ICEMANforChrist

This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Monday Night at the Movies

The Song of Bernadette

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Passover begins at Sundown

Friday, April 11, 2025

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Selena in Astrodome built in 1965 where first indoor baseball game was played

Dara’s Corner Try “100 foods to try before you die??” Snake anyone?

· Spirit hour: To Die For Cocktail

· Bucket List Trip: Exotic Trains India and….

· National Chicken Little Awareness Day

· Eating: Be nourished not overfed.

· Catholic Recipe: Herb Omelet I

· National Month of Hope

· Days with St. Joseph Day 21

· National Unicorn Day

· National Month of Hope

· Appomattox Day

· Visit a Holy Place

Modern populations are increasingly overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, and socially isolated.[4]

· eat foods rich in antioxidants.

o Beta-carotene: apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, peaches, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato

o Vitamin C: blueberries, broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, tomato

o Vitamin E: margarine, nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, wheat germ

· Choose your carbs wisely. Limit sugary foods and opt for smart or “complex” carbs (such as whole grains) rather than simple carbs (such as cakes and cookies). Fruits, vegetables, and legumes also have healthy carbs and fiber.

· Foods like turkey, tuna, and chicken have an amino acid called tryptophan, which may help you make serotonin. Try to eat something with protein several times a day, especially when you need to clear your mind and boost your energy.

· Try the Mediterranean diet.

Modern populations are increasingly overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, and socially isolated.[5]

Eating: Be nourished not overfed.

· eat foods rich in antioxidants.

o Beta-carotene: apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, peaches, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato

o Vitamin C: blueberries, broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, tomato

o Vitamin E: margarine, nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, wheat germ

· Try the Mediterranean diet.

April 9 Wednesday in Passion Week

Malachi, Chapter 3, verse 16

¹⁶ Then those who FEAR the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened attentively; a record book was written before him of those who fear the LORD and esteem his name.

The people during the time of the prophet Malachi were perplexed.

Why is it that evildoers prosper and even mock God and escape?

The prophet is reassuring those who loved the Lord that nothing escapes God and if we have Holy fear and love the Lord we will be taken care of.

Many of the behaviors of evil people lead directly to success; the biggest liar and manipulator on the sales team will usually be the top salesperson, for example. The evil person develops skill in seeing how to get the optimal outcome in every situation, and is willing to take whatever the actions are to get that most desirable outcome… which is why they so often get there. These people are NOT being blessed, they are reaping the “rewards” of their evil in the same way that a child cheating on a test gets a higher score… this is NOT the work of God, as He NEVER rewards evil.[1]

No, we should not envy evil doers for whatever they gain it is never enough. Nor do they find peace in their hearts for their needs are never satisfied nor their thirst for more ever quenched.

According to the author Michael H. Brown[2] we are in the midst of a war between the forces of good and evil and right now it may seem that they are winning the battle, but they have already lost the war-the war for our souls, which Christ purchased with his death on the cross.

Wednesday in Passion Week

Prayer.

SANCTIFY this fast, O God, and mercifully enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful; and to those whom Thou gran test the grace of devotion mercifully grant, when they pray to Thee, a favorable hearing. Amen

EPISTLE. Leviticus xix. 1, 2, 11-19.

In those days: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: 'I am the Lord your God. You shall not steal. You shall not lie, neither shall any man deceive his neighbor. Thou shalt not swear falsely by My name, nor profane the name of thy God. I am the Lord. Thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbor, nor oppress him by violence. The wages of him that has been hired by thee shall not abide with thee until the morning. Thou shalt not speak evil of the deaf, nor put a stumbling- block before the blind: but thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, because I am the Lord. Thou shalt not do that which is unjust, nor judge unjustly. Respect not the person of the poor, nor honor the countenance of the mighty. But judge thy neighbor according to justice. Thou shalt not be a detractor nor a whisperer among the people. Thou shalt not stand against the blood of thy neighbor. I am the Lord. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, but reprove him openly, lest thou incur sin through him. Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens. Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself. I am Lord. Keep my laws, for I am the Lord your God.

GOSPEL. John x. 22-38.

At that time: It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem: and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. The Jews therefore came round about Him, and said to Him:

How long dost Thou hold our souls in suspense?

if Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them:

I speak to you, and you believe not: the works that I do in the name of My Father, they give testimony of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice: and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them life everlasting, and they shall not perish forever, and no man shall pluck them out of My hand. That which My Father hath given Me, is greater than all: and no man can snatch them out of the hand of My Father. I and the Father are one. The Jews then took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them:

Many good works I have showed you from My Father; for which of those works do you stone Me?

The Jews answered Him: For a good work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that Thou being a man, makest Thyself God.

Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law:

I said, you are gods?

If He called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the Scripture cannot be broken: do you say of Him, Whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said,

I am the Son of God?

If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though you will not believe Me, believe the works: that you may know that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Day 297 2280-2283

Suicide

2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him.
It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life.
We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls.
We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us.
It is not ours to dispose of.

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life.
It is gravely contrary to the just love of self.
It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations.
Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal.
Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.

THIS WE BELIEVE

PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Beatitudes[3]

The fuller account and the more prominent place given the Beatitudes in St. Matthew are quite in accordance with the scope and the tendency of the First Gospel, in which the spiritual character of the Messianic kingdom — the paramount idea of the Beatitudes — is consistently put forward, in sharp contrast with Jewish prejudices. The very peculiar form in which Our Lord proposed His blessings make them, perhaps, the only example of His sayings that may be styled poetical — the parallelism of thought and expression, which is the most striking feature of Biblical poetry, being unmistakably clear.

The text of St. Matthew runs as follows:

· Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)

· Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)

· Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)

· Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)

· Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)

· Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)

· Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)

· Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Purity

· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus