Since, I have a busy day planned tomorrow, I just want to take the time to say.....

HAPPY FEAST DAY ST. JOSEPH.

A first class feast day and the month of March dedicated to him, is definitely what is due to the foster father of Our Lord. And I am blessed enough to have the day off tomorrow to be able to attend a Solemn High Mass in his honour! It is the first time in a few years that I can attend Mass on this great feast day. I want to thank St. Joseph for having the chance to honor him in this way.

It is also my youngest son's feastday, as he was named after him. Their whole school will attend Mass, as well. How blessed these children are.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 18, 2003

Answers

Topping it for St. Joseph!

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 18, 2003.

My oldest son's name, too.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), March 18, 2003.

Joseph is one a hero in my life. He leads the in teaching us to take care for women/mothers are being precious in the eyes of the Lord.

-- jean bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), March 19, 2003.

Elpidio,

Did I misunderstand you? I was under the impression that you think St. Joseph to be the *physical* father of Jesus. If that is so, then that would entail that you do not accept other doctrines of our faith, such as the Perpetual Virginity of Mary & the Divinity of Jesus.

The creed says,

"I believe in God, the Father Almightly, creator of Heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, Our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary....."

He was, "begotten, not made."

Please correct me if I am wrong, but that is the way I understood you post.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 19, 2003.

I believe that you have understood rightly, Isabel. Elpidio is an ex-Catholic. I believe that I recall that he believes that Jesus is not divine and that Mary and Joseph had other children.
Please correct me if I have had a memory lapse, Elpidio.

John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 19, 2003.

Oh, dear! Sorry to hear that. I will keep Elpidio in my prayers.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 19, 2003.

John is right to certain a point, Isabel. I never left the Roman Catholic Church, even after having these beliefs for the last 16 years. I am 40 now.I was almost excomunicated 3 times. I was refused marriage in the church. I was married by a baptist. I am one of those people who tried to learn the original languages and cultures to grasp the meaning of scripture better.

Many of the people the church quotes now woudn't be considered catholic now: Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint James, Tertullian, Origen, Arian ( always considered a heretic by the Roman), Eusebius,.... did not believe Jesus was God himself. Jesus had the essence of God but wasn't God himself. I have my father's essence: same likings, physical appearance, mentality,...yet I am not my father.

Scripture says that Jesus had to be a descendant of King David. Isaiah 7.14 doesn't apply to Mary and Jesus because almah = young woman (not virgin. Betulah is virgin in Hebrew)refers to Ahaz wife. Emmanuel is King Hezekiah. He is also the one called the " mighty God). Remember that in the old days names were given by attributes. Jacob's later name was Israel, Abram became Abraham, sarai became Sarah, Joseph was given an Egyptian name, we don't know Moses egyptian name, Jedidiahu became Salomon, emmanuel became Hezekiah, not Jesus of nazareth. Whoever edited canonical Matthew added something that wasn't true.

Was Jesus divine: he was is is, he will be.

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonzalez@srla.org), March 20, 2003.

Jmj
Hello, Elpidio.

You wrote: "I never left the ... Catholic Church, even after having these beliefs ..."
I hate to have to tell you this, but it is not always required that a Catholic formally and voluntarily "leave" the Catholic Church for him to cease to be a member of that Church. A person can "involuntarily" leave the Church -- as you have. Without the slightest doubt you have fallen into the great sin of heresy -- "the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or ... an obstinate doubt concerning the same."
And since you have denied dogmas to which "anathemas" are attached, you have excommunicated yourself. From now on, please do not lie to yourself or to others, saying that you are still a Catholic.

You wrote: "Many of the people the church quotes now woudn't be considered catholic now: Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint James, Tertullian, Origen, Arian (always considered a heretic by the Roman), Eusebius,.... did not believe Jesus was God himself."
Except for Arius [not "Arian"], you are totally wrong about these people. Good heavens! I thought you were an educated man, a teacher -- but you seem to know nothing, Elpidio. I am shocked! More errors follow ...

"Jesus had the essence of God but wasn't God himself." FALSE.
"I have my father's essence: " FALSE. (Only your father has his own "essence.")
"Isaiah 7.14 doesn't apply to Mary and Jesus" FALSE. (The Church specifically teaches that it does apply to them.
" ... almah = young woman (not virgin. Betulah is virgin in Hebrew) refers to Ahaz wife." FALSE. (The word "almah" can mean virgin, and we know that it does in this verse, because it was translated into "parthenos" [virgin] in the Greek Septuagint, used by Jesus, the Apostles, and the New Testament writers.)
"... we don't know Moses egyptian name ..." FALSE (Moses was his Egyptian name.)
"Whoever edited canonical Matthew added something that wasn't true." OUTRAGEOUSLY FALSE (The Bible is inerrant, the Church teaches us.)

St. Joseph, please pray for Elpidio to become a revert.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 20, 2003.

Joseph, the son of Jacob was led by God in dreams. Joseph the father of Jesus was led by dreams l just as his wife was. Joseph of arimathea was lead by righteousness. I have written to the Pope on the subject. If he is man enough to deny that I have written to him is false, let Joseph Ratzinger say this in this forum.

I don't hide John Gecik. Even when I have fallen and continue to fall, Yahweh my God and my Lord Jesus christ continue to lift me up. There are others like me. Trust me. In the end, truth will prevail. In the past truth was exterminated: The Valdenses, John Huss,... just to name some. Yet, people later resurrected their beliefs. Even the Pope ask forgiveness for the death of Huss. Why, because truth prevails in the end, my friend.

Try not o be blinded by everything you read. Jesus said: search the scriptures. He even said, it was said, but I tell you, which means, look for the truth also in the scriptures.

Lately you have been following a different approach to the Bible: a Mathew first theory. Unfortunately, John, Mathew is not as reliable as Luke or Mark. Mathew duplicates miracles, angels, blind men,... which you don't find in either mark or Luke.

Only Mathew talks of the Virgin birth (in Greek). I haven't seen the Aramaic or hebrew original to show you. But you know Betulah is Virgin, Almah is young woman in Hebrew.

As for Moses, I know another Joseph (Josephus), who also predicted the accesion of Vespasian in a dream to the Riman Empire, says Mou is water in Egyptian. uses, taken out.Hebrew uses maiim for water. Understand this: thre were Thutmoses as kings before Moses was born. So the Moses was there already before he was borne. What is missing is the Thut. Or to put it this way. He was born during the Rameses. So the Ra is missing. Get it? May the love of Yahweh our father and his Son Jesus Christ be with you.

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonzalez@srla.org), March 20, 2003.

Jmj
Oh, Elpidio! Every time you open your "mouth" [i.e., use your keyboard], out come more errors. You really shouldn't bother, especially at this Catholic site. How sad to read your mistakes!

1. "Joseph ... [etc.] ... I have written to the Pope on the subject. If he is man enough to deny that I have written to him is false, let Joseph Ratzinger say this in this forum." [Come on, Elpidio. People from the Vatican wouldn't come here. What you wrote about the various "Josephs" was nothing special or controversial. There would be no reason for a person to write "to the Pope on the subject."]

2. "There are others like me. Trust me. In the end, truth will prevail." [I never said that there are not other heretics like you. Yes, in the end, the Catholic truth will prevail over your Arian heresy.]

3. "In the past truth was exterminated: The Valdenses, John Huss,... just to name some. Yet, people later resurrected their beliefs." [It is impossible for "truth [to be] exterminated." The Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth and is indefectible [incapable of being destroyed.] The people you named, like all heretics, had a mixture of truth and error. It is a great pity if "people later resurrected their" heresies.]

4. "Even the Pope asked forgiveness for the death of Huss. Why, because truth prevails in the end, my friend." [No, my friend. He apologized despite condemning Huss's doctrinal errors. He apologized because Huss suffered too harsh a punishment for his wrongdoing. How could you not know these things? Why do you know so very little, Elipidio? How can you be a teacher? I feel so sorry for your students.]

5. "Jesus said: search the scriptures. He even said, it was said, but I tell you, which means, look for the truth also in the scriptures." [Again you are wrong. Here is what he actually said, which was not a command ("Search ..."), but a description of what some people were doing: "John 5:39 -- You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me."]

6. "Unfortunately, John, Mathew is not as reliable as Luke or Mark." [Nonsense! They are all equally reliable, for their primary author is the Holy Spirit.]

7. "Only Mathew talks of the Virgin birth (in Greek). I haven't seen the Aramaic or hebrew original to show you. But you know Betulah is Virgin, Almah is young woman in Hebrew." [Why do I bother to explain things to you, if you are going to ignore me? I proved you wrong on this subject ("almah") in the last message, but it went in one ear and out the other. No one can respect a discussion partner who does what you just did. You break my heart -- moreso for having left the true faith than for being hard to talk to. Oh, and by the way, how could you say that "Only Matthew talks of the Virgin birth," when St. Luke clearly does so too? Never mind. I don't really want to continue this conversation.]

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 21, 2003.