There's something really special about Holy Thursday. This is the night, the Lord's Supper that the Holy Eucharist was initiated. Following Mass we had adoration. It was so beautiful. My heart was so joyful to see the faith of others flocking to adore the Lord in the Eucharist. I was touched by seeing people kneeling on the wooden floor, gathering around Our Lord. At times there were Taize chants and other times just stillness, silence. It was really special. I even had the idea to have a Sunday night adoration following our 7pm Mass once a month. I sure hope our priest is interested. My priest said we could do it on the Feast of Corpus Christi. But I want to encourage him for once a month. It would be awesome if it was the start of such an occurence on Corpus Christi. Why don't you ask your priest if he would be willing to have adoration at least once a month. I go weekly and I know not everyone can do so. Let's put more time into such a beautiful devotion as adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
God bless
Brendan Roberts
www.godfact.com
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Will be Featured on NZTalk ZB Radio
As of today I'm delighted to confirm that I will be speaking on Easter Sunday at 6am and if there are a lot of talkback calls then the radio station will call me back for Easter Monday. This is a huge opportunity to evangelise New Zealand as NZTalk ZB covers the length of our country. I've been trying for a few years to be included in the Good Friday radio broadcasting - that is, to be interviewed on subjects relating to the existence of God. Last Friday I spoke to a producer who said that he didn't think I was dynamic enough to go on their Good Friday show. But they would like to trial me on Easter Sunday.
Wow! Is all I can say after today! I had a great session with my Philosophy Tutor who gave me some tips and advice. Then I had an awesome meeting with the Radio Host. I'm still buzzing! It's so encouraging to be able to say certain things that made even him as a Christian stop and think. He never knew that the Catholic Church is against IVF because 1) it is unnatural and separate from the wonderful unitive sexual act 2) Because of the willful destruction of human embryos which equals human life. When I told him about my next book being Crusades Rediscovered: In the Light of Human Sexuality and Our Creator" his response was "WOW!" He said a lot of atheists will come out of hiding and will call in on Sunday. I said, "Bring it on!" lol. The wonderful thing is that I don't have to go in until 5.45am so I guess it will start airing at 6am. I was a bit worried it was going to start at 5am. There could be 30,000 listeners. The more listeners and callers means I can be invited back on Easter Monday to repeat it. So there is huge potential to reach out and touch hearts. I want to have the maximum impact for the Glory of God. Please pray that people will open their hearts.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/streaming/newstalkzb-streaming.asp - to hear it online.
God bless
Brendan Roberts
http://www.godfact.com/
Wow! Is all I can say after today! I had a great session with my Philosophy Tutor who gave me some tips and advice. Then I had an awesome meeting with the Radio Host. I'm still buzzing! It's so encouraging to be able to say certain things that made even him as a Christian stop and think. He never knew that the Catholic Church is against IVF because 1) it is unnatural and separate from the wonderful unitive sexual act 2) Because of the willful destruction of human embryos which equals human life. When I told him about my next book being Crusades Rediscovered: In the Light of Human Sexuality and Our Creator" his response was "WOW!" He said a lot of atheists will come out of hiding and will call in on Sunday. I said, "Bring it on!" lol. The wonderful thing is that I don't have to go in until 5.45am so I guess it will start airing at 6am. I was a bit worried it was going to start at 5am. There could be 30,000 listeners. The more listeners and callers means I can be invited back on Easter Monday to repeat it. So there is huge potential to reach out and touch hearts. I want to have the maximum impact for the Glory of God. Please pray that people will open their hearts.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/streaming/newstalkzb-streaming.asp - to hear it online.
God bless
Brendan Roberts
http://www.godfact.com/
Friday, March 27, 2009
Overcoming Self Rejection - My Story
Isn't it terrible to feel like crap? To see hope as ungraspable or something that is just a speck on the distant horizon? Do you suffer from self-rejection, low self-esteem or even depression? Or do you know someone who does? Well, then sit back, make yourself comfy and lets see if I can shed any light on the situation.
For me I would have been diagnosed as the classic basket-case. My friends still call me mad or crazy but now it's a compliment or I take it as such, lol. I had a very low self-esteem and I really hated school. I know the latter is not necessarily a symptom of self-rejection or depression but more a case of sanity, lol. But let me explain what I experienced at school. I would go home regularly with bruises on my arms and legs from being treated as the No.1 punching bag by school colleagues. While the physical pain at times was excruciating the namecalling and the rejection hurt like hell. To be called useless and ugly and told to go and kill yourself really rips up your heart and sense of self-worth. Oh back to the physical humiliation. This included being hooked up by my belt, with me still inside, onto the coat hooks outside the school gym, and left dangling mercilessly. But the inner pain also resided in the fear of rejection. I feared that people would get to know me and then leave me like all my other friends. I remember the first day at highschool in which when meeting new friends someone said "Don't associate with him, he's not worth it!" I thought this was a new beginning, but in fact the treatment was worse at highschool - as already outlined.
So what can someone do to overcome the fear of rejection or self-rejection or depression. First of all if its depression don't exclude the possiblity it is associated with low energy. I have some days where the weather suddenly changes and then I have no energy or motivation. Maybe it's also a case of not enough sleep. So what can we do to get more energy? Well, we could eat muesli for breakfast, or lunch if needed. Therefore consult a nutritionist or alternatively research energy foods on google - and I don't mean blobbing with junk food and singing "All by my sellllff" like Bridget Jones, lol.
Oh, where was I? Ah, that's right my advice. OK, here goes:
1. Acknowlege you can't make it on your own. You need help. Related to this is that someone has created you and therefore knows you much more intimately and intricately than you know yourself. Therefore cry out to God, "Help Me, I need you!" I recommend this even if you don't believe in God. Because just because you don't believe doesn't mean He is not real.
2. Say a prayer, telling God like you would a friend you really trusted, all your problems. Don't worry you're not dumping on God cause He's got really broad shoulders and went through much greater suffering than you ever will. You know, Jesus suffered to enth degree through being beaten physically, as well as most of His friends running away, and even people who once hailed him as the Messiah ended up crying for His death. Oh, don't forget one of his friends betrayed him to death and one of his closest friends denied even being his friend.
3. Share your problems with someone who is willing to listen. A Church counsellor is very good because they normally don't have wacky ideas related to the latest wacky psychology.
4. Be positive. Do not be negative about yourself. Change the way your brain thinks. It's not a case of think only happy thoughts but being positive in the way you view things. If you are negative about yourself you will be negative about others and even view others in the wrong light. For example you might be jealous about someone you think has it all together - when in fact that person doesn't think they do. Or you may idiolise a movie star who isn't even happy with their life.
5. Take up a new hobby. It's a great way to meet people and take off the focus of poor-me.
6. Set yourself a realistic goal/vision. Ask God to give you one. Ask God what His will for you is. Put some time and energy into achieving that goal. Do you realise that sportsmen and women have to put a lot of energy into achieving their goals or sports dreams?
7. Do not spend too much time on your own. Moping does not help! Related to this is do not navel-gaze. If your chin is down then you do not see the wonderful things around you. Nor do you see the person hurting more than you who needs your help cause no one else is reaching out to them.
8. Join a group of people who will accept you for who you are and won't use you. To be on the safe side I'd recommend to join a Christian group. Also related to this is join a group which does outreach to the poor, the lonely, the sick, etc. This will give you a sense of worth, of mission.
9. We feel worthless, so we need to feel like we're worth something. Stand in front of the mirror and thank God for who he created you to be. If you've got ears that you think are too large, thank God for them. If you think that your feet are too big, thank God. If there's anything about your body that you 'hate' thank God and think about the person who doesn't have that part of the body or can't use it.
10. If you're living on your own and you know that you need to be with others then make arrangements to flat or board.
11. Take some time away from TV. Take some time to BE, not to VEGETATE!
12. If the music you're listening to leaves you depressed, change that music!
13. Don't believe negative stuff others taunt you with. But if they are trying to help listen to see if there is something you can change.
14. Speak positively of yourself. Don't put yourself down~
15. Rebuke Satan, because he wants you to be miserable. He doesn't want you to know God's love because he is so jealous!
16. If someone encourages you, do not simply shrugg it off. Accept what they say and thank them. It's helpful to write it down too as it helps later when you feel down. If it relates to a miserable thought then you know that thought was a LIE! Writing it down also cements it in your brain and helps you to believe it. When two or three people tell you the same thing you know it is true!
17. Encourage others when you see them doing something good. Whether it is to do with their character or talents let them know you appreciate it. Also if they offer to help them thank them for their generosity. This assists you to not just see people's faults but also helps you to see their good points, assisting your brain in training it to be positive. Think positively cause your brain loves to be negative.
18. Try and smile more. Sometimes it takes a decision to snap out of a down moment or depression.
19. If none of these help you then you could go to a professional - e.g. visit your local doctor, priest, pastor or counsellor.
This advice was updated from my book, "Set Free!" and first appeared on my hubpage on http://hubpages.com/hub/Overcoming-Self-rejection-or-Depression
God bless
Brendan Roberts
http://www.kiwig.com/
For me I would have been diagnosed as the classic basket-case. My friends still call me mad or crazy but now it's a compliment or I take it as such, lol. I had a very low self-esteem and I really hated school. I know the latter is not necessarily a symptom of self-rejection or depression but more a case of sanity, lol. But let me explain what I experienced at school. I would go home regularly with bruises on my arms and legs from being treated as the No.1 punching bag by school colleagues. While the physical pain at times was excruciating the namecalling and the rejection hurt like hell. To be called useless and ugly and told to go and kill yourself really rips up your heart and sense of self-worth. Oh back to the physical humiliation. This included being hooked up by my belt, with me still inside, onto the coat hooks outside the school gym, and left dangling mercilessly. But the inner pain also resided in the fear of rejection. I feared that people would get to know me and then leave me like all my other friends. I remember the first day at highschool in which when meeting new friends someone said "Don't associate with him, he's not worth it!" I thought this was a new beginning, but in fact the treatment was worse at highschool - as already outlined.
So what can someone do to overcome the fear of rejection or self-rejection or depression. First of all if its depression don't exclude the possiblity it is associated with low energy. I have some days where the weather suddenly changes and then I have no energy or motivation. Maybe it's also a case of not enough sleep. So what can we do to get more energy? Well, we could eat muesli for breakfast, or lunch if needed. Therefore consult a nutritionist or alternatively research energy foods on google - and I don't mean blobbing with junk food and singing "All by my sellllff" like Bridget Jones, lol.
Oh, where was I? Ah, that's right my advice. OK, here goes:
1. Acknowlege you can't make it on your own. You need help. Related to this is that someone has created you and therefore knows you much more intimately and intricately than you know yourself. Therefore cry out to God, "Help Me, I need you!" I recommend this even if you don't believe in God. Because just because you don't believe doesn't mean He is not real.
2. Say a prayer, telling God like you would a friend you really trusted, all your problems. Don't worry you're not dumping on God cause He's got really broad shoulders and went through much greater suffering than you ever will. You know, Jesus suffered to enth degree through being beaten physically, as well as most of His friends running away, and even people who once hailed him as the Messiah ended up crying for His death. Oh, don't forget one of his friends betrayed him to death and one of his closest friends denied even being his friend.
3. Share your problems with someone who is willing to listen. A Church counsellor is very good because they normally don't have wacky ideas related to the latest wacky psychology.
4. Be positive. Do not be negative about yourself. Change the way your brain thinks. It's not a case of think only happy thoughts but being positive in the way you view things. If you are negative about yourself you will be negative about others and even view others in the wrong light. For example you might be jealous about someone you think has it all together - when in fact that person doesn't think they do. Or you may idiolise a movie star who isn't even happy with their life.
5. Take up a new hobby. It's a great way to meet people and take off the focus of poor-me.
6. Set yourself a realistic goal/vision. Ask God to give you one. Ask God what His will for you is. Put some time and energy into achieving that goal. Do you realise that sportsmen and women have to put a lot of energy into achieving their goals or sports dreams?
7. Do not spend too much time on your own. Moping does not help! Related to this is do not navel-gaze. If your chin is down then you do not see the wonderful things around you. Nor do you see the person hurting more than you who needs your help cause no one else is reaching out to them.
8. Join a group of people who will accept you for who you are and won't use you. To be on the safe side I'd recommend to join a Christian group. Also related to this is join a group which does outreach to the poor, the lonely, the sick, etc. This will give you a sense of worth, of mission.
9. We feel worthless, so we need to feel like we're worth something. Stand in front of the mirror and thank God for who he created you to be. If you've got ears that you think are too large, thank God for them. If you think that your feet are too big, thank God. If there's anything about your body that you 'hate' thank God and think about the person who doesn't have that part of the body or can't use it.
10. If you're living on your own and you know that you need to be with others then make arrangements to flat or board.
11. Take some time away from TV. Take some time to BE, not to VEGETATE!
12. If the music you're listening to leaves you depressed, change that music!
13. Don't believe negative stuff others taunt you with. But if they are trying to help listen to see if there is something you can change.
14. Speak positively of yourself. Don't put yourself down~
15. Rebuke Satan, because he wants you to be miserable. He doesn't want you to know God's love because he is so jealous!
16. If someone encourages you, do not simply shrugg it off. Accept what they say and thank them. It's helpful to write it down too as it helps later when you feel down. If it relates to a miserable thought then you know that thought was a LIE! Writing it down also cements it in your brain and helps you to believe it. When two or three people tell you the same thing you know it is true!
17. Encourage others when you see them doing something good. Whether it is to do with their character or talents let them know you appreciate it. Also if they offer to help them thank them for their generosity. This assists you to not just see people's faults but also helps you to see their good points, assisting your brain in training it to be positive. Think positively cause your brain loves to be negative.
18. Try and smile more. Sometimes it takes a decision to snap out of a down moment or depression.
19. If none of these help you then you could go to a professional - e.g. visit your local doctor, priest, pastor or counsellor.
This advice was updated from my book, "Set Free!" and first appeared on my hubpage on http://hubpages.com/hub/Overcoming-Self-rejection-or-Depression
God bless
Brendan Roberts
http://www.kiwig.com/
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Brendan Roberts: Adult stem cells effective and valid way to save lives
Here's one of my articles that was published in our national newspaper, The New Zealand Herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10447618
Monday June 25, 2007
Johann Hari, in his article “Believers stonewall life-saving science”, claims that science and religion are based on fundamentally contrasting ways of understanding our world.
How is this so when a United States survey in 1914 found that 42 per cent of US scientists believed in a personal God. And when 80 years later the same questions were posed to US scientists, 39 per cent said they believed in a personal God.
We should not forget the many Christian scientists who have helped shape history. While you surf the net, recall that John von Neumann, a Jewish man who converted to Catholicism, is responsible for the modern computer. When you next go to the doctor take the time to think of Louis Pasteur for discovering the germ theory.
When you next gaze at the stars, remember that Father Nicolaus Copernicus is responsible for discovering the sun-centred model of the universe. These Catholics have contributed greatly.
Hari says that faith in divine revelation is based on hallucination. But how can anyone deny the personal experience of millions who have experienced an encounter with their God when prayers are answered, whether through cures or by finding strength to cope with spirit-breaking situations?
The church is not against “life-saving science”. It is only when it conflicts with the dignity of the person - including the most defenceless of society, the unborn - that the church speaks against a particular aspect of science.
Hari’s support of embryonic stem-cell research over that of adult stem cell research defies what he calls science’s strict empirical observation of the world. But the benefits of embryonic stem-cell research, if any, are temporary. They are known for causing tumours and the immune system can reject them. But adult stem-cell research breakthroughs are spectacular and lasting, including treatment for cancer, auto-immune diseases, and brain degenerative diseases.
Their main use is in regenerative medicine. Stem cells can assist tissues, muscles and even organs to recover from diseases; and help non-healthy cells to recover or even supply desperately needed cells.
Stem cells can come from various parts of the body, including bone marrow, hair follicles, umbilical cord blood, placentas and amniotic fluid. In fact, bone marrow transplants have been happening for 40 years.
In the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers published their findings that the stem cells in fat can be cultured into muscle for organ repair.
A disadvantage of adult stem cells is that, unlike embryonic stem cells, they were not totipotent - they lacked the ability to become any type of cell if properly prepared.
However, especially with bone marrow cells, the potential for cultivating adult stem cells is narrowing this gap and some researchers are beginning to claim the same flexibility of adult stem cells.
Hari claims that Yale University scientists have been able to use human neural stem cells to make primates with severe Parkinson’s disease walk and eat unaided. But he does not tell us that these are in fact adult stem cells.
Hollywood actors have been in the forefront of the battle for embryonic stem-cell research, but it is adult stem-cell research that has produced the really impressive results.
Dr Steven Gill, of the Sussex Centre for Genome Damage and Stability, used stem cells in a trial to treat the brains of five Parkinson’s patients. After one year there was a 61 per cent increase in the activities on a “daily living” score.
Hari says embryonic stem-cell research is less costly and gets faster results. Why does money become a such a factor in the debate? Do not the results produced outweigh the cost factor rather than pouring money into what may be a morally questionable practice?
Why is there such a deafening clamour for government money to go into the funding of embryonic stem-cell research? Does the answer reside in the embryonic stem-cell breakthroughs being able to be patented, as opposed to adult stem cells?
It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that adult stem cells are helping thousands of patients suffering from about 80 different diseases. In contrast, no lasting benefit has yet been reached with embryonic stem cells.
It is a bold and wise decision to limit federal funding on embryonic stem-cell research. It is time to put the energy into harnessing the superb potential of adult stem cells.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10447618
Monday June 25, 2007
Johann Hari, in his article “Believers stonewall life-saving science”, claims that science and religion are based on fundamentally contrasting ways of understanding our world.
How is this so when a United States survey in 1914 found that 42 per cent of US scientists believed in a personal God. And when 80 years later the same questions were posed to US scientists, 39 per cent said they believed in a personal God.
We should not forget the many Christian scientists who have helped shape history. While you surf the net, recall that John von Neumann, a Jewish man who converted to Catholicism, is responsible for the modern computer. When you next go to the doctor take the time to think of Louis Pasteur for discovering the germ theory.
When you next gaze at the stars, remember that Father Nicolaus Copernicus is responsible for discovering the sun-centred model of the universe. These Catholics have contributed greatly.
Hari says that faith in divine revelation is based on hallucination. But how can anyone deny the personal experience of millions who have experienced an encounter with their God when prayers are answered, whether through cures or by finding strength to cope with spirit-breaking situations?
The church is not against “life-saving science”. It is only when it conflicts with the dignity of the person - including the most defenceless of society, the unborn - that the church speaks against a particular aspect of science.
Hari’s support of embryonic stem-cell research over that of adult stem cell research defies what he calls science’s strict empirical observation of the world. But the benefits of embryonic stem-cell research, if any, are temporary. They are known for causing tumours and the immune system can reject them. But adult stem-cell research breakthroughs are spectacular and lasting, including treatment for cancer, auto-immune diseases, and brain degenerative diseases.
Their main use is in regenerative medicine. Stem cells can assist tissues, muscles and even organs to recover from diseases; and help non-healthy cells to recover or even supply desperately needed cells.
Stem cells can come from various parts of the body, including bone marrow, hair follicles, umbilical cord blood, placentas and amniotic fluid. In fact, bone marrow transplants have been happening for 40 years.
In the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers published their findings that the stem cells in fat can be cultured into muscle for organ repair.
A disadvantage of adult stem cells is that, unlike embryonic stem cells, they were not totipotent - they lacked the ability to become any type of cell if properly prepared.
However, especially with bone marrow cells, the potential for cultivating adult stem cells is narrowing this gap and some researchers are beginning to claim the same flexibility of adult stem cells.
Hari claims that Yale University scientists have been able to use human neural stem cells to make primates with severe Parkinson’s disease walk and eat unaided. But he does not tell us that these are in fact adult stem cells.
Hollywood actors have been in the forefront of the battle for embryonic stem-cell research, but it is adult stem-cell research that has produced the really impressive results.
Dr Steven Gill, of the Sussex Centre for Genome Damage and Stability, used stem cells in a trial to treat the brains of five Parkinson’s patients. After one year there was a 61 per cent increase in the activities on a “daily living” score.
Hari says embryonic stem-cell research is less costly and gets faster results. Why does money become a such a factor in the debate? Do not the results produced outweigh the cost factor rather than pouring money into what may be a morally questionable practice?
Why is there such a deafening clamour for government money to go into the funding of embryonic stem-cell research? Does the answer reside in the embryonic stem-cell breakthroughs being able to be patented, as opposed to adult stem cells?
It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that adult stem cells are helping thousands of patients suffering from about 80 different diseases. In contrast, no lasting benefit has yet been reached with embryonic stem cells.
It is a bold and wise decision to limit federal funding on embryonic stem-cell research. It is time to put the energy into harnessing the superb potential of adult stem cells.
Why Should I Forgive?
“Why should I forgive?” you may be pondering and pouting simultaneously. There are several reasons why one should do so. They range from the Christian with Christ calling us to forgive our neighbour to the mere secular which I will mention later.
There are several indicators to look for to see whether you truly need to forgive someone. They include:
When you think of the person do you feel anger, bitterness, a tightness of your stomach, a squeeze on your heart or even hatred?Do you find it difficult to trust someone who is like that person in their looks, their sex e.g male or female, or profession or even nationality?Do you constantly think about that situation?Can you pray for the person?
If most of these relate to you then you will need to forgive. Yes it is hard. Bloody hard! But remember Christ was bloody for you! He bled almost every drop of his blood for you. He loves you so much.
When we pray the Our Father prayer we pray “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” It does not say “as we forgive those who ask us for forgiveness”. There is a reason for this. One it takes a greater person to forgive than it does to hold onto hatred and bitterness. What did Christ say on the cross? He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do?” Forgive them! Wow! Christ asked God to forgive even those who caused Him so much unbearable pain! Pain we can only imagine!
Let me share with you an analogy which came to me when tidying my room, lol! I feel God is calling me to leave my country and so I decided to get rid of old things including clothes. I realised that we buy new clothes but still hang onto the old, even those that we have not worn for years. Now relate that to God giving us blessings. He blesses us with new things and yet we still want to hold onto the past. Can we receive the new blessings if we are still clutching desperately to the past? Take your hand and clench it now! If you have longish fingernails it will hurt! That’s another analogy for holding onto the past!
When one holds onto unforgiveness the person who hurt you in the first place still has power over you! Yes, because this unforgiveness translates into other areas of our life. We look with suspicion on others (I’m not saying we should be a doormat though) and even our relationships be shaky as a result. Yes it is hard to forgive! That is why I think the truest way we can forgive is only through the Cross of Christ. We must lay that unforgiveness and hurt at the foot of the Cross. If you are Catholic then you can do this through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The priest is acting in the person of Christ – not acting in the sense of make believe but in a spiritual way he is Christ. Therefore the priest does not absolve you from your sins but Christ does! WOW!
True freedom comes from forgiving through Christ. I know this. I was beaten up at school physically and psychologically (I even wrote a book about it and overcoming the fear of rejection see www.kiwig.com and www.godfact.com) If you do not forgive then you give the person who has hurt you the power to keep hurting you though you may not see it tangibly. When one reflects that every time we commit a mortal sin (serious sin with full knowledge and fully consent on our part) then we are treating God the same or similar to that situation in which we were hurt. So let us forgive. Let us be humble and forgive and focus on the new blessings God has for us!
God bless
Brendan Roberts
www.godfact.com
There are several indicators to look for to see whether you truly need to forgive someone. They include:
When you think of the person do you feel anger, bitterness, a tightness of your stomach, a squeeze on your heart or even hatred?Do you find it difficult to trust someone who is like that person in their looks, their sex e.g male or female, or profession or even nationality?Do you constantly think about that situation?Can you pray for the person?
If most of these relate to you then you will need to forgive. Yes it is hard. Bloody hard! But remember Christ was bloody for you! He bled almost every drop of his blood for you. He loves you so much.
When we pray the Our Father prayer we pray “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” It does not say “as we forgive those who ask us for forgiveness”. There is a reason for this. One it takes a greater person to forgive than it does to hold onto hatred and bitterness. What did Christ say on the cross? He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do?” Forgive them! Wow! Christ asked God to forgive even those who caused Him so much unbearable pain! Pain we can only imagine!
Let me share with you an analogy which came to me when tidying my room, lol! I feel God is calling me to leave my country and so I decided to get rid of old things including clothes. I realised that we buy new clothes but still hang onto the old, even those that we have not worn for years. Now relate that to God giving us blessings. He blesses us with new things and yet we still want to hold onto the past. Can we receive the new blessings if we are still clutching desperately to the past? Take your hand and clench it now! If you have longish fingernails it will hurt! That’s another analogy for holding onto the past!
When one holds onto unforgiveness the person who hurt you in the first place still has power over you! Yes, because this unforgiveness translates into other areas of our life. We look with suspicion on others (I’m not saying we should be a doormat though) and even our relationships be shaky as a result. Yes it is hard to forgive! That is why I think the truest way we can forgive is only through the Cross of Christ. We must lay that unforgiveness and hurt at the foot of the Cross. If you are Catholic then you can do this through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The priest is acting in the person of Christ – not acting in the sense of make believe but in a spiritual way he is Christ. Therefore the priest does not absolve you from your sins but Christ does! WOW!
True freedom comes from forgiving through Christ. I know this. I was beaten up at school physically and psychologically (I even wrote a book about it and overcoming the fear of rejection see www.kiwig.com and www.godfact.com) If you do not forgive then you give the person who has hurt you the power to keep hurting you though you may not see it tangibly. When one reflects that every time we commit a mortal sin (serious sin with full knowledge and fully consent on our part) then we are treating God the same or similar to that situation in which we were hurt. So let us forgive. Let us be humble and forgive and focus on the new blessings God has for us!
God bless
Brendan Roberts
www.godfact.com
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Now a Columnist for Catholic Exchange
It's now 2009 and God has blessed me by His grace. At the end of last year I was submitting articles to the Catholic Exchange website under their Theology of the Body section. As of about a week ago I was added to their website as a regular columnist. You can view my articles on http://tob.catholicexchange.com/category/columnists/brendan-roberts/ Because of an article I wrote on the effectiveness of abstinence education Sacred Heart Radio from Cincinnati interviewed me on the same subject. They also broadcast the interview on the EWTN Radio Network. That was a huge surprise. I will be posting the interview shortly on my website www.godfact.com so keep referring to it.
God bless
Brendan
God bless
Brendan
Thursday, October 16, 2008
RCIA and God:Fact or Fiction?
Its truly amazing how God can use our few loaves and fish. My last book, "God:Fact or Fiction?" was written for Non-Christians and Christians in mind. As I'm Catholic is is bound to include Catholic theology/beliefs. I received a wonderful surprise yesterday when someone wrote to me and said that they have been using it for RCIA which stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; this is the program which someone goes through if they are wanting to see if they should become Catholic. So don't be afraid and share your faith today and see what God will do with those few loaves and fish.
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