“Eschatology is the fulfillment of the Easter faith of the Church. Faith in the Returning Lord is only the fruit of faith in the Risen Lord. The world cannot remain as it is, because Christ did not remain in the grave!”

                                                                          -Hans Lilje (1899-1977)

In response to requests from parishioners, for a “Morning Offering” prayer, (referred to in Fr. Greg’s homily), the following, from St. Alphonsus Liguori, is offered:

“O my God, I adore You. I love You with all my heart and I thank You for all Your gifts. I thank You for preserving me through the night and for bringing me to the beginning of this new day full of grace. I offer You all that I do or suffer throughout this day, in union with the actions and sufferings of JESUS. I intend to avoid everything that would offend You, but I ask that You give me the graces necessary to please You and reject sin. Give me to grace to love You more today than yesterday. Mary, Mother of my Lord, Mother of all His disciples, please take me under your care today. My guardian angel and my patron saints, come to my aid. Amen.

DO YOU KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY?

PORNOGRAPHY/SCIENTIFIC FACTS. . .

1.Porn is like an addictive drug: IT AFFECTS THE BRAIN

Cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs have more in common than you might think: they all flood the brain with a chemical called dopamine, which causes the addictive ‘trigger’ in the brain.

Porn does the exact same thing. Studies are showing that viewing pornography tricks the brain into releasing the same dopamine that drugs do. The brain then begins to “rewire”  itself because of this artificial stimulation creating addiction, which demands more and more stimulation.

2. Porn adversely affects the ability to emotionally relate to others on a deeper level.

Pornography directly impacts the user’s ability to enter into real relationships. The false images of ‘relationships’ in porn cause a subtle shift away from reality and cause many users to experience feelings of ‘disconnect’ with other around them. Many porn users create a ‘separate identity’: the addict vs the person they try to project to others around them.

The family members of porn users report feelings of loss, betrayal, mistrust, devastation        and anger when they learn that their loved one has been using porn. Spouses of porn users report feelings of betrayal akin to adulterous behavior.

3. Porn can lead to anger and aggressive behavior.

When a person is watching porn, their brain is actually ‘wiring’ together the images to sexual arousal. An analysis of 33 recent studies found that exposure to both non-violent and violent porn increases aggressive behavior, including violent fantasies and actually committing violent assaults. National studies on violent crimes have highlighted this ‘link’.

4. Porn can lead to major breakdowns in families.

Research has found that marriages in which one person is a porn user, there is a measurable increase in anxiety and less sexual intimacy. Secrecy, lying, isolation, and dysfunction impact marriage, and porn use is now being identified as the underlying issue in many divorce cases.

Children are often the victims too, either being exposed to pornographic images or being neglected by a parent who is ‘disconnecting’ from real relationships.

(CONTENT AND INFORMATION FROM: Fightthenewdrug.org)

For help click on any of the following sites:  

theporneffect.com

thekingsmen.org

covenanteyes.com

integrityrestored.com

fightthenewdrug.org

chastityproject.com