Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
“I have set before you, Life …choose LIFE…”
The Spoken Word of God is very clear in our lives. I have preached off of this subject many times over the past year in particular. The Spoken Word of God; God Spoke the World into being in the 1st Chapter of Genesis; "God said… and so it was", God said it by His Spoken Word and it came to be. In the Book of Deuteronomy 30:19, He again speaks to us VERY clearly; "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose Life, then, that you and your descendants may live."(New American Bible)
Is this a test? Is God trying to yet again test us to see what we will do and what we will choose? He once again places a critical issue before us in Embryonic Stem Cell Research. He has set before us life/blessing (in the form of a Human Embryo) and death/curse/abortion (the destruction of that Human Embryo for research). Unfortunately our nation not only chose Death with Roe V. Wade, but we continue to choose death in Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the HOPE for cures. The Spoken Words of our Lord are VERY clear brothers and sisters, CHOOSE LIFE! We MUST protect the sanctity of life at ALL stages, especially at the earliest, in its embryonic form.
We must continue to fight the good fight to educate our youth, our adults and let them know that there are other LIFE options rather than killing a baby through abortion. We must help our young MEN and educate them and let them know of the sanctity of MARRIED life and the FAMILY, which has been for the most part eradicated within the urban community; multiple children by multiple women for our young men; babies making babies, who have no clue how to raise them in the family unit.
Many of our young black men and women rarely see the family unit in action, as they themselves have been raised by Grandparents, Aunts, etc. It all boils back down to two things…EDUCATION and EXAMPLE. We have to educate our young people, giving them inspiration that they can achieve greatness, that there is another rout out of poverty rather than drugs, alcohol and living a promiscuous life. They can achieve becoming a CEO, CFO, Preacher, Teacher, Doctor, et. al., but only IF WE show them the example. Only if WE go to them, in their communities and encourage them and not continue to tear them down, we must build up our young people of today, for they ARE our future.
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God… What came to be was LIFE…" John 1: 1-4. I think the most powerful words spoken to us were John 1: 14; "And the Word became Flesh…" the Spoken Word of God became Flesh and dwelt among us. From Deuteronomy through the Gospel of John, God's Spoken Word to us is yet again, LIFE…CHOOSE LIFE, which is the LIGHT of the Human Race, the Light of the Father's ONLY Son. Brothers and Sisters that LIGHT is given to us through our babies, our sons and daughters, black, white, Latino, et. al., WE are the Light of God which shines throughout the World. So too are we, the Light of Christ, the Spoken Word of God which Dwelt among us, which dwells WITHIN each and every one of us. Let us continue to stand up for LIFE…the SPOKEN WORD OF GOD. "I have set before you life and death… Choose LIFE!"
Remember brothers and sisters, at one time… JESUS CHRIST WAS AN EMBRYO! Jesus, Mary and Joseph, PRAY FOR US!
God bless you.
Catholic Lay Evangelist Richard Lane, Co-Founder of Qorban Ministries
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Message to Catholics: JUST DO IT!!!
While sitting in my office today, I got a message from the HOT TOPICS at Catholic Answers Forum, so I perused some of the topics. Well, those of you who know me should know the ones that really caught my attention. "Catholic Street Preaching"!
Lawd have MERCY…some of the comments are just so funny to me. For those of you who might not know…but this is how our Ministry, Qorban Ministries, got started four years ago. Going out on the street corners and passing out bibles and plastic crosses. I had not Seminary Training, no PHD or Masters in Divinity, no Bachelors in Theology or Sacred Scripture, but what I did have was a DEEP LOVE for reaching others. A DEEP LOVE for wanting to five OTHERS the blessing and love that I had been given; this is what we are ALL CALLED TO DO, but so many people are so scared about doing it and the majority of comments I saw was, "Well, what if a Protestant comes up to you and wants to debate…you need to have some tracts to give them, yeah…have some information to give them…" NO YOU DON'T! You don't need all of that STUFF! Now, it's nice to have, but it is not needed.
All God wants is someone with a DESIRE! Someone who is AVAILABLE and ABLE to do HIS work. Let GOD be God while you are on the street and not YOU! You are not going out there to preach a Homily; you are not going out there to even CONVERT anyone! You are simply making yourself AVAILABLE to God, for Him to use you to touch the lives of others.
The key thing to fellowshipping with Protestants… (THIS IS THE SECRET!!!) Don't talk about what separates us….talk to them about what brings us all TOGETHER! JESUS!!! But to many times we as Catholic's can't talk about Jesus, without quoting the Catechism, or without an RCIA Guide or a Pamphlet or we have not had that course yet, or that has not come up in our fellowship meetings, etc. TALK to our brothers and sisters about the "RELATIONSHIP" YOU have with Jesus! HMMMM, I could do a whole nother blog on RELATIONSHIP with Jesus! You see, our Protestant Brothers and Sisters have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus…they have overtly or made an OVERT ACT of RELATIONSHIP with Jesus…in 'Accepting Him as my Lord and Savior', where we as Catholic's say… "Umm, yeah I say 10 Hail Mary's everyday and 5 Our Fathers….I recite the Memorare and say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy…", and don't get me wrong…these are GREAT things to do and pray every day…all day…, but are we in RELATIONSHIP with Him? What is RELATIONSHIP…Loving Him, morning, noon and night, saying Good morning, going to Mass Frequently, visiting Him in the Sacraments Frequently, calling him 20 times a day like you would that new sweet love in your life, to we treat Him as the LOVE of our LIVES? THAT is Relationship brothers and sisters!
Yeah I know, I went on another rant. LOL, when we go out into the streets, it's not to convert everyone, only the Holy Spirit can convert someone, we are just there to PLANT SEEDS in them. Give them a free Bible, give them a simple 10 cent plastic cross…Mother Teresa said, "You can save someone's soul with just a SMILE!" Did you smile at someone today? Have you told someone JUST HOW GOOD GOD IS? Have you given a TESTIMONY of just how Jesus has made a Way out of NO WAY in YOUR LIFE?!?!
Do it….. JUST DO IT!!! Jesus said, "Be Not Afraid!" JUST DO IT Brothers and Sisters…JUST DO IT! You will be surprised at the amount of Angels God will send to minister to YOU while you are doing HIS Will!
Peace be with you!
Richard Lane, Qorban Ministries
Monday, March 9, 2009
“Forgive Your People Lord…”
Yet again, today marks another milestone. March 9, 2009 is the day that our current Administration has authorized Federal Tax Dollars to be used for the continued MURDER of the unborn, in hope of a cure for diseases. The President stated, "I cannot guarantee that we will find the cures and treatments we seek…" The President further stated that this would not open up a door to Human Cloning, but "we will develop strict guidelines, which we will rigorously enforce, because we cannot tolerate misuse and abuse…and will ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction. It is dangerous, profoundly wrong, and has no place in our society, or any society." Well, Mr. President, I am not a rocket scientist, nor a Biotechnologist, but I am a believer of God and His Son Jesus Christ, and that being stated, Mr. President you JUST DID what you said you would NOT DO. The door is not just opened, but the flood gates have begun to rush in. SHAME ON US!
How can those in power think that by destroying a LIFE would be a good thing for the HOPE of prevented disease? This is preposterous and abominable. We must protect LIFE at all its stages from the earliest of inception (the Embryonic Stage) to its end.
We are NOT GOD! We do NOT have the right to decide who lives and who dies. We do NOT have the right to decied what can be thrown out and what is to be kept…in a Petri dish. Life is so precious; have we reached a point in the Worlds History that we THINK we are so smart that we can create and destroy life whenever we need a HOPE for a cure of something? What will our future hold, killing innocent babies, because we HOPE it might cure Allergies? WRONG, WRONG, this is WRONG, and those that sit on the sidelines without speaking up are just as guilty as those who are in power to destroy LIFE with the single stroke of a pen.
I am reminded of the Words of our Lord and Savior, "Father, forgive them, for they know NOT what they do!" I ask the Father to forgive us for thinking that we are so smart that we are and can act like Him. Father, forgive us for taking a LIFE, for the HOPE of a cure. Father, forgive us, for throwing life away as if it were a dirty snot rag. Father, forgive us, for not seeing YOUR Son, in the unborn and doing more to protect them.
This begs the question; how can we trust a Government to act responsibly, that says it will, yet again, "develop strict guidelines,…(to) enforce," when this same Government cannot control its own loaning and spending of Tax Payers monies. We give Billions of Dollars to companies and corporations and they in turn take expensive trips, vacations, I mean work outings…WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT…this is the same Government that is going to regulate privatized business who seek to earn BILLIONS of dollars for coming up with a possible cure? Where will the eggs come from for the scientists to conduct their experiments? It will come from the continued EXPLOITATION of Poor and Marginalized women. In this current state of our Economy, more and more women will be lured into selling their eggs, thus continuing to put their own health and lives in jeopardy, for monies that are desperately needed. They will continue to be LIED to by our Government and scientists that the procedure is not a painful one or a harmful one, when in essence it IS!
This is an ABOMONATION and is a great tragedy in our lifetime, and we cannot continue to sit back and continue to do NOTHING…we MUST fight for the unborn, we must fight for the PROTECTION OF LIFE at ALL OF ITS STAGES and we must realize that WE ARE NOT GOD…ONLY GOD CAN CREATE LIFE! We must speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves, we must continue to stand for those who have no voice, yet we must also be compassionate for those who suffer and seek other, alternative, SAFE methodologies for seeking cures, and NOT KILLING INNOCENT BABIES!
"Lord, FORGIVE YOUR PEOPLE!" Jesus, Mary and Joseph, PRAY FOR US!
Catholic Lay Evangelist Richard L. Lane, Qorban Ministries
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Lion ROARS from Rome!
Once again, our (St. Louis) former Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, yet again, ROARS his Pro-Life Stance to us all the way from Rome. People, this is a WAKE UP CALL FOR US! We cannot continue to be silent about this as our former Shepherd continues to speak Loudly and BOLDLY to us from half way around the world. Here is an interview done with him!
We LOVE YOU and MISS YOU SO MUCH Your Excellency!
Qorban Ministries
By Hilary White
ROME, January 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke, in an exclusive interview last week, told LifeSiteNews.com that the issue of pro-abortion politicians continuing to receive Holy Communion is still one of major concern and that it is the duty of bishops to ensure that they are refused.
He told LifeSiteNews.com, "I don't understand the continual debate that goes on about it. There's not a question that a Catholic who publicly, and after admonition, supports pro-abortion legislation is not to receive Holy Communion and is not to be given Holy Communion."
"The Church's law is very clear," said Archbishop Burke, who was appointed last year by Pope Benedict XVI as the head of the Church's highest court, the Apostolic Signatura. "The person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion, and it [Canon Law] doesn't say that the bishop shall decide this. It's an absolute."
Among the US bishops directly to address the issue, Archbishop Burke was one of around a dozen who vigorously supported a directive of the Vatican that said pro-abortion Catholic politicians "must be refused" Holy Communion if they attempt to receive at Mass. Others have refused to abide by the Vatican instruction and the Church's own Code of Canon Law, saying they would rather focus on "education" of such politicians.
Archbishop Burke called "nonsense" the accusation, regularly made by some bishops, that refusing Holy Communion "makes the Communion rail a [political] battle ground". In fact, he said, the precise opposite is true. The politician who insists on being seen receiving Holy Communion, despite his opposition to the Church's central teachings, is using that reception for political leverage.
In 2004, when self-proclaimed Catholic and candidate for the Democrat party, Sen. John Kerry, was frequently photographed receiving Holy Communion despite his vigorous support of abortion, the US Bishops Conference issued a document which said only that it is up to individual bishops whether to implement the Church's code of Canon Law and refuse Communion. The issue has remained prominent with the appointment of Joe Biden, another pro-abortion Catholic politician, as Vice President of the United States of America.
Archbishop Burke recalled previous experiences with Kerry, pointing to the several occasions when the senator was pictured in Time magazine receiving Communion from Papal representatives at various public events. Burke said that it is clear that Kerry was using his reception of Holy Communion to send a message.
"He wants to not only receive Holy Communion from a bishop but from the papal representative. I think that's what his point was. Get it in Time magazine, so people read it and say to themselves, 'He must be in good standing'."
"What are they doing? They're using the Eucharist as a political tool."
In refusing, far from politicising the Eucharist, the Church is returning the matter to its religious reality. The most important reasons to refuse, he said, are pastoral and religious in nature.
"The Holy Eucharist, the most sacred reality of our life in the Church, has to be protected against sacrilege. At the same time, individuals have to be protected for the sake of their own salvation from committing one of the gravest sins, namely to receive Holy Communion unworthily."
Archbishop Burke also dismissed the commonly proffered excuse that such politicians need more "education". Speaking from his own direct experience, he said that Catholic politicians who are informed by their pastors or bishops that their positions in support of pro-abortion legislation makes it impossible for them to receive Holy Communion, "I've always found that they don't come forward."
"When you talk to these people, they know," he said. "They know what they're doing is very wrong. They have to answer to God for that, but why through our pastoral negligence add on to that, that they have to answer to God for who knows how many unworthy receptions of Holy Communion?"
Archbishop Burke said that the issue had been debated enough. He rejected the idea that the matter should be left to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, saying the Conference has no authority in the matter. "This is a law of the universal Church and it should be applied."
"I think this argument too is being used by people who don't want to confront the issue, this whole 'wait 'til the Conference decides'...well the Conference has been discussing this since at least 2004. And nothing happens."
When asked what the solution was, he responded, "Individual bishops and priests simply have to do their duty. They have to confront politicians, Catholic politicians, who are sinning gravely and publicly in this regard. And that's their duty.
"And if they carry it out, not only can they not be reproached for that, but they should be praised for confronting this situation."
Monday, February 16, 2009
Black History Month - Dr. Benjamin Carson
Dr. Benjamin Carson has written over ninety neurosurgical publications. He has been awarded 24 honorary degrees and numerous national citations of merit. Carson has written three bestselling books, Gifted Hands, Think Big. and The Big Picture. Currently, Benjamin Carson serves as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1987, he gained world-wide recognition as the principal surgeon in the twenty-two hour separation of the Binder Siamese twins from Germany.
Benjamin Carson was born into poverty and as a young child was doing poorly in school. His father abandoned the family when Benjamin Carson was eight, however, his mother encouraged him to learn, and he was transformed from a fifth-grade "dummy" into a top scholar.
Dr. Benjamin Carson obtained a scholarship to Yale University, then graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. At 33, Benjamin Carson became the youngest ever chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the U.S., and developed techniques that have saved the lives of hundreds of children.
This pioneering surgeon has received many honors and is an extraordinary role model, who has, in his own words, "overcome rage, racism and poverty" to reach the greatest heights of his profession.
Black History Month – Dr. Patricia Bath
Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist from New York, but living in Los Angeles when she received her patent, became the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. Patricia Bath's patent (no. 4,744,360), a method for removing cataract lenses, transformed eye surgery, using a laser device making the procedure more accurate.
Patricia Bath's passionate dedication to the treatment and prevention of blindness led her to develop the Cataract Laserphaco Probe. The probe, patented in 1988, is designed to use the power of a laser to quickly and painlessly vaporize cataracts from patients' eyes, replacing the more common method of using a grinding, drill-like device to remove the afflictions. With another invention, Bath was able to restore sight to people who had been blind for over 30 years. Patricia Bath also holds patents for her invention in Japan, Canada, and Europe.
Patricia Bath graduated from the Howard University School of Medicine in 1968 and completed specialty training in ophthalmology and corneal transplant at both New York University and Columbia University. In 1975, Bath became the first African-American woman surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center and the first woman to be on the faculty of the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute. She is the founder and first president of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Patricia Bath was elected to Hunter College Hall of Fame in 1988 and elected as Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine in 1993.
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