The Modern Latino Catholic

Proverbs - Good night Jesus Disciples… We are going deep into Proverbs. Before we do, why should we? Proverbs are sayings and riddles for the wise. Solomon makes a direct plea for you to take in wisdom like your Mother’s milk. He warns against taking in wisdom. He says ALL knowledge starts with fear of the Lord. So if you have no fear, then it would be possible to have no knowledge. Proverbs 1, Verse 7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and disciple.”

We all know how hard it is to open our Bibles and read 1-2 pages. We know it’s good for us too. We know we will feel better, have more wisdom, but here we are not reading the Bible. If you fear the Lord enough, opening the Bible becomes easier and easier. Perhaps Proverbs is a code for those that are scared to look Jesus in the face. There are plenty of people who want to spit at his face, swing whips and sticks at him, others who want him dead. As for me, I take John the Baptists opinion. I am not worthy to even hold his sandals. I am terrified of telling him that I knew Jesus was my Messiah, I knew what he wanted of me, that I knew what was wise, yet I didn’t change one bit.

So, don’t just read wisdom. Execute wisdom. Someone who knows but does not do, does not know. Those who know, do.

Solomon - I am going to do a deep dive into Solomon. First Proverbs, then another book. Proverbs literally has at least 100 sayings that all cut deep, if not like 500. It’s pure wisdom. And because it’s in the Bible, all this new age stuff can easily be tested with Solomons words. The next 25 or so posts will all be on Solomon and proverbs. If you listen to it on the Holy Bible app it’s probably about an hour long. We would say you should listen to it at least 2-3 times. Solomon, through his words, has all the answers on how to be a man. A real man. And you need to read it for yourself to be able to contradict him.

Ecclesiastes - Solomon is supposed to have amassed the largest fortune ever, the largest herd ever and he built some churches that still have the foundation that he was responsible for laying down. He says the phrase “meaningless” 38 times, mostly referring to materials. What I, myself, think right now is that he was referring to destiny. No matter what we choose, the end destiny will all be the same. So try to be good, try to be wise but don’t try too hard at either. Because in his opinion, he would rather be in the presence of a wise person than adored by a fool. He really does not like fools. What makes a person wise and what makes a person a fool? It would have to be the source of their energy and who we take advice from. When we have the perspective of the Bible, Jesus and any disciple really, we know that more than likely we are being wise. But if we take advice from anyone who has ears, perhaps we will be lead astray. Once you are lead off the path, it is easy to be a fool. It seems pretty simple to be wise and not a fool. But just because something is simple, does not mean that it will be easy. So let’s be wise, read our Bible, and know there is nothing we can do to avoid our predetermined destiny. Solomons voice in our head should serve us more than any opinion of any celebrity.

Luke - If you have never met, and just heard about Jesus, read this one gospel and you will know more about Jesus than 99% of the world. Hearing about Jesus from other people does almost no good for you, reading it with your own eyes will do much more for you. Jesus’s own words fill this gospel, and after reading the parables it will strengthen your faith and you will get to know Jesus as the best friend that he is. No one will ever be able to tell you what being a good Catholic is, they will not being able to impose their non-biblical ways on you, their judgement is irrelevant, and you will be able to see and hear their lies coming from miles away. The one lesson that is repetitive in the gospel is that Faith alone is what saves. A lack of Faith is a sin, and an abundance of Faith will make every single one of your desires come true. Read this one book, and you will gain the only friend that will NEVER betray you, Jesus Christ.

2 Maccabees 7 - Wow, just wow. This is one of the most incredible stories of pain / suffering I have ever heard and I heard it for the first time today. A Mother watched her 7 sons be murdered and put in a boiling pot one by one. First their tongues were cut off, then their hands individually cut off and then their feet. They were then put in a red boiling pan. All 7 sons were given a choice to eat pork or be murdered as they saw their oldest brother. Not only did the Mother witness her SEVEN sons be murdered but she encouraged them to be thankful to God. I can’t even imagine this pain, or maybe that’s all I really can do. In the end, I hope I die standing for the things that I believe in rather than living for the things that I despise. All seven sons acknowledged their own sins and knew that the King (murderer) was going to pay a price with God. Have a great Sunday and may the peace of the Lord be with you, always. What do you stand for? Are you willing to die for it?

Psalms - David was a pretty favored fellow. He was the Eighth son of Jesse and eventually went on to face Goliath. Now it’s not so much bravery but is insult that was taken by David when he heard Goliath talk negatively about David’s God. David was so favored that he was told that he would always be favored. So much so that he would be nicknamed the “Father of Jesus.” Now this is not his literal father but it is in the Bible. David also did many, many sinful things, most notably an adulterer and a murderer. Even so, God heavily favored him. We as a human race should know the things he thought. Whether we agree or disagree, we should at least know how he thought. I bet many of us have had similar thoughts except less harsh. David pours it all out, just as we should.

Happy 2019. Thoughts on love, looking to the past and parenting. Rejoice only!

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2016 New Years - We talk about the past, and many people say you aren’t supposed to. The Good Book, says “REJOICE only.” So when you look back, only look back at the things that make you happy, that’s a rule! We drove 24 hours to LA, CA in 2016 and then went on a cruise to celebrate our parents 40th Anniversary. Both of us never heard the words, “I love you” from either of our parents. But, they surely make us feel súper (in Spanish) special! We can only hope to make each one of our children assume that they are the favorite, because that right there is Parenting 101. Make your children feel, feel deep love, and know that at least they can find love from you every single day of the week and every year!

James - Brother of Jesus, meaning he was right there to witness the greatness firsthand, right? What did he have to say? Attached are TMLC’s opinion of the three most important sentences. James seems pretty fiery, and may have invented the phrase “actions speak louder than words.” The very same brother, in the same household, rejected him. As James noted, we have tamed land animals and animals of the sea, but we still have not tamed our tongues. God made the same tongue that praises him, curse men, so use it wisely. Thank you very much! 🙏🏾 @ St. Joseph Catholic Church, Kennewick WA

When was the last time you read the Bible? Pretty soon you won’t have to. YouTube to the rescue... In the near future.

The Modern Latino Catholic with
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Jude - Brother of James, meaning he was either the brother or cousin of Jesus. What did he have to say? Attached are TMLC’s opinion of the three most important sentences. Jude seems pretty fiery, urging us to drop negativity from our lives. If angels don’t speak negatively about humans, should we? Probably not, but more importantly we shouldn’t spend time with humans who like to mean to other humans. What do you think of the book of Jude? Coming next week will be a YouTube video with Audio and Narration. Thank you very much! 🙏🏾 @ St. Joseph Catholic Church, Kennewick WA