Where Was God? (By Mike Huckabee)

Former U.S. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee shares his insights on the recent Connecticut school shooting tragedy.

Transcript:

Maybe it's simply the attempt to express our collective shock when we say we're trying to make sense of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But we're not gonna make sense; not from that which is totally disconnected from the cognitive capacity of any rational human being. The Governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy, got it right when he said, "evil has visited this community". President Obama, in an emotional statement from the White House, spoke more as a parent than a politician and he quoted the Bible to bring comfort to the nation. Churches were filled in Newtown, Connecticut last night as candlelight vigils were held to grieve for the 27 innocent people killed and the countless lives of those shattered by a few seconds of crazed carnage.

On Friday, Neil Cavuto asked me,

"Where was God?"

I said,

"For 50 years we've systematically attempted to have God removed from our schools (and) our public activities but then at the moment we have a calamity we wonder where He was."

The predictable "left" lit up the airwaves and blogosphere with a violent, vicious reaction and jumped to the conclusion that I said that if we had prayer in school the shooting wouldn’t have happened. I said nothing of the sort.

It's far more than just taking prayer or Bible reading out of the schools.
It's the fact that people sue a city so we aren’t confronted with a manger scene or a Christmas carol; that lawsuits are filed to remove a cross that's a memorial to fallen soldiers.
Churches and Christian owned businesses are told to surrender their values under the edict of government orders to provide tax-funded abortion pills.
We carefully and intentionally stop saying things are sinful and we call them disorders; sometimes, we even say they're normal.
And to get to where that we have to abandon bedrock moral truths…

Then we're asked,

"Where was God?"

I responded as I see it,

"We escorted Him right out of our culture and we've marched Him off the public square, then we express our surprise that a culture without Him actually reflects what it's become."

As soon as the tragedy unfolded, I think God did show up.
He showed up in the lives of teachers, who put their lives between a gunman and their students.
He showed up in policemen, who rushed into the school not knowing if they would be met with a barrage of bullets.
He showed up in the form of hugs and tears for children, parents and teachers, who had lived through the slaughter.
He showed up at the overflowed church services, where people lit candles and prayed. 
He showed up at the White House, where the president invoked His Name and quoted from His Book.
 
In a few days or weeks we'll probably ask God to excuse Himself from view. And we will announce in our arrogant pride that we are now enlightened and educated and we've evolved beyond needing Him. And somebody's gonna suggest that we pass a law to stop all this kind of thing. I might want to point out that we don't have to pass a new law; there's one that's been around a while that works if we teach it and observe it:

"Thou shalt not kill."

Oh, there are about 9 others; but to tell you about them would require bringing God back and we know how unacceptable that might be.

* Video courtesy of: http://www.foxnews.com/

An Angel Named Job

2008

To see anyone in pain is difficult, but the sight of a child undergoing much suffering is hard to bear. I first heard of Job McCully's story via an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – one of the few, “food for the soul” types of show on TV. I’m not much for sentimentality, but the story of this boy's pain and suffering just broke my heart.

Before leukemia:

Job was only 4 years old in 2002 when he was diagnosed with leukemia and given less than 10% chance of survival. After receiving chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, he was eventually able to beat the cancer. However, because of the treatment, he developed fungal pneumonia which caused severe damage to his lungs. At one point, his heart stopped beating for 8 minutes but he miraculously survived. In 2007, he underwent a double lung transplant surgery. While the operation was a success, there was only so much pain and suffering Job’s little body could take. He developed cataracts in both eyes and was confined to a wheelchair. His medications contributed to an excessive weight gain and a bloated appearance. His immune system has become very fragile and he also now has diabetes.

with dad Robert

with mom Tina

with grandma Glenda

physical therapy

taking meds

“He’s been such an inspiration to so many people. And he’s only 10 years old.” 

– Robert, Job’s dad

 

Yet, in spite of all the pain and suffering Job underwent and is still undergoing through, he still manages to smile – and a more beautiful sight one will never see. His courage and will to survive is rarely seen in anyone, much less that of a child. Job has become an inspiration and a symbol of hope to everyone who hears his story. Job is my hero.

thumbs up

After doing some research, I was happy to find out that Job’s health is continuing to improve and he is now able to walk. Like his biblical namesake who also underwent severe tribulations, I pray that God will continue to bless “Job's latter condition even more than his former one” (Job 42:12) and that little Job will live until he’s “old and full of days” (Job 42:17).

“How can you be more blessed, than to appreciate those precious moments that other people take for granted?” 

– Tina, Job’s mom

I remember Mother Angelica once say on her show that children who suffered much here on earth, like Job, will be the happiest of all in heaven. To me this makes sense, for to those whom much has been given are also those who usually take blessings for granted, while those who go through much pain and suffering are also those who are capable of experiencing the greatest of joys in the simplest of things.

Angel Job

* Photos and Videos:

Have you ever seen an angel smile?

 

with sister Nicole

 

 

 

more recent

The McCully's

2nd Place Regional Spelling Bee

lovin' the rain

happy birthday

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (clip)

Camping, Roasting Marshmallows and Pirates

Do you know what the word hero means?

  

* Courtesy of:

1. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 
2. www.caringbridge.org/ar/job/

For more, please visit:

www.youtube.com/user/Bahagi5237

Maximilian Maria Kolbe – The Saint of Auschwitz

St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe

1894 –

January 7, 1894: Maximilian Maria Kolbe was born Raymond Kolbe in Zdunska-Wola, Poland to a poor family. Both his parents were weavers – his father, Julius Kolbe, later joined the army and fought for Polish independence from Russia; his mother, Maria Dubrowska, later became a Benedictine nun. He was the 2nd child in a family of 3 children – like him, his brother Alphonse would also become a priest.

Maria Dubrowska

7 Years Old

1906 –

In the town of Pabianice, Poland, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the 12 year old Maximilian. In his words:

“That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me.

Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, and the other red.

She asked if I was willing to accept either of these crowns.

The white one meant that I should persevere in purity and the red that I should become a martyr.

I said that I would accept them both.”

1907 – Entered the preparatory seminary of the Conventual Franciscans in Lwow (Ukraine).

Parish Choir (1907)

1910 – Became a novice at the age of 16 and received his name in the Order, Maximilian.

1911 – September 5, 1911: made his first, “simple” vows.

1912 – November, 1912: began the study of philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.

1914 –

November 1, 1914: Maximilian took his final, "solemn" vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He also took the names Maximilian Maria to show his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On the same year, his father was hanged by the Russians for treason.

1915 – October 22, 1915: obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy.

1917 –

October 16, 1917: the young seminarian gathered 6 of his friends in a room at their seminary in Rome's Via San Teodoro to establish the Militia Immaculatae (Immaculata Movement) – a movement devoted to the conversion of sinners through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On the same year, he began showing signs of suffering from tuberculosis, a disease which nearly killed him and caused him to be frail for the rest of his life.

1918 –

April 28, 1918: Maximilian was ordained a priest in Rome at the age of 24. The next day, he celebrated his first mass in the Basilica of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte at the “Altar of the Miracle”.

1918

1919 –

July 22, 1919: Fr. Maximilian obtained his Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure in Rome, Italy. A Marian devotee, he also composed the Immaculata – a prayer of consecration to the immaculately conceived Blessed Virgin Mary; his insights into the Immaculate Conception will later influence the Marian theology of the Second Vatican Council.

1922 – Further spread the Movement through publishing “The Knight of the Immaculata” magazine.

1927 – Founded the Niepokalanow (City of the Immaculate Mother of God) monastery in Teresin, Poland; the community will soon grow to become one of the largest monasteries in the world at that time.

1930 –

Fr. Maximilian travelled to Asia to further spread the Movement.

April 24, 1930: he and his companions landed in Nagasaki, Japan. Despite arriving penniless and not speaking a word of Japanese, he began printing “Seibo no Kishi”, the Japanese version of “The Knight of the Immaculata” within a month.

1930

1931 –

Fr. Maximilian founded a monastery, Mugenzai no Sono (Garden of the Immaculate), on the slopes of Mt. Hikosan in Nagasaki, Japan. His choice of location to build the monastery was ridiculed by many – some thought it was unwise to build on the mountainside facing away from the town; others said it was bad “feng shui” according to local Shinto beliefs. Fr. Maximilian’s choice, however, would later prove to be providential (see 1945).

Later on, he would also travel to India to further spread the Movement.

1936 –

Fr. Maximilian returned to Poland because of poor health. Meanwhile, “Seibo no Kishi” circulation grew to 65,000.

1939 –

September 1, 1939: Nazi Germany invaded Poland marking the start of World War 2.

September 19, 1939: Fr. Maximilian was arrested for the first time and imprisoned.

Friars leaving Niepokalanow (1939)

December 8, 1939: On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Maximilian and the other friars were released from prison and returned to Niepokalanow the next day where they began to organize a shelter for 3,000 Polish refugees – 2,000 of whom were Jews.

Document issued by the German authorities (1940)

1941 –

February 17, 1941: Fr. Maximilian was arrested again and imprisoned at Pawiak in Warsaw, Poland where he was subjected to cruel treatment by the Gestapo.

May 28, 1941: Fr. Maximilian was transported via trainload of prisoners to Auschwitz Concentration Camp where he was branded/tattooed “Prisoner No. 16670”. He was specially hated by his captors for 2 reasons: being 1) Polish and 2) a Catholic Priest. Despite being ill, he was assigned the hardest of tasks and many times was tortured until he passed out. During one such incident, after being beaten and lashed by his captors, he was thrown in the mud and left for dead. He was smuggled by his companions to the camp hospital where he recovered. Upon returning to camp, Fr. Maximilian wasted no time resuming his ministry to his fellow prisoners by hearing confessions and celebrating mass.  

July 28 – August 1, 1941: During this period, a prisoner from Fr. Maximilian’s block (Block 14) vanished, prompting the Deputy Camp Commander, SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch, to sentence 10 prisoners from the same barracks to death in retaliation.

Karl Fritzsch: “The fugitive has not been found! You will all pay for this. 10 of you will be locked in the starvation bunker without food or water until they die!”

One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, imprisoned for helping the Polish Resistance, cried out: “My poor wife! My poor children! What will happen to my family?”

Upon hearing this, Fr. Maximilian took off his cap and silently stepped forward.

Karl Fritzsch: “What does this Polish pig want?”

Fr. Maximilian: “I am only a Catholic priest from Poland. Let me take his place. I am old. He has a wife and children.”

According to a witness:

“From astonishment, the commandant appeared unable to speak. After a moment, he gave a sign with his hand. He spoke but one word: ‘Away!’ Gajowniczek received the command to return to the row he had just left. In this manner, Fr. Maximilian took the place of the condemned man.”

As the 10 were led off to basement bunker of Block 13 to die, Fr. Maximilian supported a fellow prisoner who could hardly walk.

Karl Fritzsch

Franciszek Gajowniczek

August 14, 1941: After weeks of starvation, Fr. Maximilian and his fellow prisoners were barely alive. Some were so thirsty that they resorted to drinking their own urine. Yet, not a sound of anguish was heard to come from the bunker; instead there were those of prayers and hymns by the prisoners led by Fr. Maximilian. Finally, the Nazi officials decided that the cell had to cleared-out to make room for other prisoners. As the executioner entered the bunker, Fr. Maximilian, the only one left who was fully conscious, said a prayer and offered his left arm to be injected with a lethal dose of carbolic acid. On the eve of the Feast of the Assumption of the one whom he devotedly loved all his life, Maximilian died.

1945 –

August 9, 1945: the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Mugenzai no Sono sustained minimal damage, with the other side of the mountain on which it was built taking the worst of the blast. It remains one of the most prominent monasteries in Japan until this day.

1969 – January 30, 1969: Pope Paul VI approved the heroic virtues of Fr. Maximilian and declared him “Venerable”

1971 – October 17, 1971: Pope Paul VI beatified Fr. Maximilian as “Confessor” at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy

1982 – October 10, 1982: Pope John Paul II canonized Fr. Maximilian, his compatriot, a saint and “Martyr of Charity”.

Pope John Paul II and Franciszek Gajowniczek at the canonization of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe (1982)

Every August 14 (St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s feast day), until his death on March 13, 1995, Franciszek Gajowniczek went back to Auschwitz to commemorate the life of the saint who died on his behalf.

Franciszek Gajowniczek (1995)

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.” 
(John 15:13)

Footprints (by Mary Stevenson)

dmbpphoto

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Reference/s:
Footprints-inthe-Sand.com, 2003

The Problem of Problems: Non Serviam

photo courtesy of Thermos

 

“Indeed God has created man to be immortal in the likeness of his own nature, but the envy of the devil has brought death to the world, and those who stand with him shall experience death”
(Wisdom 2:23-24)

Who was the serpent, the tempter who led Adam and Eve to sin?

Revelation, the last book in the Bible, identifies the serpent as none other than Satan, the first of the fallen angels (Revelation 12:9).

Who are the fallen angels or devils and how did they become evil?

• Like man, angels are endowed with intellect and free will.
• Like man (and all of God’s creations), angels were created good. Scripture tell us that angels are pure spiritual beings who are superior to man in many ways.
• Like man, angels were put to the test and asked to prove their love for God. As to the nature of the test given them, theologians could only speculate. Many of them think that angels were shown a vision of the Incarnation, of Jesus Christ’s suffering and crucifixion, and were commanded to adore the Word became flesh. Aware of their superiority to man, some of the angels refused to obey (“I will not serve!”), and by thus marking the birth of hell.

• Unlike man, the fallen angels were not tempted to sin.
• Unlike man, there is no redemption for fallen angels. It’s ironic that this is due to their superior nature.
• Unlike man, who was ignorant to a degree, fallen angels had “angelic intellects” (superior to that of man), making their choice to sin final and repentance impossible. Our (man’s) weakness, so to speak, was our excuse.

Some theologians also believe that men were created to fill out the void left by fallen angels. Though this is mere speculation, it does make sense of the devil’s envy and hatred for mankind.

What is clear is the fact that the fall of both angels and man was brought about by the sin of pride. Therefore, it’s essential for man to practice its opposite, the virtue of humility, in order to rise over evil and all its atrocity.

To Be Continued...

1. Introduction
2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen

6. Non Serviam

The Problem of Problems: Free Fallen

photo courtesy of velton

How did evil enter the world?

The answer is in the Book of Genesis, where we find the story of our first parents, Adam and Eve. God originally bestowed upon them sanctifying grace and other special gifts, such as constant state of happiness and freedom from pain and suffering. These gifts were theirs to keep (and pass on to us, their descendants) on one condition: they must prove their love for God by not eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. But alas, tempted and seduced by the serpent’s lies (“you will become like gods” – Genesis 3:5), they disobeyed God’s commandment. Adam, the appointed ambassador of the entire human race, committed this grave act we now call “Original Sin” and by thus, death came into the world.

In the novel Don Quixote, we read that: "true love…must be voluntary and not compelled”. Indeed, love must be a deliberate act; it cannot be forced. For this reason, God gave man free will. We can freely decide to love God, believe in Him and submit to His will; or we can freely elect to hate, doubt and rebel against our Creator. Adam and Eve chose to do the latter. And so, it can be said that pain and suffering in this life is due to man’s misuse of free will.

Free will is the basis for justice, for no one can be justly held accountable for their actions unless they are truly free. It gives man the freedom to become saints or sinners; to do what is right or wrong. While a world sans free will is one without evil, sadness or tears, neither can it have goodness, joy, nor laughter. Therefore, a world without free will would be of humans devoid of humanity; a benevolent God would never create one as such. Free will is a gift; we just often choose to make it a curse.

The special gifts God gave Adam and Eve, like freedom from pain and suffering, were privileges; it was not theirs by right. These were gifts from a loving Father who wants to give what is best for His children. These were gifts we would have inherited from our first parents. But unfortunately, these were gifts they freely chose to reject through their sin. To make matters worse, instead of admitting guilt and asking for forgiveness, Adam put the blame on God (Genesis 3:11-12)! But do we, Adam’s descendants, know any better? Don’t we also often fault God for miseries of our own doing?

Free will is not just a fancy term. We are free to choose our own destiny. God loves us so much that He even allows us to choose over Him! However, we must always keep in mind that we are accountable for our actions and that our choices do have consequences. After all, justice is not just a fancy term either.

1. Introduction
2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam

The Problem of Problems: Of Evil and "Non-things"

dmBPPhoto

“God saw all that he made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

As Christians, we believe that God is the creator of all things. Does this mean God created evil? 

To answer this question, we turn to St. Augustine of Hippo who tells us that evil is not a thing, but is rather a privation or loss of good. Make no mistake - evil is real, but it cannot exist by itself apart from good. Take, for instance, light and darkness. We can measure the properties of light (e.g., intensity, speed, etc.), but we cannot quantify darkness. The reason for this is that darkness has no existence of its own; it is merely the absence of light. In the same vein, we can say that sin is the privation of God’s will; blindness is the loss of sight; death is the absence of life; and so on. Therefore, God created all things, but not “non-things”, such as evil. 

1. Introduction

2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job

4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam 

The Problem of Problems: Good Job

photo courtesy of Jeff Hathaway

The Book of Job, possibly the oldest in the Bible, not surprisingly deals with the problem of evil - surely the oldest in history. It tells the story of Job, a holy man who, with God's permission, underwent severe tribulations and lost everything he treasured – his children, wealth and health. Job endured and remained devoted, but eventually became angry and challenged God to account for his pain and sufferings. God provided neither an explanation nor justification, rather, in essence asked Job: “who are you to call Me into account?” In the end, Job was humbled and assented to God's will. God then restored Job's health, blessed him with new offspring, doubled the riches he had before the ordeal, and lived for another 140 years before dying a peaceful death.

The Book of Job is an invitation to contemplation. Though it does not directly offer a solution to the "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thessalonians 2:7), it offers profound insights into the problems of life. With eyes of humility, let us look at some of its lessons which are as relevant today as when it was written thousands of years ago:

• "Then Yahweh answered Job out of the storm: Who is this that obscures divine plans with words of ignorance?" (Job 38:1-2) God's rebuke put Job in his place - and we are reminded that God should be doing the questioning, not Job; that the Creator holds the creature answerable, not the other way around. As diocesan priest Fr. Leo Trese states: "an ant has more right to criticize an Einstein than has man with his limited intelligence to question the infinite wisdom of God".
• “I spoke of things I did not understand, too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3) God's wisdom forced Job to realize his ignorance - and we are reminded that on our own, we cannot have all the answers for life's problems; that only through God's grace can we understand life's deepest mysteries. As the Socratic maxim goes – "wisdom is the awareness of ignorance".
• "If only there was an arbiter between us, who could lay his hand upon both of us…" (Job 9:32) Job humbly acknowledged the infinite gap between God and man - and we are reminded of how that gap has been bridged by the God-man, Jesus Christ; that God shared in our pain and sufferings by becoming man and conquered evil by His death and resurrection. As St. Paul wrote: "As there is one God, there is one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus, true man, who gave his life for the redemption of all..." (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

The story of Job is one of patience, humility and faith – virtues essential in dealing with pain and suffering. If we follow Job's example and put these virtues into practice, like him, we too shall be rewarded in the end. 

1. Introduction

2. Mystery of Misery
3. Good Job
4. Of Evil and "Non-things"
5. Free Fallen
6. Non Serviam