Bread Alone: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for the Eucharistic Sacrifice. This book analyzes the ‘Body and Blood of Jesus’ and how Catholics understand it. Same author as above and just as good.
5. Upon this Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church. This book looks at the papacy and it’s portrayal in the Bible and in early times. It’s also very comprehensive on the topic.
6. A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God’s Covenant Love in Scripture. This book tackles the Catholic understanding of a ‘covenant,’ which plays a key part in the differences of how protestants and Catholics understand salvation.

If Catholics have any other suggestions, please post them (these are also great books for Catholics to learn more about their faith). This is not comprehensive by any means, but I do think it’s a great start. Soon I’ll post another list of books about why someone would convert to Catholicism – as well as my own story.

Jay

The Death Penalty is an interesting concept. On a theoretical level it should deter serious crimes, but that has been very difficult to prove. In recent years, scientific advances have produced last-minute salvation for some death row inmates, who were innocent and facing the death penalty. But ultimately, Americans still seem to support the death penalty by a pretty large margin.

Catholics are free to support or not support the death penalty as they see fit – the Catechism clearly teaches that governments have the authority to use the death penalty in certain situations (#2266). Basically, if the crime is a case of “extreme gravity” then the death penalty can be used provided it deters future crime and is within a just framework. Now the American Bishops have issued several statements suggesting that the American judicial system does not meet the above criteria.

But this blog entry is on my personal take as to the death penalty, specifically in America. I have three basic problems with it:
(1) I think the innocent should be spared at virtually all costs. This means that if we find innocent people have been killed or are likely to be killed, I think it should be stopped. Recently several states have put a moratorium on death sentences as new scientific advances proved death row inmates were innocent. This is a scary thought – it would be better to allow only life in prison.
(2) Injustice cannot be tolerated. Perhaps the most condemning of any argument against the American use of the death penalty is the injustice involved. Rich people and typically white people are far less likely to be executed than black, Hispanic and/or poor people. When perpetrating the same crime, white people are less likely to be executed. This is a big, big problem.
(3) The death penalty must deter future crime. I agree wholeheartedly with the Pope on this one: the only value to society of a death penalty lies in deterrence. Punishment for the crime can be meted out in other ways that allow for the potential salvation of those who commit these heinous offenses. The death penalty cannot repair victims or offer real consolation to their families. Unfortunately it seems deterrence is only a theoretical possibility. Not a reality.

My journey from being a proponent of the death penalty to criticizing came through knowledge. The death penalty sounds great. It seems like such an obvious solution to problems. Unfortunately it doesn’t work – life in prison is just as good. As I studied, read, and learned more, I decided that it’s more likely we are killing the innocent and removing the possibility of salvation from the guilty.

Let me know what you think. By the way, I recommend the movie The Life of David Gale, which is now on video. It’s an excellent look at the shortcomings of the death penalty; but be forewarned, it contains some graphic and violent images.

On a side note, I always found it interesting that Democrats support abortion but typically go against the death penalty. How is it that you can essentially support the "death penalty for the innocent" and go against the death penalty for the guilty? At least pick a consistent strategy - something that makes sense!

Jay

I keep hearing from people I respect that we shouldn’t “judge” others. However, many people misunderstand the notion of our judgment and critical reasoning abilities and how they should be used.

We shouldn’t “judge” others in an unfairly negative way. If Bob refuses to give money to a panhandler, we can’t jump to the conclusion that Bob is a tightwad or mean. Perhaps that particular panhandler has done something in the past (e.g. buy alcohol with Bob’s money) that disinclines Bob from giving him/her anything else. When we judge people in this way, it is clearly wrong.

However, God gave us the ability to reason and make critical judgment decisions. For example, we know that the virtues are learned together. If someone is deficient in one of the virtues, we can infer that they are deficient in the others as well. If we are aware that someone steals regularly, we can assume they are generally untrustworthy. These types of judgments are necessary to function properly in society. We give trust, respect, and honor where it belongs, not just to anyone in order to avoid “judging” them.

Sorry for the short rant, but it’s quickly becoming a personal pet peeve.

Jay

At Mark Shea's blog they are discussing an interesting problem I've run into: how do you convince a non-Catholic that Homosexual Marriage is wrong?

First, you can't argue that the purpose of a family is to raise children, since by agreeing to contraception other Christian denominations have removed that aspect of marriage.

Second, you can't argue the intentions of God if they don't necessarily believe in God - or a concerned God at any rate (although this may work with other Christian denominations).

It's even tough to argue the purpose of the body because of the chilling effects contraception has had on our understanding of our bodies. So, what the answer? Is there a strong philosophical argument to be made against homosexual marriage if you aren't Catholic?

Join the discussion on his blog.

Jay

PS - If someone discovers the answer, please post it here as well!

UPDATE: Thanks to Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester for pointing out this link: Secularist Critique's response, which I think is very appropriate.

Our Courts continued to pass sweeping laws based on personal convictions today when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the state must allow gay marriage.

They seemed to get one sentence right and another one wrong when the Chief Justice wrote in the ruling:

Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support. It brings stability to our society. For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage provides an abundance of legal, financial and social benefits. In return, it imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations.

Talk about not knowing your tail from a hole in the ground. I guess no one pointed out to Margaret Marshall (the Chief Justice) that gay people are free to marry just like the rest of society. But, like the rest of society, they can't mock the nature of marriage by 'marrying' someone of the opposite sex.

In the end, the court "ordered" the legislature to pass a law within 180 days allowing some sort of marriage between homosexuals. In Vermont, the same situation resulted in a "civil unions" law.

What a travesty. The time for prayer is at hand.

Jay

I know I'm always looking for good gift ideas during this time of year, so I thought I'd share two of my favorites with you. As a family, we make a point of giving Christian-related items during the holiday as much as possible and often books tend to fit the bill. Please leave a comment if you recommend any particular gift idea this season.

The perfect gift for parents: A Landscape with Dragons by Micheal O'Brien. I can't recommend this book enough as it deals with the images and ideas modern society would put into your child's mind. The book gives parents the tools necessary to differentiate between good and bad tv, movies, etc. I wrote a review of this book earlier. Highly recommended.

And for those without children: Triumph by H.W. Crocker III is an excellent book on the first 2,000 years of the Catholic Church. It's a very readable and very accurate portrayal of history that gives you some tidbits of knowledge to use if anyone ever makes some inane comment about the Church. Also highly recommended.

Jay

Tonight, the show Hannity and Colmes on Fox News Channel at 9 p.m. will feature Terri Schiavo's parents discussing the case and the facts about Terri. We've had a lively discussion board on this topic here, but it died out a bit when the facts of Micheal Schiavo's situation began spilling out (let's just say he has a vested interest in seeing his wife starved to death).

I think everyone should watch the show. It will be an interesting and very personal look at the politics of life in the U.S.

Jay

Apparently Laura, or one of her bigger fans, hacked Blogrolling last night and replaced all of the links with a link to Laura's Blog - how nice of them. Of course, Laura's blog is down, probably due to the sheer volume of traffic she now has!

We're being told this will be fixed soon. Thanks for your patience.

Jay

A significant tenet of Martin Luther’s revolt against the Catholic Church involved the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. This doctrine teaches that the Bible is our only guide on earth and that everything we need to know we can learn from the Bible. A fundamental aspect of Sola Scriptura is the notion that the Holy Spirit will lead us in our study of God’s Word, so that we will properly understand the sometimes confusing Scriptures in the way God intended. This article takes a quick look at the claims of Sola Scriptura using reason and Biblical scholarship to determine if they are justified.

First, I’ll analyze the docrine using history and reason as a guide. Historically, the first problem arises when we look at Bible history. The first books of the Bible weren’t written until 60 to 70 A.D., some 30 years after the Crucifixion. To further confound matters, there was no “Bible” at that time, but rather an Old Testament collection (with little dispute over the books included) and many single manuscripts floating around at the various churches. Some manuscripts were considered “inspired by God” others were not, but few individual churches had access to all of the manuscripts. It wasn’t until around 300 A.D. that the Catholic Church decided on the books that were going to be included in the Bible. Some books that many considered inspired, such as the Gospel of Peter, were not included. Others that were very controversial, such as Revelation (Apocolypse), were included.

House of Gold written by Bud Macfarlane Jr. is awesome! I am a huge fan of Michael O'Brien's works and he and Bud are good friends. And one can see why these two are friends because they both know how to write a good apocalyptic thriller worth reading during the times in which we are living. House of Gold was published in 1999, keeping this in mind, Bud was writing essentially about Y2K. Being that we are past this event in history, some of the impact of this book is not as thrilling had it been read before Y2K. However, I have always enjoyed reading stories of survival when characters are forced back to the basics and through determination and providence are able to come out ahead despite the odds. Even though Y2K didn't happen, the effects of such an event could be caused by several other occurrences. Keeping this perspective while reading, I was able to embark upon a gripping tale of adventure. The only downside to this book is you might neglect your other duties and suffer from lack of sleep. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!

Another incredible thing about the author is that he has founded an organization called Saint Jude Media and you can receive his books for free. A minimal donation is suggested but not necessary. House of Gold is the third book Macfarlane has written, and I believe his greatest work. His other two books need to be read in proper order, even though House of Gold shares similar characters, it can be read separate. However, I would recommend saving the best for last.

Write to Saint Jude Media
Box 26120
Fairview Park, OH 44126

A $1 to $12 donation is suggested per copy requested. His other books are Pierced by a Sword and Conceived without Sin.

I Believe in Love written by Father Jean C. J. d'Elbee is uniquely designed to be a personal retreat based on the teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux as well as incorporating the wisdom of other numerous saints and scripture. Providing reader-friendly sets of meditations, this book makes it possible for even the busiest of persons (I am a mother of three children ages 3 and under) to have the benefits of a personal retreat. All you need is a few moments each day to read and quietly reflect. His interpretation and understanding of Therese's teachings on God's love and the confidence in Him truly inspired my soul and has helped me be a more loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, etc. Fr. Jean does an excellent job of illustrating what it means to truly abandon yourself to Divine Providence. You will leave this book desiring to be a saint. We are all called to seek holiness and no matter what your vocation in life is, this book will teach you the perfection of love and help you apply it to your particular walk in life. Don't wait to make this retreat for it is in stepping away from the world that we find our place in it.

Today Lileks posted an excellent article on the third Matrix movie. Click here to read the article.

I do have to quote one part of his analysis:

I took away something else from the Matrix trilogy: it is a product of deeply confused people. They want it all. They want individualism and community; they want secularism and transcendence; they want the purity of committed love and the licentious fun of an S&M club; they want peace and the thrill of violence; they want God, but they want to design him on their own screens with their own programs by their own terms for their own needs, and having defined the divine on their own terms, they bristle when anyone suggests they have simply built a room with a mirror and flattering lighting. All three Matrix movies, seen in total, ache for a God. But they can’t quite go all the way. They’re like three movies about circular flat meat patties that can never quite bring themselves to say the word “hamburger.”

Interesting take on the series that I think hits the nail pretty much on the head. Thanks to The Mighty Barrister for pointing this out. I even copied the same quote as he did (it was the best quote in the article), but I wanted to make sure it was seen.

By the way, I've seen the movie and was very disappointed. I disagree with Lileks on one point: I would wait for the rental.

Jay

And New York City wins the award for most ignorant public policy . . .

Why? They have decided that Jewish menorahs and Islamic crescents can be displayed in NYC schools, but Christian nativity scenes cannot. The Christian scenes are not "historically accurate" according to the attorney for NYC.

Sounds like a case NYC is going to have a hard time winning. If they lose, my bet is that all symbols come down - otherwise they would have to allow nativity scenes and we certainly can't allow that!

Separation of church and state is moving more and more to separation of Christians from Christianity. It's interesting that the ACLU isn't suing on behalf of Christians - they are notably absent from this case.

Click here for the full article. They may require some registration.

Jay

The power of suffering has been wiped out of American culture. But here’s a verse that always struck me as very profound:

1 Peter 4:1. Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. [emphasis mine]

Wow. Peter is not just saying “accept suffering,” he’s suggesting we seek it out. This is why St. Thomas More constantly wore a very uncomfortable hair shirt under his clothes. How many of us can say we seek out suffering?

And the verse ends on another note: “whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” Does this mean our suffering removes temptation or simply removes culpability? What do you think?

Jay

New studies show a strong correlation between sex outside of marriage and abortion rates. Approximately 40% of all pregancies involving unmarried women result in an abortion while only 7% of those involving married women end this way. This is a huge gap that suprises even me.

This goes back to the nature of sin. Christ doesn't impose rules and regulations on us without cause; the results of sin are death, very literally in this case. Click here for the article (there may be some registration requirements).

Jay

We’ve begun a series of articles on various aspects of Catholicism and the Bible after being asked a few questions by a former Catholic. This is my second in the series and I picked a topic I think a lot of protestants are confused about: Is Purgatory Biblical?

First, what is Purgatory? Purgatory cleanses sin from those who aren’t perfectly holy. It is the “foyer” to Heaven and only those who will go to Heaven enter Purgatory. So, if you end up in Purgatory, you’ll be full of hope and joy – you’ll know you are going to Heaven. Protestants agree that you must be holy to get into Heaven, however they disagree with how this holiness is obtained. Most protestant doctrines teach the theory that you are transformed at death, but it is not a transformation requiring suffering. Why is Purgatory necessary? “For nothing unclean shall enter it [heaven]” – Revelation 21:27.

That’s just a basic overview, but let’s get to the argument (you can read more about Purgatory on your own): Is Purgatory Biblical? The answer is obviously yes - everything the Catholic Church does is Biblical, after all Catholics wrote and created the Bible. This is just a topical overview, but I think this will be enough to convince you. Let’s start with Matthew:

Matthew 12:32. And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

A visiting blogger recently posted a comment under Jay's article entitled "Pius XII and Hitler: Facts, not Fiction" in which the blogger called into question whether or not Mary had other children besides Jesus.

Here I will show that this was not the case. The resources to support the Catholic position of Mary being a virgin are numerous. Mary's virginity was a common belief until the Protestant Revolution (I refuse to call it a Reformation since it has scattered Christianity into over 20,000 denominations).

First let us read the referred to verses:

"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" Mark 6:3-4
"Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?" Matthew 13:55-56

This is a perennial question asked by protestants and it was recently brought up on this blog (in a comment box). The question surrounds this verse:

Matthew 23:9. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

First understand that it is impossible to understand Scripture out of context. This verse must be understood within the context of Matthew’s writing. So, what’s going on here? Jesus is criticizing the scribes and Pharisees pretty severely in this passage. Specifically, he’s identifying their particular sins in the passages surrounding this one. In particular, Christ is condemning their use of three titles: rabbi (master), abba (father), and moreh (teacher). Why? Because in reality they were none of these. They did not act in the way that their position demanded, they were told not to use these titles. Jesus was making a point: your real Father, and Teacher, and Master is the one in heaven. Now, does this mean that you cannot call anyone “father” as protestants suggest?

The literal interpretation falls apart once you open the Bible a little wider. Before and after this passage, the Bible has several instances of the word ‘father’ being used in reference to someone other than God. Some notable verses: Mk 9:21, Mt 19:19, Mk 10:17, and Lk 9:59. Too literal a translation of the above verse would mean that the inspired Biblical writers made a mistake in these instances – not a strong argument.

So, why the big fuss? Why do Catholics use the title “father” in reference to priests? This is another important verse I’ll quote:

1 Cor 4:14. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my children. 15. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

That’s why. St. Paul was a priest who referred to himself as our “father” because of his duties. A priest acts as our spiritual father, birthing us spiritually through baptism, admonishing us for our sins and strengthening us for our temptations. Calling priests ‘father’ is a sign of respect that in no way violates the point Jesus was making in Matthew. In fact, the priesthood and our human fatherhood is a reflection of God’s Fatherhood, an incomplete imitation of His work.

In summation, I think it’s important to remember that Jesus was admonishing one set of people for their use of the title in an unworthy way. I don’t hear many people suggesting that we can’t use the word ‘teacher,’ even though it’s mentioned in the same passage with the same tone and strength. Hope this helps.

Jay

Here's a story that will confuse everyone: A mother is ordered not to expose her child to 'homophobic' religions. This isn't in some third world country, either - it's in Denver, Colorado.

To sum it up: the mother is a former lesbian who converted to Christianity and left her homosexual relationship. For some crazy reason, the courts gave partial custody to her former 'partner' despite the fact she has no biological or legal ties to the mother or the child. Now the mother is being told what religions she may practice - does this bother anyone? I'm troubled.

This is a good example of the continuing perversion of morality from Catholic standards toward a Nietzschian utopia where the majority determines moral absolutes and the minority has no freedom to dissent.

Ultimately, we must pray continuously.

Jay

Remember your patron today!