Modern times are dominated by Satan

“Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into Heaven, the Mother of God now requires our cooperation. She seeks souls who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God’s kingdom upon earth.”
– St. Maximilian Kolbe

Last Saturday we celebrated the feast of one of my favorite saints, St. Maximilian Kolbe. My husband and I love him so much that we named our beloved dog Kolbe after him.
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It is by humility

August 18
“It is by humility that the Lord allows Himself to be conquered so that He will do all we ask of Him.”
-St. Teresa of Avila
Today’s Reflection:
Do I allow myself to be conquered by humility so that I can do all the Lord asks of me? What evidence do I have of this in my life?
  

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What You Should Know About Energy Medicine

People write to us all the time with questions about the various energy medicine techniques – from Reiki to tai chi and everything in between – so I decided to write a general overview of energy medicine that can provide additional details for those who wish to learn more.

From a scientific point-of-view, energy medicine is undoubtedly “the snake oil of the 21st century.” It’s entrenched in our culture, our hospitals, even our churches, even though there is not a shred of evidence to support the existence of the “energy” that practitioners claim to be manipulating, balancing, and channeling in their expensive Reiki, acupuncture, reflexology, chakra therapy and meridian cleansing sessions so there’s no point in throwing away your hard-earned dollars on any of it. Few if any of these techniques have been submitted to rigorous – and unbiased – scientific scrutiny; and those that have failed miserably.

This is one of many reasons why these techniques can be dangerous, especially if a person suffering from a serious disease forgoes conventional medicine for any of these forms of healing. It is also worth noting that because there is no credible scientific substantiation for this energy or the practices related to it, practitioners are not regulated and no professional standards are enforced.

What is Energy Medicine?
According to the National Institutes for Health, there are currently more than 60 healing techniques that are based on the alleged existence of a universal life force or energy which permeates all of creation (referred to as chi, qi, prana). Hindus believe it is found in the body’s energy centers known as “chakras” and traditional Chinese medicine proponents say it runs through the body via channels known as meridians. (There is no evidence of the existence of either chakras or meridians.) Common practices based on this energy include Reiki, yoga, acupuncture, therapeutic touch, tai chi, reflexology, EFT, Chakra Therapy, Qi Gong, polarity therapy and a host of others.

“Energy workers” believe illness occurs when this energy becomes unbalanced and that they can restore this balance by manipulating it.

Know Your Energy!
What is perhaps most confusing to the public – and many practitioners – about energy medicine is the distinction between the two forms of energy – veritable and putative – and precisely which one is involved in energy medicine.

In an overview of energy medicine, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes for Health provides a clear explanation of these two energy forms.

Veritable energy consists of mechanical vibrations (such as sound) and electromagnetic forces, including visible light, magnetism, monochromatic radiation and rays from other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. “They involve the use of specific, measurable wavelengths and frequencies to treat patients.” These forms of energy have been scientifically validated.

Putative energy consists of alleged “energy fields” that human beings are supposedly infused with. This is what practitioners of Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, yoga and others purport to be manipulating. These forms of energy have never been scientifically validated, which is why the NIH reports, “These approaches are among the most controversial of complementary and alternative medical practices because neither the external energy fields nor their therapeutic effects have been demonstrated convincingly by any biophysical means.”

Confusion among the public is caused by energy medicine practitioners who either do not know, or misrepresent, the kind of energy being manipulated. Some use terms such as “vital force” or “bioenergetic” (which can mean just about anything) either because they don’t know what kind of energy they’re using or they don’t want you to know.

Is it Christian?
Compounding this problem are attempts by practitioners to apply a Christian veneer to these practices to make them more palatable to the faithful. For instance, some practitioners claim that Jesus may have used Reiki, or claim the energy they are manipulating is actually the Holy Spirit. Others say that one can simply substitute the name of Jesus or God for this energy force, or choose to believe its source is God, and they will not be violating Christian tenets.
But this is not true simply because the very basis of energy medicine – the energy itself – is not a Christian belief, but a thoroughly New Age concept.

“The New Age god is an impersonal energy, a particular extension or component of the cosmos; god in this sense is the life-force or soul of the world,” writes the authors of the Pontifical document Jesus Christ Bearer of the Water of Life.

“This is very different from the Christian understanding of God as the maker of heaven and earth and the source of all personal life. God is in himself personal, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who created the universe in order to share the communion of His life with creaturely persons.”

In addition, Christians believe that man is a union of body and soul and that the soul is an essential form of the body – not an energy force.

“From a spiritual perspective, it is the soul that is the life-principle of the body, not something else. Consequently, there is no spiritual ‘life energy’ animating the body,” write the apologists at Catholic Answers. “Any energy used as part of the body’s operations” such as the electricity in our nervous systems “is material in nature, not spiritual. . . . Since this is contrary to Christian theology, it is inappropriate for Christians to participate in activities based on this belief.”

Energy healers also like to refer to the Christian practice of laying on of hands as a sign that Jesus either used or was channeling some kind of energy force when He healed. However, this only reveals their lack of catechesis. The Catechism teaches us that the Christian use of the hands in healing has nothing to do with channeling energy but is considered a “symbol” of one person interceding for another.

There is so much more than can be said about energy medicine, such as what the science of physics has to say about it, the problems it is causing within the health care profession, why it is a form of “superstitious medicine,” etc. For a more in depth study, see the Learn to Discern Compendium which is available at EWTN’s Religious Catalog.

© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com

Do you wish to rise

August 17
“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”
-St. Augustine
Today’s Reflection:
What opportunities has the Lord given me in the last week to lay the “foundation of humility” in my life? Did I see these opportunities as such when they were given me? Can I cooperate with grace to see them as such now?
  

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Meet the Team: Christine Arnold

It’s time to meet the team that makes Women of Grace the impactful apostolate that it is!
Today we’re featuring Christine Arnold, one of the two Regional Coordinators in Pennsylvania. We hope you enjoy learning more about Christine from her answers to the questions below. Stay tuned for regular “Meet the Team” features!

 

1 How long have you been on the Women of Grace team and how did you begin?

“In 2006, an information flyer was put up in my home parish, Holy Name of Jesus Parish, on the Foundational Study, and I thought ‘this is for ME!!’ I have been a Regional Coordinator for the last ten years.”

 

2 What do you love best about Women of Grace’s apostolate?

After completion of the life-changing Women of Grace Foundational Study, women can choose from a variety of spiritual and social growth paths to become a sacred daughter of the Most High God. Further studies adapted from additional books by Johnnette, Webinars, Conferences, along with the Benedicta Leadership Study Formation are a few of the opportunities for spiritual growth. Socially, a safe, secure network of Sacred Sisters has been formed during your Women of Grace Foundational Study; in addition, ‘Mornings of Grace’ either in person or online, along with opportunities for interaction during various events held by Women of Grace. A ‘Daughter of the Most High God’ can choose the best path for her spiritual growth and development with the Women of Grace Apostolate.”

3 What is your favorite devotion?

The Rosary! For those women new to this lovely devotion, why not try to start praying the rosary with your Women of Grace Prayer Group? We also offer a weekly Rosary Crusade on our website at 4:00 p.m. every Wednesday afternoon.

 

4 Who is your favorite saint?

“Father Damien of Molokai- he made those that were so physically altered, feel loved!”

 

5 If you could have lunch with Jesus today, what would you want to talk about?

“Jesus, what ways do you see that I may grow in holiness that I am missing? What would you like me to focus more on, and at the same time, spend less time on?”

© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®

What will be the crown

August 16
“What will be the crown of those who, humble within and humiliated without, have imitated the humility of our Savior in all its fullness!
-St. Bernadette
Today’s Reflection:
In this quote, St. Bernadette reveals to us the way in which humility comes “packaged.” What is it? What is the connection between it and becoming “humble within?”
  

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If I love Jesus

August 15
“If I love Jesus, I ought to resemble Him. If I love Jesus, I ought to love what He loves, what He prefers to all else: humility.”
-St. Peter Julian Eymard
Today’s Reflection:
How does Jesus show us that He prefers humility to all else? Does my desire for humility reflect my love of Jesus?
  

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You’re not humbled

August 14
“You’re not humbled when you humble yourself, but when you are humbled by others and you bear it for Christ.”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
Today’s Reflection:
Is God currently offering me an opportunity to grow in humility through others? What does St. Josemaria Escriva recommend so that I might mine the grace being offered me?
  

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Despised by others

August 13
“The day you see yourself as you are, you will think it natural
to be despised by others.”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
Today’s Reflection:
To what extent do I see myself as I am – not embellishing my weaknesses nor excusing them either. How would both of these extremes be a false humility?
  

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