Robert P Denoncour

John 11: 9

Matthew 13: 1 - 23

Jesus replied: "There are twelve hours of daylight every day, and during every hour of it a man can walk safely and not stumble. Only at night is there danger of a wrong step, because of the dark."

From the example of my parents, and the works of the Sisters of St Joseph, and the Grace of God ... the teachings of the Catholic Church is my "Light" that I need to Guide my choices through life. As Confirmed Catholics we are required to give Testimony to God's love. This page is an example of my testimony.

Some people use other guides to help them through life. For example:

Lawyers make up rules and feel that if they follow their man made rules they will be moral and good.
The Hollywood crowd preach relativism and so called "Open mindedness" . If you are "Politically Correct" you are moral.(?)
Some people follow the behavior of friends and associates and believe that if they are part of the "In Group" they are doing right.
Others give up trying to do right and hide their failure and sadness from themselves with alcohol and drugs.
So many people in this group define the phrase: "Living lives of quiet desperation".

These methods of guidance are inferior and even counter productive to the goal of living a good, moral and happy life.

A person says: "I am Catholic, but I do not believe in some of the major Teachings of the Church". This is a totally ignorant statement. Catholic by definition means Universal. One cannot be Catholic and not accept the teachings of the Church at the same time. There is no such thing as a "Pro-Choice" Catholic. If a person does not believe in the Sacraments (all of them) this person cannot be Catholic at the same time.

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Exodus 34

Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,

continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness!"

Examples: Alcoholism, Divorce, Abuse

WELL!... That doesn't seem fair. But then again,,, since when is life fair? The reality is "sins of the father" or maybe said: "Mistakes by Parents" affects children for generations. The more serious the mistake (sin) the larger and longer the affect.

The alcoholic parent will teach (maybe inadvertently) his /her children to be alcoholics or "co-dependents". NOT in all cases! But the sensitivity is there.

The divorcing parent will raise children to be weaker in relationships- fear of intimacy, fear of commitment, less respect for the institutions of marriage and family, certainly less respect for self.. - Wallerstein / Blakeslee ²

Parents choosing to divorce should read Wallerstein's books and studies on the effects of DIVORCE on children and grandchildren. Reading these studies show how Divorce is a sin.

Parents that "Abuse" also inflect this wickedness upon their children and their children's children. How often we hear in the NEWS that an abuser was abused as a child. Physical abuse, verbal abuse, mental abuse... any for of abuse will be learned by those that observe it.

The sensitivity to perpetuate the "Sin" is how this Exodus 34: 6 reveals itself in the world as it is.

We need to teach children how the world SHOULD BE... but prepare them for how the WORLD IS..

To me, this is an important parable.

What I take from this story is that we cannot JUDGE the worth or accomplishments of another because we cannot know where that other person was "Planted". Only He knows if a person properly used the "Gifts" and advantages given to that person by God.

We can and should judge BEHAVIOR. We should not judge the person. God teaches right from wrong. Only God knows if a person had a fair chance to HEAR the teachings.

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach.

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.

4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,

6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away.

7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

9 He who has ears, let him hear."

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12 For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.

15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.

19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.

20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."